Fourth Grade: Research Begins On Ancient Egypt
This week our fourth grade researchers began taking notes for a report about an ancient Egyptian topic of choice. Topics include everything from famous pharaohs to food and farming to magic and medicine. Students found resources from the library catalog, formulated research questions, and have been reading about their topics. In the coming weeks, they will write about what they have learned and present their findings at our Ancient Egyptian Symposium.
– Lana Holman, grade 4 teacher
Seventh Grade Math Tackles Real-World Applications
Seventh grade students recently completed their third math unit of study for the school year. Titled “Comparing and Scaling,” this textbook covered topics such as fractions, ratios, proportions, and percents. The students learned to apply each of these mathematical tools to answer questions and solve problems ranging from unit costs for groceries at a store, to how much to tip based on a restaurant bill, to what ratio of paint mixtures will result in a desired color outcome. Their exam for unit 3 focused exclusively on these real-world applications of math, and as such, brought to life math as applicable to and necessary in the real-world.
The fourth unit of math study is on “Filling and Wrapping.” This textbook focuses on surface area and volume of a variety of three-dimensional objects, including cylinders, cones, spheres, and rectangular and polygonal prisms. While our math studies will focus solely on the first three dimensions, a tangential question about dimensions during class on Tuesday led to a remarkable impromptu exploration of the existence of a total of 10 dimensions in our universe (according to string-theory theoretical physicists). The discussion fascinated students and left them wanting to learn more. Once again, we proved that math is never dull but a vehicle that can open the mind to the entire universe, or in the case of 10 dimensions an infinite number of multiverses. If this leaves you curious to learn more, ask a seventh grader!
– Stephen Bennhoff, middle school math teacher
Video Highlights: This Week In Physical Education
This week in physical education, our students, from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade worked on a wide variety of activities to increase fitness and sharpen skills including kicking, striking, throwing, jumping, dribbling, shooting, and much more! Starting this week, we’ll provide video highlights so you can see each grade in action. Click here to watch! And make sure to ask your student(s) about what they’re learning in PE!
– Abbey Nyland, physical education teacher
