7th Grade Social Studies
Students have been working to learn the major physical
features
8th Grade
Reading
Students received their homework for the week Monday. It will be due on Thursday. Students have begun a unit studying literary devices. They have been working to understand the meaning of similes and metaphors, how they are construed and writing their own. The purpose is to develop better comprehension skills.
7th Grade Social Studies
Students have been working to learn the countries of
8th Grade
Reading
Students received their homework for the week today. It will be due on Friday this week; we didn’t have class yesterday due to the field trip. Students completed reading “At the Avenue Eatery” in the text. We began working on a study guide today and will complete it tomorrow as well as review the vocabulary for the story. A test over this material is scheduled for Thursday.
7th Grade Social Studies
Students will complete their unit on the five themes of
geography today. They finished a chapter 2 test yesterday. The next unit will focus on North Africa and
Southwest Asia
(chapter 15 and 16 of the text). We will begin this unit on Monday with a map activity and overview of the Southwest Asian region (
Middle East
).
8th Grade
Reading
Students have been working with context clues this week. Class time has been shortened due to ITBS testing. A normal schedule will resume next week. A quiz over context clues is planned for Monday. We will began another short story study next week on “At the Avenue Eatery” by Gayle Pearson.
Weekly homework is important for students to continue to develop and apply basic skills related to vocabulary and comprehension. They are expected to understand and apply a limited number of new vocabulary words each week; this often requires use of a dictionary. They are also asked to complete a comprehension activity. As a strategy for doing this successfully they should read the material at least twice, preferably three times, before attempting to answer the questions then reference the material to verify their answers as they complete the comprehension exercise. Much of the homework I have checked recently indicates that students are rushing through the assignments without taking full advantage of the learning opportunity it offers.
Book reports are due Wednesday
October first.
7th Grade Social Studies
Students are continuing with their unit on the five themes of geography. Students are working to understand how the elements of these themes work together to affect their lives and the lives of others. They are also working to develop and apply new vocabulary as a part of this unit. I anticipate a vocabulary quiz Friday and a unit test next week. Progress reports for the first four and a half weeks were passed out today.
8th Grade Reading
A test over the short story, “Yes Ma’am” by Langston Hughes was given last Wednesday (September 10th). I-Parent was updated and progress reports will be sent home today. Students have had their academic schedules changed due to Cogat and ITBS testing.
Students will continue to work on reading comprehension strategies in class as well as start a new short story in the coming days.
Homework was checked today and we discussed the importance of thoroughly completing homework assignments each week to get the most out of these practice activities.
Book reports are due October first.
7th Grade Social Studies
We began a short unit five themes of geography. Students are working to understand how ideas related to these themes work together to affect their lives and the lives of others. This relates to chapter one and two of the text.
8th Grade Reading
The elements of a short story were reviewed and students were asked to identify these elements in their reading activities. The class has begun working to apply their understanding of these concepts to the short story, “Yes Ma’am” by Langston Hughes. Study of the story also includes vocabulary development and comprehension activities. A test over this material is planned for next Wednesday (September 10th).
As a reminder, students receive a homework assignment each Monday. These assignments typically focus on skills evaluated by the CRCT. Assignments are to be completed outside class and are due Thursday when they are reviewed and discussed in class. Students receive a homework grade for this work.
Students completed taking the Performance Series assessment. This provides a better understanding of their reading abilities as related to discrete skills.
Students also received a graphic organizer for their DEAR book report this week. Remember, the first report is due October first and should be completed following the format provided ion the graphic organizer. The final copy should be typed or neatly written in blue or black ink.
7th Grade Social Studies
Students completed a quiz on the continents and oceans. They are continuing a review of map skills. A quiz over these concepts is planned for Friday. Next we will begin a short unit five themes of geography. This relates to chapter one and two of the text.
8th Grade Reading
Students completed in class activities on Context Clues. The short story unit was introduced and students will be developing an understanding of the elements of a short story or novel. Students are also taking the Performance Series assessment to provide a better understanding of their reading abilities as related to discrete skills. Students will receive a graphic organizer for their DEAR book report this week. The first report is due October first and should be completed following the format provided. The final copy should be typed or neatly written in blue or black ink.
7th Grade Social Studies
Students are working on map skills. This includes an understanding of scale, map keys, direction, and longitude and latitude. In addition, students are reviewing the continents and the oceans. There will be a map quiz on Wednesday where students have to label the continents and oceans as well as spell each correctly.
8th grade Reading
Students are completing a CRCT pre-test today. We have been studying understanding word meaning by using context clues and will continue with this in the coming days. Tomorrow, we plan to start a study of the elements of the short story and apply this as we read "The Banana Tree" in our text.
Students were given a vocabulary and comprehension skills sheet yesterday for homework, this is due Thursday in class.
7th Grade Social Studies
Students are reviewing basic features of the earth including continents and oceans. A quiz over these concepts is planned for late next week. We will start a unit next week on the basics of geography including map skills and an understanding of the five themes of geography. This relates to chapter one and two of the text.
8th Grade Reading
Students participated in get acquainted activities this week that included class presentations using their "All About Me" guide sheet and a compare and contrast writing assignment. Next week student will take a pre-test of their reading skills and began a short story unit a well as a novel study. Students also visited the media center to assure they each had a DEAR book. In class we discussed that a report on one DEAR book will be due each quarter and will count as a project grade. Reports are due October first but may be turned in sooner. A format for the report quarter will be forthcoming.
Welcome to another great year at Mabry Middle school. The syllabus for 7th grade Social Studies and 8th grade Reading will be sent home next week with students next week. These contain important information regarding these classes. During the year information to complete assignments and other announcements related to these classes will be posted.
