Grade 7 Newsletter
February 2010
Wow! January went so quickly! Mid-Terms and Catholic Schools’ Week are now behind us, and it is time to resume a normal schedule.
Thank you to all of you who made Catholic Schools’ Week an extra special time for all of us. Your generosity is always appreciated.
Here’s what is happening in seventh grade:
Vocabulary: We continue to study our themed word units on a weekly basis. Units are introduced on Monday and tests are given on Friday.
English: We are continuing our unit on pronouns with a strong focus on agreement between a pronoun and its antecedent. Our next unit will be a study of comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs.
Composition: Students have begun working on the web-based Writing Roadmap program. All students should have a functional user ID and personal password. Writing Roadmap is an online writing development program that will allow our students to compose complete essays online. Prompts will be provided to guide students’ writing, and the program itself provides tutorials and a variety of reference tools. Completed essays can then be submitted for scoring, and the student will receive immediate feedback with a detailed critique of his or her writing. The program also generates class/teacher reports to monitor progress and completion of assignments. All students have been assigned an essay to complete online at home. The due date is February 18th.
If computer and/or internet access is a problem for your child, please let me know, and I will make arrangements for in school computer time for your child.
Reading: In reading the past few weeks, we have focused on issues of justice and equality. We have finished reading an autobiographical selection by Jackie Robinson entitled “A Noble Experiment.”
In his story, Robinson chronicles his relationship with Branch Rickey and how he became the first African American to play in the major league.
The theme of civil rights is also being developed through an in class library project with Mrs. Dugan.
Math (Mrs. Belli’s Class): We have begun our next unit which focuses on Geometry concepts. Students will explore the concepts of lines, rays, segments, angles, and the properties of a variety of figures.
If your child is having difficulty with any concepts introduced in class, I encourage him or her to see me for extra help. I can be available before school or after school as long as I have advance notice to plan appropriately. Please do not hesitate to ask.
Homework help can also be found on go.hrw.com as indicated at the top of the textbook pages.
Dates to Remember . . .
February 12, Valentine’s Day Classroom Celebration (If students choose to bring in Valentines, please be sure that everyone is included. Thanks!!!)
February 15-16, Presidents’ Break – Enjoy!
February 17, Ash Wednesday – Liturgy of the Word – 10:30 A.M.
February 27, Dinner Dance Auction – Perona Farms – Hope to see you there!
“God bless us, every one.”
Diane Belli, Grade 7
dbelli@sjccs.org