Middle School – Page 14

Saklan’s West African Music Program

Every Thursday, the Saklan campus has a different beat, a beat that hails from West Africa. Under the guidance of Isaac Narell, students in third through eighth can be found studying music from the Ewe speaking people who live in Ghana, Togo and Benin (countries in West Africa).

Ewe music consists of singing, dancing, and drumming. All these elements make up music styles. In 3rd grade, the students are performing a style called “Agahu.”

4th grade dancing and singing a Gota song.

Fourth and fifth graders are learning the styles “Gota” and “Tokoe.”

5th grade practicing Tokoe drumming

This unique music experience is a beloved aspect of the Saklan Music Program. Some 5th graders are so enthralled, that are choosing to stay in at recess on Thursdays and practice drumming together, while a group of Middle Schoolers are practicing drumming at lunch time on Thursdays.

#SaklanCreative #SaklanLearningByDoing

First Family Group Meeting

On Friday, September 30th, the Saklan first through eighth graders met with their family groups for the first time this year! During the meeting, the students in each group introduced themselves and shared one or two of their favorite things. Then each group had a discussion of what is means to be accepting, including why it is important that we are all accepting of others. They then played a game to help them learn something new about everyone in their group, as sometimes its hard to know someone and accept someone for who they are when you don’t know much about them.

The 8th graders then explained to their family group that as they go through the year together, they are a group or team made up of awesome individuals and they each bring their own strengths to the group. Some may have amazing sports or singing talents. Some maybe be amazing observers, or great listeners. Others might be a great friend to those around them.

Each member of the group was then given a puzzle piece to draw or decoratively write what they feel makes them special or amazing! These puzzle pieces were then all put together, showing that all members of each family group all are important members of the group. Check out their puzzles below!

#FamilyGroups #SaklanSEL #SaklanCompassionate

Have Old or Outgrown Sneakers?

The sixth grade students will be learning about human environmental impact and how they can help in science class this year. As part of their study, they will have the opportunity to participate in service learning projects. Service learning is an educational approach that combines learning objectives with community service in order to provide learning opportunities that help tackle real-world problems that help one’s community.

The sixth grade has partnered with GotSneakers, an organization that helps keep sneakers out of landfills by recycling and reusing them. Each pair donated can earn their class money, which they are going to use to combat the human environmental impact by putting it towards species conservation. Examples may include:

Donations to wildlife centers
Symbolic species adoptions
Materials to build bird boxes

Please help the sixth graders by donating any size sneakers you no longer want.

A bin will be placed in the breezeway during the last week of every month. Please place your unwanted pair of sneakers in the box during that time. Any size and brand of sneakers are welcome. But, sneaker-style shoes only, please!

#SaklanServiceLearning

Trail Mix Math

The sixth graders started the new school year working on challenging word problems, including one called Trail Mix:

Rowena and Polly are making trail mix. Rowena has 4 cups of raisins and Polly has 4 cups of peanuts. Polly pours exactly one cup of her peanuts into Rowena’s raisins and stirs them up. Then Rowena pours exactly one cup of her new peanut-and-raisin mixture back into Polly’s peanuts.

Mr. Zippin demonstrated this with red and white beans and then asked the 6th graders- “Did Rowena get more of Polly’s peanuts or did Polly get more of Rowena’s raisins?”

The students got a chance to share their ideas, first with their groups, and then with the entire class.

Next, the students had the opportunity to get hands-on with the beans themselves. They took ten white beans and ten red beans and put them in small containers. In teams, the students took turns taking 3 beans out of the white bean cup and putting them in with the red and mixing them up. Then, with their eyes closed, they took three beans out of the mixture and returned them to the white cup with only seven beans in it. They then recorded their results.

After doing the experiment a few times, the groups got another chance to discuss their ideas and possibly develop new conjectures.

What do you think? Did Rowena get more of Polly’s peanuts or did Polly get more of Rowena’s raisins?

#SaklanHandsOn

Early Humans

Sixth grade has begun their year of studying ancient civilizations in humanities by looking at the artifacts and clues left behind by early humans. Students have been learning from paleoanthropologists on early forms of graphic communication. They have also been exploring what it means to try and interpret an artifact or cave painting when anyone who could give definitive answers about their true meaning and purpose is long gone.

The class has been using an interactive inquiry wall and question protocols to generate student inquiry.

They moved questions and things they know into groups, and in the coming weeks students will have a chance to research and answer their own questions on early humans before beginning the project-based learning cycle with their next unit.

