Eighth grade studied Harper Lee's use of language to evoke emotion and character development through a Reader's Theater activity. They worked collaboratively and focused on a small passage of text to present to their peers. Sadly, we learned of Harper Lee's death this morning. We will remember her boldness and talent as we continue our unit on To Kill a Mockingbird.
To begin our study of World War I, the seventh grade investigated the many causes of this global conflict. First, they adopted the role of the major players in Europe. Then, they silently created alliances and reinforced rivalries between the nations, using historical events and descriptors to guide their choices. By investigating primary and secondary sources, they discovered that the combination of militarism (M), alliances (A), Nationalism (N), and imperialism (I) combined to provide the perfect landscape for a diplomatic struggle. The following day, they investigated an event that ignited the conflicts into a full-fledged war - the assassination (A) of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
The sixth grade became experts of figurative language this week. They worked cooperatively in groups to master simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, and idiom. To apply their learning, they participated in a scavenger hunt in their novel, Wonder, to find examples of figurative language. Only a few hints were needed!
*See what I did there?!
Seventh grade recently started their human body unit, spending some quality time investigating the functions of different organs and organ systems. Today, they took their learning outside of the classroom to the Shedd Aquarium. There, they dissected squid in order to answer scientific questions. They also compared squid anatomy to human anatomy based on what they learned in class. The fun continued as they saw beluga whales, sharks, and an anaconda and got to touch sea stars and Great Lakes fish!
The eighth grade braved the windy weather this afternoon for a little extra recess time. What a great time to hang out with friends while we have nice weather!
-On Saturday (2/20), come cheer on our junior high basketball teams in the St. Matthias gym! Start your morning off watching sixth boys play at 11:00 AM. Then, grab a quick bite to eat and return for the seventh grade game (2:00 PM) and eighth grade game (3:00 PM). This is the last eighth grade basketball game in the St. Matthias gym. A day full of Mustang pride!
-All eighth grade students preparing for Confirmation must attend 4:00 PM Mass and the 5:00 PM Confirmation practice on Sunday, February 21. Confirmation is on Thursday (2/25) at 6:30 PM.
-Save the date! The sixth and seventh grade students will be participating in the annual Dance-Off at DePaul College Prep on March 11. Please return the permission slips by next Friday (2/26)!
Happy weekend!
Ms. Denten & Mrs. Prinzivalli