Welcome to Seventh Grade on Team Four! As we embark on our third trimester of the year, there is much to look forward to. We are proud of our students and their accomplishments this year! It's been a terrific school year!
Spanish 
¡La moda! Marking period 3 began with Spanish high fashion as students recently walked the runway in their Spanish class fashion show! Students are studying clothing vocabulary and also continue to learn lots of new Spanish AR verbs. Irregular verbs dar, estar and ir will also be introduced in chapter 3 as students embark upon advanced grammar structure and vocabulary in Spanish. It is exciting to see how the students have grown in their ability to interact with the Spanish language this year! What is la moda? Ask your child!
L. Ciesla lciesla@milforded.org
A. Einstein aeinstein@milforded.org
Geography
During the month of April Team 4 students will be studying Northern Africa and Southwest Asia, the region better known as the crossroads of the world or the Middle East. In addition to physical geography, students will explore the tenants of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; examine maps, charts, and graphs; and evaluate the importance of oil in the region. Like every unit we have studied so far, students will analyze the past and determine how it has shaped the present as well as predict how it will continue to influence the future. Also included this unit, students will investigate cause and effect relationships and consider alternative outcomes to events in history. A variety of perspectives will be shared this month in hopes of bringing clarity to the situation in the Middle East as well as to promote cooperation and conflict resolution.
S. Lucibello slucibello@milforded.org
Science
Welcome Spring! This week science classes will start a district open-ended lab on "Heart beat, health beat". We'll examine the relationship between our pulse rate and different variables. The students will be given a situation and asked to design a scientific investigation. From there, we will finish our unit on human biology. We'll study the connections between digestion and other body processes. We look forward to our earth science unit and the study of forces that help shape our planet both internally and externally. We look forward to Earth Day!
D. Theriault dtheriault@milforded.org
Language Arts
In Language Arts, students have been doing a splendid job in refining their reading and writing skills. We are currently reading poetry, short stories, and novels centering on themes of relationships between characters. Students are exploring what makes characters tick, and how relationships can influence theme. The concept of theme is one that students are learning to unlock in literature through an in-depth analysis of what happens to characters, plot, and key quotations in the text. Our current selections include work from Robert Frost, Avi, Marta Salinas, and excerpts from Jackie Robinson’s autobiography. We will be moving into literature circles next to explore character relationships in novels. Three fascinating novels will be read concurrently – The Car by Gary Paulsen, Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, and Nothing but the Truth by Avi. Meanwhile, students should keep up with the completion of 100 minutes of weekly independent reading. They have become quite the avid readers this year, thanks to the book talks shared with their classes! Keep up the good work!
L. Henry LHenry@milforded.org
Math
Hello Shipmates!
The Pre-Algebra group has been exploring the 3-Dimensional world! They have been learning about volume and surface area. Next time you have a project to do in the yard, such as figuring out how much water is needed for the pool, or how much siding for your house. Just ask you mathematician to help!
A. Wilson awilson@milforded.org