Suggested Summer Homework Kensington Hall Grade 7
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Suggested summer Homework Kensington Hall Grade 7 During the summer you might want to … …take your children to Detroit’s Cultural Center. Within a few blocks you have the Detroit Institute of Arts, The Museum of African-American History, the Detroit Science Center, the Detroit Historical Museum (two great exhibits currently on display: “1920s-Detroit’s Building Boom” and “Detroit’s Classic Radio Voices”), the Detroit Children’s Museum, the Scarab Club and the main branch of the Detroit Public Library. While in the neighborhood you can visit St. Paul’s Cathedral (Episcopalian) and have a nice lunch at Union Street, or at the Majestic Café which is attached to the Majestic Theatre (the site of Harry Houdini’s last performance.) …take your children to Belle Isle and watch the freighters go by. On the island (where the Grand Prix will be run) you can stop at the Dossin Maritime Museum (there is a great exhibit there currently…), or the Belle Isle Conservatory. Stop at Pewabic Pottery while you are in the neighborhood and drive through Indian Village. …go to Detroit’s River Walk- a three-mile walkway along the Detroit River. You can see a map of the world outside of the Renaissance Center’s Winter Garden; see the statues that commemorate the Underground Railroad. …travel to Mexicantown for a great meal. …get up early on a Saturday morning and go to a farmer’s market at Detroit’s Eastern Market, or in Royal Oak, or Pontiac. …take advantage of the largest theatre district outside of New York---including the Fisher Theatre, The Fox, The Gem, The Music Hall and others. …do a tour of Detroit’s great architecture like the Fisher Building, The Guardian Building, the Penobscot, and the Masonic Temple (the largest Masonic Temple in the world.) …the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak is a great place to visit. …head to Dearborn and tour the Arab-American Museum. …visit Detroit’s Motown Museum. …go to The Henry Ford at Greenfield Village, the Rouge Plant Tour, or the Holocaust Memorial (for older students). … a little farther afield there are science museums in Ann Arbor (The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum) and Toledo (COSI). Ann Arbor boasts the Arboretum and Toledo also has a fine art museum. … explore Frankenmuth. …stay at home and play “Rice Bowl” on the computer. The program builds vocabulary while players earn rice for developing countries. June, 2009 Dear Parent and Seventh Grade Son, Welcome to seventh grade mathematics. The class will hear me say many times next year that mathematics is a skill. Skills need to be developed, and the only way to get better at mathematics is to practice. For example, if a person wants to get better at golf, they practice. They go to a driving range and work on their woods, their irons, and their putting. Homework is nothing more than practice. There is no traditional packet this summer, but I’ve identified several web sites that students should visit to “practice” math. It is very important in the Connected Math Program (or any mathematics program at this level) that basic computational skills be mastered at this point. I’m sure the amount of practice and the areas of practice will differ for each student. I would like the students to use personal initiative, under close supervision, to work on the things they need to work on. Perhaps the best website for practice is: http://www.kutasoftware.com/free.html It has practice problems (and answer keys) on a variety of topics. And while it’s marketed to teachers, students and parents can use it also. As a little incentive, I will award up to 10 extra credit points on the first math test depending on the amount of practice a student does. For starters, go to the “Infinite Pre-Algebra” area and click on “Free Worksheets.” Practice these sections – Basics Rounding numbers Arithmetic Converting between fractions and decimals Converting between percents, fractions, and decimals Adding and subtracting integers Adding and subtracting decimals Adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers Dividing integers Multiplying integers Multiplying decimals Multiplying and dividing fractions and mixed numbers Order of operations Algebraic Expressions Evaluating variable expressions For more challenging practice, go to the “Infinite Algebra” area on the home page and click on “Free Worksheets.” Look at the “Basics” section, and you will find practices for various topics. I’ve listed below additional sites you can access this summer and during the school year. Instruction http://www.aaamath.com/ (How to instructions) http://www.purplemath.com/ (How to instructions) The Basics http://www.simplekidsmath.com/ Make Your Own Worksheets http://www.edhelper.com/math.htm?gclid=CJnC2YKq1JMCFQOaFQod5HiGkw Practice Problems http://www.coolmath.com/ (One-by-one practice problems) http://www.aplusmath.com/ (Flashcards) http://www.internet4classrooms.com/ (a little bit of everything) And, if all else fails, there’s probably a You Tube (youtube.com) video of the topic. You Tube? Yes, You Tube covers math! Who knew?!?!?!? Take care, stay safe, have fun this summer, and see you in September. Mr. Kuhn June, 2009 Dear Parent and Seventh Grade Son, Welcome to seventh grade science. If you have the opportunity, visit science museums this summer as you travel. Every major city has museums, and part of the museum is dedicated to science and technology. In some cases, Detroit is an example, there is an entire building dedicated to science. While the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village have historical science exhibits, they are worth the visit. If you won’t be traveling or our local museums will not be an option, you can visit museums on line. I would like each student to incorporate pictures of their visit into a poster presentation, a “virtual museum”, or PowerPoint presentation. This assignment will be worth up to 10 extra credit points on the first science test of the year. Take care, stay safe, have fun this summer, and see you in September. Mr. Kuhn KENSINGTON HALL 7th and 8TH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS AND SOCIAL STUDIES SUMMER ACTIVITIES 2009 7th and 8th GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS I hope that over the summer, you read a thousand books. I hope that you read what you enjoy. I hope that you read on those lazy, hot days when it is too hot to go outside. I hope that you read when it rains and you have nothing to do. I hope that you go to the library or the book store and select books that will be piled at the side of your bed, so that you can read until the sun comes up. Being a reader allows you to travel the world, make new friends, expose yourself to different cultures, and see yourself in a multitude of settings. I wish you a very happy and fun-filled summer. I challenge you to write down all the books that you have read over the summer on the attached sheet. I have enclosed a list of books that you might want to try; however, choose books that you will enjoy. READ, READ, READ!!!!! You must read a minimum of five books and write them down on the attached list. When you return to school in the fall, you should be prepared to stand up and tell us about one of the books that you read. You should act as the main character in the story. As the main character, you will tell your audience about the setting, the time period, your character’s personal history, the problem the main character might have, and the resolution of that problem. If you think that your main character does not have a problem, take us on a journey that the author develops for the main character. Remember, you are the main character and you are there to entertain us. Make us want to read your book. You should entertain us for three – five minutes. You may need to use a few props that can help us visualize your character. We will be doing this activity during the first week of school. Fill out the attached book report form. You will turn it in to me when I call on you to act out your story. This is for a grade. Write in complete sentences with well-developed paragraphs. Spelling and punctuation count. Write in blue or black ink. I have enclosed a copy of the rubric I will be using to evaluate your oral book report. Check List Read all of the directions in the above paragraphs. Read a minimum of five books over the summer. Record every book you read on the attached reading sheet. Turn in your reading sheet to me on the first day. Choose one of the books that you read for your oral book report. Fill out the book information sheet. Write in complete sentences in blue or black ink. You will turn this into me when you give your oral book report. You will receive a grade on this paper. Gather one or two props to use as visual aids for your oral book report. Read over the rubric that I will use to grade your oral book report. Be prepared to give your oral book report the first week of school. Bring in all of your papers and props on the first day of school. 7th and 8TH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES I love history and I hope that you will share my passion for history. You are required to come to class, in the fall, with a poem that you have selected and love about America. Your poem should reveal or represent something about our country’s values, dreams, tragedies, and strengths.