Shana Tova! Wait, already? Time sure flies when you’re having fun. During our first three weeks of school, the new and returning middle school students have worked at becoming accustomed to their new schedules and responsibilities.
Middle School Leadership
Now that they are in middle school, the 6th and 7th grade students are in a position to act as role models and mentors to the younger students. It was wonderful to watch them “step up to the plate” this week during our Annual Campaign Kickoff and Rosh Hashanah activities.







SIXTH GRADE SCIENCE
In our first unit, Science Skills, the students learn and practice the skills and concepts that real scientists use when studying the natural world. Our focus included:
- learning the difference between qualitative and quantitative observation as well as how to make inferences
- learning how scientists apply the scientific method to better understand the natural world
- writing hypotheses, making observations and inferences, and differentiating facts, theories, and laws



As a performance assessment, students designed their own consumer experiment to test the strength of paper towels.



With the Science Skills unit under their belt, the sixth grade students are prepared for middle school science fair! The calendar of science fair due dates is posted on my website http://www.teacherpage.com/krosenmann/ and ready for viewing. The first due date is September 25th, when the students will submit their project ideas.
Next week we will begin our new unit: What is Matter?
SIXTH GRADE MATH
Last week, sixth grade math students took their first unit test: Whole Numbers and Patterns.
This week we moved onto Unit Two: Introduction to Algebra. In this unit, your child is learning how to identify and evaluate algebraic expressions. The kids were given the Holt Math textbook to keep at home as a reference. The student help link is also a great resource for students in this program http://go.hrw.com/gopages/ma/msm1_07.html.
***Remember that daily assignments and homework documents are on my website under the Sixth grade math tab.
PROJECT LEAD THE WAY
Our first lesson series asks students to investigate the meaning of the word “technology”. They are introduced to the broad field of engineering and many of the sub-disciplines of engineering, the interdisciplinary (STEM) nature of engineering, and the impacts of technological advancements that are developed through engineering. In addition, students learned how to organize an engineering notebook and accurately document their classwork. Students are also guided in practicing effective teamwork skills.
In our next set of introductory lessons we will focus on the tools that engineers use to solve problems. Students will study the Design Process and will use it to guide their actions. They will be introduced to the idea that there are many design processes and no single design process is better or more useful than another. Students will encounter each step in more detail as they gain knowledge and experience throughout the course.
SEVENTH GRADE LIFE SCIENCE
Students began their journey into the life sciences with the first unit: Scientific Thinking. Using investigations with brine shrimp, we focused on the following ideas:
- When scientists study living things, they use careful observations and ask scientific questions.
- Experiments are designed to test hypotheses and they study how variables affect a system. Students learned the importance of conducting multiple experimental trials and communicating results with tables and graphs.
- The importance of defining a system for scientific studies and experiments. They also learn about the various kinds of models that are used in science. Examples include graphs, conceptual models, mathematical models, and physical models.
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Abby carefully adds yeast to her brine shrimp populations. Madison and Noah learn how to use the compound light microscope before conducting their brine shrimp observations. Lue, Roy, and Daphna discuss the effects of pollution on their brine shrimp populations.
I look forward to seeing all of you on Back to School night next Thursday! Until then, I hope you have a meaningful Rosh Hashanah.
L’shanah tovah tikatevu.