October 2017
In our continued efforts to keep families informed and updated about the curriculum at Blake, each 1month we 'highlight' updates from the different departments. We hope this will help facilitate conversations at home and maintain a bridge between home and school. Below please find updates for the month of October 2017.
Art
Grade 6: How can artists draw the illusion of depth on a flat surface? Students are demystifying the drawing process by learning the Renaissance technique of mathematical perspective. Sixth graders are learning 1 and 2 point perspective drawing with architecture. They are envisioning and planning out their ‘Haunted Houses’, using pen and ink techniques for texture and value.
Grade 7: How can we draw portraiture with accuracy? There are actually many ways to do this, but students are exploring the connection between art and math, by gridding out a photograph and translating it with graphite into a full value drawing. This exercise builds skills and confidence by breaking down a complex image into smaller parts. Bit by bit, a realistic image starts to take form. Here is one of our art heroes, Chuck Close, who has done amazing work using the grid and who we look to as inspiration for this piece.
Grade 8:
Students have examined how artists can change our expectations and perceptions about the world around us. They have looked at Faith Ringgold, Frida Kahlo, and Kehinde Wiley (who was just picked as President Obama’s official portrait artist). They discussed how each artist puts his own voice in portraiture and how seeing things from an unfamiliar perspective can alter our pre-conceived attitudes. They will now begin planning and organizing images and thoughts to create portraits that tell a story about their own life.
After School Opportunities:
Open Studios has begun! Come down to the Art room on Thursdays after school until 3 and work in the media of your choice. See any art teacher for information.
Set design and decoration is in full swing. See Mrs. Deveno for details.
English:
Grade 6:
Sixth graders are learning about the elements of fiction and vocabulary study skills while reading the book Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen. While reading, we continue to discuss the plot of the book along with characters; characterization; setting clues; figurative language; mood; theme; and point of view. We will even be relating the point of view in the book to our study of the personal pronouns as a part of speech! After the Thanksgiving break, we will begin our narrative writing unit.
Grade 7:
Students in the seventh grade recently completed their introduction to analyzing characterization, imagery, and figurative language in the novel The Color of My Words. We are now studying how foreshadowing can be used to build suspense in the short story "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl. After this quick unit, students will begin their work with Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol.
Grade 8:
Students in the seventh grade recently completed their introduction to analyzing characterization, imagery, and figurative language in the novel The Color of My Words. We are now studying how foreshadowing can be used to build suspense in the short story "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl. After this quick unit, students will begin their work with Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol.
Guidance
The 6th grade Group Guidance class has talked about their transition to middle school, label emotions, and are starting discussions on friends/acquaintances and how we interact differently with each. This will lead to discussions on joking, teasing, mean behavior and bullying (how each is defined and how to identify each). Mr. Becker joined the 6th grade Group Guidance class and presented a lesson on anxiety and the utilization of coping strategies to work through anxious situations.
The students in the 7th grade Group Guidance class are discussing “Resilience” by examining some historical events from Abraham Lincoln's life and also discussing the concept of "social cliques". Mr. Becker recently joined this 7th grade Group Guidance rotation to discuss how to properly support a friend who is going through emotional distress.
The 8th grade Group Guidance students are continuing to explore career readiness. They are finishing up the rotation by putting together an in-class project on a career possibility, based from interest inventories and other research. Mr. Becker visited the 8th grade Group Guidance class and presented a lesson on resilience and the core concepts of how to build resiliency in teenagers. The students in Embracing Diversity are continuing to learn about “discrimination”, and are now looking at Hate Crimes - specifically statistics and trends.
