Franklin Borough School
Grades 6, 7 & 8
 

Mrs. Bartholomew
ebartholomew@fboe.org

M A Y

Mrs. Bartholomew’s Classroom News

       We continue our group novel in language arts which is The Giver by Lois Lowry.  Students continue to broaden their vocabulary using context clues from the text and relating words to own life experiences. Written responses to reading continue in Reading Response Journals using various formats.  Students enjoyed pretending to be the Committee of Elders and coming up with “Assignments” for their classmates.

     During math the 7th and 8^th grade groups will focus on fun ”hands-on” math projects that represent real-life situations. We are also planning a trip to TD Bank to get a tour of the facility and participate in a lesson given by a TD Bank instructor on “Budgeting and Saving.”

       In social studies the students have kept up with their current events discussing and responding to many issues going on around the world, including tracking the upcoming presidential election. This month students will research facts about Memorial Day to discover various ways people celebrate this holiday.

       Seventh graders are going to YMCA Camp Linwood MacDonald in Sandyston, NJ for some fun and adventure. The trip will take place on May 10^th.  Permission slips have been sent home and are due on May 4^th.

Eighth graders take their class trip to NYC on May 9th.  They will visit Madame Tussauds Wax Museum before enjoying a delicious lunch at Dallas BBQ. The students will then be viewing the Broadway show Memphis before returning home from a fun-filled day. Everyone will enjoy Field Day on May 25^th just before a long weekend.  This busy month is going to whiz by!
 

6^th Grade

Students will say “再見” to China as we cross over the Himalayas on our way to India.  The sixth grade will investigate the Indian culture until the conclusion of the school year.  Students will learn much about India’s history, the region, its people, religions and lifestyles before unit’s end.

Your young scholars are well on their way to mastering several topics involving the Middle Ages.  Students have already studied aspects of feudalism, chivalry, and manor life.  Before the end of the term, students will also become familiar with the Black Death, Crusades, and Magna Carta.

8^th Grade

In six short weeks your young men and women will be high school students.  Before that moment comes, students must complete their study of our local governments.  Everyone is required to attend a sanctioned town meeting, write a summary of the event and submit documentation (agenda) proving they were there.  The “Town Meeting” assignment will be recorded as a test grade, so PLEASE remind your child to attend.

Current Events Due: May 4^th, May 18^th, and June 1^st

May, 2012



Dear Parents and Guardians,

We have completed this year’s NJASK and are thankful standardized testing is finished for this school year.

May is a very busy month with many activities planned. First up is our field trip to Linwood MacDonald on the 10th where our students will participate in many hands-on activities to expand their environmental education. Next up is the school play, Peter Pan, on May 15, 16, and 17; the Spring Concert is on May 23, and finally Field Day is on May 25. With all this activity we will be reading Crash, by Jerry Spinelli and completing lots of written expression activities. We will analyze characters, their actions, and their relation to our world today. Math continues with algebraic equations, calculations, and fast facts.

The school year has moved forward quickly and is almost at an end, but we continue working toward our goals and hope to be successful. Have a great month.
 

The seventh and eighth graders have now finished their NJASK testing while the fifth and sixth graders will complete the process by Friday, May 4^th.  Remember a good night's sleep and breakfast will go a long way in helping the students to succeed. 

In the eighth grade ARM class, the students are now working on probability, odds, combinations, and permutations.  During this marking period , they have chosen to read a novel of their choice.  They should be reading at home every night. 

The seventh graders are working on conversions both in the English and metric system in Accelerated Math.  They will start the novel The Crazy Lady which is about a young boy and his mother who do not fit into society today. 

The sixth graders are now working on finding volume. This presents a challenge as they learn to use the formulas to solve their problems. They continue to read the novel War Horse by Michael Morpurgo.  It is a very moving story about a horse's life during World War I.  Also, they continue to develop their vocabulary words by using them correctly in sentences. 

In fifth grade, I am working with Mr. Sandor's students using the Literacy by Design program. At present, I meet with students in different reading groups to develop their vocabulary and comprehension skills. They continue to work on open-ended questions and are learning to restate and use details from their reading to answer questions.  This month, the focus will be on using at least one smiley-face trick in their answer.

