7th Grade

What should my child be working on?

Reading

• Decide on a purpose for reading and select texts based on that purpose. (TEKS 7.5A)
• Read informational text and recognize why authors choose certain structures and features for those texts (pictures, graphs, etc). (TEKS 7.8D)
• Read literary texts and analyze how word choice and figurative language bring about the author’s intended message. (TEKS 7.9
• Respond to reading with short writings and class discussions that demonstrate understanding. (TEKS 7.6)
• Determine the themes across texts (example: a poem and short story) (TEKS 7.7A)

Writing

• Use a prewriting strategy such as a list, graphic organizer, or sketch to plan for writing. (TEKS 7.10A)
• Edit his/her own writing and other’s writing for grammatical errors. (TEKS 7.10D)
• Write persuasive and informational essays on familiar topics. (TEKS 7.11)
• Write using increasingly more complex sentence structures and drafts. (TEKS 7.10B)
• Respond to what they read in writing and analyze literary elements (character, plot, etc) (TEKS 7.6B)
• Use his/her own experiences or observations as supporting evidence in their writing. (TEKS 7.10D)

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

What questions should I ask my child (Reading and Writing)?

• What are you reading at school? At home?
• What is your reading goal? What is your writing goal?
• What is happening in your book?
• What is the perspective of the author? How do you know?
• What are you writing about? Tell/ read me your favorite line or paragraph.
• Who can help you in your ELA class when you need it?

How can I help my child learn at home?

• Completing do-it-yourself projects together.
• Talking about the world around and issues they hear about via the news/social media.
• Noticing creative moves authors use to make their writing more engaging.
• Helping he/she notice errors in their own writing

What should my child be working on?

Rational Numbers and Operations

• Extend knowledge of sets and subsets (natural numbers, whole numbers, integers, and rational numbers) using visual representation such as Venn diagram (TEKS 7.2A)
• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers (positive and negative fractions, decimals, percents, and integers) (TEKS 7.3A, 7.3B)

Equations and Inequalities

• Write a two-step equation to represent a real-world situation (TEKS 7.10A)
• Write a real-world situation to represent a two-step equation (TEKS 7.10C)
• Write a two-step inequality to represent a real-world situation (TEKS 7.10A)
• Write a real-world situation to represent a two-step inequality (TEKS 7.10C)
• Model and Solve a two-step equation (TEKS 7.11A)
• Model and Solve a two-step inequality (TEKS 7.11A)
• Represent the solution to an equation or inequality on a number line (TEKS 7.10B)
• Determine if a given value makes a two-step equation or inequality true (TEKS 7.11B)

Proportionality

• Solve problems involving ratios and rates (TEKS 7.4D)
• Calculate the unit rate  (TEKS 7.4B)
• Solve problems involving similar shapes and scale drawings (TEKS 7.5A, 7.5C)
• Convert between measurement units using proportions and unit rates (TEKS 7.4E)

Percents

• Solve problems involving percents (TEKS 7.4D, 7.13A)
• Solve problems involving percent increase and percent decrease (TEKS 7.4D)

Representing Linear Relationships

• Represent constant rate of change from numbers in real-world problems, table, graph, and equations (TEKS 7.4A)
• Determine the constant of proportionality (k = y/x) in mathematical and real-world problems (TEKS 7.4C)
• Represent linear relationships using verbal descriptions, tables, graphs, and equations in the form of y = mx + b (TEKS 7.7A)

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

What questions should I ask my child?

• What is the problem asking you to solve?
• What information is important to help you solve the problem?
• What problem-solving strategy can you use to solve the problem? (Draw a picture, make a table, write an equation, number line)
• Do you have notes that can help you solve the problem?

How can I help my child learn at home?

Problem Solving

• Is there an activity on IXL, Imagine Math, or ST Math (whichever campus uses) to help with the topic?

What should my child be working on?

Real Number Relationships

• Extend knowledge of sets and subsets (natural numbers, whole numbers, integers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and real numbers) using visual representation such as Venn diagram (8th grade) (TEKS 8.2A)
• Approximate the value of an irrational number, including π and square roots (8th grade)(TEKS 8.2B)
• Order real numbers (8th grade) (TEKS 8.2D)
• Convert between standard decimal notation and scientific notation (8th grade)(TEKS 8.2C)
• Find the mean of a set of numbers, then use it to find the mean absolute deviation (8th grade)(TEKS 8.11D)

Rational Numbers and Operations

• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide rational numbers (positive and negative fractions, decimals, percents, and integers) (TEKS 7.3A, 7.3B)

