7th Grade 3rd Quarter Newsletter

7th Grade Band will be working on rhythm, scales, technique, new repertoire for the Spring Concert, and chamber music. We will continue working through our warm-up packet for scales, technical exercises based on those scales, and chorales. We will be introducing the “40 Rhythmical Studies” book to grow our music literacy skills. We will explore music reading through multiple concert band pieces, both traditional and modern, to develop our Spring Concert Program, which is May 8th. We will also introduce chamber music (small ensemble) playing, where students will work together to learn music in small groups to perform for the class.

It is highly recommended that students take private music lessons on their instrument. Music and Arts in Hilliard is a great place to get your students involved in this. Please reach out to me if you have questions or desire more information. hostetre@japioneers.org

It’s crazy to think we’re already halfway through the school year! I’m excited to meet the new batch of engineering students for the spring semester. We’ll take a day to get to know each other and outline expectations for the class; then, we’ll dive right into some hands-on fun with spaghetti towers!

PE will be covering lots of fun games including baseball, volleyball, small-sided games, team handball, soccer, and students will get a chance to create their own games. In Wellness, we will start strong by setting goals for the semester, learning about personal hygiene, respect, and finishing the last few weeks of the quarter by learning about nutrition.

Mrs. Huber's, Mrs. Lawson's, Mrs. Danner's, and Mrs. Kline's Classes:

Hello Families! We are beginning our Research & Argument Unit with the new semester. Finding interesting topics for junior high students can often be a struggle. Our way to help connect with students while doing interesting research that naturally leads into argument is to explore mysteries!

For this unit, students can choose nearly any unsolved mystery that is school appropriate and can be researched thoroughly here at school. We do provide students with a list of possible topics and even allow students to explore several types of topics at the beginning of the unit to help inspire them to choose a topic that they find engaging. We DO NOT, however, assign topics. No student will be asked to research a topic that they find boring, uncomfortable, or even scary.

One of our favorite parts of this project is the fun and excitement it sparks in students as they start to discuss topics with each other and even other teachers in the building. We will frequently encourage students to share their explorations/adventures with their caregivers.

Please contact us with questions. We will provide updated information throughout the project on Canvas. Thank you for your support in the classroom and at home.

Mrs. Heinig's Classes:

We will be researching nonfiction topics that the students have chosen. Our ELA focus is to show the kids that the skills they are developing--reading, researching, writing, and then putting together an engaging presentation to TEACH something--are real-life skills that real people use for real purposes. We are adding text features to our writing to make the presentations captivating, educational, and attractive to the audience for which we prepared them. We will close out the unit by learning from our classmates’ presentations. We will also learn from parents who live and work in our community as they give presentations they have used in their places of employment.

We will then start the year's most charged unit- our Debate and Argument Unit #4. We will:

• perform research using online sources to make and support claims

• develop organization in an argumentative essay

• think critically about the topic

• trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text

• follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals, and define individual roles.

• present claims and findings in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions

• delineate a speaker’s argument, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

In other words, we will learn that it is important to have an opinion, be able to support your opinion with facts, and express your opinion in a manner that allows for civil discourse, good listening, and excellent writing.

7th Grade social studies classes will soon be finishing up their unit on the Roman Empire! Students are currently studying what daily life was like during the Pax Romana and will be moving on soon to study the birth and spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Finally, we will close our largest unit by investigating the factors that led to Rome’s collapse. Students will learn about these final topics in a variety of ways, including Virtual Reality experiences, STEM challenges, collaborative group work, independent research, and whole-class discussions. We will end our unit by collaborating with ELA classes to craft an argumentative essay about the fall of the Roman Empire!

A student teacher will be joining Mrs. Brar’s classroom this Spring. Starting on Monday, January 13, Ms. Hannah Depue will be joining us from Capital University. She will be observing, planning, and teaching students through the end of the Spring semester in May. We are looking forward to working alongside her and sharing our Jonathan Alder family with her!