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May
2005
TEAM NEWS
by T. K.
“I have loved coming back to the 8th grade,
and 4th term in social studies gives me great confidence
that [the students] will not only be successful in
high school, but in their lives. What they have shown
me in their knowledge, insights, and questions gives
me great confidence in the future,” said S. F.,
Blue Team social studies teacher. During May, Blue
Team’s social studies classes are studying westward
expansion, and the Civil War. The classes will read
a play and watch a movie, to further expand their knowledge
in those areas.
The Blue Team teachers are all encouraging their
students to take responsibility for their learning,
in order to further prepare them for high school. S.
G., Blue Team science teacher, says, “We will
be encouraging our 8th graders in the 4th term to take
responsibility for their learning to become more self-motivated
and self-directed, and we’ll be encouraging students
to take their learning to the next level.” S.
G. would like students to, “...remember to stay
focused on school and not to be distracted by the excitement
of the end of the year. The science classes on Blue
Team still have to study the universe and astrology.
They will continue to learn the earth inside out, leaving
the atmosphere into the exosphere, and learning the
limits of the universe.
In the accelerated algebra and algebra classes, students
are studying exponents and polynomials. The pre-algebra
class is studying a lot of MCAS review, for the MCAS
test, which will be in mid-May.
“I have loved my first year here at Day Middle
school and have been impressed with [students’]
interest to learn and their desire to learn,” says
A. G. During May, the Blue Team English classes will
continue reading TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and spending
some time doing formal writing critical essays which
they will be asked to do a lot of in high school. Amy
Greenberg said, “I can’t really believe
that it’s 4th term already, and I’m excited
for us to get really deeply involved TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
by M. G. and A. R.
Copper Team blasts into fourth term with exciting
new activities. During the two weeks before vacation,
students on Copper experienced being in each homeroom.
Each team period, classes rotated from one to the next.
J. R., M. C., M. P. and T. B. prepared different activities
for the homerooms. These varied from creative writing
to making compasses. There was also a small competition
in M. C.’s homeroom. The winner would be whoever
made the most creative names of countries and drew
the best map. Everyone enjoyed participating in each
teacher’s class.
In social studies, M. C. has moved on to work on
East Asia. The main focus has been on the similarities
and differences among China, Japan and the Koreas.
The sections learn general information on geography,
climate, religion, and language that will give the
students a base of understanding. From there, students
will be working on an in-depth research project which
M. C. says will help them see the connection between
human and physical geography. Research is done on laptops
and with books. “Students like working on computers
and designing the layout of the research creatively,” says
M. C. At the end of the project each group will present
the info. through a poster and report.
M. P. introduced a new writing project in English
in which students choose a topic, which interests them,
and work on writing a story. The writing will be incorporated
into a writing bulletin board. This is a new activity
and students look forward to it because they have a
lot of freedom of what they write about. “I’m
looking forward to see how the classes are able to
create the writing bulletin board,” says M. P.
In math class Copper Team students have been working
on geometry terms and going over formulas for area
and perimeter. Also in math class they will continue
to prepare for the MCAS this month. J. R. likes how
kids are able to use formulas in math. “I think
they enjoy being able to use a formula when doing a
calculation and they like learning what pi is,” said
J. R.
What J. R. says she likes about this unit in math
is, “...the connections kids make between shapes
with geometry.”
After the Copper Team math classes finish their unit
on geometry they will still continue to work on preparing
for the MCAS by working on problems from previous years.
In science class Copper Team students have been busy
with plant experimants. Each student got to design
their own plant experiment. They kept detailed notes
in their journals as they watched their plants grow.
After they had finished taking notes and their experiment
was almost at the end of its life cycle they read their
notes to the class.
The two weeks after vacation the Copper Team science
classes will be working on solar energy. They also
will be constructing solar cars which they will race
with the other groups in their class (They may race
with the two other 6th grade teams, but that is undecided).
After the unit on solar energy and solar powered
cars, the Copper Team science classes will be starting
their unit on Ogeanogpraphy. On May 10th, the team
will be receiving 50 organisms and plants from a Maine
tidepool that they will keep for 2 days in their class
tidepool. The Copper Team will be looking at the structures
that the organisms have that allow them to perform
certain functions. It will also be a chance for the
students to take a look at animal behavior with many
different organisms like the Bent Mystid shrimp, the
12-Scaled Worm and the Bushy Back Nudibranch.
by B. H.-M.
