Middle School Class Page

Announcements

Parents are needed to help out with the Middle School Debate Team this year. There will be a workshop on Saturday, October 15th, at Marlborough School to train students AND parents for this extraordinary opportunity to become debaters. No other extra curricular activity has brought so much success for future academic performance as this one. It is fabulous to have on an application to the best high schools.

Debate practice is every Friday from 3:30-4:30.

Contact Tony Santamaria (santamaria at mac.com) or Joel Foss (jfoss at dir.ca.gov) if you are interested or have questions.

Here's some info. about our first debate last year.

Homework: Skills (6th & 7th)

Historical Halloween
Tuesday, Oct. 12: research about your person due
Tuesday, Oct. 17: first draft due
Mon., Oct 24: final draft due
Thurs., Oct 27: oral reports due
Fri., Oct 28: Historical Halloween.
Note: Portraits will be assigned by Mrs. Fitzgerald in art class

Here's the assignment description. (Handed out Oct. 3)

Spelling: Spelling units will be due every Tuesday and tests will be due every Wednesday.

Vocabulary: Vocabulary units and writing assignments are due every Thursday.
Here are the upcoming topics:
10/10 math
10/17 science
10/24 Halloween
10/31 poetry
11/7 Veteran's Day
11/14 Thanksgiving

The purpose of the writing assignments is to give students practice using words appropriately in sentences and in their own writing. This is the next step toward integrating these words into their oral vocabulary. Vocabulary words must be used correctly and must demonstrate the student's understanding of each word. Every assignment is worth ten points--one for each correctly used vocabulary word from the assigned unit(s). I recommend that students use 12 words in case they misuse use one or two. In addition, assignments will be worth ten points toward students' grade in writing. These points are based on spelling, grammar, and overall writing. Please make sure that you complete these assignments on your own and turn them in on the date due.

History
Sixth graders will be studying human evolution, the Fertile Crescent, Ancient Middle East, India, China, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

Here's the handout outlining 6th grade history homework for Chapters 3 &4.

Seventh graders will continue studying the Mediterranean area, from Ancient Rome through the Middle Ages up to the Renaissance. Then they will cover other areas of the world: South America, Asia and Africa.

Here's the handout outlining 7th grade history homework.

Check out the CIA World Factbook for information about countries.

Practice for your geography tests here!

Another good geography test site--this one has the capitals (7th graders take note!) http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/geography.asp

Science topics are: forces at work, air and weather, viruses and organisms, changing earth, and human body systems.

The girls also will make their own Pinewood cars and revisit the units we currently are covering about average speed, velocity, acceleration, friction, and resistance.

Check out this cool site about gravity:
http://library.thinkquest.org/27585/

Already thinking about your science fair project? Here's a list of links to sites with project ideas:
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/projectguide/topic.html

Literature (7th grade)
Anna of Byzantium Book Report due Friday, October 21.
Here's the assignment handout.
By now students should have a copy of this book and should be getting 1,001 Arabian Nights as well as Children of the River. Upcoming books are Beowulf and Catherine Called Birdy. I will let students know who will be reading Adam of the Road and who will read The Midwife's Apprentice.
Here's the literature homework assignment handout.

Literature Grade 6
10/3-10/14 Junior Great Book My Greatest Ambition.
We are reading Maroo of Winter Caves by Ann Turnbull this month in class and at home.

Math Grade 6
Mon., 10/10: workbook 2-9
Tues., 10/11: text pp. 107-108; workbook section 2B review
Wed., 10/12: workbook 2-10
Thurs., 10/13: workbook 2-11
Fri., 10/14: workbook 2-12
Mon., 10/17: workbook 2-13
Tues., 10/18: text pp. 127-129; workbook section 2C review
Wed., 10/19: text pp. 130-132; study for test
Thurs., 10/20: EXAM chapter 2
Fri., 10/21: 3-1
*periodically, problem solvers may be added as homework

Math Grade 7
*periodically, problem solvers may be added as homework

_____Spanish Homework Schedule_____

To do the online assignments, go to http://www.phschool.com/ and type in the code.

October:
10th) On line jad-0004
12th) Workbook P-7, P-8 & on line jad-0005
17th) Workbook P-919th) On line jad-0006
24th) Workbook P-10, P-11
26th) Text “Para empezar”
31st) Workbook 1A-1, 1A-2 & on line jad-0101

Need a translation? Try this online Spanish-English dictionary http://www.spanishdict.com/index.cfm
(You can hear the pronunciation, too!)