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6th Grade ELA – Wonder & Kindness
In 6th grade, students read Wonder, a story about Auggie, a boy with a cranio-facial condition. The book follows Auggie as he attends his first year of school after previously being home schooled. He experiences the trials and triumphs of most kids going to a new school, and also unique challenges based on his appearance.
During last week’s ET, students considered “How can we incorporate kindness into our school and our lives every day?” They watched the movie Wonder in the auditorium. Afterward, students discussed the similarities and differences between the book and the movie. In the afternoon, 6th graders participated in a “sprinkle kindness” initiative and created their own Wonder self-portrait.
7th Grade – Sugar Expedition Kickoff
Our 7th graders kicked off their interdisciplinary Sugar Expedition: The Truth Behind the Wrapper. This rich expedition will delve into the history of sugar through triangle trade, the science of how sugar affects the body, and the math of nutritional labels.
On Thursday, students started the day by performing different exercises (squats, jumping jacks, and push-ups). Then they learned about calories, and how many calories different foods have. Based on that information, they converted their total exercises performed into “candy bucks” to spend at the candy shop. In the afternoon, students watched Fed Up, a documentary designed to change the way people think about eating. Finally, students looked at nutritional labels on different beverages to check their expectations about how much sugar is in different popular drinks.
8th Grade ELA – Elements of Horror Stories
In 8th grade ELA, students have been reading classic horror short stories: Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart and Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter. Through it, they studied the elements of horror. This culminated in Thursday’s fieldwork, where groups of students wrote, performed, and recorded a creative piece based on the stories they read. Students designed their own props, used fake accents, and included other little touches to make amazing performances. For students who are editing their work, final judging will take place later this week!