Equations and Inequalities

• Write a two-step equation to represent a real-world situation (TEKS 7.10A)
• Write a real-world situation to represent a two-step equation (TEKS 7.10C)
• Write a two-step inequality to represent a real-world situation (TEKS 7.10A)
• Write a real-world situation to represent a two-step inequality (TEKS 7.10C)
• Model and Solve a two-step equation (TEKS 7.11A)
• Model and Solve a two-step inequality (TEKS 7.11A)
• Represent the solution to an equation or inequality on a number line (TEKS 7.10B)
• Determine if a given value makes a two-step equation or inequality true (TEKS 7.11B)

Proportionality

• Solve problems involving ratios and rates (TEKS 7.4D)
• Calculate the unit rate (TEKS 7.4B)
• Solve problems involving similar shapes and scale drawings (TEKS 7.5A, 7.5C)
• Convert between measurement units using proportions and unit rates (TEKS 7.4E)
• Solve problems involving percents (TEKS 7.4D, 7.13A)
• Solve problems involving percent increase and percent decrease (TEKS 7.4D)

Representing Linear Relationships

• Determine if tables, graphs, or equations are proportional or non-proportional (8th grade) (TEKS 8.5F, 8.5H)
• Understanding the unit rate as the slope on a proportional graph (8th grade) (TEKS 8.4B)
• Represent linear proportional situations from tables, graphs, and equations in the form of y = kx (8th grade) (TEKS 8.5A)
• Represent linear non- proportional situations from tables, graphs and equations in the form of y = mx + b (TEKS 8.5B)
• Determine the rate of change or slope from a table or graph (8th grade) (TEKS 8.4C)
• Determine the y-intercept from a table or graph (8th grade) (TEKS 8.4C)
• Write and equation (y = mx + b) from a table, graph, or verbal description (8th grade)(TEKS 8.5I)
• Understand how two points on the same line have the same slope (similar right triangles)
•  (8th grade) (TEKS 8.4A)

Pythagorean Theorem

• Understand how the Pythagorean Theorem works using models or pictures (8th grade) (TEKS 8.6C)
• Use the Pythagorean Theorem formula (a2 + b2 = c2) to determine if 3 given side lengths form a right triangle (8th grade) (TEKS 8.7C)
• Use the Pythagorean Theorem formula (a2 + b2 = c2) to solve the missing side length of a right triangle (8th grade) (TEKS 8.7C)
• Find the distance between two points on the coordinate plane using the Pythagorean Theorem formula (a2 + b2 = c2) (8th grade)(TEKS 8.7D)

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

7th grade TEKS

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

8th grade TEKS

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

What questions should I ask my child?

• What is the problem asking you to solve?
• What information is important to help you solve the problem?
• What problem-solving strategy can you use to solve the problem? (Draw a picture, make a table, write an equation, number line)
• Do you have notes that can help you solve the problem?

How can I help my child learn at home?

Problem Solving

• Is there an activity on IXL, Imagine Math, or ST Math (whichever campus uses) to help with the topic?

What should my child be working on?

Introduction to Organisms

• Compare and contrast the types (plant vs. animal) and the function of their organelles (TEKS 7.12D)
• Describe the three main points of Cell Theory. (TEKS 7.12F)

Human Body Systems

• Describe the structures and functions of: skeletal, muscular, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, excretory, integumentary, nervous, endocrine, reproductive (TEKS 7.12B)
• Recognize levels of organization in animals, including cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and organisms. (TEKS 7.12C)
• Investigate how organisms respond to external stimuli found in the environment such as fight or flight (TEKS 7.13A)
• Describe and relate responses in organisms that may result from internal stimuli such as fever and vomiting in animals that allow them to maintain balance. (TEKS 7.13B)
• Distinguish between physical and chemical changes in matter (TEKS 7.6A)
• Illustrate the transformation of energy within an organism such as the transfer of chemical energy to thermal energy. (TEKS 7.7A)
• Compare the functions of organelles to the functions of organ systems, (TEKS 7.12E)

Heredity and Genetics

• Discuss the type of offspring (diverse or uniform) that result from sexual and asexual reproduction (TEKS 7.14B)
• Define heredity as the passing of genetic information from generation to generation (TEKS 7.14A)
• Describe the significance of the organization of DNA→chromosome→gene→trait (TEKS 7.14C)

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

What questions should I ask my child?

Introduction to Organisms

• How does the cell theory relate to the structure and function of cells?
• How do the structure of cell organelles, organs, and organ systems allow their function?

Organ System Functions -

• How do the structures of the body systems allow for their function?

Heredity and Genetics

• How can probability be used to predict genetic traits?

How can I help my child learn at home?

Cell Theory

• How does the cell theory relate to the structure and function of cells?

