Lavelle's classes have begun studying literature associated with the Holocaust. Their introduction included a rumination on Martin Niemoller's famous words, "First they came . . .", followed by an article from The New Yorker about the creation of a real Holocaust survivor's "digital doppleganger," in which Eva Schloss meets an artificial version of herself, one that will be available for interaction with students for generations to come. Schloss’s desire to preserve the first-person account of the Holocaust experience is similar to the ideas presented in Elie Wiesel’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Keep Memory Alive. Students are annotating the speech for rhetorical techniques as a way to review for their upcoming FSA Writing Exam, while also evaluating the effectiveness of Wiesel’s powerful language. In the next few days, they will watch a video of Wiesel delivering the speech in 1986 and will compare the written text with the spoken word.
Mrs. Guuzman: My students learned about the Spanish tradition of "La Tomatina". We even had our own "Tomatina festival" in the classroom. It was a lot of fun. 6th and 7th grade Language and Literature students have been reviewing how to create effective organizational patterns in their writing by developing thesis statements, topic sentences, and strong introductions and conclusions. Also, we have started Unit 4 which focuses on drama and how visual/audio elements influenced by stage directions help the reader/audience understand the point of view. Advanced 7th grade math students are studying geometry and working on learning their formula chart. We have learned how to tell if 3 line segments will create a triangle, how to tell if parameters will give you an unique triangle and learned how to work with the circle formulas for circumference and area. Students will be learning how to construct triangles using rulers, compasses and protractors. PreAlgebra students have been completing their study of scatter plots, lines of best fit and relative frequencies. We are beginning our study of the Laws of Exponents and Scientific Notation. Sixth Grade U.S. History classes are learning about Westward Expansion. We are packing our wagons this week to head west on the Oregon Trail. Students will work together to decide what exactly they will pack. They will need to consider size and weight of these items and the necessity of them. It's a long trip, so students will determine what is worth bringing, packing, and carrying and what they can do without. Geometry students are working on their polygon creation project. Students are demonstrating their understanding of the properties of polygons through art, song, prose or other methods of their choosing. Algebra students are beginning their study of exponential functions and how they model situations in the world. We will be solving problems involving radioactive decay, population growth/decline, compound interest and appreciation or depreciation of value. Ms. Whitehurst’s 7th graders are reading the teleplay famously featured on The Twilight Zone, “Monsters are Due on Maple Street” by Rod Serling. Students are acting out their roles and examining how the narration and notes concerning camera angles impact literary elements such as setting, tone, and mood. Later in the week, students will be able to view the episode from The Twilight Zone and make direct connections and comparisons between the two mediums. Excerpt from the text: “Words which carried with them a strange kind of validity that came without logic but nonetheless registered and had meaning and effect.” My hope is that the teleplay script will register, carry meaning, and effect our students by thinking critically and understanding the dangers of mob mentality/groupthink, as well as the rewards of embracing individuality. Ms. Whitehurst’s 8th graders are preparing to enter into an examination of Holocaust literature including works by Elie Wiesel and an interview with Eva Schloss. In an effort to activate prior knowledge, students recently participated in a “Vote with your feet” activity in which they chose to agree or disagree with statements containing an ethical dilemma or moral gray area. An example includes, “I would help someone in trouble, no matter the danger.” Several students were divided on this topic, and it came down to the severity of “danger”. We then discussed how several people risked their lives and reputation in order to protect Jewish people during the Holocaust. Themes from this activity will appear in later studies of Holocaust literature. Quote from Elie Wiesel: “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” 8th grade science classes are taking their practice State Science Assessment this week. They have been working hard and tell me that they thought it was 'super easy’. The assessment is in early May and we will be working to fill in any learning gaps throughout the month of April. 6th grade advanced math is designing boats, finding the surface area, and making a map of an adventure they take on their boat using coordinate planes and ordered pairs. If they finish in time, we'll be racing our boats on Thursday! Rutledge: In order to examine and identify the causes of westward expansion and settlement in the first half of the 19th century, students "Go West" by planning, documenting, and presenting their experiences on the trails together, with their group (traveling company). Mrs. Bland's 6th grade Global Tech students just finished their unit on Upcycling,, complete with an upcycled product, logo, and a website to merchandise it! The students are creating self-propelled gutter boats this week to race on Thursday! The continue working on their TSA projects. Environmental Symposium students are giving presentations this week on causes they feel strongly about. The students are spreading awareness about a variety of topics close to their hearts. Gifted elective students are learning valuable lessons on Finance(8th grade), Flight (7th grade), and Modern History (6th grade). We also have three teams gearing up for the State Odyssey of the Mind tournament, the week following Spring Break! In Creative Writing: 6th graders have recently completed their "Fake News" stories where they took a common nursery rhyme or fairy tale and turned it into a news report complete with byline and tip number. They will next watch the classic play, "Driving Miss Daisy," and apply our IB/MYP Learner Profile traits to the three characters. 7th graders just learned about the four different personality types (sanguine, choleric, melancholy, and phlegmatic) and wrote a story or scene that included four characters who each displayed a different type/trait based on their actions/dialogue. Next up is a 50-100 "Ghost Ship" story using perspective. 8th graders finished a Scene Spur entitled "For Sale" where they wrote either a monologue, script, or story based on a provided picture. Now, they are writing a legacy regarding how they would like to be remembered by family, friends, the community, and strangers. Seventh Grade Civics students have been conquering our standards-early America, US Constitution, Branches of Government, Amendments, Supreme Court cases and more! Much work has been done to prepare for the Quarter 3 Exam! The hard work is paying off! Keep working hard and visiting the practice sites. Let's Finish STRONG! Comments are closed.
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