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7th Grade News - April, 2013

Math



In 7th grade Math, students have been focusing on operations with rational numbers

as it applies to meeting the 7.NS.A.2c Common Core Standard. A Brain Pop video

introduced students to the terminology needed to discuss whether a number is

rational or not. They are responsible for the following “I can” statements as part

of this unit. “I can convert fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions.” “I can

multiply and divide multi-digit numbers that have decimals.” “I can estimate the

answers of such problems using powers of 10.” They practiced a written response

using a standards based rubric. A STEM career video was presented to give

them insight into why learning mathematics is important and what careers are in

high demand due to the explosion of technology. Homework groups have been

implemented as a means of encouraging students to work collaboratively.



Social Studies



Social Studies classes are almost finished up their unit on the Middle Ages. When

we return from April vacation we will be kicking off a major project about the

European Renaissance. In the project, students will research a famous person and

then participate in a mock TV show; where they will become that person. Each show

begins with the students giving a short biography of their person’s life. The 2nd half

of the show involves them answering questions about the major ideas, events, and

inventions of the Renaissance and how they might have affected the person they are

portraying. This year Ms. Gilbert (LA) will be helping the student’s to prepare their

opening monologues and Eric Lawson (Tech Guru) will be helping to improve the

technical side of filming the TV show.



Science



We concluded our Severe Weather Unit with a graded discussion. This was a new

experience for the students which addressed speaking and listening standards

from the Common Core State Standards. Small groups of students prepared notes

individually about a severe weather element and gathered to discuss them as the

rest of the class listened. We highlighted the dangers and safety procedures. Does

your family have an emergency plan in place?



We are currently working with chemistry concepts. The students created a unique

book about matter that has pages that open up, rather than turn. We are using

indicators to determine acids, bases and neutral liquids all the while learning safe

practices in the science room. The students will have a lab packet and a unique

piece of artwork to conclude the unit.



We are still counting roadkill in Rye and New Castle! In May, we will begin to

interpret the data. High roadkill numbers of an animal indicate a high population and

vice versa. Our data is also used by other organizations. We have been doing this

project over 20 years. We have lots of data!



***Earth Day is April 22th! Unfortunately, we will be on vacation, therefore, we will

recognize the day on Friday, April 19th. We are planning to webcast throughout the



day. Each class will be ‘on air’ during the morning beginning at 8:15 am EDT. We

will share live and recorded content from our school and guests. You can join us

by going to http://earthbridges.net/live. There will also be a chat room available to

say hi, add a comment or ask a question. I’m sure the students would love to have

an authentic audience from the seacoast! Please foward the URL to relatives and

friends.



Language Arts



Students are finishing up their novels set in the Middle Ages, and have been working

diligently on the various book projects they have created to outline connections

from their novel to the instruction in social studies. Projects are varied to appeal

to different learning styles, and students had the opportunity to create their own

project. Lastly, students posted to Edmodo, a web based sharing tool where we

compared characters, setting and themes of our novel. Students were motivated to

read others posts, and made thoughtful, insightful connections through comments on

others’ posts.



Narrative writing will be the focus of the third trimester, and currently students are

enthusiastically writing a memoir. Dialogue and figurative language will be used

to enhance the description and development of the plot of the memoir. Looking

forward, students will become amatuer bards as they delve into a unit on

poetry. Students will be exposed to talent from Shakespeare to our current national

poet laureate, Natasha Trethewey. Later on, skills learned to develop character and

enhance writing will be used to craft a monologue on a Renaissance personality.

In math, students have just completed Module 3. They are now learning about the Metric System. The will learn how to convert within the Metric System and use benchmarks to estimate lengths. They continue to follow the Stock Market and watched the market reach it all time and continue to rise. Each student has created a spreadsheet to calculate the gains and losses in their own electronic portfolio.

Social Studies classes are currently wrapping up their Roman unit.  The final project will be to research Gladiatorial combat and to create a fictionalized journal to show what they have learned about the topic. In addition, students have begun taking a series of quizzes on the physical geography of the Europe.  Using student created maps, they are responsible for knowing the names and locations of the important physical features of the continent.  The students will next be looking at the effects of the Fall of Rome and the period known as the “Dark Ages.”  Topics will include Feudalism, the Reformation & Counter Reformation, the Crusades and the Black Death. 

