September · Week 1 of 4 · School week 1 of 36
Week 1: Points, Labs and Maps
Skills this week
Word study
Latin roots spect, vis and vid (see, look) with the prefixes retro-, intro- and per-.
L.9-10.4b
Reading & writing
Set up the reading log and annotation code; read The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant for character, pride and irony; write a claim-evidence-explanation paragraph.
RL.9-10.1, RL.9-10.3, W.9-10.1, W.9-10.9
Math
Undefined terms, segments and rays, the Segment Addition Postulate, midpoint and distance on a number line and the coordinate plane, and copying and bisecting a segment.
HSG-CO.A.1, HSG-CO.D.12, HSG-GPE.B.6, HSG-GPE.B.7
Science
Lab safety rules and equipment; the scientific method with variables and a fair test of how temperature affects dissolving.
HS-PS1-3, HS-ETS1-3
Social studies
Map projections and their distortions; trade routes and major states of the world around 1450.
C3 D2.Geo.1.9-12, D2.His.1.9-12
Word study this week
Latin roots spect, vis and vid (see, look): a spectator looks on, visible means able to be seen, and evident means clearly seen.
Words to read: spectator, inspect, perspective, retrospective, introspective, visible, vision, revise, evident, video
Build it: spect → inspect → inspection → introspection
Sentence: “In retrospect, Mathilde's vision of a glamorous life was evident in every complaint.”
Spelling: spectator, inspect, perspective, retrospective, introspective, spectacle, visible, vision, revise, evident, video, provide
Day plans
- Day 1A Fresh Start and a Borrowed Necklace
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (public domain; any translation) - Day 2The Ball and the Map That Lies
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (public domain; any translation) - Day 3Ten Years of Debt and a Fair Test
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (public domain; any translation) - Day 4Irony, Appearances and the World in 1450
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (public domain; any translation) - Day 5Weighing the Evidence
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (public domain; any translation)
Centers this week
- Root sort: sort 15 cards by spect, vis and vid, then add a prefix to three of them and define the new word
- Segment lab: measure five segments on a worksheet to the nearest millimeter and find each midpoint
- Safety station: match ten lab hazard pictures to the right rule or piece of safety equipment
- Projection compare: trace Greenland and Africa on a Mercator map and an equal-area map and compare their sizes
Student games this week
Segment Sense Lab Ready Root Lens Evidence Detective
Week at a glance (printable)
| Block | Day 1 A Fresh Start and a Borrowed Necklace | Day 2 The Ball and the Map That Lies | Day 3 Ten Years of Debt and a Fair Test | Day 4 Irony, Appearances and the World in 1450 | Day 5 Weighing the Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question of the day | What is one thing you want to be able to do by June that you cannot do today? | Is a map ever completely accurate? Why or why not? | What is the most dangerous thing in your kitchen, and how do you stay safe around it? | If you could live in any city in the world in the year 1450, which would you choose and why? | What makes evidence convincing to you? |
| Word study | Roots spect, vis and vid: sort spectator, visible, evident, video, inspect and revise by root | Prefixes with spect: retrospective, introspective, perspective; define each from its parts | Context clues: find spect and vis words in The Necklace and define them from the sentence | Connotation: spectacle, sight and vision; one sentence for each that shows the difference | Spelling and roots check (12 words) plus one sentence using perspective |
| Reading | Reading routines: set up the log and annotation code; read the opening of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant and list what Mathilde wants | The Necklace: the ball and the loss; mark three details that show Mathilde's pride | The Necklace: ten years of debt; before-and-after chart of how Mathilde changes | The ending: situational irony; discuss what the fake necklace reveals about appearances | Reading check: one-page passage with three questions (meaning, craft and a cited claim) |
| Math | Undefined terms: point, line, plane; name lines, segments and rays in a street-map diagram | Segment Addition Postulate: AB = 7 and BC = 12, so AC = 19; then solve (2x + 1) + (3x - 4) = 27 for x = 6 | Midpoint and distance on a number line: the midpoint of -3 and 11 is 4; the distance from -8 to 5 is 13 | Coordinate midpoint and distance: midpoint of (2, 3) and (8, -5) is (5, -1); distance from (1, 2) to (4, 6) is 5 | Construction: copy and bisect a segment with compass and straightedge; weekly check on segments (8 items) |
| Science | Lab safety: the safety contract, goggle rules, locating the eyewash and fire blanket, and a ten-scenario safety sort | Scientific method: question, hypothesis and variables; plan a fair test of sugar dissolving in hot and cold tap water | Run the dissolving test (1 teaspoon of sugar in 1 cup of water, three trials each); data table and claim-evidence-reasoning conclusion | ||
| Social studies | Map projections: Mercator versus equal-area; why Greenland (about 836,000 square miles) looks as big as Africa (about 11.7 million) | The world around 1450: trace the Silk Road and Indian Ocean routes and label Ming China, the Ottoman state, Mali and Songhai, Venice and the Inca | |||
| Writing | Writing routines and portfolio setup; 10-minute quick write on the question of the day | Claim writing: turn the topic pride into an arguable claim about Mathilde | Evidence: introduce a quotation with a signal phrase and an MLA citation (Maupassant and page) | Draft a full analysis paragraph: claim, evidence, explanation and concluding sentence | Revise the paragraph with a partner checklist and file it in the portfolio |
| Game | Lab Ready | Segment Sense | Root Lens | Evidence Detective | Segment Sense |