Library
The Library Media department has finished enrolling all sixth grade students into our Commonwealth e-Books Axis 360 virtual library (7th and 8th graders were enrolled last year). Members have the opportunity to download and read books right on their iPads. So far, 1,427 books have been checked out since the beginning of the school year – a record breaking pace! Read more about it in the latest LMC Blog.
http://blakelmcproject.wixsite.com/blakelmc/single-post/2017/10/20/BURIED-TREASURE-1
The first of the eight-week related rotation classes are coming to a close. Sixth grade Library Media students have been learning how to find, use, and cite reliable information. Seventh grade Inv/Tech students have been learning about the advantages and disadvantages of computer screen technology and developing their own “philosophy of technology” – coming up with ideas to maximize the good things about computers in their lives and ways to minimize the not so good aspects. The sixth grade coding class coded their very own version of Crossy Roads using the Hopscotch App. Students worked through their game in parts: space, components (character and obstacles), mechanics, rules and goals. The best part was when they played each other's games and gave feedback.
In our continued efforts to keep families informed and updated about the curriculum at Blake, each 1month we 'highlight' updates from the different departments. We hope this will help facilitate conversations at home and maintain a bridge between home and school. Below please find updates for the month of October 2017.
Art
Grade 6: How can artists draw the illusion of depth on a flat surface? Students are demystifying the drawing process by learning the Renaissance technique of mathematical perspective. Sixth graders are learning 1 and 2 point perspective drawing with architecture. They are envisioning and planning out their ‘Haunted Houses’, using pen and ink techniques for texture and value.
Grade 7: How can we draw portraiture with accuracy? There are actually many ways to do this, but students are exploring the connection between art and math, by gridding out a photograph and translating it with graphite into a full value drawing. This exercise builds skills and confidence by breaking down a complex image into smaller parts. Bit by bit, a realistic image starts to take form. Here is one of our art heroes, Chuck Close, who has done amazing work using the grid and who we look to as inspiration for this piece.
Grade 8:
Students have examined how artists can change our expectations and perceptions about the world around us. They have looked at Faith Ringgold, Frida Kahlo, and Kehinde Wiley (who was just picked as President Obama’s official portrait artist). They discussed how each artist puts his own voice in portraiture and how seeing things from an unfamiliar perspective can alter our pre-conceived attitudes. They will now begin planning and organizing images and thoughts to create portraits that tell a story about their own life.
After School Opportunities:
Open Studios has begun! Come down to the Art room on Thursdays after school until 3 and work in the media of your choice. See any art teacher for information.
Set design and decoration is in full swing. See Mrs. Deveno for details.
English:
Grade 6:
Sixth graders are learning about the elements of fiction and vocabulary study skills while reading the book Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen. While reading, we continue to discuss the plot of the book along with characters; characterization; setting clues; figurative language; mood; theme; and point of view. We will even be relating the point of view in the book to our study of the personal pronouns as a part of speech! After the Thanksgiving break, we will begin our narrative writing unit.
Grade 7:
Students in the seventh grade recently completed their introduction to analyzing characterization, imagery, and figurative language in the novel The Color of My Words. We are now studying how foreshadowing can be used to build suspense in the short story "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl. After this quick unit, students will begin their work with Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol.
Grade 8:
Students in the seventh grade recently completed their introduction to analyzing characterization, imagery, and figurative language in the novel The Color of My Words. We are now studying how foreshadowing can be used to build suspense in the short story "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl. After this quick unit, students will begin their work with Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol.
Guidance
The 6th grade Group Guidance class has talked about their transition to middle school, label emotions, and are starting discussions on friends/acquaintances and how we interact differently with each. This will lead to discussions on joking, teasing, mean behavior and bullying (how each is defined and how to identify each). Mr. Becker joined the 6th grade Group Guidance class and presented a lesson on anxiety and the utilization of coping strategies to work through anxious situations.
The students in the 7th grade Group Guidance class are discussing “Resilience” by examining some historical events from Abraham Lincoln's life and also discussing the concept of "social cliques". Mr. Becker recently joined this 7th grade Group Guidance rotation to discuss how to properly support a friend who is going through emotional distress.
