"In teaching others we teach ourselves" - Proverb
Camp Beckwith was a blast! The weather cooperated and the course was dry and bug-free. Middle School students braved the elements and participated in team building on both high and low ropes.
Year B Cycle 1 “Forces”: In this cycle, students will study the forces that impact revolutions, physics, and social relationships.
Revolutions have been, and continue to be, a significant force in our world. Our country was formed as the result of revolution. In the last 150 years, the world has experienced a variety of political revolutions. Revolutions that have brought about change in the structure of society include the Industrial Revolutions of the late 1800s and the Cultural revolutions of the 1960s.
In Social World (History), students study the causes of the American Revolution, the results of this revolution with regard to our new nation, and its impact globally, i.e. the French Revolution. We will discuss the new ideas contained in Paine’s Common Sense and The Rights of Man and conduct a Socratic dialogue dissecting Patrick Henry’s speech to the Virginia Convention. Students also research the major classic revolutions analyzing the social, political, and economic causes and results. They will participate in a debate on the American Revolution and role play the position “no taxation without representation.”
Literature for Cycle 1 includes selections from the anthology At Odds; stories are centered on the forces that affect the decisions that people make when faced with conflicts. Students will read either Red Scarf Girl (Chinese Cultural Revolution) or The Scarlet Pimpernel (French Revolution) for this cycle. Both these novels focus on our theme of “revolution” and conflicts between family and friends.
In Personal World, students explore the idea of allies and ogres, learn to recognize stress factors in their lives, and develop coping strategies.
In Natural World, the main focus of study will be the force of gravity and electromagnetism. Ask your child what happened with tablecloths and eggs!
Middle School businesses include selling juice and having fundraising events throughout the year. Students are learning how to create and maintain Excel spreadsheets, advertising and public relations as well as the nuts and bolts of running businesses.
A Middle School garden is being planned. Nana (Judie Betts, grandmother of Dylan and Korey) will be working with Middle School students on clearing out the gardne beds from last year, container gardening and incorporating hydroponics into their plantings.