#SaklanInquiryBasedLearning

Task Party!

This week in art class, students in 4th – 8th grade got in touch with their creative sides by participating in something called a “Task Party,” where students draw and complete random tasks.

Fourth graders worked collaboratively in table groups to “turn a stool into a monster.”

Fifth graders worked collaboratively with their table groups to “design and create a themed Met Gala gown for a member of their group.”

Middle school students independently drew tasks from a box and either completed as many as they could, or chose to spend the entire time on one task. Tasks included: making a treasure map, making a robotic arm, making a musical instrument, making a parrot and wearing it on one’s arm, making puppets and putting on a puppet show, making an octopus garden, making everyone name tags, making a walled fortress, and more!

Task parties originate from contemporary artist Oliver Herring and are meant to build community, inspire creativity, critical thinking, and fun through the arts. Tasks can be building and creating art with crafting and recycled materials or can be performance based and encourage students to step out of their comfort zones.

The best part about a task party is getting to know the students as makers, artists and creative minds in an open, stakes-free environment. Because there is no right or wrong way to perform a task, everyone is participating and engaged, as there is little judgment or fear of making mistakes.

#SaklanCreative

Bubble Gum Hypothesis

In preparation for a full year of fun and exciting science, middle school students have been reviewing and practicing the scientific method. The sixth grade students were given the question: “Which bubble gum creates the biggest bubbles; Double Bubble or Big League Chew?”

Students created their hypothesis, were given the same amount of each gum for consistency, and decided on a bubble gum blower for the experiment to keep the ability consistent. After measuring 5 bubbles and averaging their findings, all groups found Big League Chew to be better at consistently blowing large bubbles. They noted that it was the softer of the two gums as well. This and other flavor preferences played into their guess as to why Big League Chew was better. From this fun experiment, the scientific questions and hypotheses started flowing!

#SaklanScience #SaklanHandsOn

Advancing Into the New Year

A long tradition of the Saklan Middle School has been to start the year with a three-day, two-night field experience called the “Advance.” We call it the Advance because we want to advance into the new school year in a positive, proactive way that helps these young adolescents flourish into self-confident young adults.

During the Advance, students engage in different activities that build relationships between students and their teachers. Navigating ropes courses, completing blindfolded trust walks, and playing team-building games facilitate positive interactions and friendships. Students are asked to take risks together, creating bonds that will carry them through the school year. Not only does this help solidify their sense of belonging, but it also allows for better collaboration, trust, and academic focus.

This afternoon, the students and teachers will return from the Advance. They will come back as a slightly different group than when they left Wednesday morning. They will have formed or solidified friendships, built a new community, and have a renewed sense of confidence (as well as be a bit tired from all the fun and activities). But most importantly, students will return ready to thrive and grow during their middle school experience.

#SaklanConnected #SaklanConfident

Congratulations, Class of 2022!

On Wednesday morning, we honored and celebrated The Saklan School’s Graduating Class of 2022. It was a heartfelt ceremony, in which the middle school teachers introduced the graduates, and the graduates shared short speeches with their parents, teachers and fellow students.

One of the highlights of the ceremony was a speech by Saklan Alumna, Kylie Choi. Kylie graduated from Saklan in 2017, and just completed her first year at University of San Diego. The wisdom Kylie shared with the graduates on making the most of their path forward while remembering that Saklan is always here for them was inspiring.

If you were not able to join us for the ceremony, you can view the graduation here.

Each year we create a slideshow that highlights the memories of our graduates from their first years all the way through the last week of 8th grade. Take a moment to watch this video and relive their journey.

There are several people that made the graduation events possible this year. We would like to extend a special thank you to Geri Buhl and Katy Debasa for helping to organize the graduation dinner. It takes a lot of planning and coordination, but the dinner was beautifully orchestrated. Additionally, a special shout-out goes to Kim Parks, Shay Sager, Emoke Veres, Emily Williamson and Javier Yacarini for all their behind-the-scenes work handling the logistics of the graduation dinner and ceremony.

#SaklanClassof2022 #SaklanCourageous

Solar Oven Cooking

The 6th grade has been learning about heat transfer around our planet, especially in regards to radiant energy from the sun. They spent time learning about the different types of wavelengths the sun gives off (the electromagnetic spectrum) and how each provides a different kind of energy. The students then looked at the sun’s potential. They saw how solar power works to excite electrons on a solar panel by creating solar panel wave machines. And then they created solar ovens, where they used the sun’s energy and a mirrored cone to cook cookies!