Cells

• Ask your student to compare and contrast animal and plant cells.
• Help your student make analogies between the functions of organelles with household items.

Organ System Functions

• Review the structures and functions of the body systems.

Heredity and Genetics

• Research the inheritance pattern of a particular familial genetic trait. Discuss the relationship of family members who share that trait and how the trait was inherited.

Texas History is a study of Texas from the distant past to the present, examining the full scope of Texas history to include the cultures of Native Americans living in Texas prior to European exploration and the eras of the mission building, colonization, revolution, republic, and statehood. The focus in each era is on the key individuals, events, and their impact.  Additionally, students will learn and apply historical processing skills with secondary and primary sources in order to think critically about the world around them. These skills are embedded through a thematic and comparative inquiry of Texas History to the history of the United States.

What should my child be working on?

• Geography and the Native Americans ~ Natural Texas and its People

(TEKS 7.2A, 7.9C)

• European Exploration ~ the Age of Contact in Texas (TEKS 7.2C)
• Spanish Missions and Mexican Independence ~ Spanish Colonial (TEK 7.2F, 7.2D)
• Anglo Colonization (TEKS 7.2F)
• The Texas Revolution (TEKS 7.3B, 7.3C)
• The Republic of Texas ~ the early statehood of Texas (TEKS 7.4B, 7.14B)

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

What questions should I ask my child?

Geography and the Native Americans (Natural Texas and Its People)

• How does the physical environment affect the way Native Americans live in Texas?
• How does the geographic region in which one lives, affect the culture of the people who live there?

European Exploration (the age of contact in Texas)

• Why did the Europeans colonize Texas?
• What events/issues caused multiple claims for Texas by European nations?

Spanish Missions and Mexican Independence (Spanish Colonial)

• What lasting impact did the establishment of Catholic missions and presidios have on Texas?

Anglo Colonization

• What led Mexico to fight for independence from Spain and what were the effects on Texas?

The Texas Revolution

• Who played a major role in the Texas Revolution? Why and/or how?
• What were the issues surrounding the significant events of the Texas Revolution?
• How did the Mexican War affect Texas? How did it affect Mexico? How did it affect the United States?

The Republic of Texas (the early statehood of Texas)

• How were Lamar and Houston similar? How were they different?

How can I help my child learn at home?

Provide opportunities to watch and discuss local and state news. Use the questions in the “Questions to Ask Your Child” section when discussing the local and state news.

Digital citizenship in the middle school grades focuses on deepening student understanding of the concepts of media balance & well-being, privacy & security when online, digital footprint & identity, and relationships & communication online introduced in the primary grades.

Media Balance & Well-Being

Lessons on media balance & well-being in middle school continue to build on the foundations of healthy balance created in elementary school. Students begin to explore the motivation behind their media usage, and behind the companies who are creating the media. As they discover motivation, they are encouraged to create a plan to keep their media usage balanced and to weigh the consequences of unbalanced media balance on their health and relationships.

Privacy and Security

Middle school-aged students want more freedom to use media and technology, so it is important that they understand how to protect their privacy and security when they go online. In earlier grades, students built a foundation about what they should keep private and secure. In the middle grades, the focus shifts to why and how they should keep things private and secure. Lessons tackle big data, phishing, and how knowing more about the tools they are using will keep them safe online.TEKS: 126.15 (5) (C-D)

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

How can I help my child learn at home?

Middle school children are more likely to emulate behaviors than they are to follow the rules set out in lectures by their parents. Helping your child see how you balance media usage and monitor your own media well-being by pointing it out to him will go a long way in helping him make his own healthy choices. Another way to engage your child is to help her understand how tech companies make money. Demystifying why companies want to have users spend more time online will help children make informed media choices.

Share with your children how you can tell the difference between posts from friends, posts from “influencers”, and the posts that are advertisements. Many forms of media, such as Snapchat and Instagram, use advertisements that are hard to distinguish from other posts. Helping children spot these and know when it is okay to share information will help them make good choices.

Overview

As a parent of an English learner, there is a lot you need to know, including how your child is:

• Identified as an English learner
• Taught English and other subjects
• Tested
• Determined to be proficient in academic English

This guide will help you support your child on their journey as an English learner (EL).

How does the school know that my child is an English learner?

When you register your child in school for the first time, you are asked to fill out a home language survey that asks two specific questions: (1) What language is spoken in the child’s home most of the time? and (2) What language does the child speak most of the time? If the survey indicates that your child speaks a language other than English, he/she will then be tested at the Multilingual Department’s Welcome Center. If the assessment indicates that your child is not yet proficient in English, the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC) will make a program recommendation for your child.

