Cluster 1 Newsletter

Hello,

Good luck to all students this week on the 2024 Math MCAS. In Math class we just wrapped up Unit 7 on Positive and Negative Numbers, had an assessment and capped it off with a poster project. Students were given one of four real life scenarios where they created an applicable number line and illustrated it with related pictures. After the MCAS, we will head into our final and 8th unit of the year called Describing Data which is a great accomplishment for the students. To kick off unit 8, we will be creating dot plots and histograms to visualize data. We will also be informally describing and comparing data sets.

Here is a useful link to the Unit 8 Desmos Family Resource which focuses on Describing Data. This helpful resource will enable caregivers to learn about our content and concepts while supporting their students.

Thank you,

Ms. Palermo

Unit 6.3 Sub-Saharan Africa

Essential Questions

1. What evidence and methods help social scientists understand Africa’s past, and how does point of view affect their interpretations?

2. How much do people shape their environment and how much does the environment shape people?

3. What makes a society stronger, preserving tradition or adapting to change?

4. How do societies organize themselves to distribute power or resources?

Enduring Understandings

1. Africa’s complex societies engaged with oral and/or written literacies to preserve knowledge and pass along beliefs, creating continuity. At the same time, societies of ancient Africa showed notable flexibility to adapt to new influences. Many African societies contributed to and benefited from exchanges with other world regions and with neighboring and distant societies inside the continent. Openness fostered developments in art, religion, language & material culture, among others.
   
   

2. A diverse array of societies flourished in ancient Africa, characterized by distinct forms of organization and governance. In many societies known to historians, the power of leaders was moderated by communities’ ethical and religious traditions and the influence of social and occupational groups. Urban, agricultural, and localized societies were part of the mosaic in every region and affected one another.

Learning Targets:

1. Explain the point of view in three interpretations of Africa’s ancient history.

2. Analyze the characteristics of four complex societies of ancient Africa by applying relevant questions to four sets of primary and secondary sources and composing short answers.

3. Analyze the characteristics of four complex societies of ancient Africa by applying relevant questions to four sets of primary and secondary sources and composing short answers.

4. Explain and compare the characteristics of ancient societies in sub-Saharan Africa by citing evidence in a written paragraph.

5. Describe written and oral traditions of literacy in several societies of ancient Africa and analyze, in verbal and written responses, the power of scribes and storytellers.

6. Describe written and oral traditions of literacy in several societies of ancient Africa and analyze, in verbal and written responses, the power of scribes and storytellers.

7. Analyze civic values from diverse African societies by interpreting evidence from the oral tradition.

8. Analyze and make a judgment about the contributions of specialized occupational roles in ancient West African societies by applying questions to probe sources.

9. Analyze and make a judgment about the contributions of specialized occupations in ancient West African societies by applying questions to probe sources.

10. Argue a position about an occupational specialty of ancient West African societies by citing evidence to create a praise poem.

This month we have been digging into Fossils and Pangaea! Students have been exploring different types of fossils and how we can use the evidence left behind on Earth to tell us how our planet has changed over time.

As we move into the last few weeks of the year we are excited to begin preparing for our yearly Squid Dissection! Attached please find a copy of the permission slip (paper copies will also be handed out) Just like when we dissected owl pellets, students can participate at whatever level they feel comfortable. If they want to get hands-on in the dissection they can, or if they prefer, they can just watch or complete a virtual dissection!

We are looking forward to this very fun lab!