Mission Statement

The John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science is a diverse, supportive community of learners that engages in a rigorous and comprehensive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program integrated with Humanities. Our college-preparatory exam school enables our students to reach their full potential and become leaders who will shape the direction of society.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Students Entering the 8th Grade ~ Summer 2008 Reading and Activities

All students entering the 8th grade in the Fall of 2008 must complete the following readings/activities for History, ELA, Science, and Math during the Summer of 2008:

History:
You must read:
Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Patillo Beales (fiction) (test book)

and you must read any one (1) of the following (activity book):
Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave by Virginia Hamilton (fiction)
April Morning by Howard Fast (fiction)
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (fiction)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (fiction)
With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for Women's Right to Vote by Ann Bausum (non-fiction)

There will be a writing prompt on the required grade 8 history reading (Warriors Don't Cry)in early September. Directions for the choice grade 8 history reading activity assignment may be found at the following website: http://www.obryant.us/files/File1766.doc

ELA:
You must read:
Lord of the Flies – Golding (fiction) (test book)

and you must read any one (1) of the following: (book jacket & quotation assignment)
Ryan White: My Own Story – White (non-fiction)
Road to Memphis – Taylor (non-fiction)
Esperanza Rising– Munoz-Ryan (fiction)

There will be a writing prompt on the required grade 8 ELA reading (Lord of the Flies) in early September. Directions for the choice grade 8 ELA reading book jacket and quotation assignment may be found at the following website: http://www.obryant.us/files/File1771.doc

Science:
Students will read the complete Middle School Science Fair Manual. The MSSF Manual can be found at the following link:
http://massscifair.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=44&Itemid=69

Students will also read the following guides, which can be found at:
http://massscifair.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=98
Student Guide: How to Do a Science Fair Project
A How-To Guide for Students by Students (Powerpoint)

Students will come to school with an idea and potential title for their science fair project. Students should be ready to present their project idea to their teacher, and upon teacher approval, start work on their project immediately.

Math:
To be posted.

Students Entering the 7th Grade ~ Summer 2008 Reading and Activities

All students entering the 7th grade in the Fall of 2008 must complete the following readings/activities for History, ELA, Science, and Math during the Summer of 2008:

History:
You must read:
Captain Courageous by Rudyard Kipling (fiction) (test book)

and you must read any one (1) of the following (activity assignment):
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (fiction)
Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez (fiction)
Child of the Owl by Laurence Yep (fiction)
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry (non-fiction)
In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton (fiction)
To Be Young In America: Growing Up With The Country, 1776-1940 by Sheila Cole (non-fiction)

There will be a writing prompt on the required grade 7 history reading (Captain Courageous)in early September. Directions for the choice grade 7 history reading activity assignment may be found at the following website: http://www.obryant.us/files/File1766.doc

ELA:
You must read:
The Old Man and the Sea – Hemingway (fiction) (test book)

and you must read one (1) of the following(book jacket and quotation assignment):
Hatchet – Paulsen (fiction)
House on Mango Street – Cisneros (fiction)

There will be a writing prompt on the required grade 7 ELA reading (The Old Man and the Sea) in early September. Directions for the choice grade 7 ELA reading book jacket and quotation assignment may be found at the following website: http://www.obryant.us/files/File1771.doc

Science:
Students will read the complete Middle School Science Fair Manual. The MSSF Manual can be found at the following link:
http://massscifair.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=44&Itemid=69

Students will also read the following guides, which can be found at:
http://massscifair.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=81&Itemid=98
Student Guide: How to Do a Science Fair Project
A How-To Guide for Students by Students (Powerpoint)

Students will come to school with an idea and potential title for their science fair project. Students should be ready to present their project idea to their teacher, and upon teacher approval, start work on their project immediately.

Math:
Dear Incoming O’Bryant 7th Grade Mathematician:
Congratulations on your admittance and your decision to become part of the O’Bryant learning community. We eagerly anticipate your arrival in September and extend to you a summer assignment designed to prepare you for the rigorous curriculum we will explore throughout the school year.
As we are a school grounded in the disciplines of math and science and being that we actively implement technology in our curriculum, you will need to gain access to a computer with Internet access in order to explore the following activities. The two specific websites have been chosen to highlight skills that we expect you to be comfortable with as an incoming 7th grader.

Website #1: National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (at http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html)
Skill: Integer Operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing positive and negative numbers)
Summary: The site homepage is setup as a grid. Select the heading ‘Number and Operations.’ In the page that opens, select and explore the following activities in the order they are given here.

 Number Line Arithmetic
 Number Line Bounce
 Circle 3 Game
 Circle 0 Game
 Circle 21 Game

Each activity has a comprehensive set of instructions that detail the activity objective and instructions. They are meant to be self-guiding and easy to comprehend.

Website #2: Shodor Education Foundation Project Interactivate (at http://www.shodor.org/interactivate)
Skill: Number and Operations (arithmetic, fraction literacy and order of operations)
Summary: Select the Activities link under the Learners heading on the site homepage. On the next screen, choose the Number and Operations heading then explore the following activities in the order they are given here.

 Arithmetic Four
 Fraction Four
 Order of Operations

Each activity has both a learner and help tab designed to help you navigate the lesson.

While we encourage pure exploration with the websites and any independent activities you may want to try out, you are advised to write brief summaries of all eight assigned activities once you have used them extensively. Consider this summer assignment an introduction to the many independent explorations you will be expected to complete as an O’Bryant student. Your seventh-grade teachers will assess you formally to confirm your understanding once the school year commences.

We again extend our best wishes to you and your family and look forward to a productive school year together

Sincerely,

Mr. Keung
Mr. Hodjat
7th Grade Math Teachers