Honoring EARTH DAY!
Posted by Joshua BartosiewiczUnquowa students in grades 1-8 visited Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, CT in celebration of EARTH DAY! As you may know, we as humans share this planet with MILLIONS of different species of plants, animals and other organisms; so we decided to honor EARTH DAY by visiting the zoo to connect with just a few of the species that the planet helps provide for. Students saw animals as small as prairie dogs, as big as Bison, as gentle as a two-toed sloth and as vicious as a Leopard! During this trip, we also sat in on a Wildlife show were the zoo keepers brought out a turtle and legless lizard for everyone to see and learn about. This talk truly made everyone think about how one type of animal can be crucial for the survival of multiple other species, this significant species is referred to as a Keystone species. By the end of our day (which included a scavenger hunt through the zoo!), our students felt their place and connection with the other organisms that we’re lucky enough to share this beautiful planet with. The students have a better understanding of why it’s important to protect mother Earth!
Oye Como Va!
Posted by David CoePlease enjoy our 8h grade instrumental class performing their version of the Santana classic “Oye Como Va”. Excellent playing all around!
Lunch and Conversation!
Posted by Carina BlackwellRecently, our seventh and eighth grade language students went on a lunch field trip!
The purpose of this trip was to practice their language skills outside of the classroom, and to have a better understanding of the culture. The Spanish students went to an authentic, Columbian restaurant where they ordered their food in Spanish, and even tried to do the traditional dance. Meanwhile, Mandarin students went to an authentic Sichuan cuisine restaurant to experience the culture. They were not only there to place an order in Mandarin, but also to try to start a conversation with the staff.
All the language students were engaged and motivated to participate in this wonderful journey, in a realistic environment. They should be all proud of themselves for speaking a foreign language and not being afraid of making mistakes. It’s all about learning to become comfortable when speaking, and learning that you really can do it!
#GOGATORS #UNAFRAIDSPIRITS
Stock Market Mayhem!
Posted by Ariel Warshaw8th grade Humanities students engaged in a fast-paced stock market simulation to deepen their understanding of what happened on October 29, 1929, often referred to as Black Tuesday. Students were paired off, and each team had to make decisions around which stocks to buy and/or sell during each of our 10 rounds of play. Every round brought fluctuating stock values, different domestic and international conditions, and news headlines of the day.
Black History Month – a Time For Reflection
Posted by Krissy PondenIn the month of February Unquowa celebrated Black leaders, recognizing their innovations in science and contributions to history, literature, art, and mathematics.
- PreK students enjoyed reading and discussing the famous Black women in the book, Dream Big Little Leader. They asked lots of questions and celebrated each other’s uniqueness.
- Kindergarten students read a variety of books and discussed important historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Ruby Bridges, and George Washington Carver.
- First graders began each morning in BHM month reading and discussing figures from both the past and the present. Students focused on artist Kehinde Wiley, abolitionist Sojourner Truth, and gymnast Simone Biles among others.
- Second graders incorporated BHM into their literacy time. After a group read aloud, students read independently or in small groups to practice reading strategies. They discovered the stories of Henry Box Brown, Dave the Potter, Satchel Page, and Jackie Robinson.
- Each third grader researched a famous Black leader, created detailed portraits and wrote a poem about the life and achievements of that leader.
- Fourth graders puzzled together a large portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and decorated it with their own dreams. They created illustrated timelines highlighting important events in history to recognize the efforts that African Americans have made in the struggle for equity and justice.
- In literature class, fifth graders read Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, a story about a young African American girl who sewed a map to freedom in a quilt. In humanities, students also read about Etta James and listened to her music, learned about Jean Michel Basquiat in art and created mixed media paintings inspired by his work.
- Sixth, seventh, and eighth grade art classes learned about a different Black artist each week and sixth graders further discussed artists such as Kerry James Marshall and Bisa Butler.
- Seventh graders watched Titus Kaphar’s TED talk, “Can Art Amend History?” and in Mr. Izen’s Spanish class students were tasked with a project to create a video or an essay highlighting both a Black and Hispanic person that has brought a positive contribution to society.
- Eighth graders visited the Ruby and Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum to deepen their historical analysis on their studies of race, slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow America They also learned about the origins and innovations of Afrofuturism.
Teachers also participated in professional development discussions on how to ensure they are presenting inclusive and celebratory representation during Black History Month. They had the opportunity to create “zines” inspired by Black-Latina educator and art activist Jennifer White-Johnson’s project, “Zine-Making for Justice and Joy”, that she led at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
While February was a time to celebrate Black individuals in history, we recognize that Black History is American History, and we strive to embed these lessons and discussions throughout the year at all levels and in all disciplines. It was important to pause and reflect this month to honor the contributions and sacrifices of those who paved the way and those who are continuing to work towards a just and equitable society.
Observing Friction & Magnetism!
Posted by Joshua BartosiewiczComing back from president’s weekend, the 8th graders dove head first into Physics which is a new topic of science for our young scholars. We opened our discussion with their personal definitions of “force” and then we compared it to the scientific definition which states, “A force is when a push or pull is exerted on an object causing it to change its relative position or shape”. After we shed some light on the subject, the students participated in a lab dealing with friction (the resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving) and magnetism (a physical phenomenon produced by the movement of an electric charge, resulting in the attraction or repulsive force between objects).
The first part of the lab dealt with friction. Students had a ramp and a set of various objects including; a block of wood, a rubber eraser, a set of wheels, a marble, and a pencil. The students would place one object at a time onto the ramp and slowly begin to lift the ramp. As soon as the object rolled or moved, another student measured the height of the ramp and recorded it in their lab write-up. After every object had been tested, students compared the ramp heights at which the objects moved, this allowed them to compare the frictional forces between each item. They concluded that the higher the ramp was before the object finally moved, the larger the frictional forces must have been in order to keep the object from moving for so long.
The second part of the lab involved Magnetism. Students were given the following items; a bar magnet, a magnetic marble, two paper clips (one with a plastic coating, one without the plastic coating), a copper wire, an iron nail and coins (a penny, nickel, dime and quarter). On their lab write-up, students listed the objects previously mentioned and one by one they would use a bar magnet to see which objects reacted to the attraction or repulsion and which did not. This part of the lab was followed by a class discussion on how magnetism is used in today’s life to complete certain tasks (for example, recycling centers use magnets to help sort out metals from other materials in the recycling process). By the end of this lab, students gained a much clearer understanding of frictional and magnetic forces.