NOTES FROM MR. CRAWFORD
Important Dates for all Families!
All middle school students were provided information regarding end of year events with dates and times in Homeroom on Friday, April 19th. 6th and 7th grade information can be found HERE. 8th grade information can be found HERE.
Lunch with Ms. Pedrick
7th grade boys lunch groups will continue next week - Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
Community Service
Hancock Day School has encouraged student involvement in serving the community since it was founded. The Community Service Program at HDS was established to prepare our students for a lifetime of service to others. We hope to provide them with the opportunity to experience firsthand the pleasure of helping others while developing their communication, leadership, and decision making skills. Middle School Students are expected to complete a minimum of 10 hours of community service each school year. Please document service hours on the HDS Community Service Log and submit to Madison Ross in the MS office.
8TH GRADE ASSIGNMENTS
8th grade Algebra 1 - Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Algebra, we will continue in Chapter 10 by learning to solve more quadratic functions and equations with 2 other methods as well as interpreting the discriminant. Students will review towards the end of the week in preparation for their Chapter 10 test on Tuesday, May 15. Challenge problem due on Tuesday, May 8.
8th grade Advanced Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will review factoring by a variety of methods including grouping, the AC method, and factoring the difference of two squares. There will be a quiz on factoring on Thursday.
8th grade Geometry - Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will continue Chapter 12 by discovering how to calculate the volume of prisms and cylinders (12.4) as well as pyramids and cones (12.5). We will also learn how to find the surface area and volume of spheres (12.6) and learn the relationships between similar solid objects (12.7). We will have a fun volume experiment involving popcorn on Monday. There will be a quiz on 12.4-12.6 on Thursday.
8th grade Physical Science - Mr. Cooper
Next week we will be reviewing all that we learned about Electricity and Magnetism. A study guide will be provided. The unit test will be given on Friday the 11th. Our final project will be given the week of May 14th. This will be constructing an electric vehicle. More to come on this!
8th grade English Language Arts - Mrs. O’Connor
In the week ahead students will continue to work on their research papers in addition to reading some short nonfiction selections in our textbook. Students will complete their outlines and rough drafts, and prepare to have their final drafts turned in by Wednesday, May 16th.
8th grade History & Gov’t II - Mrs. English
This week in American history we will start continue our protest unit by finishing the Civil Rights Movement and beginning Anti-War Protest in the 1960s-1970s. We will have a test on May 10th. Looking ahead, I’ve scheduled our last geography quiz for May 15th. Keep up the great work on the yarn project. Our first students have already completed their first canvas!
8th grade Spanish - Ms. Hughes
Next week in Spanish the 8th grade will continue to work with the grammar and vocabulary from Chapter 7A. We will be working with negative commands, formal commands and the impersonal se. They will also talk about indoor and outdoor celebrations, food preferences, and write about food and cookouts. The grammar quiz will be Friday May, 11th.
7TH GRADE ASSIGNMENTS
7th grade Algebra 1 - Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Algebra, we will continue in Chapter 10 by learning to solve more quadratic functions and equations with 2 other methods as well as interpreting the discriminant. Students will review towards the end of the week in preparation for their Chapter 10 test on Tuesday, May 15. Challenge problem due on Tuesday, May 8.
7th grade Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will continue Chapter 10 by learning how to find the area of a variety of polygons including triangles, rectangles, parallelograms, and trapezoids (10.3). Students will discover for themselves the area formulas for parallelograms and trapezoids. We will also learn how to find the circumference and area of circles (10.4). There will be quiz covering 10.1-10.3 on Thursday.
7th grade History & Gov’t I - Mrs. English
We had a great week of research! The projects were impressive! This week we will begin our last unit studying the First Industrial Revolution and the divisions that begin to arise between the North and the South. Readings and homework will come from chapter 11.1-3. Looking ahead, our last test will be on May 15th.
7th grade Spanish - Ms. Hughes
Students will continue working with the future tense. We will use this tense to talk about plans, professions, and make predictions. Students will investigate possible careers according to their likes and dislikes, and discuss ways to improve the environment for future generations. The grammar quiz will be Friday, May 11th.
7th Grade ELA - Mrs. Boyer
Graded research papers will be coming out early next week!
The Animal Farm Final Novel test date has been moved to 5/14! This will be over character analysis, theme, literary devices, critical thinking and writing skills.
This coming week students will be creating their own utopias where they will be writing seven of their own commandments and a persuasive speech about why people should join their society. The seventh grade will vote on the best society and that group will win a prize!
They will also be creating their own Beasts of England song; students will be writing their own song to summarize the main points of the novel.
Lastly, students will be working on an informal writing assignment about a theme in Animal Farm. I have written up 18 themes for each class. Each student will get their own individual theme to work with regarding this writing assignment. They will have a week to write about their theme.
Quizzes and writing assignments will be used to analyze the students progress in regards to critical thinking. Students need to be prepared for 8th grade next year and this new way of learning is a strategy which will prepare them for next year’s ELA class.
Students need to be prepared for class everyday, which means bringing their novel, journal and a writing utensil.
Reading Logs for T3 are due May 17th.
7th grade Life Science - Ms. Hoffman
We now know a lot more about frogs after our two-day lab focusing on both the external and internal anatomy of these amphibians. Students did a wonderful job. I am very proud of them. Please see our pictures below.
Our next group of animals we will be studying will be the reptiles. Then we will discuss the birds and mammals. Students will also use their science knowledge about birds and mammals to complete a report project using the book Animal Farm, which they have been reading in English/ Language Arts Class. Rubric guidelines will go home next week and this project will count as a test grade in science class.