This month, science team teacher R. B. took the Coral
Team on a field trip to the Boston University Medical
Center on May the 4th and will again on May the 20th.
Students worked in labs with the program that involves
a study of sickle cell anemia. Students enjoyed the
trip and found that it added to what they already know
about genetic disorders. “It was really, really
fun,” said A. L. Otherwise, science classes will
finish up their unit of classification science, the
science of classifying organisms. They will end this
study with a group project, where students will do
research on the five Kingdoms, the 1st classification
level of classifying organisms.
In English this month, S. S. will help finish up
students’ poetry unit. Coral Teamers will end
their unit by preparing a book of their edited poetry.
S. S. will also continue to help students review for
this month’s English MCAS. Students will also
look extensively into reading compression and finish
this month by starting the book ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR
MY CRY.
Math this month will have students doing many different
things. Accelerated math will continue their study
of the beginning of algebra. Pre-algebra will continue
to graph variables. Intro math will continue with their
study of graphing with line graphs, bar graphs, coordinate
graphs, etc.
Social studies, until the end of this year, will
be studying ancient Rome.
by V. P. and E. G.-M.
Green Teamers and teachers are proud of their talents.
Green Team student, C. R. preformed at Ryles, a restaurant,
in a jazz band. Social studies teacher N. C. is involved
in writing a chapter for a social studies text book
for teachers. The chapter helps children understand
political points of views: liberal, moderate, and conservative.
Green Team students are preparing for an enjoyable
end of the year trip to a Paw Sox game.
“Students have been very cooperative, understanding,
and enjoyable,” said Green Team science teacher
J. H., when asked how the students have been doing
the past month. This month in science class, Green
Teamers are going to be doing a unit on rocks and minerals.
They are going to learn how to identify different rocks
and minerals using Bunsen burners, mineral samples
of limonite, pyrite, and gypsum.
The math classes continue to study algebra. In both
pre-algebra and algebra math class, E. S.’s students
will be doing MCAS preparation. They will be discussing
strategies for answering multiple-choice questions.
The accelerated math class will be working straight
through chapter 9, which focuses on polynomials. The
chapter also includes expressions using variables and
exponents, E. S.’s favorite. “I think 3rd
term is a difficult time because everyone is tired
and the weather isn’t very good. What happens
usually is 8th graders kind of go into a slump. But
4th term, I am already seeing more energy and effort
in the students,” said E. S. Although students
are showing more effort, E. S. is hoping to watch students
become more independent in their approach to problem-solving,
and in their work habits.
Social studies class is working on the Underground
Railroad, and then moving on to the pre-Civil War time
period. They will be discussing how the United States
grew in size because of the Mexican Cession and the
Texas Annexation, and how they decided whether a state
would allow slavery, or not. Their unit, “Coming
of Age”, will tie together what they are doing
now.
An aide, D. M., presented to N. C. a beautiful hand-made
quilt containing 15 squares, encased in an elaborate
border. Each square carries special meaning, for each
is encrypted with secret messages which would have
made sense to a runaway slave headed North. N. C. intends
to exhibit the quilt for a part of each academic year
for the entire school to enjoy.
In English class, students will be continuing their
novel, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, by Harper Lee. Students
will be focusing on the trial and acting it out. They
will conduct a social activity: kids will portray characters
in the novel. Students will be doing essay-writing,
symbolism, a piece of drama, a grammar review, and
a project called, “Its all about me”, a
scrapbook. According to A. C., “I think it’s
so important to examine the deeper meanings all the
time in life, literature, and in our own lives, to
gain a richer understanding.”
“I love this 8th grade, I think the team is
having a good year and students are learning many skills,” said
N. C. “I feel good about sending the students
to the high school because they are prepared to be
successful.”
by M. G. and M. Z.
As students dive into fourth term, Jade Teamers face
a very busy schedule. In English, taught by D. S.,
students will be entering the poetry unit. Students
will be reading poetry by some influential poets with
different ethnic backgrounds, such as Edgar Allen Poe,
e e cummings, Robert Frost, and Maya Angelou. Students
will also be writing their own poems. “April
was national poetry month, so get out there and write
some poetry,” says D. S. Additionally, be on
the lookout for a Book Club.
