For the past few weeks in middle school, the squad has been focused on the completion of their interdisciplinary project on TREES.
This project has 10 components including non-fiction research writing, a collection of identified leaf specimens, poetry, art, and anatomical diagramming. Last week, we enjoyed a fun walk into town to tour Davidson College's campus to collect leaves. Because many of the diverse trees on their campus are conveniently labeled, it makes for a rare opportunity to find and compare specimens quickly and easily. The stopover at Ben & Jerry's didn't hurt either!
In class, we. have taken time to introduce almost every individual project component, which will be collected in a 3-ring-binder. These projects are due on Tues, 10/22 and will be presented in class. We will also take a test encompassing all that we have learned on trees on Monday 10/21. The students have a list of terminology and should review items in their Google Classroom in advance of that.
On the horizon, we will be dropping in (pun) to our unit on SKATEBOARD SCIENCE! In this unit, we will explore physical and engineering principles as they apply to skateboards, scooters, and the like. Obviously this will include some Newtonian physics, but we will also get into how the skateboard developed. and the innovations in materials and design which enabled its evolution from the rickety clay-wheeled planks of the past to the sculpted parks of the Olympic games. We'll hit the skatepark and have some fun cruising along the way.
Love it!