In science, the students have learned to predict nor’easters by examining the path of the low pressure system on a map!  The weather has been cooperating with us this year with storm after storm! We are beginning to research various elements of severe weather and will conclude with a graded discussion next week. This will be a first for most students. I hope to record the discussions and play them for our Earth Day webcast next month.

The science and language arts classes have teamed up. We are currently reading about the flash flood around Johnstown, PA in the late 1800’s. The students are learning that the waters are filled with debris that makes survival difficult during and after the event. They are also analyzing primary source documents (survivor accounts and photographs) about the flood.

In LA, students have finished their "book clubs" and will be presenting commercials to advertise their books next week. Their thoughtful discussions and insight into the themes of the novels were impressive.   We will be working on memoirs next, and adding figurative language to our writing in order to add detail.  Also, in order to connect to the social studies curriculum, students will be reading a novel that takes place during the Middle Ages.  Parents, please look for a reading calendar that will outline assigned reading.  Also, my website is up and running, please check for useful links and weekly homework.  

The 7^th grade recently traveled to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. We had a special showing in the planetarium that related to our science curriculum.  Afterwards, we toured the rest of the exhibits.

In 7th grade math, students have started Module 3 in their textbook. The

theme of the module is Math, a universal language. Students  will review

number theory topics, addition and subtraction with fractions and decimals, and

scientific notation. Student continue to follow the stock market and are using the

spreadsheets that they created to keep track of gains and losses.



This month in Language Arts, seventh grade students chose one of four novels

for our study of literary techniques.  Classes have grouped into four book

clubs, and will complete a series of tasks based around their novel.  Each

novel is centered around the theme of empathy, and book clubs will be

exploring that theme as they work with literary techniques such as character

development through actions and dialogue, author's purpose and use of

figurative language.  Each novel draws the reader in with a conflict that seems

insurmountable, but the character's determination and inner fortitude pushes

them to persevere.  Discussions in book clubs thus far have been lively and

purposeful.  Writing tasks will also be based on the novel, as we continue to work

on organization in writing, and varying sentence length through construction of

compound and complex sentences.



Seventh grade science classes are learning how high and low pressure areas

create our global winds and affect our weather. Perfect timing with this past

blizzard! We are also gathering photos of the snowy event to send to students in

Belize. Students have also created Science Valentines. This activity combines

science, art, language arts and critical thinking. Valentines incorporate the

science content from this year into those "corny" sayings. The students had to

be able to explain the science in terms of "love" by analyzing the concept and

interpreting it for a new context. I also limited the color choices to red, white and

black to challenge more creativity into their design.



7th Grade Field Trip – McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center on February 15, 2013!

      In 7th grade science, we have been studying the atmosphere and the properties of air. We began with open inquiry investigations to discover air takes up space and presses in all directions. We’ve also experimented with a vacuum pump and bell jar, placing several objects in a vacuum to witness the power of air pressure or lack thereof! Students are creating their own review poster on the web using Glogster. The poster can be printed and posted to their blog.

     The tech club has created videos using the vacuum pump. The videos are posted on my new web page. These have been helpful if a student has been absent.

     Don’t forget to follow along with our twitter account at @7thscience or from the web page at http://twitter.com/7thscience.

     This month in seventh grade Language Arts, we are wrapping up an integrated unit on mythology. Students learned the purpose of mythology for the ancient Greeks and were exposed to a variety of myths. They were quite surprised at some of the behavior the gods displayed, and we had many discussions to explain that the gods were above the rules for mere mortals. We also read and watched a short film version of the same myth, and students learned how to organize comparison and contrast paragraphs. Included in that writing piece, students learned about transition phrases and varied vocabulary usage.

     Students are exploring Google Sites to create a web page based on the nonfiction book they read. It is a learning curve for everyone, but there are many valuable skills about appropriate technology usage that can be learned while creating a web page. Students are learning how to cite sources for pictures, video and audio content. Along with the web page, students will be reading book reviews for the book they read. Students will also be writing their own review by learning how to summarize information without giving away too much information, giving a clear, concise opinion about the information, and recommending the book to a specific audience.

     Social Studies classes have just finished looking at the lasting contributions made to world civilization by the Greeks. They saw how Alexander the Great took these advances in things like art, architecture, science, technology, mathematics and philosophy and spread them around the Mediterranean world. Our next topic will be Rome. While studying Rome, students will follow its rise as a democratic republic and see how the Romans transform their city-state into a massive empire. Finally we’ll trace the reasons for Rome’s downfall. During the unit, the student’s will be doing several projects including creating a large physical map of Europe and researching and writing a fictionalized Roman gladiator journal.

