Life Science
In 7th Grade Life Science, students began the school year by participating in the Great Georgia Pollinator Census. Classes used TMSA’s Pollinator Garden to observe, classify, and document a variety of Georgia’s pollinator species; including, bees, butterflies, moths, and wasps. During their fieldwork, we also discovered “incidental” species such as tree frogs, salamanders, and a preying mantis! The field studies for the pollinator count gave students practical experience applying real-world knowledge gained during their Classification Unit. This year, Georgia documented 16,499 butterflies and moths, a downward trend for those species. TMSA's 7th grade Life Science classes will be comparing current numbers to numbers in previous census years and applying critical thinking skills to theorize reasons for this trend.
Math
During the first quarter, 7th grade students mastered operations and expressions with rational numbers. Building off prior knowledge, students expanded their number sense to create a strong foundation for their 7th-grade year in mathematics. In the upcoming weeks, the 7th grade scholars will dive deeper into expressions and equations with the intent to make mathematics applicable in real-world scenarios.
Social Studies
In Social Studies, 7th grade students are learning about African culture, history and geography. Students are incorporating project-based learning to enhance their understanding and connections from the past to the present. Africans created art pieces to aid in life situations; TMSA 7th grade students are creating Kenti clothes, African masks, and rewriting African poetry.
English Language Arts/ELA
This semester there is a lot of exciting news for 7th grade ELA. Soon, students will read part one of "The Hunger Games" and a new novel titled "Ghost Boys". Ms. Wheatley will read "Ghost Boys" aloud with 7th-grade students to engage them in class discussions. We will also be working on enhancing our writing skills by working on opinion writing essays.