What Is Your Opinion?
Posted by Maureen Diallo
Our first-grade writers are wrapping up their Opinion and Persuasive Writing unit! Throughout the month the first graders have learned how to write their opinion on various topics, their reasons for their opinion, and how to organize their reasons into a detailed writing piece using a graphic organizer. This unit encouraged writers to develop opinions with multiple reasons for support, as well as strong openings and closings. Writers were also encouraged to revise their writing and create more complex sentences by using linking words.
Wizards + Muggles in South Africa
Posted by Ariel Warshaw
#WhyDidTheyFight?
Posted by Ariel Warshaw
8th grade Humanities students analyzed the various reasons people fought in the American Civil War. They looked at primary sources and selected quotes from different historical figures on both sides of the conflict to better understand what drove support for the Union and Confederate causes. Then, they were tasked with creating hashtags that summarized each of the rationales. The students loved coming up with clever and punny words and phrases to match each quote. Be sure to check out all of their hashtags on the bulletin board by Humanities South! #seeyathere
To Secede, or Not to Secede? That’s a Tricky Question!
Posted by Ariel Warshaw
Eighth grade Humanities students have been learning about the Antebellum Period in American history, focusing on the rising tension between abolitionists and supporters of slavery. They’ve explored the causes and effects of the end of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott v. Sanford Supreme Court decision, and John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry.
All of this polarization led to the powder-keg known as the Election of 1860. Why did southerners believe that they could secede from the Union? Why did Lincoln believe they could not? After analyzing the words of Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Chief Justice Roger Taney, and others, eighth graders engaged in numerous discussions around whether the Constitution, and the nation itself, were perpetual agreements – or simply contracts that signees could break or secede from when they saw fit.
In order to get them thinking about when it might be justified to break an agreement, the students participated in a “barometer” activity. Initially, eighth graders discussed 4 different scenarios with a partner and considered different circumstances that might make them back out of an agreement. Then, the whole class got up and moving! Against one wall were 5 signs: Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. As we thought about each scenario, and various changes that could impact the original circumstances, the students moved along the “barometer” to stand under the sign that most closely represented their beliefs. Volunteers passionately argued their perspectives and rationales for why it was or wasn’t okay for them to leave, or secede from, an agreement.
For example: “You voluntarily joined your school’s track team and have been training to be part of the relay team. The state championship is a week away. Would you be justified in quitting if: You got bored by training? What about if you develop a mild injury that your doctor says might become major if you continue to train? What if you found out that two members of your team have been using performance enhancing drugs?”
These scenarios helped us think about when and if people (or states!) can ever be justified in breaking a compact. These impassioned conversations will set us up for the literally explosive history of the US Civil War in the weeks to come!
Goodbye Fall, Hello Winter!
Posted by Maureen Diallo
The first-grade scientists have been hard at work noticing seasonal changes in weather, animals, and trees. During a recent outdoor scavenger hunt, the first graders observed many changes around the Unquowa campus. With binoculars in hand, the class looked at trees for some clues that the season is changing from fall to winter. Do leaves really change color? How do they get ready for winter? The class found out that the leaves are not actually “changing” color but revealing color packages that were always present in the leaves. All spring and summer the green chlorophyll packages(green) are working the hardest of all of the colors turning sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into food for the tree. When the temperature starts to change in the fall the tree closes up the water tubes inside the leaves with a thin layer of cells preventing the chlorophyll from making more food for the tree. Now, the orange packages called carotene, and the yellow packages called xanthophyll are revealed! “What about the red and purple leaves,” our little scientists wondered. The answer to this mystery is that sugar(sap from the tree) was stuck inside the leaf’s water tubes!
Park City Composting: Mesophilic vs. Thermophilic
Posted by Joshua Bartosiewicz-
- Churning out the compost pile!
-
- Mixing in more leaves (the Carbon source!).
-
- Finding porosity.
-
- Determining the porosity percentage.
-
- Being introduced to the Tumbler or Mesophilic style of composting.
-
- Students are discussing and recording observations from the Tumbler.
Lately with Park City Composting, the 8th graders have been learning how to measure and record different properties of the compost pile such as temperature, porosity, weight, bulk density. The students compared their results from past weeks and were asked to analyze the causes that may have played a role in these changes. Some examples included; the high activity of the actinobacteria caused more of the compost material to breakdown and released more heat into the pile, the breakdown of the material caused the pile to condense more thus reducing the porosity and much more. After data was recorded from the initial compost pile (also referred to as the Thermophilic pile) students were then introduced to the tumbler (also known as the Mesophilic pile). Students were asked to try to identify the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of having each type of pile. They concluded that the tumbler is great for people who don’t have a lot of space for a traditional compost pile such as on an apartment balcony or small backyard. The traditional compost pile is ideal for those with the available space. In addition, the tumbler stays at lower temperatures than the traditional compost pile. Therefore, both types of composting methods are suitable for different situations and utilize different types of bacteria. We are excited to see the quality of compost these two different methods will produce, which will be used to help mend the school garden.
