Hello! My name is Mrs. Dagum, and I am excited to be teaching middle school science, math, and religion this school year. I have been teaching since 1999 and hold a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development from California State University, Northridge, as well as a Master’s degree in Teaching (Elementary Education) from Western Governors University. This year will be filled with engaging lessons, hands-on activities, and meaningful learning experiences. I chose to teach at St. Frances Cabrini because of its strong commitment to academic excellence, Catholic values, and fostering a supportive, safe environment where students can grow and thrive.
My passion is science and math (STEM), and I have extensive real-world experience in these fields. I am excited to teach your students critical thinking skills and make each student feel as if they have a place to grow and learn. I want to encourage curiosity in my classroom, invite students to ask why, and emphasize how problem-solving can be fun!
I am looking forward to the 2024-25 school year—it will be fantastic. Knights Unite!
Religion:
• Primary Resources: Alive in Christ, God’s Plan in Scripture, and Catholic Youth Bible
• Texts:
• Faith First: Jesus in the New Testament
• Faith First: Church and Sacraments
• Catholic Youth Bible
• Areas of Study:
• Six Tasks of Catechesis
• Prayer and Worship
• Education in Virtue
• Scripture and Tradition
• Service Projects
• Liturgical Participation
Literature and Vocab:
• Primary Resources: Prentice-Hall Literature short stories & plays; Novel-study: A Long Walk to Water, Call of the Wild, “Romeo and Juliet”; various nonfiction stories & articles • Units of Study: Fiction, Nonfiction, short story, plays.
Language Arts (Writing and Grammar):
• Primary Resources: Write Source
• Units of Study (Writing): Descriptive, Narrative (Memoir), Research, Argument, How-to, Speeches
• Units of Study (Grammar): Figures of Speech, Sentences, Punctuation, Parts of Speech
Math:
• Primary Resources:
• 5th: Text - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Math Expressions Grade 5 (Common Core)
• 5th/6th Compressed: Text – Big Ideas Learning, Big Ideas Math Green (Common Core)
• 6th/7th Compressed: Text – Big Ideas Learning, Big Ideas Math Advanced 1 (Common Core)
• Prealgebra: Text – Big Ideas Learning, Big Ideas Math Advanced 2 (Common Core)
• Algebra: Text – Holt McDougal, Algebra 1 (Common Core)
• Geometry: Text – Holt McDougal, Geometry (Common Core)
• Secondary Resources:
• IXL Online – Math teachers correlate the use of IXL to their specific curriculum.
Social Studies:
• Texts:
• Prentice Hall: Medieval Times to Today
• Gibbs and Smith: The Washington Journey
• Areas of Study:
• World History from the Fall of Rome through the Renaissance
• Washington State History
• Current events
• Research Projects
• Learning Fair
Science:
• Primary Resource: Text – Prentice Hall: Science Explorer
• Area of Study:
• Earth Science:
• The theory of plate tectonics
• The causes and effects of earthquakes and volcanoes
• Life Science:
• Identify organisms based on existing classification systems
• Bacteria
• Protists
• Fungi
• Plants
• Animals
Assessment:
A progress report and report card are issued three times during the year at the middle and end of each quarter respectively to inform parents of their child’s progress. In addition, weekly grades are available on SchoolSpeak Parents Portal.
Technology:
Our seventh graders are 1:1 with technology and each student has their own Google Chromebook. Throughout each school week, they use it to conduct research, practice note-taking skills, and create presentations that allow them to combine their writing and oral presentation skills with a creative technology component. We reinforce digital citizenship through student collaboration on projects, and they use Google Classroom to allow for effective communication on mini-projects and class assignments.
Enrichment: Students attend weekly enrichment classes for library, music, PE, and Art.