The 8th grade Group Guidance students are continuing to explore career readiness. They are finishing up the rotation by putting together an in-class project on a career possibility, based from interest inventories and other research. Mr. Becker visited the 8th grade Group Guidance class and presented a lesson on resilience and the core concepts of how to build resiliency in teenagers. The students in Embracing Diversity are continuing to learn about “discrimination”, and are now looking at Hate Crimes - specifically statistics and trends.
Library
The Library Media department has finished enrolling all sixth grade students into our Commonwealth e-Books Axis 360 virtual library (7th and 8th graders were enrolled last year). Members have the opportunity to download and read books right on their iPads. So far, 1,427 books have been checked out since the beginning of the school year – a record breaking pace! Read more about it in the latest LMC Blog.
http://blakelmcproject.wixsite.com/blakelmc/single-post/2017/10/20/BURIED-TREASURE-1
The first of the eight-week related rotation classes are coming to a close. Sixth grade Library Media students have been learning how to find, use, and cite reliable information. Seventh grade Inv/Tech students have been learning about the advantages and disadvantages of computer screen technology and developing their own “philosophy of technology” – coming up with ideas to maximize the good things about computers in their lives and ways to minimize the not so good aspects. The sixth grade coding class coded their very own version of Crossy Roads using the Hopscotch App. Students worked through their game in parts: space, components (character and obstacles), mechanics, rules and goals. The best part was when they played each other's games and gave feedback.
Mathematics
8th grade math students are experiencing one of their geometry units throughout the year. Students will be asked to graph shapes on a two-dimensional plane and rotate, translate, expand and dilate them. Often, you will see students hold their work on a window to do this. The light truly ‘sheds light’ on the problem and helps these transformations get done!
7th grade students have become experts in the area of ALL real numbers. They are solidifying their knowledge of arithmetic with positive and negative numbers. Additionally, we remind them not to forget zero, an important number that connects positive numbers with their opposites. This is the year that students learn about the components of the real entire number line they were first exposed to in kindergarten. They will need to wait until Algebra II to add to it the imaginary number line:-)
6th grade mathematicians are refining their skills with fractions. Thinking proportionally is a skill we want all our Medfield students to constantly refine. Working with fractions allow students to not only refine their proportional reasoning, but it is a good opportunity to work on their fact families. A lot goes into understanding 1840. Students need to understand the fact families involving many numbers! Meaning, 18=63, 6=183, 3=186... The list goes on and on.
Science
Grade 6 science continues their exploration into matter and the world around us. Taking a virtual Journey through our Solar System students investigated what happens to both mass & weight on other planets and moons. Volume and Density are the next 2 properties of matter we’ll examine. Students will have numerous opportunities to practice collaboration, while refining their lab skills, measuring volume and calculating the densities of various materials. They will then have opportunities to apply their understanding of these properties of matter to various situations and problems!
The seventh grade students spent the week of October 10-13 at Nature’s Classroom on Lake George in Silver Bay, New York, where themes of ecology were investigated while in the field. At mealtimes, lessons about the importance of conservation were reinforced as students measured their food waste and examined energy use after each meal. Early civilization themes were also experienced as students participated in an afternoon of “Back to Basics”. Students also had opportunities to participate in quiet reflection while responding to one or more various writing prompts. It was a busy, fun filled week! Back in the classroom we have completed our magnetism and electricity unit and have begun studying types of energy such as potential and kinetic energy, along with the process of energy transfer. This week students were engaged in a four part lab activity examining kinetic energy and the different types of potential energy. Next we will be studying thermal energy! In Science Exploration class students are preparing for the arrival of the trout eggs in January, by learning about conditions trout need to survive.
It has been an action packed month in seventh grade science!
8th grade math students are experiencing one of their geometry units throughout the year. Students will be asked to graph shapes on a two-dimensional plane and rotate, translate, expand and dilate them. Often, you will see students hold their work on a window to do this. The light truly ‘sheds light’ on the problem and helps these transformations get done!
