Teacher: Mrs.

Mac
7th Grade
I would like to welcome you to your 7th grade year at Deer Oaks Middle School. We have many
different plans and activities that we will be doing over the course of the school year. Our goals
are the growth and development of the students, and giving them the best support that we can so
they can achieve success. We believe in a team effort in the growth and development of the
students. As a team our educational team works with you, the parents, to expand the information
and knowledge of the students. We also want their social and personal goals to show this growth
as well.

LAFS.68.WHST.1.2 LAFS.68.RH.2.6 MAFS.7.EE.1.1

This standard emphasizes the importance
of a students writing skills and their
ability to write informatory/explanatory
papers. This will help your child to
communicate effectively through speech
as well as proper writing.
We will be practicing writing various
kinds of papers (explanatory and
argumentative papers). The student will
learn to write from a side opposing their
own views. This is meant to allow them
to strengthen their own argument or
thesis by knowing the other sides
perspective. They will also learn the
importance and skills required of citing
and using sources. This activity is a
good chance for the students to become
comfortable and prepared for the Florida
Standards Assessment(FSA) and the
writing test.
This standard covers the ability of the This standard explains the
students to be able to read and identify expectation of students to be
different details from a text and to be able to apply properties and
able to acknowledge the authors point strategies to solve.
of view or the purpose the author had
Some of the problem solving
for writing it.
that we will be teaching
Two of the stories we will be reading students are mnemonics such
are the Greek stories of Icarus and as Keep, Kick, Flip for
Arachne. The students will be expected proportions and PEMDAS
to explain the characters and their for solving order of operations
relationships to each other. We will questions.
also want to make sure the students can
This helps students expand
determine the theme, or meaning/moral,
their ability to problem solve.
of the story.
This will allow students to grow
socially by understanding that there are
various perspectives between different
people and social skills of how to act in
social situations.
SS.7.C.2.1
Civics is a requirement for the students in the 7th
grade. In this class students will learn about the
government and the laws that make up our society.
This can help them to be knowledgeable in how to
be a good citizen.
This standard is for students to be able to define a
citizen and to break down the ways to become a
U.S. citizen.
This helps students understand the way others can
become a citizen. This allows them to understand
the process that others go through to gain the right
to be a citizen.
LAFS.7.W.1.3
This standard refers to a student being able to
write a narrative paper and use proper details and
sentence structure. This is where our vocabulary
will be beneficial.
That will help students be able to communicate
professionally and we will be pairing this
assignment with public speaking since they will
have to stand in front of them and present their
paper.
This would allow students to practice their public
speaking and vocal leadership skills.

As a parent, you also play an important part of the personal and developmental growth of the
students. Through you and other interactions they come across you can show them how to act in
social environments. When they have homework you may help and answer questions that the
student may have. For example, if we are reading a book and the student has read their
homework and does not understand then you could assist in explaining to them the observation.
A well-known theorist named Vygotsky had a theory that adults in any society foster childrens
cognitive development. -Ormrod.
One way that you as a parent can influence your childs cognitive and social development is to
have a dinner with your child. In a report by Journal of Family Psychology, they report that
students who have family week meals have been shown to have positive social skills and an
engagement in school, with a decrease in problematic social behaviors. (Lora, Sisson, and
Degrace)
Sources
Ormrod, J. E. (2014). Educational psychology: Developing learners (Eighth ed.) Chapter Two:
Cognitive and Linguistic Development [Pdf].

Florida Center for Research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (FCR-STEM), Home
| CPALMS.org. (2015). Retrieved September 18, 2016, from
http://www.cpalms.org/Public/

Lora, K. R., Sisson, S. B., DeGrace, B. W., & Morris, A. S. (2014). Frequency of family meals
and 611-year-old childrens social behaviors. Journal of Family Psychology, 28(4), 577-
582. doi:10.1037/fam0000014