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ECDC News
Preschool students in Room B124 had an exciting time exploring solids and liquids through snow and ice. They created artificial snow, observing how the mixture expanded and became very cold. Each student dropped a cup of the snow mixture and added water to study the fascinating chemical reaction.
B124’s Dramatic Play area was transformed into a snowy adventure, where our little Knights built snowmen and igloos. They also melted ice cubes with their hands, timing how long it took for each cube to melt. After lots of discussion, they concluded that the sun, indoor heat, body heat, and salt can all help melt ice. Other fun learning experiences included building ice castles and participating in a parachute snowball toss. It’s been a week full of discovery, creativity, and snowy fun in Room B124!
Lower School News
For the last several weeks, Grade 1 has been exploring light and sound in Mrs. Ziemer’s science lab. Before the break, students learned the concepts of reflection and refraction, as well as how light travels through transparent, translucent, and opaque materials. For example, students were instructed to redirect light from a flashlight to a notebook using mirrors, observing first-hand how light bounces off reflective surfaces. First graders were also given materials such as clear cups, wood blocks, foil, and parchment paper to test whether or not light travels through them.
This past week, Grade 1 students then moved on to studying sound and how it travels. They discussed what creates sound and how sound waves travel to our ears. To see the vibrations from sound waves in action, Mrs. Ziemer (bravely!) gave each pair of students a spoon, a small metal pan, a cup with a sheet of plastic over it, and some salt sprinkled on top. The science lab erupted in metal clanging as students hit the pan with a spoon, creating and observing sound waves that moved the salt.
Middle School News
Students in Mr. Llewellyn’s Grade 8 Social Studies class were assigned a series of Constitutional Amendments to research, explain, and present to their classmates. For the first part of this project, students were tasked with creating a presentation detailing their assigned Amendments. Without words and using only icons and pictures in the presentation, 8th graders explained their Amendments' meaning, motivation, history, and significance. This encouraged students to do extensive research beforehand and not rely on written notes while presenting or engaging with their audience.
The second part of this assignment called for students to apply their creativity and practical historical knowledge to their presentation. Students identified a growing concern or issue within society and created their own “28th Amendment” that aims to address or solve that concern. Their ideas ranged from establishing term limits for Congress and administering cognitive tests for elected officials to granting accessible healthcare to all citizens and suggesting solutions for pollution. Presentations ended with positive and constructive feedback from peer reviewers, fostering uplifting and productive discussion among students.