MAY

May already? The year has flown by, and the eighth graders are  anxiously awaiting their graduation. They are also looking forward to the class trip, Field Day, and the dance. Despite all the exciting events, we are l continue our academics.

Language arts: We are currently reading the novel, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit. The book is about an eighth grade girl who is dealing with personal and social issues. The book proves to always be a favorite read for the students.

Math: The students are learning about probability. We will engage in some fun activities to demonstrate just what probability is.

*Yearbook forms will be coming home the week of May 7^th.

*Class trip May 9^th

*Field Day May25th

* Eighth grade formal June 1^st.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL THE MOMS!

May Website Update 

            As May begins, there are a few important dates to remember.  The fourth marking period progress reports will be issued on May 11.  April 30- May 3 will be NJASK testing for 6^th and 5^th grade. Please remember to get a good night of sleep and eat breakfast every morning. There will be no homework the weeks of testing.  May 11 is the Mother’s Day Plant Sale and May 24 will be the Spring Concert.  May 25 will be Field Day, and school will be closed May 28. Please know that the field trip permission slips will be coming home soon.  Both grades will be going on a field trip in May.  

Please remember to read with your child at least 10 minutes every night.  Your child needs to earn 6 AR points by the end of the marking period. Students should be coming home with two pieces of homework every night.  They always have spelling and math homework. Please be certain to check the planner to find out exactly what the assignment is supposed to be. Also, please be sure to sign your child’s homework planner every night.  It is important to have an open line of communication and this is a great way to have questions answered.  Please help your child with homework if he/she does not understand it.  I do not want anyone to be frustrated.  Please help your child study for the vocabulary and spelling tests that are on Fridays.  

            Also, remember that the students have to hand in a current event every Friday.  Please be sure they write their answers in complete sentences to get full credit.  In science, we are working on a unit about heat and matter.  We will participate in the Battle of the Books during the month of May. Good luck to all the teams. Keep reading!  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. 
 

pnicomini@fboe.org

973-827-9775           Ext. 447

**Check out my website at new.schoolnotes.com to get daily homework updates via email as well as dates for upcoming tests and quizzes! 

Access the science textbooks at my.hrw.com

You can use these passwords and usernames for all three grades.

Username:  seventhgrade4               
Password: s5w7p

Username: 8thgrade14                     
Password: j7n2p

These are interchangeable and will access all science books for 6, 7 and 8.

Textbook:

Holt Science & Technology

Online access at my.hrw.com for all textbooks colored red, green and blue.

The eighth grade is banishing misconceptions about Invertebrates. They are not just creepy insects.  Most are harmless and even beautiful creatures, such as butterflies, starfish and mollusks that make elegant shells.  We’ll take a look at the biomes and ecosystems where both vertebrates and invertebrates live. 

:

Seventh grade is examining Earth’s Changing Surface.   In this growing season, students will see how soil is formed and how the properties of soil effect plant growth. They will see how the forces of ice and plant and animal activities contribute to weathering and soil formation.  Students are getting personally involved in the struggle between the forces that build up the Earth’s land features and the forces that break them down! 

Sixth grade is breezing through Weather and Climate.  We are checking out the air we breathe and taking a more global look at air pollution.  Students are checking out the fundamental principles of meteorology and weather forecasting.  The forecast is for a clear understanding about what makes up Earth’s weather! 

Congratulations to the class where 100% achieved their A.M. objectives and earned their A.R. points for M.P. 3!

Students are progressing well in A.M.   The class is averaging an earn rate of 4 objectives per person per week! Watch for the A.M. report that comes home every Friday.  This report will let you know exactly how many objectives your child has earned each week along with the required amount of objectives to be on target for that week.

The number of A.R. points needed for MP 4 is 13.  About 80% of the class has already earned the 5 A.R. points needed for Progress Reports.  As always, I would encourage students to be reading their own books at home.  I am looking forward to the Battle of the Books program coming up soon!

Please feel free to contact me via email or through my website with any questions or concerns.

Keep up the good work!
 

Mrs. Perez
nperez@fboe.org

          As May begins so many wonderful events appear on the calendar.  Our weeks are filled with class trips, field day, Battle of the Books, and the Memorial Day weekend. 

