Teacher: Mrs. Diane States

7th Grade September Update

7th Graders are stars ! That is our theme for this year. We plan to shine our light and become Christian Leaders, Academic Achievers and Responsible Citizens.

During the month of September, the 7th graders will be exploring animal and plant cells both in the classroom and in the science lab.

They have just begun to delve into the book Holes by Louis Sachar. The students will be learning about the various literary techniques that Mr. Sachar uses to create an interesting story. Writing is a focus for our 7th graders. We begin the year writing about personal experiences. Fluency, word choice, voice, organization, content and punctuation are all different components of writing that our students will address through out this school year.

Class Schedule

Curriculum

Literature

During the school year, 7th graders will cover the following units:

· Fables and Myths
· Short stories fiction and non-fiction
· Poetry
· Fairy Tales

7th graders will become familiar with a variety of literary devices such as personification, irony, metaphors, foreshadowing and dialect. They will also develop critical reading skills, develop an understanding of plot and character development, and identify themes.

We will be reading the following books this year:

· Holes by Louis Sachar
· Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
· Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
· Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
· Island of the Blue Dolphin by Scott O’Dell
· The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
· Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

I will also ask students to complete one book report each trimester from a book list that I will send home. The reading for this book report will be completed at home or during our silent reading times at school.

Grading

Projects will be graded on adherence to instructions for the project, content and neatness. Students will always be given a rubric explaining the expectations and due date of the project.

English

7th graders will be working to improve the following skills in English:

· Identifying parts of speech
· Use appropriate capitalization and punctuation
· Identify and utilize the different types of writing; persuasive, imaginative, personal, expository and narrative
· Improve spelling and vocabulary skills

Science

Life Science is our area of focus in 7th grade. Through observing, comparing, communicating and collecting information 7th graders will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the following topics:

· Hierarchy of living things
· Complex organisms and their systems
· An understanding of the scientific method
· Adaptations and evolution

We will have science lab once a week.

Religion

7th graders will expand their knowledge of Jesus, through studying scriptures, prayer, art and discussion.

· Understanding the sacraments
· Study the parables and their messages and how those stories relate to our lives now
· Understanding the many forms of prayer
· Develop an understanding of the liturgical calendar
· Understanding the relationship between choices and actions
· Exploring and understanding our school’s Student Learning Expectations
· Understanding the different parts of the mass
· Putting into action the message that Jesus taught us to love one another

Communication

The best way to get in touch with me is to stop by after school or to call at school to set up a time to meet. I will return phone calls within 24 hours.

I am usually available after school on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Homework

Students are responsible for writing their homework down. Weekly homework varies, though we will always have a spelling list that goes home on Friday. Spelling test will be on Mondays.

I will always send home a rubric for all projects.

I will inform parents immediately if I see a pattern of late papers. Late work is marked down.