Module 5

English with Jill Sugg English 7, 8/9, and 8/9 Advanced read John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and saw the film starring Gary Sinese and John Malkovich. English 8/9 Advanced, 10/11/12, and the A.P. Lit class read the popular contemporary adolescent novel Speak and saw the film. Honest, revealing class discussion followed and the upperclassmen invented some interesting characters in first person narrative creative writing pieces. Sophomores through seniors also read the classic novel The Scarlet Letter and deserve praise for surviving Hawthorne, often considered a rite of passage in high school. Little did Hawthorne imagine he would wax as daunting to kids as the Puritans he satirized. Nevertheless, we forged on and found in Chillingworth a villain to rival Shakespeare's Iago. Math with Annie Tally There was quite a flurry of activity in the math classes with many students trying to wrap up the semester with as many credits as possible. It has been a real test of their mettle and most have risen quite admirably to the challenge. The programming class worked on their final project for the semester which was to write a program that plays Master Mind, a game of logic. This program utilizes all of the skills they have been acquiring all semester. Upper School Sciences with Lori Hilliard Chemistry Chemistry students have had a very successful semester. The completion of the stoichiometry unit has been a major accomplishment. I am very proud of their efforts. Biology The Biology class students have been working their way through the study of Genetics. We have completed Mendelian Genetics and are now working on the structure of DNA, protein synthesis, protein folding, the human genome and implications of these studies in everyday life. Anatomy "Dem bones, Dem bones" has been the theme song for Anatomy students this module. They have successfully navigated through the skeletal system including two oral ID exams and a theory exam. Check out their art work on the Camelot website. Environmental Science The Environmental Science class has completed their semester by examining the many ways in which the theme of evolution is tied into life around us. The students also attended an all day seminar at UNC -CH on Extreme Climate Change. As always, our students were some of the best in the crowd, asking thoughtful questions and showing their leadership capacity. Physical Science with Dan Hill In our final module of the semester we looked at the structure of the periodic table, and finished up by discussing simple bonding. The students were excited about electrolyzing water and then recombining the products in the usual way. Everyone has done a wonderful job this semester; I'll miss them after the break. Social Studies with Matt Wilhelm World History students read works from the Enlightenment, including Locke, Rousseau, and Descartes. The US History class examined the Civil War and the late 1800s including Reconstruction, Indian removal, and industrialization. The History Elective students looked at specific issues related to the War on Terror, including the Protect America Act and the Military Commissions Act, and worked on their policy proposals. Current Events students finished their stock market simulation, read articles on the presidential election, and debated the death penalty. Civics class learned about the Supreme Court and examined specific cases that demonstrate its purpose and function. Spanish with Celia Battle Upper School students have been challenged to increase their receptive language as they become accustomed to listening to a native speaker in class every day. This has been a new experience for them and their expressive language is increasing as they acquire more vocabulary during our spontaneous classroom talks. This daily routine is an ongoing and dynamic exercise that is helping the students to communicate more effectively in Spanish. I am very pleased with the effort and enthusiasm that students have shown in all of my classes in the past three weeks. We are definitely forging ahead! Performing Arts with Matthew Etherington 7th/8th Grades Congratulations to the 7th & 8th Grade Chorus who pulled off a memorable performance at Academic Fair! We were lucky enough to watch a parent video of the event, this module, which gave the students some well-deserved positive feedback. The students were able to thoughtfully critique their performance and this was a valuable lesson. Since then, the group has been loving our new song Lean On Me (Bill Withers). It's been wonderful to hear them sing with genuine enjoyment (and technical proficiency!). In our General Music class, the 8th Grade students were lucky enough to be part of a masterclass with visiting artist Carl Nevitt, and the 7th Grade students have been learning a challenging instrumental piece, by Carl Orff, on the xylophones and percussion instruments. Jazz Combo The Jazz Combo have been basking in satisfaction, since their incredible performance at our Academic Fair. This was a milestone for the group and it was a pleasure for them to receive such positive compliments from parents and students alike. This module, we have been challenged by some tricky Jazz arrangements of popular Holiday songs: We Three Kings and Let It Snow. Another new activity in our theory class has been transcription. Listening to Miles Davis' solo on the tune So What, and attempting to write down the notes, is a brand new skill for all, but one that will develop a strong musical ear and a deeper understanding of the music they are trying to play. Physical Education with Paige Passavant We began exploring a new area of our "Wellness" curriculum with the unit on Health Education and Practice. We studied the five dimensions of what it means to be "well." We touched on various ways to maintain our physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual health. Guidance Update from Thelma Glynn The seniors rose to the challenge of meeting their January 1 college application deadlines with a flurry of activity and productivity. On January 8th they will turn in all of their remaining college applications and then it will be their parents' turn to fill out forms as it will be time to file the FAFSA and PROFILE forms to apply for financial aid! The Class of '09 will now become the focus and over the next month we'll set out a plan of action for standardized testing (SAT and ACT) for the spring semester. We will also work on creating preliminary college lists and scheduling some more college visits. All Upper School students should turn their attention to enrolling in worthwhile summer programs. The guidance office is assembling a collection of the material flooding our mailboxes. Many of these programs have February deadlines so students and parents should begin to explore programs of interest now.