PIERCE SCHOOL
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Teaching and Learning in Grades 7 and 8
February, 2007
Volume XI, Second Edition

Some Words from the Administration:

It is hard to believe that we have passed the half way mark in the school year. While the first two terms have moved with lightning speed, the pace will seem even more rapid for the remainder of the year, especially once the February vacation passes. Please checkout the Pierce School website for a new 7-8 corner. This newsletter as well as other information and school communications pertaining to 7^th and 8^th graders will be posted in this new section of the school website (pierceschoolbrookline.org). Here is some of what is happening and what is ahead.

Performing Arts Program

We are pleased to continue the performing arts program begun several years ago for grades K-8. The PTO sponsors this program and its performers are selected from the Brookline Arts Council group. Pierce is represented on this town-wide council by parent, Deborah Swedberg and guidance counselor, Kim Manasevit. The Cashore Marionettes will be performing a touching program, Simple Gifts, on Tuesday, March 13 at 9:45 am for grades 7-8. We are hoping to host the Berkshire Hills Music Group later in March. They are a unique group of musicians with wonderful musical abilities.

What's Up for 8TH GRADE?

High School Planning Orientation and registration for Brookline High School begins right after February vacation. Look for a very important letter with the details from guidance counselor, Kim Manasevit, which was mailed this week. Students will receive course catalogues, begin meetings with their teachers to help make course selections, and work with Kim Manasevit, Joanne Amico, the 8th grade science and health teacher, and other 8^th grade teachers to complete the course registration process. During this time, Kim visits with students in their Health classes to orient them to the BHS curriculum. Former Pierce students who are currently 9th graders at BHS will also share their perspectives with our students. They will speak about their experiences not only with the curriculum but also with the transition process itself. In the past, many students have found these sessions very helpful. Dean James Cradle will visit Pierce on March 29 at 2:15 pm. He will be offering Pierce 8^th graders a tour of Brookline High School and an opportunity to meet with Pierce alumni. We thank our former students for this important community service.

Parents also will have opportunities to meet with BHS faculty and administrators to be able to learn about the various options, as well as life at The High School. The various information sessions are very helpful to ease parents' transition experience. The information you gain can help you more successfully guide your child in making good course choices as well as making a smoother transition.

You should have received a letter from Ms. Manasevit and the high school headmaster, Dr. Weintraub, detailing this process as well as a schedule of all transition meetings. We want to particularly stress the importance of completing the course selection forms in a timely manner. The timeline for this process is strictly enforced. Should you have any questions along the way, please feel free to contact Kim Manasevit, or any of your child's teachers. We're happy to set up meeting times should you need them.

Speech Contest

Another way students make their transition to the freshman class is through the town-wide Speech Contest. This year it will be held at Brookline High School on Wednesday, March 21st. This is an opportunity for 8th grade students from all 8 elementary schools across town to compete by demonstrating their public speaking skills in eight categories of oratory. All students are encouraged to write their own speeches. Those who wish to participate in the Speech Contest work with a variety of mentors, --Ms. Kra, Mrs. Hamilton, other 7/8 teachers, and often several lower school teachers--to revise and edit their speeches (often through numerous drafts), memorize them, and then develop and hone their delivery for the final presentation. It's a thrilling experience. The night of the contest is very exciting. Our record of excellent results (we have won many prizes over the years) is a testament to the talent, hard work, and enthusiasm of our students and our staff. We always hold a Pierce School Speech Assembly for younger students to showcase not only the town-wide winners, but all those who put their heart and soul into the process. In our opinion at Pierce School all those who enter the Speech Contest are already winners.

New York Trip

Plans for this annual 8^th grade trip are moving forward. Collections for the fees for the New York City trip began a few weeks ago, and the first round of payments is nearly complete. We’ll be having dinner at an Italian restaurant called Cucina and Co. We will be seeing the Broadway musical, Hairspray at the Neil Simon Theater. The Apollo Theater, Ellis Island and the Museum of Natural History are also places students will experience on this trip. We are also working on community service and academic connections for this experience to ensure that it is educational as well as fun. The trip is scheduled for June 6-7, 2007 upon school committee approval.

Parent Committees for End of Year Activities

If you signed up last fall at the Open House to volunteer for end of year activities, now is the time to begin planning. We have the names of a few parents but we are in need of several more that would be willing to organize the various end of year activities for 8th graders. A series of committees need your membership for the Dinner Dance and Awards Ceremony Reception:

Decorations Committee

Food Committee

Music Committee

Flowers Committee

Set Up Committee

Please contact vice principal, Josh Frank, if you are interested in helping with any of these committees.

What's Up for 7th GRADE?

Thanks to all seventh grade parents who attended the breakfast on Wednesday, January 24^th. This was a great opportunity to view student work and greet staff. It was great to see you all there, celebrating your children’s accomplishments. They have done well overall in their transition to seventh grade. We are very pleased with their adjustment.

Many of you may know that several seventh grade parents are planning a parent sponsored discussion at the school. We strongly support parents in their desire to come together and support each other for the benefit of their children as they tackle the many challenges of young adulthood. This is a networking opportunity for all parents/guardians of seventh graders. Effective communication with each other, sharing perspectives and creating common expectations are key elements of a supportive adult network. A meeting is planned for Tuesday, February 27^th at 7 pm in the school library. If you have questions, you may contact Cherie Gaehde. Cherie’s e-mail is adams_gaehde@hotmail.com. Hopefully, many of you will be able to attend.

