th
7
Grade
Advanced English
The Silverback team welcomes you!
Warm Up:
- Have a seat by your name.
- Please write the name you wish to
be called on the blank side of the
name plate and on the stick.
- You may decorate both of these
while we wait for students to arrive.
Ms. Comba
Experience
• 7 years as an educator
Education
• Bachelor of Science – Cornell University
• Teaching License – Old Dominion University
Reader
• Since birth
Ms. Comba
Hobbies
•Virginia Master Naturalist (“Nature
Nerd!”)
•Volunteer and foster homeless
animals at the Virginia Beach SPCA
•Kayaking and camping
•My family
Ms. Comba
Hobbies
•Live music
•Reading and writing
stories
•Traveling around the
world
•My pets!
Ms. Comba
Contact information:
• Jessie.comba@vbschools.com
For random fun class updates:
• Twitter: @JessieComba
Our Classroom
• We will have respect for each other and all
living things.
“Be kind, for everyone you
meet is fighting a battle you
[may] know nothing about.”
-Wendy Mass
Team Information
• Weebly websites
• My School Mail
Weebly Websites
• Communication, assignments, updates,
notices, Schoology, Classroom Notes, and
make-up work.
• Kemps Landing/Old Donation School
Website
• Sample Weebly
My School Mail
• Weekly parent email
• Assignments, updates, notices, field trips,
and more
• Sent on Thursdays
• My School Mail
• Subscribe – write your student’s first and last
name instead
My School Mail
Silverback Mailing May 7, 2015
Happy Weekend Silverback Families!
Important Dates
May 8
Celebration
May 18
May 19
Standards of Learning End of Year Assessments
May 29
June 7
June 9
Progress Reports/ SCA Spring
Dave and Busters Spirit Night
Panera Spirit Night (Hilltop)
Algebra SOL
Reading SOL
Science SOL
Thank You!
We would like to thank everyone for the words of encouragement and tokens of
appreciation this week in celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week. We are truly
thankful to have such supportive families. We love teaching at KL/ODS!
Thank you!
Thank you to all of the many parents who volunteered to chaperone the Busch Gardens
field trip last Friday. Even with the not so ideal weather, students, parents and teachers
had a wonderful day enjoying the physics of the theme park. Thank you so much for
supporting this adventure.
Parent Portal and Class Websites
Encourage your student to check their grades online and access class websites. These are
great resources that encourage students to take ownership of their academic
performance. Absent students are expected to meet with their core teachers during
lunch, the day they return, to clarify, ask questions or gather documents not available
electronically.
http://silverbacksocialstudies.weebly.com/stay-informed (Social Studies)
http://silverbackscience.weebly.com/daily-information (Science)
http://silverbackenglish2.weebly.com/classroom-blog (English)
http://silverbackmath.weebly.com/factoring.html (Algebra)
Advanced Science
This week students worked in cooperative groups exploring the evolution of the atomic
model. After all groups were finished, the “maps” were put together in chronological
order. As a class we, discussed the historical perspective on why and how the atom has
evolved over time. Students predicted that the atomic model is likely to change again in
the future. Students also used their knowledge of the periodic table, elemental families,
and specific elements to create atomic math problems.
This week students began exploring events leading to Cold War tensions. The Cold War
was a state of tension without actual fighting between the United States and the Soviet
Union, which divided the world in to camps. Differences in goals and ideologies between
the United States and the Soviet Union (the two superpowers) included two different
political/economic philosophies. The United States was democratic and capitalist; while
the Soviet Union was dictatorial and communist. Both countries were interested in
spreading their political and economic systems, to serve their own economic, political and
military interests. So… the two superpowers became increasingly involved in the affairs of
other nations. We will examine some of the “hot spots” over the next few weeks.
Remember the due date for the Museum
English
This week we began to wind-down our historical research unit. Students worked on
composing their first three curator’s notes in class this week during our writing
workshops. The MoAH project will require students to make a total of six to nine curator’s
notes. It is important to remember that although we are turning in the first three
curator’s notes required for the MoAH project on Schoology.com in order to receive
teacher feedback, the remaining three to six curator’s notes must be completed at
home. Students were also given brief presentations on Works Cited pages, presentations
of the MoAH projects, and conclusions. We also began our study of pronouns this week,
as well as a daily review for the upcoming SOL.
Next week students will continue to work on their MoAH projects. The students will be
able to work on their remaining curator’s notes, conclusions, and the set-up of their MoAH
museum exhibits on Weebly during this time. We will be in the library Monday through
Wednesday in order to use the computers. Students are encouraged to bring their own
devices, such as tablets and laptops, to school to use, too. I will also be presenting
students with tips and tricks for managing stage fright during public speaking in order to
help them feel more comfortable when they present their exhibits to the class in the
coming weeks.