In science, under the guidance of A. R., students
will be exploring an organism’s relationship
to the environment and studying classification. As
the month progresses, “We will be starting a
few projects, like a brochure to a specific biome,” says
A. R.
In social studies, students will be studying Ancient
Rome and Ancient Israel. They will also be watching
clips from Hollywood movies on Spartacus, Caesar and
Cleopatra, and comparing Hollywood to historical fact. “There
will be a dramatic recreation between Caesar and his
enemy, Vercingetorix,” says J. O.’C., resident
social studies teacher. Additionally, students will
be composing rough drafts using their research on an
historical figure, and at the end of May, they will
participate in an ancient feast. “This month
will be very exciting,” says J. O’C.
B. M., math teacher, hopes to finish the algebra
and linear equations unit in early May. At the close
of the month, students will be designing and constructing
their own 3-D house. “We will also be using graphing
calculators,” says B. M.
by J. R.
As the end of the year comes ever nearer, many students
are surprised by the continuing onset of work. Fortunately
for Orange Teamers, they have little to worry about,
as this month seems promising for most people.
In social studies the classes will do a unit on slavery,
focusing on the end of it and how other forms of it
were formed during the Industrial Revolution. This
will lead to a unit on the Civil War, but before this
the classes will be focusing on the causes of the Civil
War. These will include such events as slavery, sectionalism,
and sectional conflict. These, when studied, along
with how no one part of the United States at the time
could survive alone, should prove for an interesting
month.
In English, people who read for fun should be content
as the classes will be continuing their reading of
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee. So far, the classes
have read about ten chapters in the classic novel.
So far the students have learned of the main characters’ experiences
at a school much different from Frank A. Day Middle
School, both in teaching methods and size. Also, they
have learned about the mysterious, and supposedly “demonic”,
Arthur “Boo” Radley. During their reading
of the book, Orange Team has been working on making
inferences within the pages of the book. Other reading
strategies have been implemented, such as visualizing,
synthesizing, and questioning.
Science classes seem to have the most to look forward
to in May. Science class will consist of four major
units. The first will be weather, which will be finished
in May as it was started in April. During this unit
students will learn the causes of weather events, such
as snow and thunder storms. A second unit is the story
of Earth, covering the creation of our planet. Another
unit will cover the universe or “...earth and
beyond,” says M. M., Orange Team science teacher.
A final unit will be on the relationships between the
Earth, Moon, and Sun. Specifically the team will study
their effects on our everyday life such as the tides
and other natural phenomena.
Math classes are moving straight ahead as they finish
graphing linear equations and begin working with formulas,
exponets and radicals. Practicing for MCAS testing
which begins May 16th is also planned.
by A. G. and M. V.
This month J. D., Platinum Team English teacher,
will be doing a lot of singing...and the directing
of the 6th grade play, “Seussical the Musical”,
is only part of it. Every regular class, students enter
English and congregate on the rug, where they receive
lessons on racism, mostly from the Civil War to the
1950s. And though race is the main focus, and what
the students will be learning about in the unit, baseball
is tied in also. As J. D. says, “...anything
happening in society is happening in baseball,” referring
to the integration of teams.
When matters between the races were bad, the same
applied to the field. If an African-American joined
a team, he would be treated badly by others on his
team, because his having that job might leave a White
person without. No matter how amazing on the playing
field, black players were treated badly off it. Teams
even refused to play integrated teams.
But refusing to play is nothing compared to the treatment
of African-Americans in general. Students are learning
about all of this, and more, including the Negro Leagues
before integration. Although the unit requires no writing
or homework, each student is reading a book of their
choice related to racial issues. And at the end of
every class--this is where the singing comes in--J.
D. will wrap up with a song he wrote, which is about
baseball and racism, and which is full of metaphors
and exaggerations. The song is about Ralph Mellix,
a former Negro Leaguer. Mellix befriended J. D. when
his house was a stop on J. D. paper route, and he was
the reason J. D. became interested in the Negro Leagues.
At the beginning of the unit, no one understood the
song, and asking questions was not permitted.
But the song made more and more sense with every
lesson. The Friday before April vacation, questions
were asked and any points of the song that had not
been explained were cleared up. That day students also
turned in frame of reference-related projects. Each
student selected a book (out of certain ones that J.
D. offered) and then put together a diagram. This diagram
showed important things that were or were not in the
main character’s frame of reference. Overall,
English class this month on the Platinum team is full
of life lessons.
Social studies means teamwork in M. H.’s class.