     In 7th grade math, students have completed Module 2. In this Module students investigated the mathematics related to search and rescue operations. They saw how angles, integers, graphing and functions were used to develop search strategies. Next, students will be learning how to use spreadsheets to calculate and analyze data. They will create a spreadsheet to calculate the gains/losses for their stock portfolio.

7th Grade students were in for a treat before the Thanksgiving holiday. A local chef, Peter Aikens, came in to work with every 7th grader to create a Thanksgiving feast. He has done this for several years and we so appreciate it!

All the students ended the meal, sharing what they were thankful for this season. They wrote it on a leaf and added it to the bare tree in our stairwell.

Try our slideshow creator at Animoto.

The 7th grade was able to investigate lunar samples from NASA. We also received 2 meteorites. The "Moon rocks" were encased in lucite to avoid the effects of our atmosphere and many hands!

Make your own slideshow with music at Animoto.

The circus is coming! We are getting ready, but it takes a lot of practice!

For the 23rd year, our 7th graders created projects for students in the southern district of Belize, Central America. This year, Pete DeMeritt will be delivering ABC books to Belize. The 7th graders created ABC books about New Hampshire in English to share our culture. We also created some books in their native languages of Garifuna and Ketchi (Mayan). We discovered that the Ketchi language has no F or V sounds, therefore, we didn't create pages for these letters.

Make your own slide show at Animoto.

- Posted by Ms. Adams

Digital Learning Day was February 1, 2012. Ms. Adams' Flex class participated by skyping with a kindergarten class at Dondero School in Portsmouth, NH. They had created pages for a NH ABC book. We were about to create a similar project. Each student shared their image and read their letter and word that went with it. They gave us many ideas for our ABC book which we were going to send down to Belize, Central America.

Submitted by Ms. Adams

This week, we skyped with a Kindergarten classroom in Deerfield, NH. One of our students had done some research on the Northern Cardinal for science class and one of the Kindergarteners was working on the same bird for their Bird Wiki. They shared notes and their projects.

Webcasting in the classroom requires several skills. This was our first webcast for the year and I was so pleased with the way the students handled all the jobs. We first researched information about Dr. Roper then developed questions. The questions were prioritized and then arranged in a logical pattern that would keep the interview interesting.

For the webcast, each student had a role. Some of the roles included monitoring the chat room for questions, welcoming people into the chat room, question navigator (someone to queue the questions), photographer, and each had an opportunity to ask questions. The students learned that during the interview, they had to be able to multitask. They had to ask a question, listen to the answer, respond if necessary, read the questions in the chat room, and then determine the next question based on his response and the activity in the chatroom. It's a bit more difficult than it appears!

We connected with Dr. Roper using our science classroom's Skype account and I was able to webcast from my computer which showed the video of Dr. Roper. Each student received a 'webcasting badge' for their own blog.

A small group of 7th grade students had an opportunity to interview Dr. Clyde Roper. He is a Giant Squid expert among other things. He has studied cephalopods for many years in many parts of the world. He is internationally recognized as an expert in the field and has participated in several documentaries. He has worked at the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of Natural History since 1966.

We discovered that Dr. Roper grew up in our town of Rye, NH! He even went to our school. Dr. Roper shared how he got interested in marine studies. He even had an opportunity to discover a new species!


The whole conversation was webcasted live on the internet which allowed others to listen in real time. We webcast (or stream) on the Earthbridges Channel which supplies a chat room. Other classes and individuals used the chat room to ask questions and comment during the webcast. We had guests from NH, NY, AZ, Canada and others who didn't share where they were from.


This webcast is part of a series of Earthcast Echoes with Ms. Adams.[http://earthbridges.net]


Here is the webcast for you to enjoy.

Video streaming by Ustream

The 7th graders traveled to Goss Farm in Rye to harvest potatoes. The potatoes were planted by the same students last spring. The experience enabled them to see the 'fruits' of their labor.

The potatoes will be used in a variety of dished for the Life Skills classes, the Harvest Fest soup, the Food Service program and a 7th grade Thanksgiving feast.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

We are off to a great start this year with about 70 students. We have included some new students and the students from New Castle. It's a nice time to get to widen our circle of friends. We hope the new students will feel welcomed right away. We also hope to welcome our new LA teacher soon. Fortunately, Mrs. Stewart has been filling in for this position. She knows the students from last year and knows the curriculum as she has worked with the 7th grade team in the past.