7th grade students have become experts in the area of ALL real numbers. They are solidifying their knowledge of arithmetic with positive and negative numbers. Additionally, we remind them not to forget zero, an important number that connects positive numbers with their opposites. This is the year that students learn about the components of the real entire number line they were first exposed to in kindergarten. They will need to wait until Algebra II to add to it the imaginary number line:-)
6th grade mathematicians are refining their skills with fractions. Thinking proportionally is a skill we want all our Medfield students to constantly refine. Working with fractions allow students to not only refine their proportional reasoning, but it is a good opportunity to work on their fact families. A lot goes into understanding 1840. Students need to understand the fact families involving many numbers! Meaning, 18=63, 6=183, 3=186... The list goes on and on.
Science
Grade 6 science continues their exploration into matter and the world around us. Taking a virtual Journey through our Solar System students investigated what happens to both mass & weight on other planets and moons. Volume and Density are the next 2 properties of matter we’ll examine. Students will have numerous opportunities to practice collaboration, while refining their lab skills, measuring volume and calculating the densities of various materials. They will then have opportunities to apply their understanding of these properties of matter to various situations and problems!
The seventh grade students spent the week of October 10-13 at Nature’s Classroom on Lake George in Silver Bay, New York, where themes of ecology were investigated while in the field. At mealtimes, lessons about the importance of conservation were reinforced as students measured their food waste and examined energy use after each meal. Early civilization themes were also experienced as students participated in an afternoon of “Back to Basics”. Students also had opportunities to participate in quiet reflection while responding to one or more various writing prompts. It was a busy, fun filled week! Back in the classroom we have completed our magnetism and electricity unit and have begun studying types of energy such as potential and kinetic energy, along with the process of energy transfer. This week students were engaged in a four part lab activity examining kinetic energy and the different types of potential energy. Next we will be studying thermal energy! In Science Exploration class students are preparing for the arrival of the trout eggs in January, by learning about conditions trout need to survive.
It has been an action packed month in seventh grade science!
As the vernal equinox passes and the number of daylight hours continue to decrease, eighth grade students began to deepen their understanding of mass, weight, volume and density in their Science classes. Through the use of graduated cylinders and triple beam balances, students began to learn the importance of precision in measurement and identifying unknown substances using the property of density.
In Introduction to Engineering classes, students have begun the construction phase of their Solar Car projects. After a record number of delays, the canoe trips were all a great success with students testing the levels of nitrates, phosphates, turbidity and the pH of the Charles river, at and around the discharge point from the sewage treatment plant.
Social Studies
Sixth grade World Geography students are focusing on political geography and country maps while learning about map skills and related vocabulary. Students are also practicing a “user centered design mindset”, known as Design Thinking in order to move forward with the mountain unit in the upcoming weeks. Design Thinking encourages students to work collaboratively to foster imagination, empathy and self-esteem. Students will be applying these skills to mountains that are a part of UNESCO and are in need of solving environmental and/or social problems.
A sixth grade initiative started last year by teacher Michael Gow and, now, current ninth grader Sarah Boyd, in conjunction with World Connect was recognized by the organization. Below is the excerpt:
“Led by a passionate 6th grader, Blake Middle School students from Medfield, MA hosted movie nights to raise $400 for a community clean-up initiative in Salitre, Costa Rica. The project also included curriculum enhancements on global engagement and empathy. World Connect collaborated with the school and invested $750 so that the women’s organization in Salitre, Costa Rica could continue their bi-monthly community cleanups. The absence of municipal waste management services in Salitre, leaves the community vulnerable to infectious agents and toxins from uncollected trash. This project also allowed participants to build recycling stations for the town and to conduct environmental talks at local schools.” -World Connect, https://www.worldconnect-us.org
“I want to thank Sarah for introducing our school to World Connect. Behind her efforts, we were able to successfully incorporate an empathy project within our school’s curriculum. Thank you, World Connect for helping us lead this effort.”
