Weeks 8 and 9: Monday, October 29th – Friday, November 9th

Heritage

ELA: These past two weeks students have completed first drafts of their own personal narratives. They have met in peer conferencing groups to give each other praise for what is working in their narratives and also suggested areas to polish for their final drafts . Revisions are already underway and their final drafts should be completed by the end of next week.

Social Studies: We have learned about civilizations like the Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs that existed in the Americas long before the first European every set sail for the “New World.”  We are learning about how each European empire configured their colonial territory and in particular, their relationships with the populations already living there.  We have also looked at the technology that make nautical exploration possible and focused on what Christopher Columbus actually did on his 4 voyages from Europe to the Americans, his role as a governor for Spanish claims in the region, and are beginning to form positions to assess his culpability for what happened to the native populations in the Caribbean during and after his reign as governor.

Israel

Each 8th grade Israel class begins with a current event article that opens up discussion about controversial topics within Israel. Students are asked to develop their own opinions on each topic and be able to articulate the opinion of a classmate.  Ask your child to share his/her opinion about the Lara Alqasem case (the former BDS activist whose entrance to Israel was debated but ultimately allowed) as well as whether the Falash Mura community in Ethiopia should be granted entry into Israel (chosen for today in recognition of the Ethiopian Jewish holiday of Sigd which was celebrated this week). In Around the time of his yarzheit we learned that Yitzchak Rabin’s life spanned the entire life of the state of Israel and that he was an important military and political figure during key moments in Israel’s history. We discussed how and why Rabin’s approach to the Israeli Palestinian conflict shifted from one of force to negotiation. Finally, students enjoyed sharing their funny and informative “Crash Course History” videos about different moments on the timeline of Israel.

Phyllis and Andreea

Judaic Studies

The 8th graders have been studying and discussing college-level material, as we delve into academic theories about the Bible. Students presented different sections of a power point to each other, teaching other this theory, and eagerly sharing their thoughts about it.

I also want to share some photos from our amazing trip to Self Help last week to serve food to and visit with elderly Holocaust survivors. The 8th graders were incredible — they showed both “honor” and “reverence” as defined by the rabbis in a Talmud braitha we studied!

Math

Now that the 8th grade has learned all about solving simultaneous linear equations, they have moved into exploring polynomials. Right now, the focus is on the expansion and factorization of quadratic polynomials, particularly the special cases of perfect square trinomials and the difference of squares. After that, we will focus on the factorization of other cases of quadratic polynomials with polynomials of other degrees thrown into the mix. Mastery of these factorizations and expansions will be useful for understanding the behaviors of objects that have trajectories which can be modeled by quadratic functions. Examples include stones, missiles, balls, reflecting telescopes, curved mirrors, satellite dishes, and lenses. Math; it has more practical uses than you think. Yes, even Algebra.