We are starting the blogs with the students this week. We may not get many comments but you may be surprised at who reads the blogs. This is our ClustrMap from last year. The dots on the map represent someone (or IP address) who has landed on our blog. We had over 2,200 visitors.

Let's see what happens this coming year!

Before Mrs. Cote left to have her baby, the 7th graders surprised her with a celebration and a book of advice.

Here are some of the examples from the book.

• Let your bundles of joy . . . and  . . . drool . . . crying . . . and a lifetime of work make you happy. Let her watch the classics (Mulan, Lion King, 101 Dalmations and Pooh Bear). Give her a Pooh Bear stuffed animal and hugs and kisses. Never take her blankie away, ever! Always read a bedtime story, remember to carry a video camera around. You never know what will happen.


• When she goes to Kindergarten give her "homework" right when she gets home (tracing letters or learning how to read). It will teach her good study habits.


• Be honest with your children. Make sure that they enjoy everything about their lives.


• Good luck being a mom! Enjoy life as much as you can because life is like sand, it washes away and changes, but it's always there.


• Let her imagination soar! She can be anything she wants! You will be a great mom!


• Be careful not to yell at points. Try to stay calm and keep the situation under control.


• Play classical music while the baby sleeps. Put a little creativity into "yucky" foods for picky eaters.


• Always read to her at night! Even if you are too tired to read, one page can make a difference. As she is growing up the quality time will mean the world to her.


• She is never too old for her blanket! Let her give it away when she is ready.


• I used to love it when my mom would blow on my tummy and make noises. It used to make me laugh.


• When I was little, I liked it when my mom would bounce me on her knees and sing trot trot to Boston.


• As a child I loved to be read to by my parents. I loved all of the different books and I really enjoyed being able to look at all of the elaborate pictures.


• I always loved books. Any little kid book is good, but pop-up books are the best. On TV, you can can block channels, so I would do that so she won't stumble upon any bad things.


• I always enjoyed going to the zoo.


• Try getting toys that she can hold on to while standing up.


• I remember . . . . . . books . . . . stuffed animals . . . . snuggling. I know you will have many memories of your own!

Happy motherhood!

Bill Nye, the Science Guy, sent a message to our students for our Earth Day webcast.

On Earth Day, the 7th grade students presented information about fair trade, energy conservation, Rachel Carson, the future of nuclear energy, water, where our food comes from and more for our live webcast. We webcasted the whole school day (and after school). This year, we did something new, a live remote. Two students used a cell phone (still live on the webcast) and interviewed students and staff in the hallways. Perhaps, next year, we can expand our interviews to local areas in town, including the recycling station and the public library!

We received feedback from parents and listeners from Mexico, Canada, Argentina, California, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Maine that we could determine. Bill Nye, the Science Guy, gave us a personal, video message for the students, which were able to webcast! Each student earned a badge for webcasting that they posted to their personal blog. During vacation, I was surprised to receive an email from a student appreciative to have the webcasting experience!

By the way, all 6.5 hours are archived and available for your listening/viewing pleasure!

This year Earth Day fell on Good Friday and vacation for most schools in the US. We were not able to connect with schools on that day, but we were able to connect before Earth Day. Students from 3 different schools in Argentina skyped with our science classes to share their work (using Glogster) about Earth Day. We asked each other basic cultural questions then moved to questions about our endangered species, our areas of pollution and what we are doing to celebrate Earth Day and protect the environment. They asked thoughtful questions that really made us think. Later, our students commented on their posters.

News update from the 7th grade team.

Language Arts

March 17th marked the beginning of our Romeo and Juliet unit in 7th grade language arts. This unit was launched with a two-day classroom workshop with director, playwright, and performer, Genevieve Aichele, from Portsmouth’s own West End Theater. As one student said in the Rye Ripple, “It was amazing how much she could teach the whole 7th grade in only two days! She did it in fun ways, too.” Since then, we’ve continued studying this classic play with a focus on performance reading. We have also been examining figurative language and analyzing literary devises used to bring this play alive. (For more information, read the student articles in the Rye Ripple school newspaper. Our scheduled homeroom delivery is Friday, May 8th.)

Many thanks to The Rye Foundation for sponsoring the two-day workshop and an evening with the authors! Also, a special thanks goes to eighth grade language arts teacher, Kerry Ridolfi for writing the grant proposal for the artist-in-residence events at all grade levels!

