THE DEANS' DEN

Lower School Science

Students in Lower School Science have been doing some exciting, hands-on experiments in Engineering and Earth Science. Students have been creating simple machines to solve problems, building bridges that withstand the forces of nature, designing weatherproof hats and brainstorming theoretical inventions for Earth’s future They’ve also been learning about cloud formation and severe weather, global climate zones, and natural disasters In the unit about geological features, students just completed learning all about volcanoes - from their creation and structures through finding ways to predict volcanic activity, and then proudly completing wonderful group projects on historical volcanic eruptions.

Band 3 (5th & 6th Grades)

This month in 5th grade Math class, students are strengthening their decimals operations with a foreign currency conversion project. The students create a business that their customers will shop at and come up with a list of items for sale for that business The students are currently in the planning phase, and will also develop and solve real-life word problems involving foreign exchangerates In6thgrade,theyarecontinuingtheirPreAlgebraunitwithratios/ratesandproportionalrelationships (eg solvingproportions)

Inhumanitiesthestudentsgotachancetoseethingsfrom the point of view of both loyalists and patriots on the road to the Revolutionary War They did this by participating in re-enactments from this time, studying first and secondary accounts We then studied the battles that took place and discovered that there were many battles won by the patriots solely on the basis of strategy When the colonies cameoutontopwithhelpfromtheFrench,theyneededto form the government they wanted to see for their people. Thestudentsstudiedtheformationofthatgovernment.

Band 3 cont.

In 6th grade humanities, Trimester 3 is dedicated to all things Greek Students quickly dove into their Literature Study of Greek Myths, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Adventures of Ulysses Their study culminated in a visit to Theatricum Botanicum where Wesley students joined students of neighboring schools to learn various Shakspearean stage craft such as sword fighting and dance and watched a live performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In addition to their literature study, students researched various Greek mathematicians, created posters and practiced Socratic syllogisms. To round out the trimester, students prepare for the Greek Festival through performance memorization, creation of mythology masks, Greek pottery design and chiton costume design The festival on June 6th where the students performed, showcased art, and battled rival city states was a huge success

In 5th grade science, students potted the Tomatosphere plants and are tending the tiny seedlings to see how they grow We are awaiting official results from Tomatosphere HQ to learn which group of tomato seed packets went to space and which have never left the planet. Students were introduced to microscopes and their parts, and students enjoyed using the microscopes to view biological specimens. Students gained a new understanding about how scientists determine whether something is living or not, based on a specific set of criteria through labs and reading comprehension activities.

In 6th grade, science students continue to learn about plate tectonics, earthquakes, and all things earth science Students collected and analyzed data for several large mountains around the world to determine whether mountain growth and movement is correlated with or caused by earthquake activity Students conducted a rock investigation lab to learn about some of the rock types found within and below mountains, and they launched a Web Quest to learn more about Earth's Layers.

Band 4 (7th & 8th Grades)

From March 15 through March 23, Mr Campy, Mrs Drasin, Ms O’Callaghan, Mrs Rodriguez and Mr Eleftheriades thoroughly enjoyed an international adventure with the 8th grade students, traveling "across thepond"foreightdaysinandaroundLondon Theirbusy itineraryincludedvisitstoSt Paul'sCathedral,TheBritish Museum, and the Globe Theatre, excursions to Oxford, Stratford, Bath, and Salisbury, and three theater performances, including taking in a show at The Globe. Not only did the students have a fantastic time, the chaperones were impressed by their collective interest, theirstamina,andtheirspiritofadventure.

Inmath,the7thand8thgradershavedoneagreatjobso far,andMr.Baharvandisverypleasedwiththeirprogress. In particular, the 8th grade South is mathematically very talented,andtheyhavelearnedthebeginningelementsof concepts that they will soon learn in high school They really loved the idea of learning these new concepts, and thelevelofenthusiasmandparticipationwasexcellent

ToculminatethreeyearsinSeñoraSilver’sSpanishclass, 8th graders wrote, illustrated, and narrated their own children’s books in collaboration with Mr. Kaitz’s technology classes. During finals week, 8th graders partnered up with Kinder and 1st grade students to share theirstories.

As the year came to a close in history, the 7th graders focusedontheFarEast,namelyChinaandJapan,during the Middle Ages. From paper money and gunpowder to Zen gardens and samurai, they discovered the marvelous aspects and achievements of these amazing cultures All along they chronicled how each culture adds to and exchanges with others (cultural diffusion!), eventually creatingtheamazingworldthatwehavetoday

For the 8th grade, all year in history the focus was on the development, trials, and tribulations of our home, the USA. In the culminating weeks of the school year, students traveled west in the California Gold Rush (some didn’t make it, a few struck it rich) and looked into the events that led to the greatest tragedy in our country’s history: the Civil War. With the great cultural and political divide that developed primarily over the issue of slavery during the 1800s, the country finally came apart with the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 In learning this we drew parallels into our own society and explored ways of healing the divides of today

In English, the 7th graders completed their year with Shakespeare's most recognized tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. They started with a discussion as to why Romeo and Juliet is still the most commonly taught text in classrooms around the country and why we subject our students to the archaic language of Shakespeare. Is it only because we were subjected to it when we were in school? The goal was to make the student experience less awful than the experiences that many adults had with Shakespeare in middle school by making the play interesting and fun Students had Shakespearean rap battles, wrote lovely sonnets, and brought the play to life in our classroom Throughout the unit, they examined who they are and what makes them that way, what role our family plays in our development, and the extent to which Shakespeare’s plays interrogate or critique the value of romantic love as a social construct The classes ended with an expository paper and watched a modernized version of the play.