How will my child learn English?

English as a Second Language program (ESL) targets English language development, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, through academic content instruction that is linguistically and culturally responsive.

What questions should I ask my child?

• What was one interesting thing you did at school today?
• What did you learn in your_____ class?
• Who did you talk to the most in your classes?
• What is your homework for today?

What can I do?

• Get a public library card for your child and borrow books in English or your child’s home language.
•  Encourage your child to read daily in English and/or his /her home language.
• Encourage your child to use a bilingual dictionary.
• Be sure to attend parent-teacher conferences scheduled by your child’s school.
• Schedule time every day for your child to do homework.

Resources

• Parent guide
• U.S. Department of Education - English Learner Tool Kit
• U.S. Department of Education - Especially for Parents
• The 50 Best ESL Resources for Kids

What should I ask my child's counselor?

In the 7th grade, your child should be completing a survey in Naviance called “Career Cluster Finder.” This is a more in-depth version of the “Career Key” survey that your child completed in the 6th grade. This survey connects students to the “Career Clusters” laid out by the state of Texas. All students and families can also access this survey and other Naviance resources at home. Reach out to your child’s professional school counselor to get access to Naviance!

What questions should I ask my child's counselor?

• When will my child be completing the “Career Cluster Finder?”
• How will you be using these results to guide my child in making decisions about their future?
• What other college and career exploration activities will my student be completing this school year?

Resources

• Naviance Student

Anger

Anger is a common thread through adolescence. As young people grow, they experience strong emotions and many will face challenges in managing them. Anger can also cause students many problems in school if not managed or understood well.

Myths About Anger

• Anger is a negative emotion. False. Anger is a healthy response and a normal emotion - what becomes unhealthy is when expressions of anger become unhealthy or extreme.
• Boys are naturally more angry than girls. False. All children experience anger and need help and guidance in managing their feelings.
• Children who have “anger issues” will always have them. False. In fact, telling a child that they have an “anger problem” makes it more likely that they will see their anger as a fixed personality trait, as opposed to something they can improve in their lives.

What is normal, and when should I be concerned?

All children will experience anger to a differing degree during adolescence. You may even experience yelling, screaming, door-slamming, etc. with your child. The occasional outburst like this is completely normal in regards to child development. If your child becomes aggressive or violent - towards themselves or others - that is the time to seek outside help. You can reach out to your professional school counselor for referrals to outside mental health services.

What questions should I ask my child?

• Where do you feel anger in your body?
• What are your triggers?
• How do you cope with being angry/what are your coping skills/what activities do you do to feel better when you’re angry?

What can I do?

• Model healthy coping skills. When you’re angry, share with your child what triggered your anger and how you coped with it
• Listen without judgment - let them know being angry is okay/normal and don’t judge whether or not it makes sense for them to be angry at whatever it is

Resources

• Anger Management Activities
• Listening Skills
• Suicide Hotline
  • English: 713-529-8336
  • Spanish: 713-526-8088

What should my child be working on?

Reading

• Read a variety of on-level texts in their entirety. (TEKS 7.5)
• Examine how authors use diction and figurative language to enhance meaning. (TEKS 7.9)
• Compare fiction and nonfiction and prove their analysis with text evidence. (TEKS 7.5)
• Analyze how authors use thesis statements, text structures, and evidence to communicate messages. (TEKS 7.9)
• Analyze how authors create characters through the conflicts he/she experiences. (TEKS 7.7B)
• Analyze how authors convey bigger messages or themes through the literary elements in his/her stories. (TEKS 7.7A)
• Correctly answer multiple choice and open-ended questions while providing text evidence. (STAAR Prep)

Writing

• Write for a variety of purposes and choose a thorough, appropriate way to prewrite. (TEKS 7.10A)
• Organize their writing in a way that allows the message to be clearly understood. (TEKS 7.10B)
• Writes expository essays about self-selected and teacher-selected topics. (TEKS 7.11)
• Uses real-life examples to show a deep understanding of the topic he/she writes about. (TEKS 7.11 )
• Revise and edit his/her own draft before publishing a new version with few, if any errors. (TEKS 7.10 C-D)
• Use a dictionary to confirm spelling and thesaurus to vary word choice. (STAAR Prep)
• Read texts with grammatical errors and answers multiple choice questions about the changes that should be made. (STAAR Prep)

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

What questions should I ask my child's teacher?

• How has he/she performed on reading assessments until this point? Writing assessments?
• What skills does he/she need to strengthen before the end of the year?
• When do you offer tutoring?
• What are some titles you recommend for at-home reading?
• What specific communication skills should he/she strengthen?
• What’s his/her preferred learning style?

