by newschoolsyr | Jan 28, 2020 | 2019 - 2020, grades 7-8, science
On the first day, I shared how the brain physically develops. I showed a great PBS video called The Developing Child. I showed the kids the different areas of the brain and talked about what “jobs” they have, such as sight, hearing etc.. I had the kids do a quiz...
by newschoolsyr | Dec 29, 2019 | 2019 - 2020, grades 7-8, language arts, middle school, writing workshop
Our four oldest students participated in a four-session writing short course on persuasive essays. The students read and listened to examples of persuasive writing. They learned how writing is only persuasive when there is an audience the author seeks to move. They...
by newschoolsyr | Dec 27, 2019 | 2019 - 2020, grades 7-8, science, visual arts
This fall students in seventh & eighth grade participated in a science class that explored density and viscosity. Our class started with viewing a short video on density with water, oil and syrup. Students were then asked to come up with ten questions they had...
by newschoolsyr | Dec 24, 2019 | 2019 - 2020, grades 7-8, language arts, visual arts
The oldest students were part of a poetry unit this fall where they had to study the work of three different poets. Many chose lyricists. They were asked to select three poems for each poet or lyricist to study. Next they had to write an analysis on this body of work....
by newschoolsyr | Dec 24, 2019 | 2019 - 2020, grades 6-8, grades 7-8, middle school, Social Studies
Students in the upper grades this fall started a unit on the Civil War. Before we delved into this history topic they were asked three questions to respond to individually and then discuss as a group. They were asked: What is history? Who Cares? Why study it?...
by newschoolsyr | Oct 23, 2017 | 2017 - 2018, grades 7-8, language arts, visual arts, writing workshop
The eldest students were given an assignment that involved self-selecting three poets. After browsing through collections of poetry by Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll and more, they had to pick one...