Local authors, Katherine Towler and Genevieve Aichele, visit classes and then hit the stage for an evening of Writers on the Rye Stage.

7th Grade Writing Club

The 7th grade writing club has recently added a second group during the school day to accommodate the 25 students who want to participate. In these groups, students have been responding to creative writing prompts connected to current units. Writer’s workshops have been taking place in one of the groups as well. This is when a student seeks input on a piece of writing by presenting it to all the members of the group. The student hands out a draft, a week in advance, and the following week, his or her piece is “workshopped” by the group.

Math – The students have started Module 4 in their textbook. In this module, they will review multiplication and division with fractions, decimals, and integers. They will change fractions to terminating or repeating decimals. After learning about pi, they will use pi to find the circumference of a circle. The Geometry connection in Module 4 explores patterns by describing rotations, reflections, and translations. The stock market unit continues. Students check their stocks every Friday and update their spreadsheets to keep track of gains or losses.

Social Studies - The students are finishing up their study of Ancient Rome with a look at the fascinating, but gruesome world of gladiators. The students are researching about the topic using pre-selected websites; they are using this information to create a historically accurate journal of a fictional Roman gladiator. In class, we are moving on to our study of the Middle Ages. The unit focuses on the political/economic system known as feudalism and the religious conflicts of the Crusades and Reformation. The highlight of the unit is our annual trip to the Higgins Armory Museum in Worchester Mass. The Higgins Museum has the largest collections of medieval arms & armor in the western hemisphere and is always a fun and interesting experience for the students.

Science – We are gearing up for 2 projects in science. The first is on Earth Day, April 22, 2011. We will be participating in a global webcast during the day. Our school will be the webcasting host and expect to help other schools share and celebrate Earth Day. The schedule will be posted on the RJH homepage, along with the webcast URL. You may listen and join the chat room. We will be broadcasting from Earthbridges at http://earthbridges.net/live.

Have you seen roadkill in Rye or New Castle? If so, it should be recorded on our tally sheet. A high number of roadkill indicates a large population of that animal. After vacation, we will end our data collection period for the roadkill project. What will the data indicate this year? Our jobs will be to analyze and interpret the data.

Music - Students are studying how music developed through the ages. We are learning about the strict form and structure of music from the Classical Age and specifically about the genius that was Wolfgang Mozart. Students also continue to play drums, guitars and learn new body percussion patterns.

World Languages – World Language Week at the Rye Junior High will be held April 18 – 22. Each day will be celebrated in a special way. All students are invited to participate!

Monday/Lundi/Lunes: Cinema Day: In their world language classes, students will choose from a variety of movies en francais or espanol! (“Toy Story”, “The Incredibles”, “Madeline”, “Finding Nemo”, “Shrek”…)

Tuesday/Mardi/Martes: Cuisine Day: All 7th and 8th graders may sign up below to bring in a foreign dish. The buffets will be held in the cafeteria: 7th grade at 9:45, 8th grade at 1:00. Students must contribute in order to participate.

Wednesday/Mercredi/Miercoles: Costume Day: Students are encouraged to dress up in any foreign costume. Prizes will be given to the top 3 costumes in each grade. Let’s be creative!

Thursday/Jeudi/Jueves: Crepes/Churros/Day: A variety of dessert crepes and Spanish churros will be sold at all lunches.

Friday/Vendredi/Viernes: Sports Day: An international soccer tournament with homerooms representing different countries will be held in the afternoon. We will have an Olympic style parade in front of the school before the games begin! (12:45)

In addition:

·The weather will be announced in a different language each morning.

·The cafeteria will serve international meals all week.

·There will be a “Nationality Contest” located in the hall by the language rooms

Ms. Ellwood came to our classes last week to share her experiences in Antarctica. Of course, we were all interested in what it was like to live there. She lived in a tent, collected 'glacial berries' for water and practiced "carry in, carry out" for everything! (Yes, everything!) Would you be comfortable living this way for a chance to be in a very unique place?

Ms. Ellwood was part of a research team interested in the lakes in the Dry Valleys. She was the divemaster for the group making sure all dives were safe and successful. The data collected was analyzed and shared with other scientists. The paticular group also works with NASA looking for water on Mars!

You may read Ms. Ellwood's journals and view her pictures on her blog at http://ryejrhigh.org/ellwood.