Kids have paired up and are now researching China.
Each pair gets a question, about what the rivers do,
Japan does, etc. Kids have liked partner projects,
and this is no exception. Students can have a good
time researching and presenting this project. Kids
will go up to the library or research it at home. But
this project sounds like fun.
Solar cars! That sounds awesome, at least kids thought
that on their first day with this project. For some
it has been, but for some it’s been a struggle
and hard work to come up with a good solar car in J.
R.’s class. As a part of their forces and motion
unit, J. R. devised a project to use the kids’ knowledge
in a building experience. This has been fun for many
of kids. After solar car, Reese has planned an oceanography
unit, where students study (guess what?) the ocean.
In math, the Platinum Team students are currently
studying geometry. “We just finished geometry
stations where the students worked in teams to complete
geometry tasks that involved area and perimeter, as
well as the area and circumference of circles, and
various other mathematical areas,” says Platinum
math teacher, T. F. They are getting ready to begin
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS)
review sessions.
by M. D. and R. J.
During the next month in social studies, the Red
Team students will be studying ancient Rome. The MCAS
tests for social studies are coming up and a practice
test will be taken. A 6-page minimum comparison paper
was due on Wednesday, May the 4th. There were 2 lists
of people, students choose one from each list. “It’s
a different style of writing in research paper taking
an extra step from what they have been doing all year,” says
J. K. about the comparison paper. There was also a
Roman vocabulary quiz on May 6th.
For English on the Red Team the students will be
continuing the book NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH by Avi. V.
G., English teacher, says, “I think that it [NOTHING
BUT THE TRUTH] teaches students of the importance of
not making assumptions, considering all the facts before
deciding what you believe.” Later students will
be debating an issue concerning 1st Amendment rights.
After they are finished with the book, Red Teamers
will be moving on to short stories.
In science students will be continuing the classification
unit. They will be starting on the two major kingdoms,
plant and animal. There will be small quizzes, too.
Red Team math will be continuing equations and problem-solving
with an equations unit. At the end of May, they will
begin a unit called “From the Ground Up.” “This
will be a unit on metric measurements, scale and geometry,” explains
K. M. “Students will build a scale model of a
house, calculate building expenses, and create a sales
brochure. The unit will culminate with an open house
in the school library on June 17th to display the houses.
Each student will bring home an invitation to this
event.”
by E. A.
The Silver Team is finishing up some units so they
can start some new projects. Although it is almost
the end of the year, the Silver Team gets ready to
start new things.
J. C., Silver Team language arts teacher, notices
positive changes in student’s work. “[The
students] are able to express their ideas in writing
in a more productive and interesting way,” Campbell
says. The class is more involved in discussions and
show a very “...deep understanding” about
each topic. After finishing the book THE ISLAND ON
BIRD STREET, the class will move on to a mythology
unit. In this unit, they will be reading THE ODYSSEY.
J. C. is “...extremely proud of the impressive
writing pieces students are producing. They are more
interesting to read. I am very pleased!” she
said.
P. P., Silver Team science teacher, is excited to
finish the unit on forces. After forces, the Silver
Team will explore the ocean with “...a poetic
twist,” P. P. said. After studying the ocean,
the students will do a growing and changing unit on
puberty and adolescent changes. “Everyone is
growing quite good at doing intellectual work,” P.
P. said. “They help others and are all socially
very nice people.” P. P. is very proud of the
progress that the Silver Team has made, but is concerned
that the students will “...lose their stamina
by June,” P. P. said.
T. M., Silver Team social studies teacher, has the
rest of the year planned out and ready to teach. “[The
students] did very well on their Africa postcard project,
and are getting their homework in a lot quicker,” says
T. M. The next unit students will be studying is Europe,
on which they will be assigned a project in which they
will be planning a trip to Europe. The Silver Team
will also have a few quizzes on this unit. “[The
progress] of the Asia unit is going slow, but they
have learned a lot,” T. M. said.
E. B., Silver Team math teacher, prepares for new
units. After the Silver Team finishes learning their
unit on circles and circle measurements, they will
move on to geometry. They will also be doing a unit
on integers following geometry. E. B. feels, “...comfortable
with the students’ placements for next year,” she
says, “...and I think everyone will be challenged
to the right level, and thrive in their placement.” The
math MCAS will be in late May, and to prepare for the
MCAS the Silver Team will be doing review packets on
the subject.
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