Sigh … the end to 8th grade at Senesh!
Math It’s the last week of school and the 8th graders are graduating this week. How exciting! They have worked hard this school year learning Algebra I and preparing for high school. 8th grade, whether you are taking advanced Algebra I or Geometry next year, I wish you the best in high school and I hope what you’ve learned helps next year. Congratulations, graduates! I hope you can visit next year! Humanities 8th graders have finished their year strong by writing and rewriting their graduation speeches. I was really touched by the way they expressed themselves and reflected on their... Read More
8th grade graduation is approaching! :'(
Humanities Students have chosen their final independent reading assignment for their 8th grade year: They are reading nonfiction books that range in topics from true crime to astrophysics, from historical pirates to DNA sequencing. Additionally, students are preparing for a big test taking place on June 2 that will assess their constitutional knowledge. Through reading excerpts in the American Constitution, students learn to identify 5 key concepts in American law: popular sovereignty, limited government, federalism, checks and balances, and the 3/5ths compromise. These thoughtful and critical 8th graders are excited to get a more intimate understanding of the foundation of... Read More
April in the 8th Grade
Judaic Studies It’s been a powerful 2 weeks of learning with the 8th grade. I was moved and awed by the focus and thoughtfulness students brought to our Yom haShoah unit. In preparation for our speaker, Dr. Anna Ornstein, we learned about the Holocaust in Hungary, and about Auschwitz. This was a difficult topic, but students were resilient and able to share and process together in a way that I really admired. We began our next unit — looking at moral dilemmas through the lens of Rabbinic literature. We are focusing on a real life question: what should be done... Read More
March in the 8th Grade
Humanities Students are wrapping up their essay reflections about visiting home-bound elders and will submit them for national competition on this Friday. The beauty of these relationships the students have developed with their elders really shines through their writing! It’s been a pleasure to read. Additionally, students are deep in their study of the legacy of enslavement in the United States. They have read primary source narratives and are making their way through reading the New York Times’ 1619 Broadside. Joseph Math The 8th Grade just finished a hefty unit about systems of Linear Equations and Inequalities. Now that the... Read More
February and Adar in 8th Grade!
Tomorrow, for Rosh Hodesh Adar, students are excited to come to school in their pjs. In Humanities class, we are planning to have a relaxing pj reading party! There will be Netflix fireplace playing on the screen, cozy chairs, and some nice books to read independently. In ELA, students are ending their unit on poetry, in which they are writing journal responses about a poem of their choice. Allusion, simile, metaphor, paradox, hyperbole, and oxymoron are all now part of the 8th grader’s regular vocabulary! Ask them to explain them to you. In Social Studies, we just ended our unit... Read More
Happy Hanukkah from the 8th Grade!
Happy Hanukkah! Humanities Students are finishing their Crucible projects and looking forward to their showcase with parents and family on Tuesday, December 15 at 1PM. Join us on zoom for this wonderful display of the students’ performances or creative projects tied to their reading of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. In our study, students have explored dynamic and static characters and tracked their development over the course of the play. Additionally, on Tuesday, students had their second meeting with Jewish elders from around America. Students connected with their elder partners via zoom and shared their experiences of Hanukkah and growing up Jewish.... Read More
Humanities In Social Studies, students are finishing our unit on Indigenous perspective of European colonization of America. Students have read primary and secondary sources on the topic and written thoughtful responses about the effects of colonization on Native North America. Additionally, we wrapped up our election unit as students analyzed the election results. In ELA, we have just begun our unit on The Crucible. Students are looking forward to planning the showcase for parents in December! Joseph Science Science last month had started its exploration of molecules, chemical bonds, and chemical reactions. They used interactive software to understand the differences... Read More
Shana tova, and happy October from the 8th Grade!
Humanities Students are continuing to hone their critical writing skills as we work through the structure of literary analysis essays. the 8th graders have developed theme statements from their summer reading, The Chosen, and are basing their essays around their ideas of Judaism, friendship, and war. This week in Social Studies, students have been exploring human migration, indigeneity, and Native American origin stories. We began by exploring the power of our own origin stories–religious, national, familial–and illustrated some representations of our origins. Maths The 8th Grade has spent the past few weeks learning about and mastering Scientific Notation and... Read More
Week one for the 8th Grade!
HUMANITIES I am so very excited to begin my second year at Hannah Senesh (and my 7th year in education) with this group of 8th graders! I have heard only good things about the class, and look forward to engaging students in new and challenging content that will solidify the work they’ve already been doing in previous years. As students read books from contemporary and historic American authors in their ELA course, they will also learn about the rich American legacy in their Social Studies course. I look forward to all the curiosity the students bring! Joseph, jhayden@hannahsenesh.org JUDAICS... Read More
Happy Purim from 8th Grade!
Humanities This week in ELA, students are beginning our 8th Grade unit on Elie Weisel’s Night. Throughout the next 5 weeks, students will explore the essential question “How do one’s circumstances and experiences of trauma shape their identity?” Using the idea of the Universe of Obligation, students will work through the difficult terrain of choice in the face of absolute horror and devastation. I must admit that this is a particularly difficult text to teach, but as always, I am impressed with the 8th grader’s sensitivity and nuanced understanding of complex readings. In Social Studies, students are exploring key concepts... Read More