Most students in the 7^th grade have already created and posted an update about their classes to their blog. The update, though, was not the typical paragraph! It started out as a paragraph, but it was transformed into a Voki. A Voki is a web tool that allows students to express themselves in a style that is unique while working on their communication skills.

The students had to summarize what’s happening in each of their classes and then use the technology to post it to their blog.  A Voki looks playful, and it is, but it does require the students to use higher order of thinking skills to pull it all together. They had to summarize and make word choices that would engage the listener. They also had to follow several steps to compose, create an avatar (self-expression), change the text and punctuation to accommodate the voice and use embed codes to post the finished piece in the blog.

Please review your child’s blog by looking for their 4-letter code name to the right (under classes). The Voki should be one of the first blog entries. Or you may click on the "Student Voki" link to the left for all the Vokis that have been approved so far.

Language Arts - After studying Greek mythology and beginning our year-long application of classical vocabulary word origins, we turned to Norse mythology.  Students partnered in literature circles to comprehend and analyze the central myths of the Norse and construct summaries of the main points and themes. Then, students teamed with cooperative learning groups to create video story trailers based on these myths. Included in this was the introduction to movie software such as VideoPad Video editor and Windows Movie Maker. Students explored computer file management and various forms of troubleshooting as well.

A large focus of this unit has been collaboration. (See the links on Mrs. Cote’s blog to learn how cooperative learning leads to higher achievement in young adolescence. Also, view the central standards addressed in this unit.)

Next, we move on to the study of science fiction and examine how technology and the sciences influence literature and, in turn, how literature influences the sciences.

Science - Look for those Science Valentines! Students had to incorporate concepts learned in science this year into a Valentine. This assignment forced them to analyze their knowledge and reapply in a different context. I also limited their choices of color. They could only use red, black and white. Students forced to be more creative in designing their work with these limitations. If you are not the recipient of the Valentine, don’t worry! You will be able to catch the sayings on their blog or glog (a web tool at edu.glogster.com).

Please remember the students can always teach you what we have been doing in class. Research does indicate learning occurs through one’s self-explanation through the content.

Math - In 7^th grade math, students have just completed Module 2. This unit involved measuring and classifying angles, coordinate graphing, addition and subtraction, with integers and modeling functions with tables, equations, and graphs.

Students used graphing calculators to explore graphs from equations and graphs from tables. They also used the calculators to simulate probability experiments.

The students have been following the Stock Market since November. Each student selected three stocks and could spend $10,000. They check their stocks every Friday and record the results. Each student has created a spreadsheet to keep track of his or her gains or losses.

 In Module 3, students will review Number Theory topics, addition and subtraction with fractions and decimals, scientific notation, the Metric System, and properties of triangles

Social Studies - In Social Studies, the students have begun their study of the Roman Empire. During this unit, we will look at the rise of this great civilization from its humble beginnings as a settlement on the Tiber River to its conquest of the Mediterranean world and beyond. The students will compare & contrast the government of the Roman Republic to our own. We’ll take a closer look at the Roman army to try and discover the secrets of its success and we’ll trace the rise of the emperors and the creation of the Pax Romana Empire. The students will take a closer look at the unique Roman entertainment of the Gladiatorial Games by researching and writing a fictional journal of a gladiator. The unit ends with the reasons Rome fell and the lasting legacies of this important civilization.

Music - In music class we're busy studying the music of the Renaissance, making strange instrument replicas and playing polyphonic music.  We're learning to perform the Meringue with body percussion and still practicing our guitars.

Art - In art, 7th graders are finishing up their Pop Art Shoe drawings. Students learned about the art movement called Pop Art and are creating some really wonderful drawings of their shoes. Students had the choice of oil pastels, colored pencils, and sharpies. They learned about contour line and have been working hard! They will be displayed after vacation around school. Their next project will be a paper mache project, so donations of paper towel rolls, flattened cereal boxes, and egg cartons would be appreciated. There is a box in the front lobby. Thanks! -ART

7th grade Life Skills/Tech Ed - Final grades are available for Life Skills and Tech. Ed.  The students have switched classes.  Students who were in Life Skills are now in Tech. Ed. until the end of the year (and vice versa).  It was a great half year and we will see the students again next year.

Check out the students' Valentines! All did a paper version limited to red, black and white colors to spur creativity. They had to incorporate a minimum of 4 pieces of science we have studied this year. Afterwards, they entered the sayings into their blog or they created a 'glog.'

