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!

Mad Scientists!

This week sixth graders have been busy performing experiments that they designed, using their classmates as subjects.  Students have been learning about experimental design, the importance of controlled variables, and the need for multiple trials.  They have gotten to put theory into practice and are learning how to do real science.  Many creative hypotheses were developed, as students were required to investigate topics related to the senses.  As subjects they’ve been blindfolded, exposed to cold, forced to eat a variety of foods, worked math problems while being distracted with music, as well as many other interesting experiments.  Be watching sixth graders’ blogs for the results of their hard work.  

Riverside Cemetery Field Trip

     The 6th grade visits Riverside Cemetery each October as a way to kick off local studies and to tour the historic and beautiful cemetery. Students are given GPS units and they work together to follow clues to find the graves of eight local luminaries. Once at the graveside, students hear stories about these leaders and their contributions to our city. Then, they solve a puzzle and move on to the next clue. We have been taking this field trip for about 4 or 5 years now, and every year it's a big hit!

Sheep Brain Lab

Students have been studying the nervous system in science class. After learning about the three main areas of the human brain, students examined a sheep brain to reinforce their new knowledge. When asked why a sheep brain would be of educational value, the students responded in thoughtful ways:

"To have a visual of an actual brain"

"So that if you thought the brain was hard as bone, you could feel it and not have a misconception" 

"So you can see exactly what a cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem look like"

Saving the Earth with Asheville GreenWorks!

In less than two hours, half of the sixth grade class planted around fifty native trees on the banks of Hominy Creek in West Asheville!  Our new service project with Asheville GreenWorks is focused on working to protect the environment around Asheville and helping students gain an understanding of how they impact the place where they live.  Students waded through the creek carrying saplings, dug holes, planted trees, and got dirty for a great cause! We had a blast and our next group of students will go on Wednesday, Oct. 9th.  To learn more about the organization visit www.ashevillegreenworks.org