PIERCE SCHOOL
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Teaching and Learning in Grades 7 and 8
December 2007
Volume XIII, First Edition

Some Words from the Administration:

To 7th grade parents who are new to this upper school newsletter, we welcome you. This is the first of three such newsletters which we release during the second, third and fourth marking periods.

This newsletter has a particular focus on teaching and learning in the middle school grades. It is another way we attempt to connect to you, sharing information about key curriculum initiatives as well as about life at 7/8, including upcoming events and special activities. We hope you will find it informative and interesting.

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. Some of the performances are curriculum connected and others are simply to expose students to the joys of the performing arts. Already this fall, students in 7th and 8th grade enjoyed a musical performance by Sunsteel who feature music of the Carribean. We are delighted about the support and benefit from these performances and thank the PTO for their financial sponsorship.

Standardized Testing:

Families of current 4th through 8th graders, who took the MCAS tests at Pierce last spring, received the results of their child's performance this fall. It should be noted that with very few exceptions all students are required to take the MCAS. These tests are especially important because they are used to determine if our school meets the federal guidelines for making adequate educational progress with every child under the No Child Left Behind law. Brookline typically performs well on these tests in comparison to districts across the state. Pierce School students did their part to contribute to these favorable district results. We are currently implementing several measures to continue to support our students as the tests are becoming better measures of how well Brookline Schools are aligned with the state frameworks.

In the spring of 2008, students in grades 3 through 8 will be taking a variety of MCAS tests. Every 3rd through 8 th grader will be tested in math. At 7th grade, students will take an English Composition test in late March or early April and the ELA and Math tests in May. The MCAS Math and Science tests will also be administered to grade 8 in May. While these standardized tests can be a helpful assessment tool, it should be noted MCAS is only one among the many measures that we use on a regular basis to monitor students' progress. Unfortunately, these tests are the only measure used by the state and federal government to assess our school's effectiveness.

A HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS

TO THE CAST & CREW FOR A WONDERFUL PRODUCTION OF "Fiddler on the Roof".

I remember watching Theodore Bikel on television with my mother over 40 years ago, as Tevye, sing “If I was a Rich Man.” She smiled as he sang “de de de de de de de de dum . . . if I was a wealthy man” with his eyes closed and his arms raised above his head. Much later I saw a more somber production of “Fiddler on the Roof” on Broadway with my own children. Last Friday, thanks to the Pierce production, I sang to myself . . . “All day long I’d biddy, biddy bum, if I was a wealthy man!”

Watching children perform a classic Broadway show, an adult might expect to feel pride at the accomplishment of getting through until the end, with a moment or two that captures the magic of the original. An adult might also expect to see one child who stands out and wonder if later they’ll be able to say about that child “I remember when . . .” The Pierce 7/8 production of “Fiddler on the Roof” gave all of us in the Pierce community so much more.

We had the privilege to see actors with great and diverse talents entertain us. We saw a cast that took great pride in a tight and spirited performance. Remarkably, we also had the opportunity to see young actors capture all of the magic of a classic of American theater. They skillfully introduced “Fiddler on the Roof” to a new generation of children, while reviving warm memories of earlier productions for many of the adults present.

So thank you to the entire cast, tech crew and other student volunteers who made this show possible. Thank you to Laura Stillman, Shannon Lee-Jones, Alison Smith and all the other adults who put in countless hours to make this amazing show possible.

Joshua Frank

What's Up for 7th GRADE?

7th Grade Seminars. An important transition program for 7th grade is the 7th Grade Guidance Seminars. This year under the leadership of Kim Manasevit, all 7th graders experienced an eight-week program designed to help them with the transition to 7 th grade, and to be successful and happy students at Pierce. Our expectation, and the feedback so far from students, is that this program is beneficial in the following ways:

1. helping students to understand 7th grade expectations, academically and socially;

2. providing students with an opportunity to share questions and concerns in a small group setting with two adults;

3 providing students with strategies on how to gather and organize information, and

4. working with students to build relationships with various adults in the school.

Parents can be helpful by: Asking their child about the seminars. Also, inquire about the experience to check with them about their transition to 7th grade (and yours) and in meeting the demands of multiple teachers and classroom expectations.

Please look for a formal invitation to our annual 7 th Grade Parent Breakfast on Thursday, January 17 th at 7:30 am on the 2 nd floor of the Historical Building. This will be a time to view student work and greet staff.

