Mathematics with Jenny Feaster
We are at the end of another module. Most students have been diligent in class during Module 2. They are progressing in their requirements and learning the material very well. If your student is falling behind in pace we will take this module to progress so that later they will not receive a Mid-Semester Warning. Please help encourage your child to get back on pace and avoid an incomplete. Overall, I am very pleased with student progress. I am encouraged by all of the efforts and interest in math.
Mathematics with Dan Hill
With pretesting behind us, we've settled into the routine of class, and some of us have been making quite a bit of progress. Students should now all have pace calendars; please keep an eye on your student's progress with respect to his or her calendar. If students maintain appropriate pace, we may have a few days where we put aside the usual grind to talk about something extracurricular (but still mathematical) and engaging.
English with Jill Sugg
Advanced Placement Composition wrote the rough draft to their research papers and saw the classic film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire" in conjunction with their summer reading. Advanced English 8/9/10 selected topics for their research papers and procured their 5 sources; they also saw the film version of "Much Ado about Nothing". English 7/8 did a short story unit and vocabulary as well as declaring their Academic Fair topics. A lot of researching going on!
English and Social Studies with Matt Wilhelm
American History: Students have explored the life in the Virginia and Massachusetts colonies, comparing their political systems, economies, and cultures.
Civics: Students have examined the Constitution and the powers it grants to the executive and legislative branches of the government. They have also looked at the practicalities of the legislative process.
Current Events: Students have learned about the history of Islam, and continued to examine the controversies regarding Muslims in America.
World History: Students considered the origins of civilization in ancient Mesopotamia, including their religious beliefs and political and social organization.
English: Students have read a series of short stories and they also wrote a piece of short fiction. Preparations for Academic Fair are about to shift into high gear!
Science with Lori Hilliard
Environmental Science The study of habitats and population ecology has dominated this module. Students have produced amazing lab reports and visual/oral presentations on an extreme habitat of their choice.
Human Biology: Medical terminology and the integumentary system have been the focus of this module. Students have proven themselves to be amazing laboratory practitioners.
Chemistry: Writing and naming formulas has been successfully mastered by this class. I am proud of all of their efforts to be successful in such a difficult course.
Biology: Botany has been the topic of interest this module. Students will hand in detailed leaf collections upon return from conference week.
Spanish with Celia Battle
Spanish 1: Pre-testing and review are over and we have begun our video series Destinos. We are studying vocabulary and grammar related to the first two episodes and students are learning about the main character, his family and the mystery that will be solved.
Spanish 2: Now that pre-testing and review are completed we have settled into the class routine. We are solidifying grammar concepts and verb tenses as well as increasing thematic vocabulary and classroom conversations in Spanish. Students are being challenged daily to communicate in Spanish in class.
Intermediate Spanish 1: Pre-testing and review are completed. Our overall focus is to increase thematic vocabulary, improve oral communication and improve writing samples. Students have been challenged to prepare "hot topics" to share in lively class discussions which motivate them to communicate daily with one another in Spanish. We are also working on developing short paragraphs related to the topics covered in class.
Intermediate Spanish 2: After review and pre-testing we have started to engage in daily conversations of "hot topics" presented daily by the students. From these conversations we develop thematic vocabulary lilsts which are also used to develop writing samples in class and in homework assignments. These students are settling into this new routine and are enjoying conversing in Spanish about all sorts of topics of interest to them.
Advanced Spanish: Now that review and pre-testing are done we have started a comprehensive study of grammar and verb tenses as well as started learning about Hispanic countries. This will continue all year, along with daily discussions of current events, literary readings and improving the quality and quantity of the students' written work. This is a very enthusiastic and high energy group and time flies in class as everyone communicates in Spanish about a wide range of interesting topics.
Physical Education with Krista Moll
During the last few weeks Upper School students learned about caving formations, equipment needed to cave, and basic movement through a cave. It was fun and humorous watching them crawl underneath tables and climb over playground apparatus. They did a great job with it all and I was glad to see many of the students used the movement and information we learned in class during our caving trip in early October during conference week. Our next unit is navigation. I'm hoping you have received a handout explaining your child will need a compass by the week of October 18th. A Brunton or Silva compass is typically what is used, but any compass similar to the compass I had listed on the handout will do. Also, if you happen to have a UTM grid overlay tool or would like to buy one for your child to use, that would be great. I have a few and I plan to buy more, but it will be helpful having some students bring their own UTM tools. They are a few dollars depending on which one you get and I believe REI sells them as well.
Music with Glenn Mehrbach
After breaking down the elements of music in our first class, and analyzing students' song choices to get an idea of what kind of music they like and listen to, we began to learn about music theory. The first element as explored was rhythm, which finished up Module 1. We started Module 2 talking about harmony, and explaining about notes, intervals and chords. We diagrammed what makes up a scale, in terms of whole steps and half steps, and how that knowledge can help us identify the 4 major chords. I tested the students on hearing types of chords by ear alone. I also brought in some "boomwhackers," which are long colored tubes that, when struck on something hard, produce a specific musical tone. We used these to demonstrate melody and harmony. It was also a good chance for the students to practice working as a group, since each person generally had one tube. Different classes had varied success with the boomwhackers, and we played tunes like "Louie, Louie," "Heart and Soul," "Happy Birthday" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Just before the break I began bringing in 17th century rounds (like "Frere Jacques") to teach about how melodies work, and sometimes intertwine to create harmony. We had a lot of very shy singers, but also made found some very resonant and musical voices during the exercises.
