WILSON
MIDDLE SCHOOL
First Quarter
Crusader Team News
September 2014
Mrs. Armstrong and Mrs. Shockey's reading classes are off to a flying start. We have read several short stories in class
and review literary terms. The students also have already read one book on their own and written a summary on it. In the
next few weeks we will be reading a novel together as a class. We are looking forward to some great discussions on the
books. Some students are still struggling to remember the key points in their books or have questions as they read. They
should be using yellow flags (post its) to mark the place in their books where they had questions. I also suggested to
several students to keep a log (1-2 sentence summary of their books every chapter or so to help them remember the
important details. We can't stress enough the importance of students to read every night to improve their reading skills.
Everyone has a book at all times to read and sharing information from the story with you will help with comprehension.
A great way to spend some time together is to read, even if it is just 15 minutes a night, and share every couple of days
what your book is about. This will show your child that reading can be a lifetime of enjoyment.
Mrs. Baker's reading classes have been reading the novel Max the Mighty. Students have been working on essential
reading skills such as making inferences, predictions, and identifying character traits. For homework, students should be
reading for 30 minutes in their SSR book.
Mrs. Stone and Mrs. Pohlman's English classes have been working hard to learn new vocabulary words. We have just
completed our first unit of study and will begin a new one in a couple weeks. Our next topic will be argument writing.
This will give the students an opportunity to learn how to effectively share their opinions on topics of interest to them.
Just a reminder: Mrs. Stone will be on maternity leave very soon, and Mrs. DeYoung will be filling in during her absence.
Ms. Rampa's (Ms. Volter’s) English classes have already accomplished much in these first few weeks. Students have
written explanatory essays on a process they know. They have created writing goals to accomplish by the end of the
school year and we have begun to work towards those goals by understanding dead words and verbs as well as lively
synonyms. Next we will be working on a bucket list research project as students research how to accomplish one of their
tasks. Students have also been reviewing parts of speech, sentence parts, and learning new vocabulary words to enrich
their writing.
Mr. Smith’s American History classes have been looking at the first Americans, the Native Americans and how they
adapted to their new environment. We will round out the first quarter looking at the European explorers, their early
settlements, and hardships and successes they experienced. We will make an effort this year to make everything we
discuss relevant to the students’ lives while analyzing the role these early people had on our modern world.
Miss Geiger's math classes started the year out with a unit focused on the foundations necessary for success in algebra.
We studied the operations on integers, operations on fractions and evaluating expressions. Currently we are working on
the second unit, Solving Linear Equations. Students are training in their logical reasoning skills by taking multiple steps to
isolating a single variables in algebraic equations. The upcoming unit will focus on the fundamentals of graphing
equations with two variables. Remember, math is like a sport: to get better at it requires practice!
Mrs. Hede’s math classes are building upon their knowledge from 7th grade to solve multi-step equations! With 90
minutes in math, we have a lot of time to practice solving problems and to work in small groups. Students receive
homework almost daily and are encouraged to work together on it! With hard work, perseverance and a positive attitude,
success is close by!
Mr. Thomas' math classes just finished working on solving linear equations, including multi-step equations like this:
[-8(2x - 9) + 3x = 9x - 4(x + 7)]. Next up is graphing linear equations in a coordinate plane and solving systems of
equations algebraically and graphically. Remember, math is like playing a sport or an instrument; you only get better by
practicing!!!!
Mrs. Williams Science classes started the year by being 21st century engineers and designing and re-designing launchers
that had to shoot a marble a specified distance. This was both challenging and fun!! Then, we jumped into our Earth
Science curriculum. We learned how our earth has been formed into layers based on density. This then led us to a study
of seismic waves. We have been learning how scientists have used the way earthquake waves travel through Earth's
different densities to determine the Earth's composition. We are just getting ready to head into learning about what
causes earthquakes.
Mr. Carter's Business Literacy classes are currently working on the Keyboard Mastery Course
through keyboardingonline.com. This web-based program teaches beginners how to keyboard correctly and more
experienced students to keyboard faster. The students have 24/7 access to the keyboarding program, which gives them
the ability to work outside normal school hours.