Class I Curriculum Highlights
April and May, 2017
English
Class I students are reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, with a focus on understanding the
elements of a dystopian society. They are identifying cultural components and using
literary signposts to note significant moments in their active reading. Students will revisit
how to write strong contextual sentences using vocabulary from the novel and will have
two vocabulary assessments during the unit. In May, students will begin preparing for the
Authors’ Breakfast. Students will select favorite examples of their writing this year and
practice public speaking skills in preparation for this exciting event.
History
Class I students are currently studying the important documents that defined the American
colonies' drive to independence--Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" and the Declaration of
Independence. As we proceed into May, we will study the Revolutionary War and complete
a research project on women who played a significant role in the war. The course ends
with an in-depth study of the Constitution.
Library
Students will be completing the research portion of their Passion Projects. They will then
discuss presentation options and what effective presenters and presentations look like.
After some practice, students will present their findings to the class at the end of May.
Math
Class I math will spend most of April investigating many strands within two dimensional
geometry. After studying all types of angle relationships in triangles and four-sided figures,
students will study most elements of circles and then learn the many formulas that cover
the area and perimeter of regular and compound shapes. Vocabulary is a key element in
this unit. In May students will explore integers and operations and start to think about
basic algebraic operations. They will also work with positive and negative fractions.
Physical Education
This spring, Class I students will review throwing, catching and kicking a ball and they will
play lacrosse and softball. Along with gaining a further understanding of the importance of
physical activity for health and well-being, students will expand their competency in a
variety of movement patterns and develop life-long motor skills.
Science
For the remainder of the school year, the Class I science studies will focus on the principles
of ecology – how organisms interact with each other and with their environment. Students
will explore the concepts of population changes, predator-prey interactions, adaptations,
and food chains and food webs. In preparation for the New England Aquarium field trip on
Wednesday, May 17th, students will learn about marine invertebrates commonly found in
the intertidal zone and marine mammals that live in the Atlantic Ocean. Throughout the
spring, students will continue exploring the Muddy River environment by observing
seasonal changes, by looking for birds that have migrated back to the area, and by
discovering other animals that have reappeared after winter hibernation.
Visual Arts
In Art, Class I students started a unit on animals. They spent the first few classes drawing
animals while focusing on breaking down the animal into basic (primarily geometric)
forms as a way to block in the rough shape of the animal. Students experimented with using
tutorials, pictures and observation of actual specimens. In addition to drawing animals,
students will build on their zentangle and design an animal, defining their animal with
colorful designs and patterns. There will also be a printmaking assignment in which
students will create a positive/negative block print of an animal. The final unit of the year
focuses on nature and the natural world. Students will complete studies of natural objects
with drawing media. They will also work in color on flower drawings. In this unit, students
will work collaboratively to create an Andy Goldsworthy style work of “earth art” along the
Muddy River.
World Languages:
Spanish
Spanish I students will end the year with a unit called “El mundo mío.” They will develop
the language to describe their school lives, their daily routines and their likes and dislikes.
The year will end with a research project conducted in coordination with the library, to
develop the essential skills of finding, vetting and documenting information, while
discussing the origin of ingredients in recipes from around the world.
French
Students in French I have been working on describing the world around them, including
the weather outside and objects in their classroom. Their conversational questions now
include “Do you like…?” and “What do you have?” and “Can you lend me”? Recently they
have added to this work the ability to say what they like and don’t like to do. Later this
spring, they will continue to work with infinitive forms following a conjugated verb and
will practice asking and answering questions such as “What do you like to do?” and "Where
do you like to go?” Dialogue reading and writing will continue to provide opportunities to
support comprehension and pronunciation development.
Latin
Class I Latin students will continue to develop their Latin vocabularies using online review
games such as Quizlet and Kahoot. Additionally, they will use the grammar they have
learned this year to read a series of short stories and dialogues about a family in Roman
Britain. The year will conclude with a research project in which the girls will join Class I
students studying French, Chinese and Spanish to examine the origin of recipes around the
world.
Chinese
Students in Class I Chinese class will continue to explore the topic of seasons and weather,
including the clothing associated with each season. They will also learn how to ask and
express time. At the end of the semester, students will summarize the cultural stories they
learned this year and create a storybook that documents what they have learned about
Chinese language and culture this year.