Math:
7th graders added and subtracted rational numbers this week and started on their collaborative mural. 8th graders learned this difference between a rational and irrational number as well as practiced classifying numbers into sets. Algebra finished their first unit with infinite and no solution equations, proportions, and literal equations. The Algebra check in will be Tuesday!
ELA:
Our readers took a deep dive into our novel, Uprising, as we continued our journey into the immigration movement of the industrial age.
Students journaled about their favorite characters and why they may have immigrated, reacting to the quote “No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark”. Students commented on the reason why people immigrated, as push factors, looking at issues of bad government and issues with food insecurity.
Continuing our look at poetry, students researched the format of Sonnets, differentiating between Italian and English forms. They diagramed examples to find the meter, rhyme scheme, and the stanza format. We finished the week comparing and contrasting first the main characters in our novel, and then different students got to know those they didn’t know, creating their own Venn Diagrams.
Theme:
Our theme of Industrialization took us into the factories this week. Students began with evaluating the causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s. Using a FOUR CORNERS exercise, students sharpened their pre-thinking skills and moved to the corner they felt best matched the factors they were given.
After summarizing the positives and negatives of the Industrial Revolution, the students were taken right into an 18th century factory. Placed on the assembly line, they created shirtwaists on paper, being pushed by their bosses Signor Spaghetti (Mr. Steve) and Signora Linguini (Ms. Amanda). After being denied their pay for poor quality shirtwaists, and in poor working conditions, the students were led to strike to demand better conditions and their rights upheld. After a debriefing period, we looked at the inventions that shaped the Industrial Revolution. They will apply their understanding in a video project next week.
We took time this week to start a hands-on crafting project, using the time-honored tradition of weaving bookmarks for their books in ELA.
Algebra students working together. Two have earned their calculator merit badges!
Choosing turns to pick facts to place in the right categories; students building their notes on the rise of Industry during the Industrial Revolution. They also experienced the tradition of weaving by creating bookmarks for their first novels.
Simulating factory work in the early 20th century gave students the opportunity to connect deeper with the characters of their ELA novel, Uprising. Two companies of workers toiled on the assembly line using repetition to create shirtwaist drawings. With workers being treated unfairly, long hours in close quarters, and unsafe conditions, the student “workers” finally went on strike, leaving the factory and marching out for their rights.
The rhythm of Sonnets challenged the ELA students to find the meter and stanzas of English and Italian poetry this week. They also engaged in character analysis of the book’s main protagnoists.