          The 8^th graders are the busiest students in the school.  As they wrap up their time here in Franklin, they all seem eager to begin high school.  In the pre-algebra class, the students will refine previous open-ended problems and complete activities that will prepare them for their high school algebra class.  The algebra students are completing their work with polynomials including graphing and factoring. 

          The 7^th graders are also revising their open-ended problems to create a portfolio of well-crafted solutions.  Their classwork will involve expanding their use of and understanding of algebraic modeling to solve a variety of problems.

          The 6^th graders have done a wonderful job with the Math Forum problems of the week and have enjoyed submitting them to me online.  The 9^th period lesson study group did a wonderful job with our lesson. The observations and data provided an outstanding opportunity for professional retrospection and proved to be a very educational experience.  The 6^th grades continue their exploration of integer operations.  Their class activities are helping them develop and understand the algorithms.

May promises to be an active month for our students.  In science, they will continue the study of the weather and environment.  Social studies classes are exploring ancient China and will later explore the wonders of ancient India.  In math, the classes continue to develop problem solving skills with interesting, real -life situations, and students are playing games with integers. In language arts, students are composing a research-based paper and will design a multi-media presentation based on the topic. They are also reading The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan and learning about the Greek mythology on which the book is based. The month will end with an exciting class trip to the Bronx Zoo to which we are all looking forward.
 

               In May, both sixth and seventh graders will compose research papers.  Sixth graders will research endangered animals using print resources as well as online information.  As seventh graders will research controversial issues of their choice, they will focus on internet research in order to obtain the most up-to-date information about their topics. 

               Sixth graders will soon start Battle of the Books competitions in order to crown a championship team that will compete against the fifth grade champions and other local schools.  In May, they will also begin working in literature circles.  Groups of four to five students will select novels that appeal to them and will read those novels and complete the accompanying assignments together.  Seventh graders will focus on short stories by acclaimed, canonical authors in order to aid them in making the transition from adolescent to adult literature.

               As the year approaches its end, vocabulary and spelling units remain constant.  Vocabulary tests are on Thursdays, and spelling tests are on Fridays.  Flash cards and/or five times each can be done for extra credit.
              

Eighth graders are busy taking financial lessons from Turtle Wexler of The Westing Game.  Working with partners, eighth graders have researched several publicly traded companies, evaluated the risk of each, and created stock portfolios using an initial $10,000 investment.  Over the course of the month, students will track their profits and losses and elect to trade or stay the course with their investments to see who weathers the market the best.   We have some future stock brokers keeping a close eye on their stocks, just like Turtle.

The mystery of The Westing Game will be solved very shortly.  We have been busy tracking clues, eliminating suspects, and speculating who is guilty.  There are so many suspects with motive, and students are keeping close track of each and every one.

In addition to making money and solving murders this month, eighth graders will write a research paper on a controversial issue of their choosing.  Most of their research will be conducted using the internet so they learn how to recognize and use credible sources.

Eighth graders will continue to have vocabulary definitions due on Tuesday, sentence completion due on Wednesday, sentences or a paragraph due on Thursday, with a vocabulary test on Friday.

After leaving Hoot for testing, sixth graders are busy creating life-size portraits of the characters in preparation of returning to the novel.  As we empathize with Mullet Fingers and Roy in their mission to save some burrowing owls, we will set out on our mission to learn about other animals in danger of extinction and write a research paper using both print and internet sources.

Sixth graders will soon begin the elimination rounds for the Battle of the Books competition taking place at Franklin School later this month.  They are all very well-read and prepared to compete.  One team will be crowned champions.  Good luck to all Franklin teams! 

Sixth graders will continue to have vocabulary sentences due on Wednesday, a vocabulary test on Thursday, and a spelling test on Friday.

Last but not least, the seventh grade ARM class is motivated to achieve all of their objectives this final marking period.  They are working hard in order to win an ice cream party with all the fixings in June.  Ten students are above and beyond their objectives goal and continue to encourage their classmates to master the math.  Together, we will read Holes by Louis Sachar, a novel about a thirteen-year- old boy named Stanley Yelnats who learns a few lessons about fate and friendship.

Should any parent wish to contact me, please email me at tpaparella@fboe.org.