– Michael Gow, Faculty Advisor
Ancient Civilizations 7th grade students returned from Nature's Classroom refreshed and ready to dive into the second half of term one. As usual, it was a great experience for everyone and the students and teachers were able to make some great connections between the seventh grade curriculum and the activities from Nature's Classroom. 7th graders have just completed the first two major units of the year, Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley. Students were asked to wonder about what it takes to build, plan, and coordinate a community of people in the ancient world. Soon students will begin the Egypt unit. Many students have a lot of background knowledge about ancient Egypt, which allows for some exceptional insight into the material. It is especially fitting that 7th graders will begin learning about the mummification process and King Tut's curse as we approach Halloween!
8th grade World History I students will see a shift in the curriculum from the Byzantine Empire to the foundations of Islam. Students will learn about its rise as a major world religion in the 7th century, the role of Muhammad, and the Muslim influence on the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain through a focus on writing skills and analysis of primary source documents.
Special Education
Each month we will be highlighting various areas of focus from the special education department.
6th Grade Learning Center- Using Visual supports to remember figurative language
Check it out here!
Identifying Figurative Language
7th Grade Learning Center- Continued work on organization systems and increasing independence in this area. Utilizing graphic organizers to complete claim paragraphs
8th grade Learning Center: This month we explored learning styles and recommended study strategies for the each style. Students took this learning style inventory: https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-Services/Documents/IDEAS%202014%20Handouts/LearningStyleInventory.pdf . We have also been working on time management strategies for long term, multi-step assignments.
Online Resources of the Month:
Readtheory.org - great for leveled reading comprehension practice - ste up a free account to track your progress
Khanacademy.org- search any subject and get free video tutorials, lessons and practice!
Wellness
Health Education:
All three grades have completed their study of National Health Standard #6 - Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health. All three are now beginning their study of National Health Standard #3 - Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information, products, and services to enhance health.
6th graders are using the 7 Steps to Achieving Goals as they work toward achieving their health goals. Those steps are Assess (they have assessed their personal health using the wellness wheel), Identify (they have identified an area of their personal health that they want to improve), Create (students have created a SMART goal and a plan toward completion of that goal), Apply (this is where they will put that plan into action), Record (during this phase, they will be writing down what they are doing to work toward their goal), Reflect (This will be done throughout the process. They will be reflecting on their work toward their goal and the effectiveness of their plan) and Evaluate (when they are done, they will look at whether they were successful or not and why.)
To address standard 3, 6th graders will be learning to access accurate information about nutrition and fitness.
7th graders are learning to access accurate information for the prevention and treatment of injuries and illnesses. Students have been working in small groups to determine whether a variety of online sources adhere to the 'ACES' criteria. All sources utilized must be 'Accurate', 'Credible', 'Easy to Use' and 'Supported'. In small groups students will research and present before their classes such topics as cuts, burns, impetigo, mononucleosis and Lyme disease.
Building on to their skills practice over the last two years, 8th graders are demonstrating how to navigate web sources, making sure they are "ACES Approved" (Accurate, Credible, Easy to Use and Supported). During this unit, students will research various topics within the categories of mental illness and eating disorders in order to gain an understanding about what resources are available to them and how to seek help.
Physical Education:
6th and 7th Grade students are wrapping up their Track & Field units this week and have developed skills in various events such as the 50 yard dash, hurdles, 200m, long jump and the 1 mile run. We are very excited to have the Polar Heart Rate Monitors up and running for all 6th grade classes! Students are able to track their heart rates throughout class and their teachers are able to collect important information such as the amount of time each student spends in each of the heart rate zones. This allows us to provide specific, timely feedback to students which is highly motivating to them. We look forward to having student use the monitors in upcoming units.
