MATH 6

• Unit 4: Dividing Fractions

  Work with fractions in grade 6 draws on earlier work in operations and algebraic thinking, particularly the knowledge of multiplicative situations developed in grades 3 to 5, and making use of the relationship between multiplication and division. Multiplicative situations include three types: equal groups, comparisons of two quantities, and dimensions of arrays or rectangles. In the equal groups and comparison situations, there are two subtypes, sometimes called the partitive and the quotitive (or measurement) interpretations of division. Students are not expected to identify the three types of situations or use the terms “partitive” or “quotitive.” However, they should recognize the associated interpretations of division in specific contexts.

MATH 6+

• Unit 6: Expressions and Equations

  Students begin the unit by working with linear equations that have single occurrences of one variable, e.g.,  and they represent relationships with tape diagrams and with linear equations, explaining correspondences between these representations. They examine values that make a given linear equation true or false, and what it means for a number to be a solution to an equation. The second section introduces balanced and unbalanced “hanger diagrams” as a way to reason about solving the linear equations of the first section. In the third section of the unit, students write expressions with whole-number exponents and whole-number, fraction, or variable bases. They evaluate such expressions, using properties of exponents strategically. They understand that a solution to an equation in one variable is a number that makes the equation true when the number is substituted for all instances of the variable. They represent algebraic expressions and equations in order to solve problems. They determine whether pairs of numerical exponential expressions are equivalent and explain their reasoning (MP3).  In the last section of the unit, students represent collections of equivalent ratios as equations. They use and make connections between tables, graphs, and linear equations that represent the same relationships.

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

• This month in Science, students will explore the layers of the Earth by examining density through a hands-on lab that models how materials layer. They will use this understanding to explain how and why tectonic plates move. To wrap up the unit, students will design a magazine to inform others about natural disasters caused by plate tectonics.
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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 6: Expressions and Equations

  Students begin the unit by working with linear equations that have single occurrences of one variable, e.g.,  and they represent relationships with tape diagrams and with linear equations, explaining correspondences between these representations. They examine values that make a given linear equation true or false, and what it means for a number to be a solution to an equation. The second section introduces balanced and unbalanced “hanger diagrams” as a way to reason about solving the linear equations of the first section. In the third section of the unit, students write expressions with whole-number exponents and whole-number, fraction, or variable bases. They evaluate such expressions, using properties of exponents strategically. They understand that a solution to an equation in one variable is a number that makes the equation true when the number is substituted for all instances of the variable. They represent algebraic expressions and equations in order to solve problems. They determine whether pairs of numerical exponential expressions are equivalent and explain their reasoning (MP3).  In the last section of the unit, students represent collections of equivalent ratios as equations. They use and make connections between tables, graphs, and linear equations that represent the same relationships.

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 5:  Systems of Equations and Inequalities

  In grade 8, students wrote equations for linear relationships from various representations. Students also solved systems of equations by graphing and inspection in their previous coursework. Students’ prior experience focused on understanding that the solution to a system of equations is a coordinate point which satisfies both equations simultaneously.

  Building on students’ prior experiences, this unit begins by introducing students to the idea of constraints and systems of inequalities through a real-world context. Students work within the context of starting a small business. The business context of pet sitting underlies much of the work of the unit. Students refine their strategies for finding the most profitable business outcomes while they build understanding with respect to constraints and systems of equations and inequalities. The first lesson of the unit reviews much of the work students did in grade 8. Then, in the first full learning cycle, students focus on writing and solving individual inequalities in two variables by graphing them as a shaded half plane on a coordinate grid. Students are then introduced to graphing a system of inequalities on the same coordinate plane to show the solution set. In the final learning cycle, students transition from solving systems of inequalities to systems of equations. They extend their strategies for solving linear systems to include elimination.

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.