English – Students have been reading the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry.  Upon completion of the novel students will write a persuasive essay related to the themes of the book. 

Mathematics –

Math 7 students finished up a unit on surface area and volume. By using the correct formula students were able to find the surface area and volume of various shapes. Students also learned how to find the area of cross sections of three-dimensional shapes.

            The pre-algebra students are working in the congruent and similar unit.  In this chapter, students will identify congruent and similar figure using congruence theorem.  To conclude the unit, the class will relate congruent figures and similar figures to geometric transformations. 

Algebra students will continue working on data analysis and probability, where they will be studying permutations and combinations, independent and dependent events and disjointed and overlapping events.  Students will also solve challenging problems involving statistics.

            Geometry Students will complete the unit on surface area of plane figures in which they incorporated their knowledge of special triangles and trigonometric ratios.  This progression will continue into the next unit of Surface Area and Volume of Space Figures.

            Algebra 2 students are studying Conic Sections.  This includes circles, parabolas, ellipses and hyperbolas.  The focus is on graphing and writing equations from the geometric definitions. 

Science –   During the month of March, classes will finish the Ecology unit with an environmental issues research project and formal presentation.  Then classes will move into a unit on chemistry and experimental design.  Chemistry concepts will include density, physical/chemical of properties, changes and phases of matter, atomic structure and elements of the periodic table of elements.  All science classes will be continuing to stress science process through critical thinking and scientific method.

Social Studies - Seventh grade classes are continuing their study of factors leading up to the American Revolution.  Topics include the creation of an American identity, the development of political rights, the French and Indian War, and British taxation policy.

Reading - Seventh grade students will continue to read and discuss The Giver by Lois Lowry. Vocabulary study, writing practice, grammar review, and biweekly PSSA practice will continue throughout the month.

Music

7th Grade General Music classes with Mr. Stefano highlighted some artists for Black History Month. Students listened to various artists including Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Stevie Wonder, and discussed their contributions to American music.

Mrs. Gyza’s 7th grade students have begun guitar.  Students will practice proper strumming and finger-picking technique while learning to read simple melodies using TAB notation.  We will begin to explore 3 and 4 string chords in the context of these simple melodies.

Art

7^th Grade artists are finishing up their Age of Exploration Maps. They will be ready to go home this week. Next, students will consider Early American Folk Art and the origins of many utilitarian dominated crafts. Redware pottery with Colonial iconography from many homelands of the new settlers will be reviewed. Students will make their ceramic plates with their own symbols of today’s time.

Physical Education

5^th, 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade students will participate in a team handball tournament this month. Students will be put on a team and play several rounds against teams from all classes.  This tournament will help students work on their team building, cooperation, strategy, and individual skills.

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Health

7th grade students will continue their mental health unit.  In this unit, they will learn about mental disorders (eating disorders, depression, phobias) and the three components of the wellness triangle: physical, mental, and social.

Family Consumer Science

Students recently joined Mrs. Bortz in the kitchen for a cooking demonstration.  Granola was on the menu, and it seemed to get rave reviews!  Now students are in the midst of cooking, with a salsa experiment complete and heading into lab # 3… quesadillas!  In the second half of FCS, we will be making some yummy things, all the while continuing to discuss nutrition and how we can incorporate healthy food choices into our daily meals.

Technology Education

Student have learned the basics of operating their EV3 robots and completed simple tasks. Student will build upon this and learn how other subject areas can be utilized to calculate exact movements while learning to iterate and revise their work. Students will be challenged with completing the "Mars Challenge" which is a culmination of the EV3 curriculum demonstrating the students ability to utilize what they learned to complete unique tasks.

World Languages:

Spanish I

7^th grade Spanish students will continue to practice the simple future tense to say where they are going and what they are going to do at those places. Students will use this information to practice inviting their friends to go places and to do certain activities.

French I:

French I students practiced the verb ‘aller’ (to go) and learned the contractions for how to say, “to the”. They also learned the vocabulary for places around town so that they could form full sentences to tell where they and other people were going. They also started learning how to form yes/no questions and questions starting with question words.