Algebra I
This week in Algebra, students took a test on factoring. We started the last unit we will
cover before the SOL test. The last unit is on parabolas. Before starting this unit, we took
a look at all four conic sections (parabola is one of them). From there, we looked at the
vertex, roots, and the axis of symmetry of a parabola. Students learned formulas in order
to find the vertex and the axis of symmetry. Students started learning how to find the
roots (x-intercepts) of a parabola using the symbolic manipulation method, and the
completing the square method.
Next week, students will learn what the discriminate is and what it is used for. The
students will learn the quadratic formula and a song to help them remember. Please ask
them about it.
The SOL test will be given on Friday May 29, 2015. In preparation for the SOL test, we will
have our second of four SOL Saturdays this Saturday May 9, 2015 from 10:00AM until
12:00 noon. The permission slip and topic of study for Saturday May 16 will come home
either Monday or Tuesday of next week. Please encourage you students to go
to http://education.jlab.org/solquiz/ in order to practice for the SOL test. There is help
available if the students get a question wrong on this site so they will not continue to
make the same mistakes.
Next week we will draw the specific electron configuration of elements, counting atoms in
Tutoring continues on Mondays and Wednesdays afterschool. Students are permitted to
formulas and learn how formulas are created.
Please continue to use the www.jlab.org and www.solpass.com to review for the SCIENCE ride the activity bus home.
8 SOL test scheduled for June 9th. This test covers three years of science courses.
Thank you for entrusting your children to us; it is a privilege to work with them!
th
7
Grade English Curriculum
Unit
Main Concepts
Tools for English Scholars
Writer’s manipulate elements of literature
and language to achieve a purpose for a
given audience.
Traditional Literature
Designed to stimulate critical and creative
thinking and writing, the main activities in
this unit are differentiated based on
student interest, allowing students to
investigate the development of literature
from the oral tradition to the written format.
Spirit of the Season
The activities in this unit focus on Charles
Dickens’s use of diction, syntax, and
symbolism while exploring the ways that the
holiday traditions of Christmas have
changed over the years. The unit will
culminate with a field trip to see a
production of A Christmas Carol.
th
7
Grade English Curriculum
Unit
Main Concepts
Heart of the Mystery
Explores mystery as a literary genre and as
an element of life and experience, adding
rigor and relevance. Eases students into
abstract and divergent ways of analyzing
literature.
Historical Literature and
Research
These two concurrent experiences allow
students to deepen understanding of the
significance of the essential questions,
especially as they delve into the
complexities of the interactions between
an individual person and the geography,
historical, and cultural setting that provides
conflict and resources to promote and
require change.
th
7
Grade English Curriculum
Unit
Main Concepts
Metaphorical Journeys
Activities in this unit use journey to
introduce students to deeper levels of
meaning in literature and reinforce reading
and literary study as a means to gain
understanding of the world, society, and
self. Writers often use motif of characters on
a journey as a representation of a larger
allegory of life, wherein the process of
traveling is as or more significant than the
destination.
Wit, Wither, Wilt,
Shakespeare
The humor unit focuses on how a speaker
or writer’s attempt to communicate with
given audience through humor can reveal
genuine themes as the reader or listener
interprets conflict, language, character,
and symbolism as shaped by cultural and
historical influence.
th
7
Grade English Curriculum
(Visual art + novels + music + radio + film + poetry +
short stories + technology = dynamic language arts
instruction)
+
(Moving beyond reading comprehension and
identification of ideas)
+
(Striving to use specific writing tools purposefully and
with a focus on audience)
=
Students who are discerning readers, skilled in literary
analysis and criticism, and who have comprehension
of the complex, artistic relationships between
language, literature, and culture.
Schoology
• Access instructions are on my Weebly.
• Training for students the first week of
school.
• www.schoology.com
Classroom Notebook
• In an effort to go as paperless as possible, I
will be having the students use this tool
through Microsoft OneNote Class
Notebook.
• They can upload their assignments, share
them, collaborate simultaneously with
other students, and I can hand write
personal feedback.
• Class Notebook
Materials
• Journals
• Current novel
• Pencils
• Binder
“A warm smile is
the universal
language of
kindness.” –
William Arthur
Ward
• Flash drive
• Laptop or another electronic device
(optional, but encouraged daily, if
available)
Final Notes
“Laughter is the
language of the
soul.”
- Pablo Neruda
“The world is but a
canvas for our
imagination.”
- Henry David
Thoreau