This year's assignment is located here towards the bottom.

Please scroll down.

In art class, the students created an optical illusion with their photos and these are posted on their blogs under the “Hiding in the Art Room” assignment.

It may be year two for the 1:1 Laptop Program but it's year one for these students. Each student has access to a netbook for all of their classes. Having full time access has allowed the staff to change their lessons to incorporate the technology skills and use higher order of thinking skills. The integration of content and technology should be seamless. The technology is another tool for the classroom.

Recently, we had the Moon rocks in our classroom.

A new school year is about to begin with some changes. The first to mention is the staff change. Ms. O'Connell and Mrs. Cote have traded classrooms. Mrs. Cote will move up the 7th grade team. Ms. Murphy and Mr. Jordan will also be joining us in 7th grade!

The New Castle students will join the group to create a total of 89 students in the 7th grade. We will have 22-24 students in a class.

Another change will be in the way we do lunch! We have added an extra 30 minutes (15 minutes before and after) to the lunch block to allow for band and chorus to take place. Often the students will be mixed in with other grade levels to accommodate everyone.

Lastly, the 7th grade will be divided into about 9 homerooms, even Mr. Pollet will have a homeroom!

We look forward to welcoming everyone on August 31st!

7th grade teachers

Thank you for following along with our student and teacher blogs! Look who else visited our blogs!

Each 7th grader will earn 'money' doing the job of 'Student' at school. This job entails activities that promote learning and discover how to keep track of personal finances. The job includes:

• Being ready to learn


• Bringing supplies to class


• Homework completed and on time for class


• Properly using the agenda book


• Following school rules

The students can earn bonuses, but can also earn debits. Each student will be given a checkbook, in which they will be responsible for debits, credits, safekeeping and accurate record keeping. Each week we review their accounts and balance the checkbooks.

What can they purchase with their money? Privileges at the end of the year field trip! Different levels of money will reflect different levels of responsibility leading up to the trip. All will get to go, but they may have different privileges. If anyone wants to change their current account, they may meet with the "bank officials" to discuss a loan.

Term 3 is about to start here at RJH. The students have revisited their goals for term 2 and have revised their goals for the end of the year. As a visual reminder, they created spring flowers for each classroom. Parents, if you would like to discuss your child's goal(s), they are written in the March calendar section of the agenda.

The Rye PTA recently donated funds to purchase Flip Ultra Video Cameras. These cameras have internal memory so we don't have to purchase memory cards and they connect directly with a computer via a USB jack that 'flips' out from the side.

In 15 minutes, one homeroom got them up and running. Check it out in our voicethread.

On December 4th, the seventh grade and their parents attended a day-long workshop. This unique opportunity is an annual event called Project Safeguard. The sessions center around making good choices in life, how to better understand your child, group dynamics, and physical and mental wellness. Several sessions allowed for parents and students to work and learn together. The keynote speaker was Ed Gerrity, a special favorite of the students. He discussed the importance of goal setting and how to move towards your goals.

The students have reflected about this experience and/or their time with Joe Flood. Click on the assignment (on the left hand side) to view their reflections.

You can find out what's happening in the individual classes by checking the teacher's blogs. Use the navigational tools (on the left) to view a teacher's blog.

You can also view student blogs by the assignment. Clicking on an assignment shows all of the students who have submitted work to that particular assignment. You are welcome to submit comments on the blogs. (All comments are moderated.)

We were able to travel to Portsmouth's Strawbery Banke to learn more about Thanksgiving over the years. Several homes were open with interpreters. As we knocked on the different doors, we were met by people of different time periods. While visiting, we got a sense of what Thanksgiving was like for the family.

We also learned about some of the chores that children had to accomplish many years ago. The students got to try some of the chores, including grating cinnamon, weighing goods, stringing vegetables to dry near the fireplace and preparing charity baskets. They also made a corn husk doll to take home.

Read the student's thoughts about the trip.

The students recognized International Peace Day by creating 'pinwheels for peace.' They were placed in the front lawn in the shape of a peace sign. We also used this day to begin a yearlong theme and contribute to Pennies for Peace.

Listen to the wind blowing the pinwheels!

Welcome to the 7th grade blogs! Our students will be able to post their work here. This is a shared space for all 7th grade teachers. The assignments, listed on the left pane, will allow you to view all the students' work for that assignment. To view one student's work, you will use the classes to the right. You are welcome to comment (pending approval).