Art with Brittain Peck
Working within the scheduling confines of student conferences, our Upper School art classes continued their study of left and right brain cognitive processes through hands-on drawing exercises. Each class has progressed through the mirrored facial profile and upside-down line drawing on their own schedule. Following these two exercises we have undertaken an exercise to place increasing emphasis on our ability to observe and describe with increased specificity and accuracy. Our latest lesson is what is oftentimes referred to as a blind contour drawing; "contour" meaning that the drawing focus on the edges and lines in the observed objects and "blind" meaning that the students are required to create the drawing without ever looking at their paper. The concept behind doing such a drawing is to break the overall process of observational drawing into two distinct parts; the observation or looking and seeing that a person does with their eyes and the drawing or actual movements of the pencil that a person does with their hands. Because the physical coordination required to create even the most impressive and accurate of observational drawings is no greater than what a person needs to be able to write their own name, the "missing link" between being able to accurately draw what a person sees is not a challenge to the person's hands so much as it is a challenge to their eyes. Normally, we observe the world with a cursory, summarized understanding because doing so allows us to efficiently edit and process the infinite amount of stimuli and information around us to be able to complete even the most basic every day tasks. For example, we do not need to think about whether a stop sign is older, more faded, or leans more to the left than the last stop sign that we saw, but rather simply note that it is a stop sign and that we need to stop our car. Therefore, drawing more accurately is largely connected to seeing more accurately and more in depth than we normally do. The blind contour exercise is intended to direct the student's entire focus onto the object being observed without splitting their attention between observation and drawing. The finished drawings from this exercise seldom look like or resemble the object that the student was looking at, but this is not the goal of the drawing. Instead, it is the act of concentrated observation that is the primary focus of this exercise which provides students with practice in a more fully engaged experience with the world around them.
Dramatic Arts with Roni Peterson
During this module all classes continued to complete their original scripts using the summer vacation prompts. The students then performed the skits "on book" which is a term used when reading from a script. Their performances were critiqued by me and then performed again. The students are learning how direction can change the structure of their performance. We will continue working with these original scripts and have different students playing different parts. We also did some improvisational exercises using one word prompts.
Music Performance with Glenn Mehrbach
VOCAL ENSEMBLE CLUB
Great progress was made by all the students in the Vocal Ensemble in Module 2. We took our time for the first few sessions, practicing various warm-ups, working on vocal projection and tone, and learning how to sing together and in tune. We used parts of the songs "One Love" and "Lean On Me" for these purposes. They may not even be songs we perform as a group, but it really worked on them hearing each others voices, seeing how they fit into the harmony, and trying to sing and listen at the same time. I gave solos throughout as well, to see how well the students could show their own individual personality. Their pitch recognition, projection and rhythm improved markedly in the few classes we worked this way. In the next few classes we started working on full songs, beginning with "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel, and "No Mirror's In My Nana's House" by Ysaye Barnwell, the leader of the a cappella women's group "Sweet Honey in the Rock." I also purchases copies of "Jump," originally by Van Halen but made famous again in the TV show "Glee." As I told them in the first class, each student has particular challenges to overcome, and we will be keeping these in mind as we begin to work more seriously on the songs I've chosen. I look forward to continuing our rapid progress in the coming weeks.
MUSIC PERFORMANCE CREDIT BAND
The Credit Band made good progress in a number of areas in this module. We learned one rock song, "Pinball Wizard," in a hybrid of the Who and Elton John versions, one jazz/pop song, "Moondance," by Van Morrison (with extended improvisation for all the players), and I handed out the music to a musical theatre song, "Don't Rain on My Parade," by Bob Merrill Jule Styne (made famous by Barbra Streisand). We also started playing "Comes Love," a very flexible old standard, which I hope to use to demonstrate the varied ways to arrange and interpret a song.
We have a lot of new members in the band this year, and it has been a real challenge getting everyone on the same page, and finding music that challenges and stimulates the group without either going over some students' heads, or conversely boring others. "Pinball Wizard" has been a good example of the kind of song that fits this criteria.
Olivia Arges is continuing to grow and mature as a vocalist. And though we haven't had many opportunities, Sarah Chetty's improvisations are becoming more adventurous and detailed with each try. Elaine Elisabeth Parker has become very comfortable on drums, and she is trying very hard to leave that comfort zone in creating improvised fills for all the songs (I recommended she listen to Keith Moon of the Who for inspiration), and not stick so slavishly to the written page or her own memory. And it's great to have Grace Kirkpatrick with the group for the whole year this time, and she is kept busy with some quick runs on her electric violin and her sterling vocal harmonies. Her improvisations have shown more intention and promise this year as well. Newcomer Rachel Roush, a member of the Club Band last year, has been our "utility player" so far, playing piano, singing, and lately trying her hand at the bass guitar. I hope to explore even more of her musical gifts in the coming weeks, including finding a good song for her to sing as a solo. Zachariah Claypole White brings a lot of confidence and style to the class, and he has been improving in his rhythm, chord recognition, and listening skills with each class. I know that working with sheet music and following bar numbers present a challenge for Zach, and I really appreciate the effort that he puts in during and outside of class to feel comfortable working in this environment. And Brian Powell, formerly a keyboard playing in what was the "B Band" a couple of years ago, has the makings of a fine guitarist. His attack on the instrument, knowledge of music reading from his piano days, and his willingness to explore the bass guitar as well has made him a pleasure to work with. I am very excited about watching and helping this group form a personality of their own in the weeks to come.