6TH GRADE ASSIGNMENTS
6th grade Accelerated Math 7 - Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Accelerated Math 7, we will begin in Chapter 11 by learning about square roots and the pythagorean theorem. On Friday, we will do an activity involving the pythagorean theorem. Students should expect their next assessment on Thursday, May 17. Challenge problems due on Tuesday, May 8.
6th grade Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will continue Chapter 10 by learning how to find the area of a variety of polygons including triangles, rectangles, parallelograms, and trapezoids (10.3). Students will discover for themselves the area formulas for parallelograms and trapezoids. We will also learn how to find the circumference and area of circles (10.4). There will be quiz covering 10.1-10.3 on Thursday.
6th grade ELA - Mrs. Guggenheim
Literature: Continue reading The Diary of Anne Frank and making entries into an online journal. Two open book quizzes: Monday over Scenes 1-2; Thursday over Scenes 3-4.
Grammar: Continue proofreading practice and begin homonyms.
Writing:
Vocabulary: Anne Frank 21-word project - Greek/Latin List 11 + 7 SAT words distributed 5/4. Quiz 5/11
As of now, I have scheduled the remaining assessments for the rest of the year. Though they may change, I wanted to give a heads up: Vocab: List 11 + 7 SAT words 5/11; Grammar: Quiz over proofing/editing/homonyms 5/17; Anne Frank unit test 5/15.
Reading Log: Reading for the reading log begins for Trimester Three will begin on Feb 28th. As stated in the syllabus, all middle school students are required to read 360 minutes during the course of the trimester - reading that is outside of their regular assignments. They have a form on which to keep track of their minutes, and on Mondays in class I post their minutes in a spreadsheet. They need to obtain a parent signature to verify the minutes read. This counts as a project grade. The grading scale is written in the syllabus. Reading log minutes for 6th grade are due Friday, May 17th.
6th grade Earth Science - Ms. Hoffman
Students have been learning about our Earth and Moon and early space travel. We concluded this week with an Egg Drop building competition. (See pictures below.) Groups were given 10 pieces of paper, 100 cm of masking tape and 20 staples to construct a module to hold and protect their “egg astronaut” as they were dropped onto the simulated surface of Mars. Who will survive the landing? Winners (Oreo cookies are at stake!) will be announced in next weeks blog.
Next week we will also be learning about the sun and our solar system. We will map out a model showing the location and distances between each celestial object. We will also discuss comets, meteors and asteroids. Students will complete a project making solar system trading cards. This will primarily be done at home and will count as a test grade. Rubrics will be handed out mid-week and it will also be posted on Google Classroom.
6th Grade Ancient Civ - Mrs. Boyer
We are venturing into Roman Times!!!
Students have been focusing on Roman government, religion, and daily life. Students have been reading articles, discussing important leaders and the dynamics of a republic. Each day over the next few weeks will be dedicated to an activity that focuses on one of the three topics. There will be a practice quiz on 5/3 which will be counted as a CW/HW grade and the students and I will go over it together at the end of class.
Students will be working on one last large assignment: review questions. Students will be answering, to their best ability with two weeks to complete the questions, the review questions for Chapter 12-14. These questions will make the students think critically about the ideas which were generated during this important time in history. It will also allow them to practice time management and grammar skills as they must edit their work as they go. Students will not have any other homework other than this assignment and they will have class time as well.
**Students should begin studying new material every night for five to seven minutes in order to prepare for these assessments. If a student is studying every night for five to seven minutes (something as little as discussing what they learned at the dinner table), they have a better chance at comprehending the content for a test. A student should never JUST start studying for an assessment two to three days before. Studying is an on-going process.
Study strategies: Create flash-cards, create a graphic organizer, create an outline, create a quizlet, brainstorm the essays beforehand, have a study party with friends, create your own quiz/test and take it without your notes, USE THE FILL IN THE BLANK NOTES TO QUIZ YOURSELF ON WHAT YOU KNOW AND WHAT YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT, come in for extra help with SPECIFIC questions.
All materials will be on GC.
Assessment Dates:
5/10: Rome Quiz
5/18: Rome Unit Test
The Exam for Ancient Civ has been changed to an activity.
6th Grade Spanish - Ms. Dubick
Hello Parents and Students! The sixth graders will continue learning body parts and reviewing numbers and the alphabet next week, which will be integrated into a fun project!
Quiz: Wednesday May 9
EXTRA HELP:
Every MONDAY and WEDNESDAY morning before school.
I’ll be doing extra help sessions to reinforce what we are covering, any students who feel they could use the additional support are welcome to come. I also hold study sessions the morning before any assessment. STUDENTS SHOULD EMAIL IF THEY ARE PLANNING TO ATTEND
MS Art - Mrs. Cookson
“Art is standing with one hand extended into the universe and one hand extended into the world, and letting ourselves be a conduit for passing energy.” - Albert Einstein
8th grade: Students have completed their tiles and put on the underglaze. This week will see the beginning of carving in the design.
7th grade: We will work on 2-point perspective drawings.
6th grade: Will begin work on a Restricted Sculpture.
CLUBS
Science Club
Students fine-tuned their marshmallow catapults that they build last week and got ready for our launch. Due to limited time, we were only able to conduct two tests per group for distance. And the winners were…
First place was the team of Holden Gernier and James Simmons with a distance of 12 meters. Second place went to Evan Scarbrough and Henry Hale with a distance of 9 m 55 cm. Third place went to Whit Watson, Nathan Scarbrough and Brayden Allen with a distance of 7 m 60 cm. Our winners received Tootsie Roll lollipops and everyone enjoyed eating the leftover marshmallows not used as our projectile.
Next week...coke and mentos :)
