News from 7-I

7I Blog for March 18, 2014

Mr. Schreckengast’s Science Class

Right now in Mr. Schreckengast’s Science Class we are learning about Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion.  To start this part of the unit the students completed a lab called: Moving Bodies.  They had to answer the question: “How does mass affect the distance an object will travel?”  They used marbles, a ruler, a meter stick and a 5 oz. cup to complete the lab. Here are some pictures of the students:

We will spend about a week studying Newton’s Laws.  Newton’s 1st Law has six stations for the students to explore.  Law #2 will be a lab showing how force = mass x acceleration. Law # 3 will be a lesson about Action and Reaction Forces pertaining to rockets.  The Forces Unit will be finished just before we begin PSSA week.

Social Studies with Miss Eason (Student Teacher) and Mrs. Elicker

Currently in Social Studies we are beginning our study of the New England Colonies.  We began our study with an activating strategy where students worked together to put paper puzzle pieces together to form each of the New England Colonies.  The students then shared their colony puzzle with the class.  All of the students then worked with a partner to label and color a map of the New England Colonies.  After we complete our study of New England we will be moving on to the Middle Colonies!

                   

             

Academic Literacy - Mrs Vasellas

After the PSSA’s, students will be working on their final assessment for Unit 2. Students read a paired-text about Disasters. The students will write a paragraph explaining which text was more effective in expressing its ideas and why. The paragraphs will be submitted using Googledocs. Team 7I’s final draft is due 11 April 2014.

Math - Ms. Therrien

The past month has been dedicated to reviewing and preparing for the PSSA. Now that the testing is complete, students will be focusing on preparing for Algebra next year.

All classes are currently working on Chapter 5 (Equations and Inequalities). Students will be exploring multi-step equations and inequalities. The emphasis will be on showing work appropriately as well as writing equations for word problems. After Chapter 5, both classes will be focusing on Geometry in Chapters 11 and 12. Students will be working with two- and three-dimensional figures as well as angles and lines.

Health with Mr. Martin

In Mr. Martin’s health class we are wrapping up our tobacco and alcohol unit.  Students have been working on their projects and giving presentations this week and will conclude this unit with their unit test this week. Throughout this unit we have discussed various issues, problems, and risks associated with tobacco and alcohol use and I have attempted to encourage students to have the confidence to make wise choices when it comes to these issues and to stand up against the pressures of our culture, media, and their peers.

I have also been encouraging students to initiate discussion and conversation with their families in regards to their views on tobacco and alcohol use through the use of an interview assignment. I also challenge and encourage all parents to take the time to discuss these important issues with your teens if you have not already done so.  I also remind you to keep discussing these issues with your teen now and in the future as the pressure becomes even greater.  Students cannot hear that message enough.  After all, our media makes sure they hear the fun and positive side to underage tobacco and alcohol use nearly everyday through movies, television, Internet, radio, and various other means of advertising.

Talking to your teens about tobacco, alcohol, and drugs can be a difficult conversation to have, but nevertheless a necessary and important one.  Many tobacco and alcohol users have their first experiences with these substances long before it is actually legal to do so.

As we move forward into the last marking period, we will be starting our next unit on First Aid and Safety Prevention, which will help students be better prepared to deal with some of life’s unfortunate and unexpected circumstances that any of us may face at a moment’s notice.  As our teens are growing up, they are given greater responsibility by being left alone or in charge of younger children.  This makes it all the more imperative as to why they need to know what to do in the event of an emergency.  All people can benefit from basic first aid and safety prevention education, and I once again encourage parents to talk your children about these and other important health issues.  

English:  Mrs. Henze

The past several weeks we have been reading stories and analyzing the story elements.

After PSSA tests, we are finishing up the current unit with objective and subjective summaries and a text analysis.  The next unit will focus on looking at the craft and the structure of fiction text.  We will then move into a narrative writing unit, and to conclude seventh grade, the students will be studying historical fiction text.