Eighth Grade 2017 – 2018 Blog

Advisory:  Dear parents, This week in advisory we the students acted out various situations that happen in school and then discussed what human needs did the characters in the skit have and if the needs were met. Hebrew:  The 8th grade has finalized the review of past tense and started reviewing the future tense. The students enjoyed practicing the past tense by leading conversations about their childhood. I wish you a relaxing weekend, Andreea Heritage:  הורים יקרים, השבוע למדנו סיפורים קצרים ברוח חג פורים, התלמידים דנו בשאלות מוסריות שקשורות בחג ובערכים של בית ספר. החל משבוע הבא נעסוק ביחידה חדשה... Read More

Advisory This week we led an activity in which we started having a conversation about ways to have debates/ arguments in effective and nonviolent ways. The students discussed what are the things that set them off in conversations and what steps we can they take in order to be able to listen to each other and express their opinions without hurting each other’s feelings. Hebrew Dear parents, This week the students took various assessments in the Past tense, practicing how to use various verbs in order to interview a friend about a special day they had with their family. In... Read More

Advisory: Dear parents, This week in Advisory we practiced using three different methods to unwind: Mindful Coloring, Journaling, and Yoga. The students enjoyed the session very much! We would like to encourage you to use any of these methods at home with your children.                                   Hebrew: Dear parents, This week, both groups were hard at work reviewing the Past tense. We reviewed the various groups of conjugations in the Paal, Piel and Hitpael structures in the past tense. Next week, the students will have... Read More

Advisory This week, we explored our ability to focus on the opportunities in life rather than on the challenges. We discussed how even challenges can be used in our quest to improve ourselves. Judaic Studies Inspired by a student, we tried something new this week — exploring what Judaism has to say about an issue important to middle schoolers. We began by looking at several texts about depression and anxiety, and used them as jumping off points to reflect on our own experiences. We also thought about what it means to be a good friend to someone who is struggling. There... Read More

Humanities: Literature and Writing: This week, students continued their work translating and analyzing Act II of Othello.  At the end of the week, students were asked to explain how Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to develop a theme on the relationship between appearance and reality. History:  In History, students prepared for our field trip this coming Monday to the Jewish Museum as we kickoff this year’s collaboration with them.  Students previewed artworks from the museum’s permanent collection and the exhibition entitled Veiled Meanings: Fashioning Jewish Dress.  Students will learn how artists and craftspeople use motifs in their work and will express their own... Read More

Humanities: This week in Humanities, we continued our study of Othello.  Students analyzed how Shakespeare uses irony and soliloquy to create a full realized portrait of Iago as a character.  Next week, we read Act III and study the elements of a classic Tragedy that exist in the play so far. Have a wonderful weekend, Michael Science: While students focus on their upcoming musical, in science we have been conducting a culinary science unit. This has allowed students to focus on the science concepts within cooking. In the last two weeks we have worked on transforming potatoes into mash and... Read More

Hi everyone, Because of the intense preparations for the musical, the 8th grade blog will look a little different these next few weeks.  It will focus mostly on showing the amazing work students are doing to make their production of Beauty and the Beast the hottest ticket in town!  We will return to our normal blogging style at the conclusion of the musical.  If you have a question or would like an update on what is going on in classes other than Humanities, please feel free to reach out individually to teachers with any questions. Warmly, The 8th Grade Team Humanities:... Read More

Hebrew:  Dear parents, The month of January is designed as a month of individual study. the students receive assignments ahead of time and are supposed to use classwork to consult with me in order to complete the assignments successfully. The individual study is an important skill that will benefit them in high school. I wish you a warm weekend and a happy new year, Andreea Humanities:  Literature and Writing: Happy New Year everyone!  This week, we started our unit on William Shakespeare’s Othello by learning about critical lens and how they are used to analyze art.  We learned about postcolonial theory... Read More

Hebrew:  Dear parents, This week HaKbatza Aleph practiced using STAMI sentences verbally and in writing. In addition, we practiced switching from infinitive to present tense. HaKbatza Bet learned new vocabulary related to using internet, phones and social media and they practiced using the new vocabulary verbally and in writing. I wish everyone Hag Hanukah Sameach and Shabbat Shalom, Andreea Heritage:  הורים יקרים, השבוע המשכנו בדיון בו התלמידים הביעו את דעותיהם בנושא היתרונות והחסרונות של קבוצה. כיצד תלמידים מרגישים חלק מקבוצה? אם הם יהיו מוכנים לערוב לתלמידים שנמצאים איתם בקבוצה? ואם לא, מדוע? כיצד זה תלמידים אחרים מרגישים עם זה. על מנת לענות... Read More