The Emerald News
The Seventh Grade Slump
By Ann Pleshette
Murphy
Q: My 13- year old son has
always been a good student,
but this year he suddenly
seems completely
unmotivated. Every night
is a battle over homework
and studying. My attempts
to motivate him are just
not working and are
creating enormous family
stress.
A: As much as we’d like
our children’s progress to
be a happy march forward,
they inevitable stumble a
few steps back before they
surge ahead. This is
especially true during the
pre-teen years, when
they’re struggling with
physical and emotional
changes as well as new
pressures at school and
among their friends. Some
kids rise to the challenge
and stay focused, but the
majority go through periods
when they’re unmotivated,
self-absorbed and seemingly
oblivious to prodding,
pleading or punishing.
Your son could be going
through a rough time at
school; seventh grade is a
notoriously rocky year
socially. Maybe he’s
dumbing himself down
because he thinks smart
kids are uncool. Or he
could simply be feeling
overloaded, and rather than
fail, he’s chosen to opt
out. If that seems to be
the case, meet with your
son’s teacher and talk
about getting him extra
help or a tutor.
If you think low selfesteem or a problem with
friends is at the root of
your son’s slump, take some
time to think about what
does pique his interest.
Maybe sports or pop music
are front and center, in
which case
you might find a way for
him to indulge his latest
passion – by, for instance,
getting guitar lessons or
joining a weekend
basketball league. The
goal should be to help him
feel good about himself,
which in turn should spill
over positively in to his
schoolwork. In the
meantime, don’t panic.
Coming down hard on him
won’t help get him back on
track any faster and might
undermine the most
important message: that
you’re on his side.
The Emerald News
Class Scoop
The Connecticut
Mastery Tests (CMT’s) will
be administered during the
first two weeks of March.
Students are encouraged to
eat a healthy breakfast
each morning and get plenty
of rest each night.
Encourage your child to do
her/his best each day on
these tests.
Students are halfway
through the seventh grade
year! Organization should
be mastered so now students
are working on study
habits. Please make sure
your child has a designated
time and area to do
homework each day. Having
pencils, erasers, paper and
access to the math book online is helpful. Check
your child’s planner and
work each night.
Assignments can be found on
the following website:
http://mail.northbranfordsc
hools.org/~cdaley/. Quiz
your child on the math
vocabulary in each chapter
with her/his flash cards.
Don’t forget, the math
textbook always tells
students where to look for
an explanation on how to do
each problem (information
in green). Make sure your
child is reviewing her/his
notes each night. This
will help to store the
information in long-term
memory.
Seventh grade science
students are just beginning
their foray into human
biology. During the next
few months, students will
learn about many of the
systems of the body
including the
cardiovascular, digestive,
and musculoskeletal
systems. Students will be
working on many hands-on
projects like the "Feel the
Beat" lab where they will
evaluate varied physical
activities to determine the
best exercise options.
Language arts students
finished reading the Lois
Lowry book entitled The
Giver. This futuristic
novel had students asking
many questions about the
main character’s life and
gave them an opportunity to
reflect upon their own
lives and experiences.
After reading the novel,
students were engaged in
learning about new
vocabulary and practicing
their persuasive writing
skills.
Mr. Prell’s Geography
classes spent the early
portion of the second term
studying cultural, economic
and government systems.
The Emerald News
Since holiday vacation,
we’ve begun to study the
seven continents – starting
with Antarctica. When
looking ahead toward the
coming weeks and months,
students can expect to work
a lot more with maps and
will also have many
opportunities to use the
knowledge they have gained
throughout the year as it
applies to each of the
remaining 6 continents,
beginning with Europe.