MATH 6

• In the previous unit, students developed an understanding of ratios and rates. They used terms such as ratio, rate, equivalent ratios, per, constant speed, and constant rate. They learned that “at this rate” means the situation involves equivalent ratios. Although they began to compare ratios and rates to a unit of 1, they did not use the term unit rate.
• In this unit, students will be introduced to unit rates. They will find the two values and associated with the ratio a : b. Students also learn when one of the two values is most useful given different situations. They will use unit rates to solve problems in context and specify units for their answer. They will find when something is a better deal based on the unit price. Given distances, they will determine which object is moving faster. They will observe that equivalent ratios have the same unit rate. They will see that in a table of equivalent ratios, the values in one column of the table can be multiplied by the unit rate to produce the values in the other column.
• Students will learn that percent means “per 100” and indicates a rate. They will use tables and double-number line diagrams to connect percentages with equivalent ratios and reinforce their understanding that percentages are rates per 100. Students will also internalize the meaning of important benchmark percentages like 75%. They should connect 75% of a number and 0.75 times a number. Students will use their understanding of multiplication as scaling to interpret that a percentage less than 100% will produce a value less than the original number and that a percentage greater than 100% will produce a value greater than the original number.

MATH 6+

• In Unit 4, students learn about scaled copies and apply what they have learned to scale drawings. The concept of scaling prepares students for working with proportional relationships later on in grade 7 and dilations in grade 8. They start by identifying scaled copies and learning that if the scale factor is greater than 1, the copy will be enlarged, and if the scale copy is less than 1, the copy will be reduced. They learn how area changes in scaled copies.
• Next, students use the same strategies they used when identifying scaled copies, and apply them to scale drawings. They work mainly with maps and floor plans, learning that not all scales have units. Students will be able to calculate actual lengths by multiplying a scale factor and the corresponding length in the scale drawing. They will be able to calculate the length in the scale drawing by multiplying the length and the reciprocal of the scale factor.

ELA

• The students will be reading World Without Fish
• Read informational excerpts to make inferences
• Identify details in a text that answer a research question
• Summarize the relevant details for research purposes
• Write draft of an essay
• Use transitional words and phrases to make an essay flow smoothly

SCIENCE

• Over the next few weeks, students will learn about sound and heat energy through engaging demonstrations and hands-on labs. They will explore how sound travels through different mediums such as solids, liquids, and gasses, and how it moves from the source to the ear, where it is converted into signals the brain recognizes as sound. Students will also learn how factors such as pitch, vibration, and amplitude affect the sounds we hear. In addition, they will study how heat energy transfers from warmer objects to cooler ones through conduction, convection, and radiation. Through experiments and real-world examples, such as how a lava lamp works or what happens when a flame is placed under a water-filled balloon, students will deepen their understanding of how energy moves and changes in the world around them.

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Sixth grade students will be finishing the unit on Ancient Achievements. This unit introduces students to the many achievements, advancements and innovations in ancient civilizations and societies. Students will analyze how achievements in writing, architecture, infrastructure, science, technology, mathematics, arts and literature reflected the values of ancient civilizations. By the end of the month students will begin creating a museum exhibit project. Be on the lookout for information about our culmination event in early February!

MATH 

• Unit 3, Features of Functions, builds upon the previous unit, where students realized the significance of the domain of a function. In this unit, students are introduced to functions that are neither linear nor exponential. They are given a variety of different graphs to consider, like continuous graphs with endpoints, as well as discontinuous graphs, to become fluent in identifying key features of functions. Students’ understanding of a function deepens as students realize that a relationship can be a function without having a predictable rate of change.
• In the first three lessons, students consider the following situations: draining and filling a small pool, measuring the depth of the water while floating down a river, and measuring distance traveled while floating down a river to develop a conceptual understanding of the key features of a function by analyzing its graph. Students also develop proper notation to use when describing intervals of the graph.
• In the last two lessons, students focus on interpreting function notation with or without a context, while still continuing to practice identifying key features using precise notation. Throughout the unit, students refine their understanding of the definition of a function, with the idea of a unique output for each input being continually reinforced.

ELA

• The students will be reading excerpts from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
• Determine the theme or central idea of a literary text
• Analyze figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meaning
• Determine the author’s point of view and purpose in informational text
• Cite several pieces of text-based evidence to support an analysis of informational text.
• Recognize, interpret, and make connections in narratives, poetry, and drama ethically and artistically to other texts, ideas, cultural perspectives, eras, personal events, and situations

SCIENCE

• Students have been reviewing the key processes and terms related to the water cycle. They will then use this knowledge to investigate more detail around cloud formation, characteristics, and classification.
• In the coming weeks, students will learn to explain weather conditions that will result based on the relationship between air masses, high and low pressure systems, and frontal boundaries (including thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes). 
• We will continue our Meteorology Unit following Winter Break.

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Seventh grade will be finishing the unit of Revolutions this month. This covers the changes in thinking enhanced by the reasons  and ideas from the Enlightenment Era. Many new ideas were formed about who should process and distribute knowledge and power.  The middle class becomes more engaged in their society  and uses their voice to change society.  We will cover this change through the American Revolution, French Revolution, Haitian Revolution, and various Latin American revolutions.

MATH

• Unit 3, Features of Functions, builds upon the previous unit, where students realized the significance of the domain of a function. In this unit, students are introduced to functions that are neither linear nor exponential. They are given a variety of different graphs to consider, like continuous graphs with endpoints, as well as discontinuous graphs, to become fluent in identifying key features of functions. Students’ understanding of a function deepens as students realize that a relationship can be a function without having a predictable rate of change.
• In the first three lessons, students consider the following situations: draining and filling a small pool, measuring the depth of the water while floating down a river, and measuring distance traveled while floating down a river to develop a conceptual understanding of the key features of a function by analyzing its graph. Students also develop proper notation to use when describing intervals of the graph.
• In the last two lessons, students focus on interpreting function notation with or without a context, while still continuing to practice identifying key features using precise notation. Throughout the unit, students refine their understanding of the definition of a function, with the idea of a unique output for each input being continually reinforced.

ELA

• The students will be reading A Mighty Long Way
• Analyze the connections and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events in a text
• Analyze how specific dialogue or incidents in a plot propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision
• Cite text-based evidence that provides the strongest support for an analysis of informational text
• Determine the meaning of words and phrases in the text
• Determine the central idea of an informational text
• Determine the author’s point of view or purpose in informational text

SCIENCE

• The first portion of February will be focused on various renewable and nonrenewable energy resources, including the pros and cons of each. During this short unit, students will learn more about our relationship with natural resources, as well as the impact humans can have on the environment, both positive and negative. 

• The 2nd half of February will be spent learning about Earth’s Geologic Timeline. Students will learn how scientists can use fossils, core samples, landforms, etc. to determine how Earth has changed over billions of years. During this unit, we will practice taking model core samples and interpreting the results, learn about the various types of fossils and practice creating some of our own using clay, and identify the major events that have changed Earth’s climate, atmosphere, surface features, and even lifeforms! 

• We will have our 2nd Science NC Check-In the last week of February.

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Students are currently focused on Unit 4 which offers students a North Carolinian perspective on key historical themes, including Westward Expansion, Manifest Destiny, Indigenous and American interactions, Abolitionism, Sectionalism, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. This unit aims to help students contextualize the conflicts that arose from the nation's growth, linking westward expansion to the Civil War's origins.