After completing units in golf and archery, 8th graders are now starting their football unit. During this unit, students will learn how to throw and catch the football as well as the rules of the game. During the football unit, we will be using the Sport Education Model. Students will be placed onto teams and assigned a role within each team. Those roles include Coach/Captain, Rules Enforcer, Statistician, Fitness Leader and Equipment Manager. Each of these roles requires them to take ownership for a certain part of their team’s performance.Teams will be following a schedule and playing a season against the other teams in their class. The culminating activity for this unit is the 8th Grade Annual Turkey Bowl. The Turkey Bowl is a touch football tournament that is run each year to help support the Medfield Food Cupboard. Students will create their own four player teams from throughout the 8th grade. In order to register their team, each player will be required to bring in one non-perishable food item to be donated to the food cupboard. It is a fun event that will take place during Thanksgiving week. More details about the tournament will be available soon.
Consumer Science:
The first rotation classes will be concluding Thursday, November 9th. In consumer science, students have been creating a recipe folder with all of the food they have prepared since the course began in September. In addition to learning how to read a recipe, measure, and work together with their kitchen group, students have practiced using all of our kitchen appliances safely. They have been responsible for hand washing and drying dishes, cleaning their tables and countertops, sweeping the floor, and cleaning out the sink and sponges to prevent bacterial growth and the cross contamination of allergens. Please support our efforts by asking your child to help you with food planning, preparation, and clean up. You’ll be glad you did!
World Language
6th grade
In sixth grade Mandarin, students are working on Unit 1 lesson 2. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify more pinyin symbols, understand more classroom commands, express thanks and introduce their nationalities.
Sixth grade Spanish students are learning how to tell time and talk about their classes. They are going to be writing and performing their first skit including expressions such as “I’m late!”, “Oh no! You better run!” and “Don’t worry about it!”
Sixth grade French students have just finished working on a basic dialogue that includes greetings, introductions, asking how each other is feeling, and giving basic information about themselves including their age and where they live. Presently, they are learning the numbers 0-30 and are transforming French class into Math class as they practice basic math equations in French!
7th grade
In seventh grade Mandarin, students are working on Unit 4 lesson 2. By the end of this lesson, students can address people of different social status levels.
Seventh grade Spanish students are continuing their study of how to introduce basic facts about others. For these next few weeks, we will focus on nationalities, a quick review of the geography of the Spanish speaking world, age, and what different people like.
Seventh -grade French students are finishing up Unit 1. They can discuss their likes and dislikes, using a variety of vocabulary and activities.
8th grade
Students in eighth grade Spanish have practiced making phone calls in the target language, and are inviting friends to do things. They’ve started expressing ideas using the future, to tell about what they’re going to do as they make a plan. They have also looked at movie listings at a theater in Spain, discussed cultural differences, and expressed preferences for movies.
In eighth grade Mandarin, students are working on Unit 8 lesson 2. By the end of this lesson, students can identify the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals and introduce their family members and friends’ zodiac sign. Students also can understand the Chinese way of counting age and the Chinese Zodiac.
Students in eighth grade French are sharing their families with their classmates, identifying members of the family in French (père, mère, frère, sœur, etc.) and describing their physical and personality traits using adjectives (grand, petit, gentil, and drôle, for example). We're looking forward to telling our classmates all about our familles en français!
In Introduction to Engineering classes, students have begun the construction phase of their Solar Car projects. After a record number of delays, the canoe trips were all a great success with students testing the levels of nitrates, phosphates, turbidity and the pH of the Charles river, at and around the discharge point from the sewage treatment plant.
Social Studies
Sixth grade World Geography students are focusing on political geography and country maps while learning about map skills and related vocabulary. Students are also practicing a “user centered design mindset”, known as Design Thinking in order to move forward with the mountain unit in the upcoming weeks. Design Thinking encourages students to work collaboratively to foster imagination, empathy and self-esteem. Students will be applying these skills to mountains that are a part of UNESCO and are in need of solving environmental and/or social problems.
