Aviary Visit: We Give a Hoot

On Friday, May 13, Spartans attended a presentation by the National Aviary.  In addition to meeting Elvis the Penguin (featured in the photo), students also got to meet an owl and a parrot.  This annual visit corresponds with our We Give a Hoot thematic unit in which students read the novel Hoot in Language Arts, study animal endangerment factors in Science, and research and write about an endangered animal in English. 

Here's an updated Spartan Team Teacher photo!

New Semester

The new semester will begin Monday, January 25, 2016.  This is a reminder to students that period 5/6 classes will change.  It is a fresh start academically for everyone!

Cell Cities!

Spartan science students had an opportunity to take their cell:city analogy to the next level by creating models of their city.  Lots of extra time, hard work, and collaboration resulted in the creative projects displayed below.  Great job Spartan scientists!!!

Finish Strong!

With two full weeks remaining, please remember to:

• participate in class
• complete all assignments
• study

It is easy to forget the obvious as the holidays draw near.  So please prepare for glory and finish STRONG! 

Halfway there!

It is hard to believe that we are halfway through the 1st 9 weeks.  Please continue putting your best effort forth:

•  participating in class
•  completing all assignments
•  preparing for tests

Report cards will be here before you know it!

Welcome, 2015-16 Spartans!

The Spartan team would like to welcome our new students for the 2015-2016 school year!  We are looking forward to an excellent year, and we have many fantastic educational experiences planned for everyone.

Spartan Teachers:

- English:  Mrs. Drakeley
- Language Arts: Ms. Beros
- Math: Mr. Gasbarrini
- Science: Mr. Cornali
- Social Studies:  Mr. LaSalvia

Prepare for the PSSA!

The PSSA testing will begin next week.  Please make sure that you are getting adequate rest at night and eating a good breakfast in the morning before you come to school. Put forth your best effort.  We KNOW our Spartan students can succeed!

Designer Animals

Several Spartan individuals and groups took their "Design-An-Animal" projects to the next level by creating 3-D models.  Thanks Spartans!!!  We ALWAYS appreciate extra effort!

Family Pedigree Charts

During our unit on genetics, many interested Spartans created pedigree charts to track family traits through multiple generations.  Below are some examples of their work.... well done!

Genetics Practice/ Investigation

Hey Spartan scientists!

Here's a link to the University of Utah genetics website that we worked with in class:

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/

There's tons of information and interactive tutorials for those of you who didn't get enough heredity in class!

Social Studies

Recently in Social Studies, students have been reading and analyzing Primary Sources such as Pliny's account of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.  Students were interested to read and discuss this information during several class periods.

We are currently preparing for our assessment on the map of Africa.

Spartan English February

In February, Spartan students will be studying Argumentative writing (also called Persuasive).  They will learn how to persuade using reason, emotion, and an appeal of good character.  There are several interesting projects that the students will be working on with this unit, including oral presentation, outlines, an essay, and a mini research experience.

Fit Day

Congratulations to our Spartan Team, the 2014 winners of the annual seventh grade Fit Day!

Online math textbook

Our PA Core Math 7 textbook is available online at www.connected.mcgraw-hill.com.   The username and password are identical, in which both contain an alphanumeric code consisting of the letters cm and your child’s student ID number.

     EX:        username:  cm555555    password:  cm555555

Welcome!

The Spartan team would like to welcome our 2014-15 Spartans!  We look forward to a great year together! Please check our blog for team information, classroom highlights, and student achievements throughout the year.

End of a Great School Year!

The Spartan team would like to thank our 2013-14 Spartans for a wonderful school year!
We will miss all of you next year, but we will look forward to seeing you in 8th grade!

Spartan Travel Log Project

Check out the Spartan Travel Log Project, a cross-curricular project completed in Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies.

Spartan Travel Log Project - Click here

Cross-curricular Connections

Spartan students have been working on many cross-curricular units.

• Mythology:  Students studied ancient Greece in Social Studies, wrote an editorial on the best and worst god or goddess in English, and read myths from ancient Greece in Language Arts as well as a mythology novel, The Lightning Thief.

• Poetry: After writing poems in English, students are reading poetry right now in Language Arts class.

• Country Research:  Next week, Spartans will be researching a country in Social Studies, Science, and Language Arts.  They will use their information to write a travel log from the perspective of a person visiting the country.

Upcoming units include the following:

• Endangered Species:  Later in the month, students will be researching endangered species for an essay in English and a PowerPoint in Science.  Students in Language Arts class will be reading the novel Hoot that focuses on a young boy's quest to save an endangered owl.

• The Incredible Journey/Animal Adaptations:  During the month of May, students will read the classic novel The Incredible Journey about the journey of three animals across the Canadian wilderness to get home to their family.  While reading the novel, students will study the adaptations of the wildlife featured in the book in Science class.

Learn Genetics!

Hey Spartans!  As promised, here's the link to the University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center website:

http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/

  

As this endless winter keeps us indoors, take some time to further explore the topics we covered in class.  A great, current (thanks Morgan P!), easy-to-use resource for the middle school learner!!!