Social Science
Mr. Demos
Newsletter
Ms. Wolf, Ms Metz, Ms. Wasson, Ms. Condon,
Ms. Noll, Ms. Lydon, Ms.Chapman, & Mr. Demos.
Science
Ms. Noll
In science, we are trying to figure out how
we can sense different sounds from
across the room. We began our
investigations by looking at a DIY record
player and have been working to
understand its structure and how it makes
different vibrations. We have played
instruments, watched slo-mo videos of
those instruments, and just recently used a
motion detector to analyze vibrations. Each
day we do an investigation designed by the
students to answer one of their driving
questions from the beginning of the unit.
Don't forget to ask your student where they
think we should go next!
Science in Action!
It has been a busy year! So far your
child has defended or prosecuted
one of the top industrialists of the
20th century. After that they
became an immigrant, researching
their background, learning their
native language, and eventually
immigrating through Ellis Island.
Unfortunately for these immigrants,
America was not as golden as they
had hoped. So
your child became
a muckraker and
researched an issue.
Then they became a progressive to
try to get me to spend my "million
bucks" to fix their problem.
Our following unit will be the
evolution of American foreign
policy. Here we will have a chance
to look at the reasons for American
imperialism and students will debate
its merit. My hope is that so far this
year your child has felt challenged
and engaged in the material we
have covered.
Throughout the remainder of the
year some highlights will be the
American entrance into WWI, the
Great Migration and the Harlem
Renaissance, WWII, and the Civil
Rights movement.
One of the groups that convinced Mr. Demos to give
them his mission bucks.
 Algebra
Linear, inverse, functions, oh my!
Ms. Chapman & Ms. Chung
Algebra is all about learning
different types of functions and
more. Your child has completed
their first unit on linear and
they are ready to move
straight ahead. We will learn
other topics such as the
Pythagorean Theorem,
exponential functions, quadratic
functions, and solving system of
equations.
Geometry
Ms. Metz
Its already been a busy year!
Chapter 2 marked the beginning
of the process of learning
important definitions that will be
used in our 2-column proofs.
Now students are in the process
of applying what they have
learned in Chapter 2 to prove
triangles congruent. We will
continue by adding to their
knowledge with 2column
proofs listing statements and
detailed reasons every chapter
culminating with the midterm
exam in January.
Just as a reminder, students are
allowed to come in for AM
support every morning except
for Wednesday at 7:55 AM in
room 306. Finally, I look
forward to our upcoming
fieldtrip.
Dystopian Day
October 31st
Breakout to be free
Literature & Language Arts
Ms. Condon & Ms. Wolf
We are currently studying science fiction and
dystopian novels and short stories as well as other
related pieces of informational text.
Students are analyzing how these
relate to their life and how they
connect to other important texts
and issues with the essential
question How do authors of
science fiction caution us about
our own world and future? Book
groups have students focusing on their speaking and
listening skills as we work on becoming independent
thinkers while also focusing on working with others.
Students picked from a variety of
novels, and meet once a week to
discuss the reading.
Students started the year writing reviews on a topic
of their choice. This gave students a chance to do some
real-world writing, as reviews have become a part of
everyday life.
Students read reviews,
analyzed format and
word choice, and then
created their own
Yelp!-worthy review.
In grammar, students are focusing on having more
sentence variety by using appositives in their writing
and understanding how to create more complex and
compound sentences in order to help their writing
flow and connecting ideas. Additionally, students have
been focusing on vocabulary by working with context
clues, word parts, and understanding parts of speech.
Were excited for our upcoming unit focusing on the
Podcast Serial from This American Life where students
will work on listening skills and analyzing evidence.