A sixth grade initiative started last year by teacher Michael Gow and, now, current ninth grader Sarah Boyd, in conjunction with World Connect was recognized by the organization. Below is the excerpt:
“Led by a passionate 6th grader, Blake Middle School students from Medfield, MA hosted movie nights to raise $400 for a community clean-up initiative in Salitre, Costa Rica. The project also included curriculum enhancements on global engagement and empathy. World Connect collaborated with the school and invested $750 so that the women’s organization in Salitre, Costa Rica could continue their bi-monthly community cleanups. The absence of municipal waste management services in Salitre, leaves the community vulnerable to infectious agents and toxins from uncollected trash. This project also allowed participants to build recycling stations for the town and to conduct environmental talks at local schools.” -World Connect, https://www.worldconnect-us.org
“I want to thank Sarah for introducing our school to World Connect. Behind her efforts, we were able to successfully incorporate an empathy project within our school’s curriculum. Thank you, World Connect for helping us lead this effort.”
– Michael Gow, Faculty Advisor
Ancient Civilizations 7th grade students returned from Nature's Classroom refreshed and ready to dive into the second half of term one. As usual, it was a great experience for everyone and the students and teachers were able to make some great connections between the seventh grade curriculum and the activities from Nature's Classroom. 7th graders have just completed the first two major units of the year, Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley. Students were asked to wonder about what it takes to build, plan, and coordinate a community of people in the ancient world. Soon students will begin the Egypt unit. Many students have a lot of background knowledge about ancient Egypt, which allows for some exceptional insight into the material. It is especially fitting that 7th graders will begin learning about the mummification process and King Tut's curse as we approach Halloween!
8th grade World History I students will see a shift in the curriculum from the Byzantine Empire to the foundations of Islam. Students will learn about its rise as a major world religion in the 7th century, the role of Muhammad, and the Muslim influence on the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain through a focus on writing skills and analysis of primary source documents.
Special Education
Each month we will be highlighting various areas of focus from the special education department.
6th Grade Learning Center- Using Visual supports to remember figurative language
Check it out here!
Identifying Figurative Language
7th Grade Learning Center- Continued work on organization systems and increasing independence in this area. Utilizing graphic organizers to complete claim paragraphs
8th grade Learning Center: This month we explored learning styles and recommended study strategies for the each style. Students took this learning style inventory: https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-Services/Documents/IDEAS%202014%20Handouts/LearningStyleInventory.pdf . We have also been working on time management strategies for long term, multi-step assignments.
Online Resources of the Month:
Readtheory.org - great for leveled reading comprehension practice - ste up a free account to track your progress
Khanacademy.org- search any subject and get free video tutorials, lessons and practice!
Wellness
Health Education:
All three grades have completed their study of National Health Standard #6 - Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health. All three are now beginning their study of National Health Standard #3 - Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information, products, and services to enhance health.
6th graders are using the 7 Steps to Achieving Goals as they work toward achieving their health goals. Those steps are Assess (they have assessed their personal health using the wellness wheel), Identify (they have identified an area of their personal health that they want to improve), Create (students have created a SMART goal and a plan toward completion of that goal), Apply (this is where they will put that plan into action), Record (during this phase, they will be writing down what they are doing to work toward their goal), Reflect (This will be done throughout the process. They will be reflecting on their work toward their goal and the effectiveness of their plan) and Evaluate (when they are done, they will look at whether they were successful or not and why.)
To address standard 3, 6th graders will be learning to access accurate information about nutrition and fitness.
7th graders are learning to access accurate information for the prevention and treatment of injuries and illnesses. Students have been working in small groups to determine whether a variety of online sources adhere to the 'ACES' criteria. All sources utilized must be 'Accurate', 'Credible', 'Easy to Use' and 'Supported'. In small groups students will research and present before their classes such topics as cuts, burns, impetigo, mononucleosis and Lyme disease.
Building on to their skills practice over the last two years, 8th graders are demonstrating how to navigate web sources, making sure they are "ACES Approved" (Accurate, Credible, Easy to Use and Supported). During this unit, students will research various topics within the categories of mental illness and eating disorders in order to gain an understanding about what resources are available to them and how to seek help.