All Seventh Grade Parents are invited to aBreakfast/Discussion in the auditorium on Wednesday January 30th at 7:30 AM. Facilitated by Karen Shmukler (social worker) and Kim Manasevit (guidance counselor), the breakfast will be a "kick off" for a "Seventh Grade Parent Network":a Community of Pierce parents parenting together. Watch the website and notices from your 7 th grader’s advisory for further details!

What's Up for 8TH GRADE?

New York Trip: We are in the process of finalizing plans for the trip. An informational letter and permission slips went home in November, with the first payment due by November 30. Thank you to all those students and families who got their first payment in on time. Please be aware that the second payment is due on January 9. The trip is scheduled for June 4-5, 2008. We hope you enjoy this first issue of the year. Please share any feedback with either one of us.

There will also be an 8 th Grade Parent Breakfast on Thursday, January 31st at 7:30 am. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Sincerely,

From the Student Council

During this quarter the 7/8 student council has already had an extremely successful Spare Change for Darfur drive and a couple of bake sales. We will continue to build on our hard work, especially in the community service area. We will continue to hold bake sales, the 8th grade will be deciding on a class gift, and we will continue our community service efforts.

Jamie Lyons and Reed Rathgeber, Advisors

GRADE 7

English, Ms. Kra and Mrs. Lyons

Seventh graders are continuing to write several personal narratives to be compiled into a decorative booklet. Parents will be invited in for a celebratory breakfast on completion of the books in the new year. Additionally, students are concluding their book group discussion of A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi, and are in the midst of making final projects in which they portray the major themes of tolerance and peer pressure.

We will begin our study of George Orwell’s Animal Farm in which we explore the use of allegory in literature. 7 th graders are still studying the Parts of Speech; they will soon launch into the wild world of adjectives and verbs. Each 7 th grader should have an Independent Reading book of his/her choice and will respond to the reading in January. Weekly vocabulary and grammar study will continue throughout the year.

Social Studies,Mrs. Lyons

In the first quarter, students reviewed their past study of European explorers, the lands they “found” and the impact exploration had on Native Americans. Students then reviewed the original thirteen colonies, and the similarities and differences between them. In the second quarter, students followed the growth and development of the colonies, and considered how the changes in both Britain and the colonies led to the American Revolution. As the second quarter progresses, students will study the battles of the Revolution, the treaty that ended the war, and the efforts of the Founding Fathers to create a new form of government for the now established United States. Special emphasis will be placed on the dilemma that many of the founders faced – to compromise, or to stand by their principles? Projects this quarter will include a study of the Constitution as it is today, and a look at the federal election process. In addition, students will look at the 27 amendments to the Constitution, and will consider how the government impacts us all on a daily basis.

Social Studies, Dr. Tegnell

In 2 nd Quarter 1 st period social studies students will complete their work on the exploration and settlement of the New World by the Portuguese, Spanish, French and Dutch by filling out an Empire Comparison Chart. They then begin to investigate English colonization by theorizing about the fate of Roanoke and applying its lessons to Jamestown. Next, each student will be assigned a colony and provided with research materials in order to prepare a short report to share with classmates. Students will also employ artifacts, visuals, music, and primary source documents to examine everyday life in the colonies. Before the end-of-the-year holiday, students will complete a Colonist Letter Home project and take a quiz on the political, economic, and social history of the 13 Colonies. For the rest of the term students will trace the causes of the American Revolution by such means as designing posters to protest the Stamp Act and staging the Boston Massacre trial. They will conclude this unit by writing a short essay evaluating whether the colonists or the British were most responsible for causing the American Revolution.

Math

Ms. Galolo /Mrs. McCarthy/ Mrs. Wolfson

In 7 th grade math, students have been studying math as it relates to the “real world”. The students began the year practicing measurement and scale factors to make an enlarged drawing of an everyday object. Then, students reviewed factors, multiples, and scientific notation. This was followed by the Buyer Beware unit, in which students explored the math needed to be a good consumer. Students used proportional thinking to modify a cookie recipe. They also utilized their knowledge of percents and circle graphs in the Income Project. The students are currently studying probability. They have calculated experimental and theoretical probabilities and expected value of several games. They also determined whether or not the games were fair or unfair. After probability, the students will study statistics and analyze the relationships using scatter plots.

