Secondary Scoop:  Middle School Social Studies and High School Art - 1

Middle School Social Studies: Mr. Ariail and Mr. Daily

Grade 6: Mr. Ariail

Recently in 6th grade geography, the students have been engaged in partnered reading on topics connected with the Middle East. Students have also been tasked to work with one another to write responses to questions associated with the readings. Studies have shown that cooperative or collaborative learning, when done correctly, can lead to higher achievement and greater productivity; more caring, supportive , and committed relationships; and greater social competence and self esteem. Witnessing the engagement of the students it is apparent that these aforementioned learning objectives are being met. What will help improve our focus on achieving these learning objectives is the use of video presentations to enhance students’ comprehension of the reading, continued check-ins with the students to answer any questions they have and offering clarification concerning the content. 

Grade 7: Mr. Ariail

The 7th grade geography students have worked on note taking for elements of Northern and Southern European Geography. Interspersed throughout the presentation of the notes are short video clips that enhance students’ understanding of the topics. The notes were organized into three sections. Within each section are subsections. For each subsection the students watch and listen to the lecture/presentation and complete guided notes where they fill in the missing information. At the end of each section the students are given a reflection question that underscores the content that has been covered. The students have seemed to respond positively to the variety of learning modalities that exist in this learning format. Of course the ultimate indicator of their comprehension will be how they respond on their summative assessment for the unit.

Grade 8: Mr. Daily

8th Grade students are studying Ancient Greece. Our focus of study is on the foundations of Western Political thought and the impact of democracy that originated in the city-states of Ancient Greece. This unit will enhance the student’s understanding of how the culture of Classical Greece spread across the Mediterranean and why “Hellenism” is so important to the foundation of modern political thought. 

The students are also working on their semester project. They have chosen a topic to research and have practiced narrowing down their topics, writing research questions, and creating thesis statements and literature reviews. They will complete a presentation for their topic in the next two weeks and their research paper will be their final project for 8th Grade Social Studies. The students have had two opportunities this year to design and create a significant piece of academic writing and they have shown tremendous growth in their understanding of this important academic skill. 

See also: Secondary Scoop: Middle School IT and High School Music

High School Art: Ibu Dewi and Ibu Aris

The Art Department would like to thank the parents for their support,
which continues to enable their children to produce a variety of artwork
throughout the online learning period. 
During the second semester, the high school students have learned a
great deal about art and have continued to show very good progress;
not only in their skills, but also in art knowledge and techniques. 


ART I


Grade 9 Art students started their studies this semester with a
Landscape Art Project, where they learned about foreground, middle
ground, and background; all of which can give a 3D effect on painting
work. Paper quilling is another art form that the group experienced in
their classes. Students had the opportunity of working with paper
strips and also with color combinations. The class are now working on
Observational Drawing / Painting. In this art form, students learn to
observe an object in a deeper way and transfer what they see onto the
paper. 

ART II

During their studies, the Grade 10 Art students have continued to
develop their talent through Portrait Drawing. In the lessons, they learned about placement of facial features and more advanced shading techniques. Students have also been challenged to create a Fairy Tale
Story Landscape, where they must explore fairy tale stories and come
up with their own original idea for their artwork. There has been the
opportunity for the class to also learn about Impressionism and
Expressionism Art as a part of Art History. This has enabled students to create their own artwork with the characteristics learned from
these styles of art. 

AP ART CLASSES

Grade 11 and 12 Art students continue to research, explore and create artworks that express their individuality through Sustained Investigation Projects. They have been creating a series of three works with deeper exploration. They will also be doing observational
painting in the upcoming project.

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