Women's History Biography Project

Ms. Dephouse and Mr. Broshar, together with Ms. Tarleton, have launched an exciting new project in the sixth grade.  The sixth graders were given a partner, and both students have been reading a biography of the same famous and influential woman.  Today, the partners had a chance to sit down together and talk about that woman and what they have learned.  Beginning next week, the pairs of students will be filming a mock interview in which one student poses as a reporter and the other poses as the influential woman.  We will share the videos as a whole group after spring break.  Students were excited to meet today to begin brainstorming and planning the videos.  We heard lots of good discussion about interesting and famous women in history!

Archaeology in Stephens Hall

In social studies, students have been discussing how archaeologists make inferences about past civilizations from artifacts.  As a kick off to our study of local history, students "found" artifacts in Room 15 and 16 and worked with a partner to decide what conclusions can be drawn about the people who once lived there.  Check out their portfolios for photos of the dig and to read about their conclusions.

Valentine's Day Cards

6th graders making Valentine's Day cards for their 1st grade buddies.  

Very creative!

The 1st graders will  appreciate the handmade cards.

GreenWorks!

Community service is an integral component of the Carolina Day School education, and this year's 6th-grade class has partnered with the local, volunteer-based environmental organization Asheville GreenWorks.

Last week, cores one and three met up with Eric at a particularly challenging location along the French Broad River in Woodfin. This site was an unregulated automobile dump site for many decades until recently, when Eric was instrumental in having the property taken over by the city. Prior to our arrival, GreenWorks removed 67,000 tires from the 3-acre site!

We used our time collecting trash and old auto parts, separating them by recyclability. The kids found quite a few fascinating relics from years past and voted to keep a 40-year-old Tennessee license plate as a memento of the time they spent helping to heal our local environment.

NSTA

Last week, science teachers in the Middle School attended the NSTA Conference on Science Education.   Many of the sessions were dedicated to STEM projects for the classroom.  Additional presentations covered a wide range of topics from inquiry based learning to developing literacy in science.   Ms. Weidner and Ms. Greene agree that the conference sparked many great ideas to implement in the 6th grade science curriculum.

Simple Machines

"Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world."   Archimedes

As a component of Carolina Day's Buddies program, the 6th-grade students regularly get together with their 1st-grade buddies to share quality time during the school day. Sometimes we share a meal or curricular activities, but we sometimes just "hang out."

Last week, we met to collaborate on a "Simple Machines" unit our 1st-grade buddies were completing. The 1st graders recently finished studying three of the most useful, basic human inventions: the lever, the pulley, and the wheel and axle. The task was to design and build a complex or compound working example of a simple machine, using a variety of materials. Many of our 6th graders remembered warmly their own experiences five years ago, when they participated in the activity as 1st graders!



The hour we experienced together was enriching and fun, certainly. Just as important, however, was the feeling of camaraderie, the warm and genuine connections among these students. They were sharing a sense of adventure and curiosity while applying basic knowledge and skills they are acquiring as members of a learning community.

Rising Appalachia

     Last week, the sixth graders learned from and performed with the local band, Rising Appalachia.  This opportunity was available through a program called Leaf in Schools and Streets, an outreach of the Leaf music and art festivals at Lake Eden in Black Mountain.  The CDS Arts and Creativity committee brought Rising Appalachia to our campus for an amazing concert, followed by a three-day artist-in-residency program.  The sixth graders met with the band for about an hour each day, learning about voice, rhythm, improvisation with music, and song.  Leah and Chloe, sisters and lead singers of the band, brought soulful voice and song to Stephens Hall last week, as well as lots of fun and energy.  The residency ended with several of our students performing with the band during the Leaf festival on Saturday.  Mr. Broshar and Ms. Heinberg were in attendance, and both said Carolina Day's performance brought down the house!  Enjoy the pictures and video!