October in 8th Grade at Senesh

Humanities

Students have been working hard to write their own creative personal essays throughout the previous two weeks. In order to prepare, students have been doing intensive studies of both “master” texts from writers such as Jazmine Hughes, Alice Walker, George Orwell, and E. B. White, as well as from adolescent writers. The first drafts of their essays are due this Friday!

Science

Science has started strong with the discovery of what is an atom. Students created 3D models using beads and pipe cleaners. They needed to correctly position the three basic particles within an atom, namely the electron, proton, neutron. This first interactive activity allowed students to visually see these particles and start to understand the structure of an atom. We also used our interactive software from “Explore Learning” in order to have a further discovery of these particle interactions within atoms. Science continued with its exploration of atoms and the periodic table. We first conducted an “Alien Periodic Table” activity, where students need to use science clues in order to place the different alien words for the same element in their periodic table. They loved the challenge and worked together to apply science concepts to demonstrate mastery of knowledge. Students then were assigned different elements in order to make a brochure about the properties of their element. We also played a fun atomic bingo activity in class in order to discover how elements are arranged on the periodic table. This allowed students to notice the difference between the element name and its symbol. In the following weeks, we will apply our knowledge about atoms to the concept of molecules. We cannot wait to have our first chemistry experiment. Hint, it will involve beakers, bubbles, and enjoyable learning.

Mike Noll