TBMS Weekly Newsletter - Issue 25-26.08

SEVENTH GRADE

Dear families and caregivers, 

Seventh grade English scholars have reached the midpoint of our second unit on The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. Last week, students wrote an expository paragraph analyzing how the protagonist Parvana has developed throughout the text. This week, students have used Cornell two-column notes as a method to review content from the first seven chapters of the story. Students worked in cooperative groups to complete notes on an assigned chapter, and then took turns being “chapter expert” to explain the key points to their peers. Students will be assessed on their learning of the first half of the text by taking a quiz during their English class on Thursday or Friday this week. If students earn below a B+ on either their paragraph or quiz, they will have the opportunity to revise their work to earn up to an 87% on a second attempt. I will reach out to students and families directly after grades have been posted in PowerSchool to let you know if your students should consider retaking their assessments. 

In Flex, students have started their first rotation of math plus. This week, students completed a self-assessment based on their quiz on proportional relationships. After identifying the types of mistakes they made, students worked on solidifying and enriching their knowledge of the unit standards. In addition to math plus lessons, students had two academic support days to study for upcoming assessments, retake quizzes, and check in with teachers regarding their assignments. 

EIGHTH GRADE

Recently in Grade 8 Science, students have taken their first test. We have moved on from Unit #1, “Science and Measurement”, which engaged students with basic skills and information pertaining to science in general, to Unit #2, “Matter and Energy” which serves as an introduction to Physical Science. In this unit students will learn to classify matter and energy at an 8th grade level, build the language and conceptual information that will serve us well for the rest of the year. Some highlights will be, making pyrite and purifying iron from rust simultaneously, an energy research/presentation project, and a deep dive into how balance scales work along with learning the difference between mass and weight. 

In flex, students gave and listened to student council speeches, went to our school club fair, continued work on reading and math, had flexible time to focus on a subject of their choice to get academic support, and had a chance to participate in a kickball game. It was a nice balance.

UNIFIED ARTS

Digital Literacy Needs

I am looking for the following pieces of retro technology, these do not have to work!  If you can think of anything else, let me know before sending it in… I just don’t have the space to store anything too big and I already have quite a bit!  

• Rotary phone

• 5 ½” floppy disk

• Typewriter

• Polaroid camera

• Gameboy

• Atari

• Walkman

• radio

8th Grade Update

We started out with students practicing proper typing techniques, using effective digital organization and workflow strategies, and learning new tools to use for MacBooks.

Now, 8th Graders are beginning their coding and programming unit.  As students have all different levels of knowledge, comfort and interest in programming, they were guided into choosing a learning path that was just right for them. From block-based coding to Python to C++, we have quite a variety of programmers. All students are held accountable for engagement, participation and the MA DLCS Standards aligned with programming.  The purpose of this unit is to provide students with a basic exposure and understanding of programming in order to self-assess their interest level as they prepare to move on to high school.  

Next up for 8th grade is spreadsheets! Grade 8 will learn terminology, inputting and formatting data, some basic functions, charts and graphs, and sharing and publishing. 

7th Grade

Thus far, in Q1, students learned and practiced using effective iPad organization strategies. We reviewed the principles of  graphic design as students created logos for their Food Truck Math Project.  Students collaborated with peers to enhance their creative process, fostering a deeper understanding of digital creation.

7th Graders are now diving into programming and coding through robotics using Lego Spike Prime robots and block-coding/Python.  With the grant-assistance from the PTO and the Harvard Schools Trust, we were able to purchase 12 robotics kits for students to use.   We are incredibly grateful to the PTO and HST for their contributions!  This allows students to take a more hands-on approach to learning to code and will help transition them to text-based programming in the future. 

Next up for 7th Grade will be our Digital Citizenship unit. 

6th Grade

In Q1, students learned and practiced using effective iPad organization strategies, Google Classroom tips and tricks and learned about information literacy as well as practicing proper typing techniques. 

We have been working collaboratively with Mrs. Segaloff, our school librarian, using Britannica School’s built-in tools to find information on a given topic, developing their informational literacy skills.  We will continue to work with Mrs. Segaloff throughout the year to sharpen our skills related to finding and using trustworthy information on the web. 

In our next unit, students introduce themselves with “MiniMe Minifig”.  Students will learn the fundamentals of stop motion and how to use the Stop Motion app as a creativity and communication tool.