In our continued efforts to keep families informed and updated about the curriculum at Blake, each month we will be 'highlighting' 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 the updates for the month of April, 2015.
Art
Grade 6: Sixth grade artists are using nature as a point of departure in abstract mixed media compositions. They have examined and discussed the work of Georgia O' Keefe and are now creating their own designs that capture the essence of a natural form.
Grade 7: Students in grade 7 are continuing their year long exploration of the self. They are currently working on manipulating photographic images of themselves, using pattern to alter the image, create emphasis, and add humor.
Grade 8: Students are looking at examples of street art and graffiti. They are examining the motivation behind why artists make their mark, or tag. Students are beginning to create their own trademark or personal signature which will be made into a print for mass production.
English
Grade 6: With the Grade 6 Poetry Project complete and students’ recognition of the important role choice makes in shaping a poem’s tone and meaning, students will use their deeper appreciation for words and meaning to unlock one of America’s great adventures. Reading, analyzing, and unpacking activities surrounding Mark Twain’s novel Tom Sawyer will prepare Grade 6 English students for their transition to Grade 7.
Grade 7: Students in Grade 7 are doing historical research about the Revolutionary War in preparation for starting Johnny Tremain. In writing lab, students continue to work on creative short stories that will be presented to the elementary schools on June 17.
Grade 8: Grade 8 students launched work on their final Blake novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. This will include discussion on the author and her background along with coming-of-age stories and information about Alabama and Jim Crow Laws. In Writing Lab, students will complete their reading/study of the Holocaust novels and beginning the initial planning for the design and construction of character scrapbooks over the next few weeks.
Guidance
Students have just begun the fourth and final Guidance rotation of the year. Embracing Diversity kicks off with an examination of the Maurice Ogden allegory "The Hangman" and 7th Grade Group Guidance is previewing the transition from 7th to 8th grade. The 6th grade students started an interest/getting to know you survey and wrote up the classroom rules for their class. In #CyberChat the students discussed the power of the media to help and hurt in national and international situations like the Boston Bombing and the current events in Baltimore.
Mathematics
“You always run before you jump!” This is the current mantra of 6th grade math students at Blake Middle School. Mathematicians are extending their unit on area and surface area to include figures on a coordinate plane. As such, they will need to know how to correctly plot ordered pairs. Recalling that you need to move horizontally before you move vertically is essential and our new mantra provides a physical memory aide.
Mrs. Gumas as a baby, Mrs. McLaughlin standing next to the Denver Blue Bear and Mrs. Farrell’s Barbie Doll collection….these are all pictures our 7th grade math teachers are showing in the name of teaching proportions and percent increase & decrease! All students are examining increase and decrease of prices, populations and measurements. Have you already started training for next year’s Boston Marathon? Ask a Blake mathematician to calculate your statistics. They’ll be sure to help get you in great shape:-)
Remember factor trees in 4th grade? 8th grade mathematicians are examining the idea of factoring using something other than numbers: variables! Instead of asking how many 5’s fit inside 40, we are looking at how many x’s there are in 4x2y, how many m’s there are in -15m3n7 and how many a’s there are in ½ a8b9c Students are working hard to raise their level of abstraction in math class as they round out their Algebra experience.
Music
The 7th and 8th grade Choruses are eager for our trip to Six Flags happening on Friday, May 29. We will sing/compete in the morning and then travel to the park for an afternoon of fun.
All three Choruses at the Middle School will sing in the annual Blake Spring Choral Concert which will take place on Tuesday, June 2 at 7pm in the HS Auditorium.
Ms. Nothnagel's 6th grade Music classes are beginning their Form projects this week and these will be due the second week of June. Students will choose a piece of music to listen and dissect, create a poster, and give a presentation on their musical choice.
The 6th grade orchestra is preparing for its Spring concert on May 21st. We recently started a new piece called Kabuki Dance that offers great opportunities to improve ensemble playing, rhythmic reading, dynamics and pizzicato tone production. The 7th and 8th Grade Orchestra's are preparing for the Great East Festival on May 29th and their Spring Concert on June 1st. We recently started 2 new pieces that allow us to focus on bow control and placement as well as changing finger patterns.
Science
6th grade science is currently learning about minerals. Students will apply what they have learned to a geological investigation of their hometown, next Wednesday 5/6. Students will explore the aftermath of erosion and weathering throughout their town as they visit 4 different locations; Hopi Avenue, Tall Wood Rd., Rocky Woods and Dale St. Cemetery. They will observe various landforms that will eventually lead towards the primary agent of erosion suspect!
