In the flow!
The second full week of school meant stepping into the thick of grade-level learning. With routines, procedures, and culture thoroughly workshopped and introduced, our middle schoolers tread confidently into the content they’ve been anticipating all summer. Though some of the ‘rust’ of summer may still be there, we’ve watched each grade gain confidence, drive, openness, and excitement for what this school year really holds for each of them. I’m encouraged by the sight of upper grade students embracing leadership roles in class and 5th graders who are finding their middle school groove. It’s still early in the year, but these Cooper School Kids adapt and grow so quickly.
Of course, Hurricane Season found us midweek, but we were glad to see diligent students enthusiastically complete e-learning to keep their minds engaged through the storm. We’re always grateful for the support from home when Charleston weather does its thing. Looking forward to yet another week of bravery and growth!
-Maggie Keim
What’s happening in Social Studies?
This week, the eighth graders learned about the different empires of the world. The students were asked to compare each of the different sections of the world and to pick and choose characteristics of each of these for what they believed would make for the best empire. Students were then paired with a partner to create their own empire.
Next week, students will be assessed over the World in 1750. This will lead into our next unit, which focuses on the different Revolutions around the world. Ms. Henslee has agreed to come and show the eighth graders proper researching skills using Discus. This will allow the students access to primary and secondary sources when completing the upcoming research projects.
What’s happening in ELA?
This week in 8th grade, students challenged themselves to summarize stories more analytically through the lens of character or theme. Being deep in their contemporary and thought provoking book club novels, we began discussions on power dynamics and the meanings of obscure parts in a story. Such thoughtful and mature discussions were filtered onto the pages of their reader’s notebooks to create ‘synthesis pages’ that represented several days of notes, lessons, and discussions.
Next week, we’ll wrap our first book club novels, swapping for new stories. The social commentaries these books present will continue to be unpacked and discussed as we challenge ourselves to be more sophisticated readers!
What’s happening in Science?
Eighth graders began to contemplate gravity this week! They had a chance to look at Rube Goldberg cartoons and some modern-day videos of Rube Goldberg machines. Pondering on the effects of gravity, and how it impacts the effectiveness of the ridiculous machines, they themselves drew their own Rube Goldberg machine cartoons to share with the class. The eighth graders also had an opportunity to make changes to their helmets designed last week. They created a google slide presentation that discusses their engineering process and any challenges they encountered along the way. They will present their work next week, which will launch us into acceleration! Literally…we are learning about acceleration.
What’s happening in Math?
This week in math, 8th graders examined data through the use of a spreadsheet – which helped them to better analyze and organize their data. Next week, they will dive deeper into data analytics by investigating standard deviation, outliers, and comparing data sets. I look forward to seeing you all at Curriculum Night!
Important Dates:
Monday, September 4th- Labor Day (No School)
Wednesday, September 6th- Curriculum Night (5:30-6:30)
Friday, September 15th- Parent Coffee (8:15-9:00)
Saturday, September 23rd- Charleston Battery Family Fun Night
