Students in 7th and 8th grade participated in a long distance learning science class where they were challenged to create a heat shield for the MELDI sensor. The launch window for the Mars 2020 mission opens July 17 and closes Aug. 5, when Earth and Mars are in the proper positions in the solar system Read More >>
Elephant in the Garden Book Club
Our 7thand 8thgrade students have spent the last several weeks reading a fantastic book, “An Elephant in the Garden by the acclaimed author Michael Morpurgo. Students have read through the eyes of Lizzie, a teenage girl living in Dresden, Germany during the second world war. Through Lizzie’s eyes students read about the horrific bombing of Read More >>
Brain Development
On the first day, I shared how the brain physically develops. I showed a great PBS video called The Developing Child. I showed the kids the different areas of the brain and talked about what “jobs” they have, such as sight, hearing etc.. I had the kids do a quiz with me from PBS (attached) Read More >>
Persuasive Essay
Our four oldest students participated in a four-session writing short course on persuasive essays. The students read and listened to examples of persuasive writing. They learned how writing is only persuasive when there is an audience the author seeks to move. They learned how research, reasoning and anecdotes could be used in crafting strong supporting Read More >>
The Art of Density & Viscosity
This fall students in seventh & eighth grade participated in a science class that explored density and viscosity. Our class started with viewing a short video on density with water, oil and syrup. Students were then asked to come up with ten questions they had and then narrowed them down to the best three. Students shared their Read More >>
Poetry Poetry Poetry
The oldest students were part of a poetry unit this fall where they had to study the work of three different poets. Many chose lyricists. They were asked to select three poems for each poet or lyricist to study. Next they had to write an analysis on this body of work. We asked students to Read More >>
History and Lincoln
Students in the upper grades this fall started a unit on the Civil War. Before we delved into this history topic they were asked three questions to respond to individually and then discuss as a group. They were asked: What is history? Who Cares? Why study it? Some of their responses were: Events leading Read More >>
Pick A Poet
The eldest students were given an assignment that involved self-selecting three poets. After browsing through collections of poetry by Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll and more, they had to pick one poem from their selected anthology. After copying one poem from the collection, they had to illustrate Read More >>