Seventh grade science is just finishing up with their Cell Cycle Animations. These animations require students to use apps like Explain Everything, Hyperlapse, and Stop Motion to present not just models of the phases of the cell cycle, but the transitions between each phase. Here are some examples…Hyperlapse Animation & Stop Motion Animation. In our next unit we will be looking at the structure of DNA and use legos to create models representing DNA replication! Once students have learned about the structure of DNA, they will then learn about its significance as we investigate genetics. We’ll start with Gregor Mendel’s discovery which uncovered the mystery behind how organisms share traits. He pollinated the flowers of pea plants to make these discoveries, and so we’ll follow in his foot steps by performing a flower dissection!
Eighth grade science is currently bringing their Sun, Earth, Moon systems unit to a close. Students used computer simulations, model kits, and Explain Everything templates to help visualize moon phases, eclipses, and tides. Shortly, students will be working in their Forces, Matter, and Energy unit where they will be measuring potential and kinetic energy through skatepark simulations and tennis balls. In tech, students are in the middle of their coding unit using Dash and Dot. They are coding the robots through mazes, creating songs, bowling, and jousting!
Social Studies
World Geography students in 6th grade have been studying deforestation and desertification with a focus on how these important problems are affecting the environment today. By understanding different points of view through primary and secondary sources, students worked on arriving at their own conclusions about the negative and positive effects of deforestation and desertification. The culminating project was the creation of a commercial which represents a modern NGO and their cause. The research and activities of this unit created a nice introduction to the next unit on the economy and developed/developing countries.
Several 7th grade Ancient Civilizations students enjoyed a visit from local archaeologist and Medfield resident, Mr. John Thompson. He shared his wide array of archaeological expertise with Blake students. Mr. Thompson brought in several fascinating artifacts, including tools used by Native Americans who lived in this area thousands of years ago. Mr. Thompson also fielded questions from Blake students, including 'What goes through your head when you find something?', 'What is the strangest artifact you have found in Medfield?' and 'If you could go on a dig anywhere in the world, where would you go?' It was a fascinating and inspiring visit.
World History I students are still immersed in their study of the European Renaissance. Using Explain Everything, students are creating a seating chart for great Renaissance figures. They have to analyze what their historical characters have in common and….what they do not. A second assignment will require each student to write a cover letter and resumé for a specific member of the Renaissance. Students will be refining their interview skills for this project. The next unit of study in World History I is the Protestant Reformation.
Wellness
Health
Spring has finally sprung, and that means fresh fruits and vegetables will soon be available from local farms! 6th graders are discussing nutrition, with the learning emphasis on nutrients and MyPlate.
7th graders used Microsoft Publisher to create tri-fold brochures to demonstrate their understanding of how targets of bullying and cyberbullying can get help. Some of these projects will be placed in the guidance office at Blake to serve as resources for students. 7th graders will learn about the dangers of marijuana use, and will discuss some of the current controversial topics around marijuana use in today’s society.
Binge drinking, alcoholism and addiction are the important prevention topics being discussed in 8th grade health classes this month. Students will learn what the most current research tells us about the impacts of all three of these critical health issues.
Physical Education
Students in all three grades are extending their skills in basketball, and will also be learning some new moves for keeping fitness fun! 6th graders will get creative in the jumping rope unit, 7th graders will workout to music on the Urban Rebounders, Blake’s mini-trampolines. 8th graders are getting their first in-school introduction to Rugby, which is a club sport at MHS. We are excited for the great weather on the horizon, and encourage everyone to play outside this spring!
World Language
Sixth grade
In grade six French, we finished up our unit on animals and their habitats with puppet skits of animals greeting each other and asking questions about each animal. We are now learning how to talk about our class schedules and school supplies, and looking at the differences and similarities between American and French schools.
In sixth grade Mandarin, we are learning how to introduce our pets.
6th graders in Spanish are learning how to talk about animals and their habitats.
Seventh grade
The 7th grade French classes are finishing up the café unit. Students prepared and presented wonderful skits of them being at a café. We will be reviewing for the upcoming chapter test this Friday.
In seventh grade Mandarin, we are learning how to introduce our family members' hobbies, daily activities, as well as how to invite someone to join activities.
7th graders in Spanish are perfecting their ability to ask and answer more complicated questions about their daily activities.
Eighth grade
Grade 8 French students have been chatting about going places by playing Battleship! By using given subjects and verbs, we have been making sentences about the pictures in the provided game board!
In eighth grade Mandarin, we are learning how to introduce our family members' hobbies, daily activities, as well as how to invite someone to join activities.
Students in eighth grade Spanish are talking about emotions and using the past tense to explain why they feel the way they do.