Physical Education:
6th and 7th Grade students are wrapping up their Track & Field units this week and have developed skills in various events such as the 50 yard dash, hurdles, 200m, long jump and the 1 mile run. We are very excited to have the Polar Heart Rate Monitors up and running for all 6th grade classes! Students are able to track their heart rates throughout class and their teachers are able to collect important information such as the amount of time each student spends in each of the heart rate zones. This allows us to provide specific, timely feedback to students which is highly motivating to them. We look forward to having student use the monitors in upcoming units.
After completing units in golf and archery, 8th graders are now starting their football unit. During this unit, students will learn how to throw and catch the football as well as the rules of the game. During the football unit, we will be using the Sport Education Model. Students will be placed onto teams and assigned a role within each team. Those roles include Coach/Captain, Rules Enforcer, Statistician, Fitness Leader and Equipment Manager. Each of these roles requires them to take ownership for a certain part of their team’s performance.Teams will be following a schedule and playing a season against the other teams in their class. The culminating activity for this unit is the 8th Grade Annual Turkey Bowl. The Turkey Bowl is a touch football tournament that is run each year to help support the Medfield Food Cupboard. Students will create their own four player teams from throughout the 8th grade. In order to register their team, each player will be required to bring in one non-perishable food item to be donated to the food cupboard. It is a fun event that will take place during Thanksgiving week. More details about the tournament will be available soon.
Consumer Science:
The first rotation classes will be concluding Thursday, November 9th. In consumer science, students have been creating a recipe folder with all of the food they have prepared since the course began in September. In addition to learning how to read a recipe, measure, and work together with their kitchen group, students have practiced using all of our kitchen appliances safely. They have been responsible for hand washing and drying dishes, cleaning their tables and countertops, sweeping the floor, and cleaning out the sink and sponges to prevent bacterial growth and the cross contamination of allergens. Please support our efforts by asking your child to help you with food planning, preparation, and clean up. You’ll be glad you did!
World Language
6th grade
In sixth grade Mandarin, students are working on Unit 1 lesson 2. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify more pinyin symbols, understand more classroom commands, express thanks and introduce their nationalities.
Sixth grade Spanish students are learning how to tell time and talk about their classes. They are going to be writing and performing their first skit including expressions such as “I’m late!”, “Oh no! You better run!” and “Don’t worry about it!”
Sixth grade French students have just finished working on a basic dialogue that includes greetings, introductions, asking how each other is feeling, and giving basic information about themselves including their age and where they live. Presently, they are learning the numbers 0-30 and are transforming French class into Math class as they practice basic math equations in French!
7th grade
In seventh grade Mandarin, students are working on Unit 4 lesson 2. By the end of this lesson, students can address people of different social status levels.
Seventh grade Spanish students are continuing their study of how to introduce basic facts about others. For these next few weeks, we will focus on nationalities, a quick review of the geography of the Spanish speaking world, age, and what different people like.
Seventh -grade French students are finishing up Unit 1. They can discuss their likes and dislikes, using a variety of vocabulary and activities.
8th grade
Students in eighth grade Spanish have practiced making phone calls in the target language, and are inviting friends to do things. They’ve started expressing ideas using the future, to tell about what they’re going to do as they make a plan. They have also looked at movie listings at a theater in Spain, discussed cultural differences, and expressed preferences for movies.
In eighth grade Mandarin, students are working on Unit 8 lesson 2. By the end of this lesson, students can identify the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals and introduce their family members and friends’ zodiac sign. Students also can understand the Chinese way of counting age and the Chinese Zodiac.
Students in eighth grade French are sharing their families with their classmates, identifying members of the family in French (père, mère, frère, sœur, etc.) and describing their physical and personality traits using adjectives (grand, petit, gentil, and drôle, for example). We're looking forward to telling our classmates all about our familles en français!