Month: October 2023

The 8th grade advisors, Kim Parks and Jennifer Lettieri, recently led a reflection and discussion around the Middle School Agreements that the students created while on the Advance. The middle school team uses these agreements for all shared community spaces so students and teachers know the expected behaviors and guidelines when at school.

Using the Middle School Agreements as a starting point, Kim and Jennifer wanted the eighth graders to have an anonymous place to share what they need from their classmates to feel safe, seen and heard. They asked the eighth graders to review the agreements and write down what they need from others and what they will continue to work on themselves. 

After students wrote their responses on cards, they placed them in a box. During the next advisory class, Kim read what the students needed from their classmates out loud to the group, pausing for students to comment. Students were given three ways to respond to these anonymous messages or the discussion. They could:

1. Offer wisdom or advice.
2. Clarify a message or comment that was read out loud.
3. Offer empathy or appreciation for something they heard in the discussion.

The discussion was profound and meaningful. Some students spoke up and clarified what they needed from the group and owned what they wrote. Other students offered kind words of apology or agreed out loud with a comment that was read.

At Saklan, we aim for each student to ask for what they need so that every class can function positively and respectfully. Activities such as this help model for the students, and give them the language, to do so. Additionally, this activity helped the eighth graders to realize that their behavior and comments impact the class dynamics and create a domino effect. When one person talks out of turn or says a joke, then another person will, and another. Jennifer showed the students this video about the domino effect. The powerful visuals in the video helped students remember how powerful their words and actions can be.

On Thursday afternoons, Saklan’s middle school students participate in Learning By Doing (LBD) classes. These 45-minute classes expose students to different areas of interest, giving them an opportunity to take an active role in designing their education. LBD classes can be taught by middle school teachers or students, and cover a range of topics, including: poetry, art, music, drama, sports, technology, etc. These classes are meant to encourage creativity and collaboration for all members of the middle school community.

Saklan’s SEL focus for October is creativity, and the middle schoolers are using their LBD classes this month to take part in different creative, Halloween-themed activities. Last week they held a “Nailed It” challenge. Students, worked in family-group teams (with only the 6th – 8th graders) to recreate pumpkin themed art. They were given a picture of some painted pumpkins, and then worked together to recreate their masterpieces in only 30 minutes. Check out their amazing work below!

Being creative and having shared experiences helps our middle school create a cohesive community.

#SaklanCommunity #SaklanCreative

8th graders recently went to the de Young Museum to view Kehinde Wiley’s exhibit, Archaeology of Silence. Kehinde Wiley is widely known for his presidential portrait of Barack Obama, and his work featuring African Americans using the traditional styles of the old masters. Archaeology of Silence continues Wiley’s work of drawing attention to the value of Black lives through large scale paintings and an exquisite attention to detail. Through this field experience, students were able to see up close how artists are able to convey deep emotion and powerful ideas through visual imagery. 

Prior to the museum visit, students gained knowledge of Kehinde Wiley’s art style and visual tropes through viewing and analyzing his works, and comparing them with the 17th-19th century European paintings he has recreated. They watched a series of interviews with the artist to gain insight into his background and motivations, and discussed parallels between Wiley’s life and artwork with On the Come up, a book they were reading in language arts class. Students also viewed a video poem response to the Archaeology of Silence exhibit, made by an Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. 

Through these sessions, students developed a list of questions they had about the artist, and recurring themes and symbolism in his artwork. For example: Why does he use florals in his paintings? Are the figures sleeping or dead? Why are the colors unnaturally vibrant? Why are the figures all wearing name brand clothing? Why is the show called an Archaeology of Silence?

During their museum visit, students brought these questions with them, and used information from their observations, the audio guides, and museum labels to help answer them. Students also developed new questions, and were able to use the ideas and information provided in the exhibit to broaden and expand their thinking. Here are some quotes from student workbooks:

“[The florals] cradle the subject [and] create a comforting surrounding while still being sad.”

“What makes this figure special while still being ordinary?”

“How long did this take? It’s huge!”

“I connect the poses of the people in the images with depictions that I have seen of Jesus.”

“[Archaeology of Silence] refers to a phrase by Michael Foucault, talking about ‘making visible a socially repressed phenomenon.’”

“This show is moving, it makes you think about the effects of racism and discrimination against African Americans.”

“I used to think that the content [of Kehinde Wiley’s work] was mostly just brutal. Now I think that it’s more than that, it’s about both life and death and not just the latter.”

#SaklanFieldExperience