Sincerely,

Pipier Smith-Mumford (Principal)
Josh Frank (Vice Principal)

GRADE SEVEN

English, Ms. Kra and Mrs. Lyons

We have begun our study of George Orwell’s, Animal Farm. Students learned about the context of The Russian Revolution before reading this famous allegory. We will examine Orwell’s life in relation to the issues he raises in the novel. Students will have daily comprehension exercises to prepare for class discussion. They will complete this unit by writing five paragraph expository essays in which they examine a particular theme in the novel. Students will apply their understanding of the use of Allegory in literature by writing their own original Fables- in which they will exploit a “burning issue” about society or human nature. They are required to write their fables using animals, vegetables or household items. They will illustrate and present their fables to the class.

On completing their Fable projects, we will begin our study of William Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Students will learn how to read verse by studying Shakespearean vocabulary, verb conjugations (thou canst, thou art), and two forms of poetic meter. Each night, they will respond to their reading by writing a plot summary, recording examples of figurative language, and examining five lines of writing. Students will memorize and present ten lines from the play along with a close textual study of their respective passages.

All seventh graders will be taking the long composition portion of the MCAS exam at the end of March. Students will continue their study of vocabulary, punctuation and grammar.

Each student will be reading an Independent Reading book and students will write seven paragraph responses in which they discuss point of view, setting, plot, characterization, and appropriate themes. Having learned nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs and basic sentence structure, students will continue to develop strategies to improve their writing by applying their understanding of proper grammar.

Social Studies, Mrs. Lyons/Dr. Tegnell

Mrs. Lyons--During the third quarter, students are studying the US Constitution, with an emphasis on the structure of government and the rights and duties of the people. Students are currently creating projects based on the 27 amendments, and will soon be making posters of current government officials. Following this unit, students will study the first five presidents, with an emphasis on the precedents they set for future leaders.

Students will then resume their study of our expansion to the west, with an in class research project on Native American culture. From there, we will look at the Louisiana Purchase, the continuing push for more land, and the resulting Mexican American War.

Students also will continue to work with "monthly maps".

Dr. Tegnell--3^rd Quarter 7^th Social Studies Connection – Tegnell

In the 3rd quarter students will culminate their study of the American Revolution by writing an in-class mini-essay on the causes and consequences of the Revolution. They will then investigate the United States Constitution by learning about the problems with the Articles of Confederation, staging several debates at the Constitutional Convention, and engaging in a close reading of the Constitution itself. Next students will look into the conflict between Jefferson and Hamilton concerning the foreign and domestic policies of the national government, examine the Lewis and Clark expedition, and delve into the controversies surrounding the War of 1812. Students will conclude the 3^rd quarter by selecting an important antebellum American about whom to write a biographical report.

Math, Ms. Bare, Ms. Hintzman and Ms. Galolo

During the second marking period, seventh grade math students were engaged in our “Looking Behind the Numbers” unit. This unit focused on the most important tools for collecting, displaying, analyzing, and applying data. Students began by exploring statistical measures and the display of data using scatter plots. They then learned how to use probability to predict possible outcomes of a variety of games and events. Our study of statistics and probability has also prepared students for the upcoming study of genetics in science class, which will allow students to make connections between the two disciplines.

Students are now engaged in the Mathematics of Motion unit, in which they analyze different ways to represent and calculate the motion of moving objects. Following this study, we will introduce work with negative integers, to prepare students for their first algebra unit.

Life Science, Ms. Hintzman

Students have completed their study of the six kingdoms of life, concluding with comparisons of the fungus and plant kingdoms and the infectious disease reports. Students worked very hard on their research and we were thrilled to see so many parents enjoy the displays of boils, rashes, and wounds at the parent breakfast.

Following our mid-year review of concepts, we will study cellular structure and genetics. We will begin by investigating the structure of DNA and learning how that structure allows all living things to pass on information to subsequent generations. From this beginning, students will move into the study of human genetics. They will determine what genes they inherited from their parents for some of their own facial characteristics, and use this data to project what their future offspring might look like.

In the next few months, we will perform synthetic blood testing to determine what blood transfusions hospital patients can safely receive and will construct pedigrees that trace the inheritance of student-generated traits through three generations of a family. Past traits have included the ability to read minds, purple wings, and polka-dotted skin. I look forward to seeing what this group of seventh graders will create!

Spanish, Sra. Megias

Our seventh graders did a fine job on their library research projects. Each student researched a particular country, prepared a written report and gave an oral presentation. Parents were able to view the finished products at the Gr. 7 breakfast. To conclude our unit on Spain the students created azulejos, replicas of ceramic tiles fashioned after those in the Alhambra palace in Granada. Spain. They selected one of four authentic motifs: el pajarito, el hueso, la estrella and la escama.

Our next focus will be on Mexico, its history and culture. Four Mexican teenagers on video and in our text will guide us around Cuernavaca and Mexico City. Students will learn how to express their likes and dislikes, be able to discuss what they do in their free time and talk about a typical school day. Grammar functions include talking about class schedules, using the definite articles los and las, telling time, the verb ser, de to show possession, and adjective/noun agreement.

Mandarin, Ms. Sun

Our seventh graders have learned more about China and the Chinese language. They also learned how to talk about where they live, the members of their family, their pets, their ages, and counting in Chinese numbers. The Chinese New Year celebration, which will fall in late February this year, is also one of the topics during the third quarter. The class visited Brookline High School during their Chinese New Year celebration. The students saw high school students perform, speak Chinese and had options to buy Chinese food for lunch. It was a very successful field trip.

The supplementary reading materials, “Youer Hanyu” and “Zhong Wen Tian Di” will continue to be used to provide enhancement for their reading and speaking skills.