How can I help my child learn at home?

Near the end of the year this semester, students will be assessed on reading and writing skills via the STAAR test.  To meet the standard, students have to be able to analyze fiction and nonfiction as well as write in response to a prompt.  Students who perform best on these types of assessments typically have lots of experiences to draw from for their writing and have exposure to a variety of texts.  To help at home, we recommend you:

• Regularly visit the public library and check out a variety of books.
• Read news articles together and use vocabulary from the article when holding discussions.
• Visit places together and reflect on your observations together.
• Read instructions and complete tasks as a family.
• Ask your child about what he/she reads and what they noticed about the author’s work.
• Connect issues from the news and tv to his/her own experiences.
• Notice errors in writing and discuss how to correct them.

What should my child be working on?

Probability

• Find the probability of a simple event and its complement (TEKS 7.6E)
• Predict and compare solutions from simple experiments (TEKS 7.6H)
• Create a sample space, list or tree diagram, for simple and compound events (TEKS 7.6A)
• Find the probability of simple and compound events using data and sample spaces(TEKS 7.6I)
• Predict solutions and determine solutions for theoretical and experimental simple and compound events (TEKS 7.6C, 7.6D)
• Use qualitative (more likely, less likely, equally likely) prediction and comparisons from simple experiments (TEKS 7.6H)

Area and Circumference

• Write and solve equations using geometric concepts, including the sum of angles in a triangle, and angle relationships (TEKS 7.11C)
• Understand how pi is related to a circle's diameter and circumference (TEKS 7.5B)
• Develop circumference of a circle formula using models and approximation (TEKS 7.8C)
• Find the circumference of a circle (TEKS 7.9B)
• Find the area of a circle (TEKS 7.9B)
• Develop area of a circle formula using models and approximation (TEKS 7.8C)
• Find the area of a composite figure containing combinations of rectangles, squares, parallelograms, trapezoids, triangles, semicircles, and quarter-circles (TEKS 7.9C)
• Find the lateral and total surface area of a rectangular and triangular prism by determining the area of the shapes net (TEKS 7.9D)
• Find the lateral and total surface area of a rectangular and triangular pyramid by determining the area of the shapes net (TEKS 7.9D)

Volume

• Understand that is pyramid is ⅓ the volume of a prism, or a prism is 3 times the volume of a pyramid (congruent bases and heights) (TEKS 7.8A, 7.8B)
• Find the volume of rectangular prisms, rectangular pyramids, triangular prisms, and triangular pyramids (TEKS 7.9A)

Data Sampling and Populations

• Solve problems from bar graphs, dot plots, and circle graphs (TEKS 7.6G)
• Compare the shape, center, and spread of two groups of data represented by either two dot plots or two box plots (TEKS 7.12A)
• Use data from a sample to make inferences about the population (TEKS 7.12B)
• Use data from a random sample to compare two make comparative inferences about the two populations (TEKS 7.12C)

Personal Financial Literacy

• Identify the components of a personal budget (income, savings for college, retirement, emergencies, taxes) and calculate the percent of each in the total budget (TEKS 7.12B)
• Create and Organize a financial assets and liabilities record and construct a net worth statement (TEKS 7.13C)
• Estimate the amount of monthly income and hourly wages needed to meet a family’s basic needs (TEKS 7.13D)
• Calculate and compare simple and compound interest (TEKS 7.13E)
• Compare sales, rebates, and coupons (TEKS 7.13F)

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

What questions should I ask my child?

• What is the problem asking you to solve?
• What information is important to help you solve the problem?
• What problem-solving strategy can you use to solve the problem? (Draw a picture, make a table, write an equation, number line)
• Do you have notes that can help you solve the problem?

How can I help my child learn at home?

Problem Solving

• Is there an activity on IXL, Imagine Math, or ST Math (whichever campus uses) to help with the topic?

What should my child be working on?

Probability

• Find the probability of a simple event and its complement (TEKS 7.6E)
• Predict and compare solutions from simple experiments (TEKS 7.6H)
• Create a sample space, list or tree diagram, for simple and compound events (TEKS 7.6A)
• Find the probability of simple and compound events using data and sample spaces(TEKS 7.6I)
• Predict solutions and determine solutions for theoretical and experimental simple and compound events (TEKS 7.6C, 7.6D)
• Use qualitative (more likely, less likely, equally likely) prediction and comparisons from simple experiments (TEKS 7.6H)

