Our annual Halloween Carnival isn’t just about candy and costumes, it’s a perfect example of what real learning looks like at Cooper. Every part of the event is completely planned and run by middle school students. It starts with the eighth graders deciding on a theme for the day. Then our fifth graders take that theme and run with it – creating spooky decorations to cover the backyard. From brainstorming booth ideas to creating materials lists, deciding who brings what, designing posters, and setting up for the big day, it’s all on them! Teachers are there to cheer them on and help only when truly needed – no hand-holding here.
What makes this project so powerful is how it brings social-emotional learning (SEL) to life. Students practice empathy as they design fun experiences for younger kids, compromise as they make group decisions, and collaboration as they problem-solve together to make sure everything runs smoothly. It’s messy, meaningful, and full of moments where students learn what it really means to take ownership and work as a team.
This is progressive education in action. We know that students learn by doing, taking risks, reflecting, and growing through authentic experiences. And in the end, our middle schoolers don’t just pull off an amazing carnival…they walk away with the kind of confidence, connection, and skills that can’t be found in a textbook or worksheet.
-RC
ELA- 8th graders set up their own miniature studios this week in our classroom, manipulating lighting and exposure to capture photographs with distinct tones and moods. We also explored the ways one can capture “motion” in a still photo. Photographers discussed how the energy of motion and the tone/mood behind lighting could also apply to creative writing. Some really cool visual and written pairings are coming together for our exhibit! The 8th grade exhibition of photos and writing is next week, 11/7 at 8:30 am in the library. We hope to see lots of supporters at the show! 8th grade also went over conjunctions, sentence types, and interjections in grammar.
Next week, students will make final touches to writing and photographs, selecting “spotlight” writings and pieces to present at the exhibition. We will test for grammar on 11/6 – use the study guide to prepare!
Science- This week 8th grade students continued work on their rube goldberg machines. They have been doing an excellent job of using the engineering design process. They have been testing the designs they planned on paper and problem solving when they encounter problems. Students have been thinking through all the forces involved in getting their machines to accomplish the task. Next week students will take their unit test on Tuesday, November 4th, and complete their rube goldberg machine.
Social Studies- We have begun our next unit on South American revolutions and how they were inspired by the American Revolution. Each student will be working on a project now in which they will research one of those countries and learn about their struggle for independence. This then will lead into modernization and present day South American discussions and their role in the world today.
Math- This week in math, 8th graders began applying the Pythagorean Theorem, a skill we mastered last year, to help us prove right triangle similarity and congruence. We had a short week due to planning the Halloween Carnival and their special trip to Charleston Collegiate!
Next week, we’ll spend Tuesday and Wednesday reviewing and practicing proofs about triangle dilations and similarity before taking our test on Thursday! The test will help me assess their readiness for our next unit over right triangle trigonometry – sin, cousin, tangent, oh my!
