Grade Level
Middle
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6th Graders Build SeaPerch Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles
Amid a flurry of excitement and activity, the sixth graders built SeaPerch underwater remotely operated vehicles in science class this fall. They then put their work to the test by attempting to successfully run their vehicles through hoops, into crates, and all around a large pool. “When I told the students they would be building […]
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Sixth Graders Learn Biology, Archaeology, and History Through Mummification
Bent over chickens fresh from the market, sixth graders splashed rice wine vinegar and rubbed cinnamon on the pullets like Top Chefs vying for a stake in the next round. The setting was no TV kitchen, though, and Mrs. Porter’s students weren’t prepping these birds to serve for dinner. Science was happening, and the chicken […]
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Reimagined Classrooms Invite Collaborative Learning
Hillbrook School’s classrooms are changing and everyone has something to say about it. Eighth graders, believing their art studio was “too adult and too organized,” submitted a petition for its “re-messification.” Last year, over a dozen teachers agreed to begin substantially altering their classrooms and then asked questions about how the changes—which included physical redesigns […]
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It’s in the Music: Students Help Revive Memories for Dementia Patients
A new partnership between The Healdsburg School and a local senior living community brings seventh and eighth graders together with residents suffering from moderate or acute dementia. Coordinated by science teacher Carrie Smith and two Healdsburg Senior Living directors, the project was inspired by “Alive Inside,” a documentary showing how music can elicit memories and […]
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Settlers in the Woods
Inspired by the work of John Hunter, 5th grade Valley School teacher, Tracy Courtney, undertook a new application for teaching U.S. colonization: the woods. Students deeply explored the academic side of this period of history, but core to the curriculum was the opportunity for students to experience the successes, failures and challenges that the colonists […]
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STEM Career Fair Introduces Girls to Endless Possibilities
Career fields involving science, technology, engineering and math are some of the fastest growing, but are still dominated by men. The Bryn Mawr School aims to change that. “There’s a lot of stereotypes and societal biases that women aren’t good at math, women aren’t good in science,” said Eric Elton, Bryn Mawr’s STEM director. “And […]
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It’s All About Relationships: PSPP Conference 2015
In his book entitled “Community,” Peter Block argues that in order for a community to succeed, each person within it must feel a sense of belonging. For this sense of belonging to be authentic, it should come from the actions we take as stewards of our communities. This idea of nurturing healthy, positive relationships in […]
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MIT Edgerton Center/Meadowbrook eurekaLab Collaboration
The MIT Edgerton Center has joined with Meadowbrook in its initiative to integrate design thinking and making into the curriculum, professional development, and school culture. In return, Meadowbrook will be a testing site for the Edgerton Center for developing K-8 curriculum and serve as a model program for future independent school collaborations.
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How Girls Become Effective, Compassionate Leaders
Castilleja School’s Center for Awareness, Compassion, and Engagement (ACE) gives girls the skills to transition from witnessing the world around them to becoming active stakeholders, emerging change agents, and compassionate leaders. The school’s Social and Emotional Learning Program (SEL) provides them with the necessary scaffolding to take on these challenges. With raised awareness, compassion, and […]
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At Rosemont School, the Arts are Essential
At Rosemont School of the Holy Child, arts are not options, electives, or subjects to fit in around so-called core studies such as math and science. Here, arts are essential. Rosemont School infuses creative and performing arts across the entire educational spectrum, from 3 Years through 8th grade. “The blending of the arts in the core […]
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Hands-on History: Standing on the Timeline of Human History
The timelines that historians use to visualize change over time can be baffling to sixth graders. How can a person who has been alive for eleven years conceptualize millions of years of life on earth? Or understand how comparatively brief man’s time on earth has been? “I always taught the concepts of scale and sense […]
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Aspen Academy’s Spanish Muralist Club
Aspen Academy’s Spanish Muralist Club encourages student artists to explore Spanish history through their creative talent. This semester, our students learned about Mexican artists, Posada, Clemente, Kahlo, and Rivera, and the effect that major historical events had on their individual styles. The result was their elongated Dia de los muertos ‘esqueleto’ that was displayed at […]