Area and Circumference

• Find the area of a composite figure containing combinations of rectangles, squares, parallelograms, trapezoids, triangles, semicircles, and quarter-circles (TEKS 7.9C)
• Find the lateral and total surface area of a rectangular and triangular prism by determining the area of the shapes net (TEKS 7.9D)
• Find the lateral and total surface area of a rectangular and triangular pyramid by determining the area of the shapes net (TEKS 7.9D)
• Find the lateral and total surface area of rectangular prisms, triangular prisms, and cylinders  (8th grade) (TEKS 8.7B)

Volume

• Understand that is pyramid is ⅓ the volume of a prism, or a prism is 3 times the volume of a pyramid (congruent bases and heights) (TEKS 7.8A, 7.8B)
• Understand that a cone is ⅓ the volume of a cylinder, or a cylinder is 3 times the volume of a cone (congruent bases and heights) (8th grade) (TEKS 8.6B)
• Find the volume of rectangular prisms, rectangular pyramids, triangular prisms, and triangular pyramids (TEKS 7.9A)
• Describe the volume formula V = Bh for a cylinder understanding that (B) represents the area of the base and (h) represents the height of the figure (8th grade) (TEKS 8.6A)
• Find the volume of cylinders, cones, and spheres (8th grade) (8.7A)

Data Sampling and Populations

• Solve problems from bar graphs, dot plots, and circle graphs (TEKS 7.6G)
• Compare the shape, center, and spread of two groups of data represented by either two dot plots or two box plots (TEKS 7.12A)
• Use data from a sample to make inferences about the population (TEKS 7.12B)
• Use data from a random sample to compare two make comparative inferences about the two populations (TEKS 7.12C)

Personal Financial Literacy

• Identify the components of a personal budget (income, savings for college, retirement, emergencies, taxes) and calculate the percent of each in the total budget (TEKS 7.12B)
• Create and Organize a financial assets and liabilities record and construct a net worth statement (TEKS 7.13C)
• Estimate the amount of monthly income and hourly wages needed to meet a family’s basic needs (TEKS 7.13D)
• Calculate and compare simple and compound interest (7th and 8th grade) (TEKS 7.13E, 8.12D)
• Compare sales, rebates, and coupons (TEKS 7.13F)
• Compare how interest rates and loan lengths affect the cost of credit (8th grade) (TEKS 8.12A)
• Calculate the total cost of repaying a loan (8th grade) (TEKS 8.12B)
• Understand how small amounts of money invested regularly grow over time (8th grade) (8.12C)
• Identify and explain the advantages and disadvantages of different payment methods (8th grade) (8.12E)
• Determine if situations represent financially responsible decisions (8th grade) (TEKS 8.12F)
• Estimate the cost of a two year and four-year college education (8th grade) (8.12G)

Transformational Geometry

• Understand the ratio of corresponding sides in similar shapes are proportional (8th grade)(TEKS 8.3A)
• Compare and contrast the attributes of a shape and its dilation on a coordinate plane (8th grade) (TEKS 8.3B)
• Use an algebraic rule to represent dilation of a figure on a coordinate plane (8th grade) (TEKS 8.3C)
• Understand the properties of orientation and congruence of transformations (8th grade)(TEKS 8.10A)
• Understand that reflection, rotation, and translation preserve congruence and dilation does not (8th grade) (TEKS 8.10B)
• Use an algebraic rule to represent translation of a figure on a coordinate plane (8th grade) (TEKS 8.10C)
• Use an algebraic rule to represent reflection of a figure on a coordinate plane (8th grade) (TEKS 8.10C)
• Use an algebraic rule to represent rotation of a figure on a coordinate plane (8th grade) (TEKS 8.10C)

Equations

• Write one-variable equations (with variables on both sides) to represent a real-world situation (TEKS 8.8A)
• Write a real-world situation to represent  a one-variable equation (with variables on both sides) (TEKS 8.8B)
• Model and Solve a one-variable equation (with variables on both sides) (TEKS 8.8C)

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

7th grade TEKS

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

8th grade TEKS

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

What questions should I ask my child?

• What is the problem asking you to solve?
• What information is important to help you solve the problem?
• What problem-solving strategy can you use to solve the problem? (Draw a picture, make a table, write an equation, number line)
• Do you have notes that can help you solve the problem?

How can I help my child learn at home?

Problem Solving

• Is there an activity on IXL, Imagine Math, or ST Math (whichever campus uses) to help with the topic?

What should my child be working on?

