This Week 3-03

Assalamu alikum, 

First, I would like to say Jazak Allah Khayr for the Du'a and condolences that I received. My husband, his family and I are very appreciative, alhamdellilah.  

This week...

Science Fair will be this Tuesday, in sha’allah. Please be prepared with all materials.

In class this week:

6th Grade—In math, we will begin a new unit on Computing with decimals and percents. This week will review basic operations with decimals focusing on decimal multiplication and division.

In science, we will learn about sedimentary rocks and the processes that form them. Students will create a book telling the tale of how sedimentary rocks are formed.

7th Grade—The 7th graders are finishing their unit on percentages and will have a test this Thursday. In science, we are focusing on the structure and function of the organelles within a cell and will create a poster of a “Cell City”.

8th Grade—The students will focus on reflections and rotations this week, continuing their unit on transformational geometry. In science, we will learn about the various technologies that humans have developed to produce visible light. They will investigate various bulbs to determine which is the “best”.

Jazak Allah Khayr, 

Sr. Patti Picard

This Week - 2/17

Assalamu alikum,

This week is all about tests. At least in science class. All science classes have a test on Tuesday. The students have been reviewing at home and in class and in sha'allah, all students will be successful. Below is what to expect this week.


6th Grade - In science, students have a test on Minerals on Tuesday and will then begin learning about rocks and the rock cycle. They will begin by learning the main characteristics by which rocks are classified and will get their hands on some rocks to see for themselves. In math, we are learning more about data and graphs through box and whisker plots to understand measures of variability and stem and leaf plots to organize information to identify patterns.

7th Grade - After their test in Tuesday, students will be moving onto Life Science. Our first unit will be on cells and cellular processes. In the coming weeks, students will have the opportunity to see cells first hand through our microscopes and compare and contrast different specialized cells. In math, we are finishing up the unit on percent. This week students will be investigating percent through food consumption and analyzing percentages, parts and wholes through the Nutrition Facts of their favorite foods.

8th Grade - The students have a test on Tuesday which will be followed by their new unit on electromagnetic radiation and light. In math, after finishing a test Monday, they will change gears into geometry as we begin a unit of transformational geometry.



Jazak Allah Khayr,
Sister Patti Picard

Assalamu alikum - What's New 2/10 - 2/14

Assalamu alikum, 

TOO MANY SNOW DAYS! I never thought we would ever have a regular week again. Maybe next week will be the week, in sha'allah. Anyhow, the school year moves on none the less and here we are in the middle of February. 

We are moving right along despite all the cold and snow and ice and polar vortexes and viruses and colds and ...

Below is a glimpse of what is going on this week. Take a peek below. A quick reminder that the science fair is quick approaching and next Monday all the data and results are due. Please make sure the students are completing their experiments and gathering data. 

*** SEFMD ENTRY FORM SITE: ENTRIES DUE BY 11:59PM FRIDAY    ***   https://www.sefmd.org/ 

 

6th Grade - In math, the 6th graders are looking at data, grouping it and creating frequency tables and histograms to show patterns in the occurrence of data. In science, they are finishing their first Unit on Minerals and will have a test in the beginning of next week. 




7th Grade - The 7th graders have a quiz in Friday on converting percents, decimals, and fractions. We are also learning about finding the percent of a number which is important in finding good deals, paying tax, and finding tip as well as many other applications. In science, we are finishing learning about bonding and will have a test next Tuesday on Chemical Bonding. 



8th Grade - In math, students have a test on Friday covering exponents and exponential functions. In science, we are finishing up our interactive technology presentations on sound and will have a test at the beginning of next week. We will also be investigating how injury to our ears affects how we hear sound.  


Jazakum Allahu Khayrun, 
Sister Patti Picard

Only 5 Days to Go to Vacation - What Will We Do Until Then?

Building Math Momentum - How we are doing it at TCS

Assalamu alikum, 

     I wanted to remind everyone, parents and students alike, that there is a weekly math homework assignment worth 20 points on Khan Academy. 

     When the students practice on Khan Academy, they are reviewing math skills that they have previously learned and gaining confidence and improving their math fluency. Building and strengthening their math foundation allows me, the teacher, to have a stronger base to build on when teaching new math content in the classroom.

     It is very important that students are spending this time reviewing their math skills. One of the things I like about this setup is that students have a set of recommendations that I have made after seeing how they are doing on in class assignments. Students can practice these skills on their own time when they choose, but also have freedom to review what they choose as well. 

     Students have access to real-time hints and videos and get immediate feedback about whether they are on the right track. I prefer this over sending home worksheets of math problems with little to no guidance or feedback.

     I am so happy that most of my students have been very consistent with logging in and taking the 5 minutes a day. There are still several students who are not quite there yet. They are losing homework credit and missing out on critical math review. I want every student to come into class with the strongest set of skills they can have. Please make sure to check in regularly to make sure this assignment is being completed.

Jazak Allah Khayr, 
Sister Patti Picard

Interactions, Atoms, and Galaxies

Assalamu alikum,

 


Every class has vocabulary for the week posted under the link in each grade's science class. It is at the top and say something like "Quizlet Vocabulary Sets and Practice". It links the students to a site that I set up with the week's science vocabulary where students have 6 different activities to practice their vocabulary terms prior to vocab quizzes and tests. Each week I will be adding new sets.

What are we doing this week?

6th graders are working on dividing fractions and mixed numbers this week along with fraction operation word problems. In science, we are learning about all types of adaptations and interactions such as predation, competition and symbiosis.



7th graders are talking about ratios in terms of scale and will be using maps and map scales to determine distances between cities and certain destinations. They will also create scale drawings of the layout of their room, and creating a 3-D model of a buildings walls using a scaled blur print. In science, we are now in our new unit on chemical building blocks and are learning and the structure and characteristics of atoms. Look for lots of mini-projects interpreting and creating atomic models.

8th graders moving into a new math unit on the "shapes of numbers" learning how to find the square root of whole numbers and relating the square root as the length of a number as represented by an area. In science, they are getting an idea of how big the universe is and how stars are grouped around the universe and where we are located on our galaxy.


Jazak Allah Khayr,
Sister Patti Picard