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Upper El students were very busy this week wrapping up project work. Students were measuring wind speed, building hurricanes, sculpting worms, wiring quiz boards, and revising written reports. Fourths and fifths also completed experiments to learn about the Bernoulli effect (fast moving air has lower pressure). The sixths read over Supreme Court decisions to determine which amendment in the Bill of Rights each decision was addressing. The sixths also began their final ecology work, an examination of the changes in the North American landscape caused by early European settlers. This work ties together the students' study of early American history and ecology.

Measuring wind speed    

 Ben, Ernie, and Alex preparing a timeline of early modern human cultures

As part of the early human study, fourth and fifth year students were very engaged in a discussion of the possible evolutionary advantages of having spiritual beliefs. Students came up with a variety of possible ways spiritual beliefs may have helped early humans gain an evolutionary edge:

·    shared beliefs might reduce violence within a group or between groups

·    shared beliefs make cooperation easier

·    believing in a power(s) greater than oneself may help a person or a group not          give up on a hard task

·    shared beliefs builds community and helps a community survive because people        will care for the sick, be less selfish, and try to do the right thing

To learn more about our discussion, ask your fourth or fifth grader about the invisible magic princess and a person's willingness to cheat. 

On Thursday morning, just before lunch, two sixth years asked to speak with me about something. They were concerned about their group's behavior in music class last week and didn't want this week to be a repeat performance (no pun intended). I asked them to speak to their group and they agreed. Very respectfully they expressed their concerns to their peers. The rest of the group listened, a few students shared their perspectives, and a few students took responsibility for their own behavior. When I asked Jay after school how his music class went he said it was fantastic. This is the beauty of a multi-age classroom.

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There is a very real hustle bustle in the middle school these waning days of the semester as projects, presentations, specific outlines, research papers and poems are being completed. For some this is a more hair-raising experience than for others as what might have felt like endless weeks of the term all of a sudden come to an abrupt halt. It is as if formerly full plates are being cleaned in preparation for a new table setting where students are invited to dine - or as the song says - the new "welcome table" of next term.

But just to mix things up a bit, Finn introduced a brand new project in the art room this week - mask making. This is the perfect bridge to take us into our new term. Students have been exploring their family roots in this country through our study of immigration and the project, "Where Do I Come From?" This project is a mixture of research, imagination, and creativity that culminates with diary excerpts and an interpretive project. This is a study of self as much as a look at the past. In January, we are setting our sights on an intensive look at the role of race in the complex tapestry of our lives through a study of the Civil Rights Movement and a exciting new study that Nora is creating titled: "Are All Humans Created Equal? The Science of Race". As we ponder identity, students will be building masks that are sculpted from their own faces and in the month of January, our colleague and dear friend, Jessica Turner, will be looking at identity through her health classes. We will be sending a letter from Jessica and a curriculum overview for the study in the very near future.

Today marks our final Elderly Companion visit for the eighth graders. A number of the students have begun to forge meaningful relationships with their companion. Just because we will no longer be visiting every Friday does not mean that students cannot continue to visit at other times. Please do not hesitate to drop by either Holton Home or Pine Heights - the visit will always be appreciated. As a way to reflect on their experience, the eighth graders wrote a poem. Some chose to write about their companion, others about their impressions of living in a nursing facility, and others about growing old. The poems are often raw and insightful:

                        "We spoke for an hour

                        in sixty minutes I heard a life

                        retold in its final weeks

                        laced with bittersweet finality"

                                                                        ~Ira Richardson

                        "The Fridays come quick

                        When I go and see

                        A companion who's seen many years

                        Building puzzles and watching TV

                        Very aware of the date and time

                        The dog that is dead stares back at me

                        From his everlasting frame."

                                                                        ~Terran Williams

Speaking of poetry, we look forward to seeing all of you at the poetry event of the year, our very own Poetry Café next Tuesday, December 18 at 7:00 pm.

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