While recently listening to a song about growing up and reflecting upon my past years of teaching, it hit me that the students that I taught during my student teaching are now in college and/or starting their careers and the students I had during my first year of teaching are now seniors in high school. Upon further reflection, I realized that the students at The Cooper School may be growing older as the years go on, however, their spirits stay young. The Cooper School allows children to stay children! That is something that we do not see in many schools today. Children are often caught up in the social media outlets and are worried about the next “big thing” that is going to hit the market. While at The Cooper School, we focus on the children interacting with each other face to face rather than by technology. We value outdoor time so that the students have the opportunity to be their true selves. So, while our kiddos are growing up, their spirits are staying young at the Cooper School, and that is something we should cherish as a community.

-KW




Here’s a look at what is happening in each of the classes:



What’s happening in Science?
Sixth graders started their biomimicry study this week! They explored pluff mudd and brackish water from the salt marsh to investigate the different flora, fauna, and microorganisms that live there. The sixth graders also discussed the problem of flooding here in Charleston. They considered places they have witnessed salt marshes being filled in and buildings going up. They will use this information to guide their solutions towards flood mitigation and flood proof homes using nature as an inspiration. Next week, they will begin brainstorming and engineering plans.
What’s up in ELA?

6th grade readers made final edits to their lesson plans this week. With the help of their nonfiction novels and outside research, 6th grade educators pulled appropriate visuals and developed engaging activities related to their topics. Our teaching day with 4th grade was an excellent show of our 6th grader’s passion and expertise.

Next week, 6th graders will transition from grammar study to their vocabulary workbooks for the next 4 weeks. They will also make their way into a research based informational essay unit, applying all the useful non-fiction reading skills they’ve just learned to their writing.

What’s going on in Math?
This week, 6th graders used equations to represent proportional relationships, analyzed how proportional relationships are different from other relationships, and solved problems about them. Next week, students will explore how graphs of proportional relationships are different from other graphs, graph two lines on one plane to compare them, create tables, graphs, and equations for a situation, and then explore the relationship in the circumference and diameter of a circle.

What’s happening in Social Studies?
Sixth graders have been studying the end of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Byzantine. Students raced to complete a characterization activity proving their knowledge on the differences between the Roman Republic and Roman Empire.

Next week, the students will be assessed over the Roman Empire before beginning their midterm studies.


Important Dates:
Saturday, January 27 5:30pm-9:00pm – Family Fun Outing – Carolina Stingrays Game
February 19th & 20th- February Break