Life Science, Ms. Hintzman

Seventh graders began the year with an introduction to the tools and skills of science, and became quickly adept at using the laboratory (as well as sporting their goggles in a fashionable way). We then began our study of the organic molecules of life, which included such highlights as explaining the symptoms of lactose intolerance and spitting into tubes for several days to study the action of the amylase enzyme.

Spanish, Sra. Megias

During this quarter our cultural focus continues to be on daily life in Spain, specifically how young people prepare for school, what their rooms are like, and their family relationships. Our students are enjoying the video, which accompanies the curriculum that shows Paco, a young teenager from Madrid, and his interactions with family and friends. We are also learning how to talk about our needs, our rooms and how to greet people.

Grammatical concepts to be studied include the gender and number of nouns, definite articles, personal pronouns, the verb ser and adjectives.

We will also be working on an art project which involves creating paper tiles modeled after ceramic ones found in the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. In December we will discuss holiday celebrations in Spain and Latin America, which will include traditional songs with guitar accompaniment.

A highlight of the term will be an interdisciplinary project with the library staff. Students will select a theme based on a Spanish-speaking country of their choice. They will spend several days in the library utilizing research skills to achieve their goal: a written report, which will be complemented by an oral presentation. Preceding this project will be map work, which will involve learning all the Spanish-speaking countries and capitals of the world.

Mandarin, Mrs. Sun

My seventh graders have begun to learn about the culture of China and the Chinese Pinyin system. They have also learned how to greet and say goodbye to one another, and how to identify themselves and say what country they come from. They are also in the process of learning 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 February this year, will also, be one of the topics during the second quarter.

The supplementary reading materials, “Learn Chinese with me” and “zhong wen tian di” will be provided to enhance their reading and speaking skills.

Art, Mr. Rae

The seventh graders that are currently in art class with Mr. Rae have completed an extensive drawing unit. The results of their hard work were on display on the windows in the lobby for several weeks. These same students are now deeply involved in a very personal watercolor painting that should be completed in the next few days. Please keep an eye out for the completed work as it will be displayed in the building. Our final unit for this group will be a clay unit that we are always excited about. This very expressive material rounds out a semester that allows students to explore different ideas and continue to build on skills in a variety of media.

Music, Ms. Sheridan

We have spent the first half the year learning the basics of playing acoustic guitar. Students now know five major chords and have chosen songs to practice independently. In conjunction with our work on guitar, we are studying the roots of American music. We are exploring how Jazz, Blues, Country and Gospel developed in America through playing, listening and analyzing specific pieces. Our final project for the quarter will involve writing and performing an original song in the folk style.

GRADE 8

English, Ms. Kra

8 th graders are finishing up an extensive short story unit by writing a Compare/Contrast essay in which they compare two characters and draw conclusions about how they change or grow. They will also write their own original short stories over the next few weeks in which they will demonstrate their understanding of various literary elements. Next, we begin our study of William Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet. Students will conduct a close reading of the text, write sonnets, create decorative masks, perform scenes and write a final expository essay. Additionally, 8 th graders will continue to read their Independent Reading books and continue their study of grammar, vocabulary and usage. Students will also enjoy an extensive review of the Parts of Speech to build on their 7 th grade grammar program.

Social Studies, Ms. Rathgeber

This quarter in 8th grade social studies, students will be learning about the United States westward expansion and the different groups that moved along with the expansion. Students will complete a group project on one major western group, creating a PowerPoint presentation as their final product. These projects will be presented in class and we will use the information to study for our West test.

After the West unit we will move on to Industrialization. This unit will be split into two main topics. The first topic will be “Building the Network”. Students will learn about the rise of industry, new technologies, and the men behind the big businesses (Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, etc.). We will then move to looking at “Labor vs. Capital”. Students will study the rise of the labor movement, unions, and workers rights.

I am looking forward to continuing our hard work and exploration of U.S. History.

Mathematics/Science, Ms.Bare, Ms. Galolo, Ms. Hintzman

Did you know that Pierce is the only school in Brookline where all three math/science teachers are certified to teach both subjects? In light of this, our goal this year has been to help students recognize the many, many connections between math and science. To this end, we have been doing a lot of math in science class and a lot of science in math class. On occasion, students have not even been able to tell which class they are in at any given time, which is great! Here is a sampling of what we have been up to:

In 8 th grade math, students take an Algebra 1 course. After reviewing basic solving skills, students have been doing a lot of work on recognizing patterns of linear growth. As the year goes on, students will also learn about exponential growth and quadratics. In conjunction with this, students did a number of science experiments that yielded scatter plots for which they found lines of best fit. We made these scatter plots both by hand and by using Microsoft Excel. We found lines of best fit for our graphs, wrote linear equations for them, and used them to predict the future. This gave students an idea of how scientists use mathematical modeling to aid them in their work. We will continue to work on developing different types of mathematical models throughout the year.