Adaptations

• Describe examples of changes in genetic traits that have occurred over several generations through natural selection and selective breeding, for example: Galapagos Medium Ground Finch, domestic animals, and hybrid plants. (TEKS 7.11C)
• Describe examples of features and behaviors within a population or species that enhance their survival, like: external features, behaviors (migration, hibernation), and  physiology of organisms (storage of food in a bulb) (TEKS 7.11B)
• Investigate and explain how internal structures of organisms have adaptations that allow specific functions such as gills in fish, hollow bones in birds, or xylem in plants. (TEKS 7.12A)
• Describe structures of organisms and use a dichotomous key for identification. (TEKS 7.11A)
• Describe examples of how plants respond (like phototropism) to external stimuli found in the environment. (TEKS 7.13A)
• Describe and relate responses in organisms that may result from internal stimuli such as wilting in plants. (TEKS 7.13B)
• Demonstrate and diagram examples of forces that affect motion in organisms, like: the emergence of seedlings, turgor pressure, and geotropism (TEKS 7.7B)

Energy in Ecosystems

• Describe how energy is transferred in the process of photosynthesis. (TEKS 7.5A)
• Diagram the flow of energy through living systems, including: food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids. (TEKS 7.5B)
• Describe how biodiversity contributes to the sustainability of an ecosystem. (TEKS 7.10B)
• Describe how different environments (like microhabitats in schoolyard biomes) support different varieties of organisms. (TEKS 7.10A)

Environmental Change

• Describe the role of ecological succession (like in a microhabitat of a garden with weeds). (TEKS 7.10C)
• Predict and describe how catastrophic events like floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes impact ecosystems. (TEKS 7.8A)
• Create and describe a model that demonstrates the effects of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed. (TEKS 7.8C)
• Describe the effects of weathering, erosion, and deposition on environments in ecoregions of Texas. (TEKS 7.8B)

Space

• Describe characteristics of objects in our solar system that allow life to exist, like the proximity of the Sun, the presence of water, and the composition of the atmosphere (TEKS 7.9A)
• Identify accommodations that enabled manned space exploration. (TEKS 7.9B)

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

What questions should I ask my child?

Adaptations

• How do internal and external structures enhance the survival of a species?
• How have the processes of natural selection and selective breeding changed food crops and domestic animals?
• How can we identify organisms using a dichotomous key?
• How can turgor pressure be used to illustrate and demonstrate the effect of force and motion in a plant?

Energy in Ecosystems

• How do plants use photosynthesis in order to meet their energy needs?
• Why does the amount of energy available in a trophic level decrease at each additional trophic level?
• How does biodiversity within and between trophic levels in a habitat affect the sustainability of an ecosystem?
• Why do biomes support specific varieties of organisms and not others (for example: rain forests versus deserts)?

Environmental Changes

• How have the processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition affected the Texas ecoregions?
• How does the concept of ecological succession explain changes in an ecosystem?
• How can natural events such as floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes impact ecosystems?
• How do human activities impact watersheds?

Space

• How does the distance from the Sun affect the conditions necessary for life?
• How does the microgravity environment in space affect astronauts’ bodies?

How can I help my child learn at home?

Adaptations

• Pick a few biomes to explore with your child. Discuss the different adaptations present that enable organisms to survive in that environment.

Energy in Ecosystems

• Research or visit the Houston Arboretum to learn about the various animal relationships native to Texas. Work with your student to build a food chain and web that includes the percent of energy available at each trophic level.

Environmental Change

• Discuss how catastrophic events like flooding and/or hurricanes impacted Houston. Which impacts were/are short-term? Which impacts are long-term?

Space

• Read this article on the “Goldilocks Zone” and discuss why scientists have nicknamed it that.

Texas History is a study of Texas from the early times to the present, examining the full scope of Texas history to include the cultures of Native Americans living in Texas prior to European exploration and the eras of the mission building, colonization, revolution, republic, and statehood. The focus in each era is on the key individuals, events, and their impact.  Additionally, students will learn and apply historical processing skills with secondary and primary sources in order to think critically about the world around them. These skills are embedded through a thematic and comparative inquiry of Texas History to the history of the United States.

What should my child be working on?

• Government - State and Local (TEKS 7.14B)
• The Republic of Texas (the early statehood of Texas) (TEKS 7.4C)
• Civil War and Texas (TEKS 7.5A)
• Reconstruction and Texas (TEKS 7.5B)
• Growth, Cattle and the Railroad (TEKS 7.6D)
• The 20th Century Texas - the Age of Oil (TEKS 7.7A)
• Contemporary Texas (TEKS 7.7F)

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

What questions should I ask my child?

Government - State and Local

• How has the idea of democracy shaped the function and structure of government in Texas and the United States?

The Republic of Texas (the early statehood of Texas)

• How has Texas been impacted socially, economically, and politically in the 20th century?
• How can Texas be considered a whole other country?

Civil War and Texas

• What impact did Texas and Texans have on the outcome of the Civil War? Why?

