Module 2

English with Jill Sugg Students in grades 10, 11, and 12 read Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" and attended a live theater performance in Raleigh. Students in grades 7, 8 and 9, did grammar basics and a poetry unit. Each student brought in an original poem of his or her own, shared anonymously with the rest of the class. (Only I got a copy with a name on it.) Salem witch hunts and quatrains with an ABAB rhyme scheme made for a fun start to October. We are all about to dive head first into new novels. Math with Annie Tally With most of the pretesting complete, the math students have begun their routine of working at their own pace through their respective courses. Everyone is doing well as we begin to know each other mathematically. We also took the opportunity of class picture day's disruption to play games that foster logical thinking and recently we discovered what a fractal is by drawing several iterations of the Sierpinski Triangle. We will revisit this activity in the near future to explore fractional dimension and infinite length. And they thought math was just crunching numbers... Upper School Sciences with Lori Hilliard Chemistry The students in Chemistry have began their formula writing and naming unit. Students have completed lab exercises to reinforce topics covered as well as several in class activities designed to complement the lecture/discussion activities. Biology The students in Biology have completed their basic microscopy unit as well as basic cell structure. Students were very successful in both laboratory activities as well as quizzes over the material covered. Anatomy The students in Anatomy are completing their unit on histology and have enjoyed learning many Latin roots, suffixes and prefixes. The class successfully navigated through their first exam and are to be commended for their hard work Environmental Science The students in Environmental Science continue to examine biomes, ecosystems and population studies. Many laboratory exercises have been completed on topics ranging from population growth to climatogram manipulation. Physical Science with Dan Hill After a brief review of what exactly science is, the Upper School Physical Science class has looked at graphing, dimensional analysis, and the concept of significant figures. In Module 3 we will be looking at some basic physical properties like mass and density. Social Studies with Matt Wilhelm In World History we have been examining the republic of ancient Rome, its shift to an empire, and the causes of its eventual collapse. In US history, we have been looking at the events leading up to the American Revolution and examining the political philosophers who influenced the Declaration of Independence. The history elective has been examining the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its role in the development of radical Islam. Current Events class has been looking at several politically-oriented news stories and using them to better understand the functions of the three branches of government. Civics has been looking at the political philosophies that influenced the US Constitution and began reading that foundational document of American government. Spanish with Stefanie Boone After completing our pretesting, we have begun our first chapter of the text. In Spanish I, we have been looking at greetings, numbers, school objects and the concept of time. In Spanish II, we are focusing on adjective agreement, interrogatives and regular present tense. Spanish III is working on daily life vocabulary, irregular present tense, reflexive verbs and verbs that work like gustar. In all classes, we continue to work on our proficiency skills in all four components of language: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Performing Arts with Matthew Etherington 7th/8th Grades The beginning of this module was spent finishing up our pretesting, which took a little longer than expected. Once through the testing, the 7th and 8th grades began to look at a new topic: Jingles and Commercial Music. By listening to and analyzing several commercials, the students were able to pick apart the musical and psychological tricks that help to sell a particular product. Next, they will be composing their own jingle for an imaginary product - I look forward to hearing the results! In Chorus we have been working on songs in other languages - Siyahamba (Zulu) and Las Mananitas (Spanish). The songs are challenging enough to maintain interest, but simple enough to strengthen some basic vocal skills which still need a better foundation. Jazz Combo The group is certainly starting to gel now that we have played a few times, and we begun this module with a Freddie Hubbard piece called Little Sunflower. This modal melody is performed in a straight Latin feel, so it gives a nice contrast from the Blues structure of Work Song. Some of the students have begun exploring some improvisation, and some are still finding their feet with fingerings and voicings. We continue to touch on some music theory and ear training, which is designed to enhance the performance aspect. I am very pleased with how the group is progressing, but they do need to practice, practice, practice at home at least 3 times per week. Physical Education with Paige Passavant During Module 2, Upper School students explored the world of Invasion Games and Skills. We used this opportunity to play several "invasion - type" games. These games helped fine-tune offensive and defensive skills needed for games like basketball, football, soccer, hockey, etc. We finished our unit playing soccer and "Fiona's Game" (a game using basketball skills/concepts). Guidance Update from Thelma Glynn During Module 2 Upper School students had the opportunity to visit with several college representatives who came to our campus. Most of the juniors attended the Durham County College Fair that was held at Northgate Mall. The seniors are in the process of refining their lists of college applications and registering for and taking their last round of SAT's and/or ACT's. All of the sophomores and juniors have been given review materials for the PSAT that will be given at Camelot on Saturday, October 20 at 7:45 AM. Please continue to check the Guidance Calendar on our website which is updated regularly with information about receptions being held locally by colleges from all over the country. Many of our students participated in a Job Shadow experience last week. We are very appreciative of the parents who provided these opportunities and very proud of the professional manner in which our students fulfilled these commitments.