In 8 th grade science, we have been learning about chemistry. Whenever possible, we have been using our math skills to graph data, look for patterns, make predictions, and substantiate our hypotheses. We just finished balancing chemical equations, and the students did an excellent job with it, in part because they realized that it was just algebra, with elements!

We are now moving on to our astronomy unit. In order to link astronomy and chemistry, we will be doing a large data analysis project on the Antarctic ozone hole. Did you know that the ozone hole is caused not only by the chemistry of CFCs, but also by the long months of complete darkness in Antarctica caused by the Earth’s 23.5 degree tilt on its axis? As part of this project, students will learn to use image processing software to measure the size of the ozone hole in NASA images from 1979 to the present. They will then import their data into Excel, graph it, and look for evidence as to whether the ozone hole is shrinking.

We are really excited about what is going on in 8 th grade math and science at Pierce and we hope your child is, too. Ask them about it!

Spanish, Sra. Megias

The cities of Quito and Otavalo, Ecuador are the setting for our eighth grade studies this term. We will be watching video scenes of the daily life of several teenagers. Students will learn how to talk on the phone (!), how to extend, accept and turn down invitations, how to get ready to go out, and how to plan a trip to Ecuador. We will also learn about food in the Spanish-speaking world and how to order in a restaurant. Students will be writing skits based on the theme “En un restaurante”. These will be videotaped complete with props and original menus.

Grammar functions include the verbs pensar + infinitive, ir + infinitive, reflexive verbs, tener idioms, stem-changing verbs, encantar and indirect object pronouns.

As we work towards our goal of improving writing competency, students will be preparing short paragraphs based on prompts that suggest the content, such as writing about their weekend plans. After correction, students write a final draft, which is then assessed. A similar exercise will be done with audiotapes and the computer to improve oral proficiency. Both of these assessments will prepare the students for the type of evaluations they will encounter in high school.

Mandarin, Mrs. Sun

My eighth graders have learned how to identify places, objects and people. They learned how to talk about their classroom, how to say which things belong to which people and how to ask their teacher questions. They are working on a video project about “how to order food in a Chinese restaurant”. They are going to learn how to say the date and how to wish someone “Happy Birthday” in Chinese. They learned to use a Chinese dictionary to guide their future usage of previously learned vocabulary.

The supplementary reading materials, “ni hao”, “Chinese for Youth”, “Common Knowledge about Chinese Culture”, “Common Knowledge about Chinese Geography”, will be provided to enhance their reading and speaking skills and understanding of Chinese culture.

Health, Ms. Bare, Ms. Hintzman, Ms. Kra

In health, students are beginning their second rotation. They are either studying: 1) sexuality; 2) alcohol, tobacco and sexual harassment; or 3) nutrition and drugs. All students will cycle through all three topics by the end of the year .

Music, Ms. Sheridan

Eighth graders began the year with a thorough guitar review of chords and technique learned in 7th grade. We have been building our playing skills through independent practice. In addition, 8th graders study Jazz and the blues. We have been learning about the Blues through listening to lots of examples, watching an excellent PBS documentary called Feel Like Going Home, studying poetry, and writing songs. After break, we will begin our unit on Jazz. As part of our exploration of this style, we will compare Jazz music with visual art. Our final project will involve creating representational collage and researching specific musicians.

Physical Education, 7/8, Ms. Grindstaff and Mr. Miceli

In the fall, students in Physical Education learned the skills and strategies of flag football and soccer. The students also prepared for an optional cross country meet held at Larz Anderson Park. We had many top finishers in both the girls and boys races!

In class, we have introduced a Challenge/Team Building unit to our curriculum. This is a non-traditional unit that asks students to develop trust and develop teamwork as an entire class. Currently the students are working on basketball skills that will be reinforced in a game situation.

Beginning in January the students will be completing the FitnessGram assessment. This program is an assessment of the overall fitness level of each child. It is done town wide by all the Brookline schools. A letter explaining this will be sent home soon.