Reconstruction and Texas

• How did the attempts of the US government to work peacefully with the Native Americans turn out?

Growth, Cattle, and the Railroad

• What were the roles of different ethnicities and their contributions to the ranching industry?
• Why was cotton important in Texas’ economy?

The 20th Century Texas - the Age of Oil

• How did the discovery of Oil, two world wars, the Great Depression, and the civil rights movement contribute to the political, social, and economic climate of Texas?

Contemporary Texas

• How has Texas been impacted socially, economically, and politically in the 20th and 21st centuries?

How can I help my child learn at home?

Provide opportunities to watch and discuss local and state news. Use the questions in the “Questions to Ask Your Child” section when discussing the local and state news.

Digital Footprint & Identity

Now that students understand the concept of a digital footprint, lessons begin to ask them to reflect on what their digital footprint says about them. Students explore the benefits and drawbacks to presenting themselves in different ways online and what their digital footprint says about them. Students also look at ways social media affects their digital footprints.

Relationships & Communication

Lessons in the relationships and communication strand in middle school focus on navigating social media and other online communication that is new to middle school students. Building on the concepts introduced in elementary school, students explore how relationships online and offline are similar and different, and how to stay kind when online.

What are the state standards for what my child should know and be able to do in this subject and grade level?

TEKS: 126.15 (5) (D)

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

How can I help my child learn at home?

As you begin to allow your child to use social media, create a list of family guidelines for usage. What is okay to post? What is okay to comment? Will there be limits for usage or other guidelines, like always tagging mom or dad? A social media contract (like this one from iMom, http://www.imom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/imom-social-media-contract.pdf) helps set clear guidelines for your middle school student.

Our middle school students love to be connected to one another, but they don’t always understand the implications of their online relationships. Discuss with your child how you choose to respond to posts and shares online, for instance, do you take comment only for fun, or take part in deeper discussions, like those around politics. This will help your student learn how to communicate online.

How will my child learn English?

Every year, your child will take an assessment called the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) to assess his/her English proficiency level in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. When your child meets the criteria for reclassification, he/she will be reclassified and will not need to take the TELPAS any more.  However, the school will continue to monitor your child’s progress to make sure he/she is successful at school.

What questions should I ask my child?

• What did you learn in your_____ class?
• What book are you reading at school?
• Did you ask for help when you didn’t understand?
• What is your homework for today?

What can I do?

• TELPAS Parent Tips (English)
• TELPAS Parent Tips (Spanish)

Resources

• Colorín Colorado (bilingual website)
• Parent guide
• English as a Second Language (ESL) program

This semester, your child will be selecting their classes for next year. Professional school counselors will meet with your child individually or in a group to help them through this process. Every campus has different classes available and different selection criteria for the classes. Most campuses also have courses that provide both middle school and high school credit, which can be a great option to explore!

What questions should I ask my child's counselor?

• What elective classes are available to my child?
• What classes offer high school credit?
• What advanced classes (pre-AP, etc.) are available and what are the criteria for my child to participate?

Resources:

• High School Course Catalog

Conflict Resolution

Learning how to resolve conflicts is a key social-emotional skill for children to develop in early adolescence. It can be challenging for students to resolve conflict in a healthy way if they are still working on emotional regulation - this is a key first step!

Styles of Conflict

Everyone approaches conflict differently, which is why it can be so challenging at times to resolve problems! There are five main categories of conflict management:

• Accommodator - you worry about harmony and making all sides of the conflict happy and comfortable, but often do not get what you want.
• Avoider - you remove yourself from conflicts to avoid escalation, but you keep your own personal feelings and needs inside.
• Computer - you are persuasive and can speak up for yourself and your wants/needs, but can hurt feelings or relationships with your directness.
• Compromiser - your goal in conflict is for everyone to get at least a little bit of what they want, but sometimes this doesn’t really solve the root of the conflict.
• Problem-Solver - you like to collaborate and get all of the information and opinions of each side before making any decisions, but sometimes this is a long process and can get frustrating for other people.

Understanding your personal conflict style and the style of your child can help resolve family conflicts, and help your child understand how to better approach conflict resolution with friends and other adults.

What questions should I ask my child?

• When you disagree with someone, is it easy or hard for you to confront them?
• How do you feel when you are in an argument with someone? Do you feel comfortable or uncomfortable?
• Who are people that you get into the most conflict with at school / at home?

What can I do?

• Model good conflict resolution skills
• Listen without judgment when your child talks about a conflict - with friends or with an adult.
• Take a “Styles of Conflict” Quiz together and discuss your results.

Resources

• Style of conflict quiz
• Suicide hotlines
  • English: 713-529-8336
  • Spanish: 713-526-8088