TBMS Weekly Newsletter - Issue 25-26.13

SEVENTH GRADE

In Math, students recently wrapped up their Percent unit by completing the next phase of their Food Truck Project! They chose a truck, calculated bank loans using simple interest, took “orders” from classmates, and worked out tax, tips, and discounts. They also explored percent change and percent error to compare their predicted and actual sales. We’ve now kicked off a short two-week unit on rational numbers, where students are practicing operations with negative numbers before we dive into our upcoming algebra units on expressions and equations.

On academic Flex days, students continue to use the seventh-grade academic support slide as a guide to help them prioritize and complete assignments. During ELA Flex, students were provided with activities to practice and study for their upcoming grammar quiz.   In Math Flex, students engaged in a variety of enrichment activities designed to strengthen their understanding of current concepts and get them ready for upcoming units on equations and sequences.  They will rotate through each activity over the next few weeks.

EIGHTH GRADE

Slope and intercepts have been the main focus of math lately! Students have been studying and practicing various methods regarding how to find slope. Some methods include finding slope from two points using a formula, from a graph, from an equation, and from a table. Soon we will be transitioning our learning of linear equations to linear functions. During this, students will learn that every input has only one output in order for a linear function to be considered a function. They will do so by also analyzing graphs, tables, and arithmetic. By the end of this unit, students will be creating a project that compares two functions using visuals, explanations, and algebraic reasoning. Check in with your student to ask them about slope and other characteristics of linear functions!

In flex, students have been engaging in academic days to complete class assignments and collaborate with the teachers to grasp a deep understanding of the curriculum in their classes. 8th graders have been demonstrating a very strong ability to self advocate for the teachers they need to meet with and prioritizing their “to-do list” of assignments that must be completed. Furthermore, students have been participating in math & ELA lessons throughout the cycle. Students continue to practice and improve their reading comprehension skills, writing skills and mathematical problem solving skills, as well as working on their number sense. Keep up the great work, leaders of the middle school! 

UNIFIED ARTS

This month in TBMS PE we’ve been exploring field sports from soccer to tag rugby and we are currently closing the fall with an American football skills day. As the temperatures begin to drop, we’ll be moving our activities into the gym for a small sided basketball games unit to coincide with the start of the town and school basketball season. A volleyball skills unit will lead us into a school wide tournament just before winter break. These more traditional team sports are presented with the goal of challenging experienced players while also being inclusive to those who are being introduced to them for the first time.