The winter season also is the beginning of the 7&8 grade basketball league. The Pierce boy’s and girl’s teams compete against the other Brookline schools culminating in a tournament at the high school in March. The games are on held on Wednesdays beginning in January. The boys are coached by Billy Harris and the girls are coached by Craig Campagna.

Congratulations to our 7/8 coed volleyball teamwho won the town championship in a hard fought match against Lincoln. This is the third championship in a row for Pierce School!

Art, Mr. Rae

The eighth grade has completed some very striking name design paintings that are on display in the lobby, office and the art room. This talented group is now deeply involved in a very long term self portrait printmaking unit. This assignment is designed to challenge eighth grade students to use their acquired skills in a variety of areas and clearly express where they are right now as eighth graders. Students first create a self portrait in pencil and then transfer that image to a linoleum block that is cut and printed in a variety of ways. Once the prints have been completed students will be asked to then alter and use all the prints in one way or another to create a collage that speaks to who they are as students and artists at this point in their lives. The variety of work and materials that will be used should produce some powerful and stunning images. Keep your eye out for these works as well.

PIERCE AND BEYOND

Josh Frank and Pipier Smith-Mumford completed 26 hours of training for administrators entitled, EMI (Empowering Multicultural Initiatives) for School Administrators. The training provided us with strategies, tools and resources to support teachers. EMI also held a two hour workshop for all Pierce staff this past October. Again, this experience provided a context and resources for all staff to utilize in their work with our diverse student population.

Pipier Smith-Mumford also attended the 23 rd Annual Conference of the METCO Directors’ Association. This day long conference provided several opportunities to hear from a national speaker, attend workshops and connect with other Brookline participants as well as other educators from districts participating in the METCO program.

This past summer, Tracy Bare and Amy Hintzman participated in a two-week workshop on using data analysis software and science data in the middle school classroom. This workshop was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and administered by TERC in Cambridge, continues through March, 2008; Tracy and Amy are teaching 7th and 8th graders to use such data tools as Image J, GIS, and Excel to evaluate current science data in both math and science classes.

Tracy Bare will be attending a 3-day astronomy seminar at Wellesley College in January.

Reed Rathgeber participated in a Teachers as Scholars course this past November at Harvard studying Women's History with Jackie Jones, a Brandeis History professor. The course took participants from the Civil War era through the 1990's and helped them grasp the beginning and changes in the Women's Rights Movement. Ms. Rathgeber is able to bring many of the documents and discussions from that class back to Pierce and the 8th grade social studies classes.

This fall our new physical education teacher, Amanda Grindstaff, attended a two day conference with MAHPERD (Massachusetts Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) on Nov. 5 +6

Kerrilyn McCarthy attended professional development courses on the following:

Grades and report cards for students with and without disabilities, Co-teaching and Differentiated Instruction, Pierce's Mentoring Project and “The

Pipeline to Success."

Su-Chih Sun attended the College Board Ap/Pre-AP 2007 Summer Institutes in China for two weeks last summer. She also attended an EDCO workshop entitled “Integrating the Teaching of Culture in the Foreign Language Classroom,” and the New England Chinese Language Teachers Network Conference, offered by the Confucius Institute at UMASS Boston.

Music teacher, Anne Sheridan took a class called Vision and Voice at Lesley University focusing on strengthening literacy through the arts. The course explored book making, art making and writing in the classroom.

Important Upcoming Dates

DECEMBER

14 Midterm Progress Reports

20 Winter Sing

21School vacation begins at 2:00pm. Full Day!

24-1/1 SCHOOL VACATION

JANUARY

2 RETURN TO SCHOOL

9 Second New York Payment due

6:30 PTO/ 7 pm Principal’s Forum: Superintendent’s Open Forum

21 NO SCHOOL (MLK Birthday)

17 7 th Grade Parent Breakfast

18 7/8 Marks Close

25 Martin Luther King, Jr. Assembly; K-4, 8:30 AM; 5-8, 9:30 AM,

30 7 th Grade Parent Network Meeting, 7 PM

31 8 th Grade Parent Breakfast

FEBRUARY

8 Chinese New Year Assembly

7 PTO Meeting, 7PM

18-22 SCHOOL VACATION

25 High School Planning begins in late February

MARCH

5 Midterm Progress Reports

12 PTO Meeting /Principal’s Forum, 6:30 PM- School Council-Parent Input Night

17 MCAS Testing begins

High School Planning Concludes in March