Category: Middle School

In their first semester of Humanities, the 7th grade students engaged in a project based learning unit called Community Spaces. Their project work centered around the driving question, “How can we create public spaces based on the values and needs of our community?” For this project, the 7th graders examined and evaluated both contemporary community spaces and those designed and built by the three pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations: the Mexica/Aztecs, the Incas, and the Maya. As part of their project work, the students engaged in three field experiences to Moraga Commons and Moraga Shopping Center, Temple Hill in Oakland, and the Student Wellness Center at Los Perales School in Moraga.

They also met with two guest experts, an urban planner and a designer/builder. For their culminating project product, each student designed their own community space or re-designed an existing space by incorporating elements of architecture, urban design, and infrastructure from the one or more of the three civilizations they studied and from present-day community spaces to meet the needs and reflect the values of a community near where they live.

All Saklan community members are invited to view the community spaces the 7th graders designed on Friday, January 26th after CLAS. The designs will be on display in the Humanities Room, and the students will be standing by to share their designs and answer questions.

#SaklanPBL

What are kids reading these days? Lots of great books!

In the Bookworms Learning by Doing (LBD) class, middle school students talked about the books they were reading and then enjoyed extended quiet time to read on the beanbags in the Humanities Room. The students then each wrote a recommendation about one book they enjoyed reading.

The book recommendations are on display in the Middle School Library. You are invited to stop by and read them–and to check out a book or two from the growing middle school library.

Thank you to our great librarians, Joy and Meredith, for displaying the middle school recommendations.

Read On!

On September 20th, 2017, Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico with 155 mph winds and 40 inches of rainfall. The small community of Villa Del Rio was impacted like much of the island; houses blown off foundations, roofs torn off, down trees making roads impassable, and no running water or electricity for months. For Villa Del Rio, the worst thing may have been the isolation. For eight months, no one from the U.S. or Puerto Rican Government showed up to help. The community of Villa Del Rio was on its own. That meant rebuilding houses, fixing power lines, clearing roads, and sourcing clean water. It meant putting the community’s needs before the individual’s. 

There are so many things that we want our 8th graders to take away from their service learning field experience in Puerto Rico. The confidence from succeeding in an environment well outside their comfort zone. The reward of doing hard manual work, shoulder-to-shoulder with those rebuilding their lives. The understanding that even in a community that has lost so much, generosity, kindness, and warmth are still a key part of the social fabric. 

Students worked alongside Angel and William, our GlobalWorks locals who live in the community of Villa Del Rio and also were affected by the hurricane, to help build the foundation of a home for a man named Felix. Felix lost his home to Maria. After the hurricane, he picked up any scraps he could to build a makeshift house to live in. He has been very grateful for the one-room home he created and has lived in for the last few years, but now looks to secure a hurricane-proof home for his family. Our students were the first step in that process.

Our students spent their days learning about the history and culture of Puerto Rico by getting a tour of San Juan, seeing the street art murals in Santurce, learning to dance Salsa, and interviewing native Puerto Ricans about their experience during Hurricane Maria.

The students learned about the stories of the locals and what it takes to build a structure that can withstand a hurricane by working to build a foundation for a home by:

• Securing rebar beams
• Shoveling rocks, sand and cement
• Passing cement to create beams
• Cleaning up the bottom foundation of the home

The students also witnessed the beauty of Puerto Rico by playing in the Atlantic Ocean every day, talking with locals, hiking through a muddy El Yunque Rainforest, swimming in the cool river water, and kayaking through the most fascinating bioluminescent bay ever. 

During their stay in Puerto Rico, the students wrote reflections about the work they were doing and the community they were working with. Here are some of their responses: 

Today we worked with rebar on the worksite. We accomplished our whole task of making 8 beams for the foundation. I had a hard time with the wire at first but was really happy when I finally got it.

Kori

Working with the community has made me feel great. I love manual labor, it is fun and a workout. I also loved seeing such a welcoming community. They made me feel like family.

Astro

I loved helping the community and loved shoveling concrete and getting dirty.  I feel like I helped a family in need and am proud of myself.

Yiannis

Working with the community made me feel grateful and humbled me. I got to help and support people in need but also learned how they suffered, too. When I get home I will miss helping them and I will be more grateful. 

Mars

I think working with the community made me appreciate how hard it is to build a house in the heat. These people must be so dedicated to the cause to do this almost every day. It really makes you see what good people they are and how kind and generous their community is.

Eleanor

My perspective throughout the week has significantly changed. When we first came here I was surprised by how rundown and below average the homes were compared to mainland U.S. As the week went on I got more and more used to Puerto Rican conditions, and as we reach the end of our trip I feel incredibly grateful for this experience and I am glad we came.

Oliver

Working with the community changed my perspective on hard work because they showed me that hard work makes you stronger physically and mentally. It also made me sad for the community because they lost everything. When I get home I will feel sad that I won’t be able to keep helping, but will be happy to get away from all the mosquitos.

Sam

To learn more about the students’ experiences in Puerto Rico and their takeaways from the trip, join us at CLAS on Friday, January 26th.

#SaklanServiceLearning

In science, the sixth graders just wrapped up their study of volcanoes. They learned about the different types and parts of a volcano, where volcanoes are located, the different types of eruptions that can occur, and how they create different rocks and formations.

As part of their hands-on study, the sixth graders looked at different types of igneous rocks and tested different fluid viscosity to see how different lavas might flow. Then they built their own shield volcanoes and tested different batches of “magma.” The students determined the speed of flow, what minerals make the lava flow slower, and how those different flows cool into different rocks.

The sixth graders also talked about the dangers and advantages of living by active volcanoes. They learned about Mt. Vesuvius, one of the most famous eruptions in history, which buried the city of Pompeii in 79AD.  Students were amazed at the preserved history they saw and the amazing power of the volcano. 

#SaklanHandsOn

In geometry last week, Mr. Zippin gave the students an opportunity to test the Legend of the Hypnotized Subject. The old legend says that if you place a mirror on the floor 200 cm away from your subject and stare into the reflection of their eyes just the right way, your subject will squawk like a chicken. However, you have to stand exactly in the right place or the trick won’t work.

In order to test this legend, the students had to work together and apply their knowledge of similar triangles.

First, the students decided to draw a diagram of the situation.

They noticed that it looked like they were working with two triangles. Using their understanding of angle-angle similarity, the students determined that the triangles were similar. Therefore, they knew they could make and solve proportions to find the hypnotist’s unknown distance to the mirror. They reasoned that they needed to find out how high their eyes were off the ground. After measuring for this, they quickly solved the equations they made and were ready to test the Legend.

“Squawk!”

The eighth graders have been learning about the periodic table. From researching what all the symbols mean, to understanding what the atomic number and atomic mass tell us about each element, they have become very knowledgeable about the periodic table!

Each student picked one element they wanted to learn more about. After completing research on their element, they designed a shirt to showcase the special properties and uses of their element. Check out the atomic wear the eighth graders created and modeled below!

#SaklanCreative

Sixth grade students are in their second milestone on their project unit with the driving question, “Who do art objects truly belong to?” During this step of the project, students are deepening their understanding of the roles of archaeologists and museums while researching key ancient Egyptian artifacts. This past week students met with two experts that helped them develop their perspective on their driving question. 

On Tuesday, research archaeologist Hannah Wellman, Ph.D. zoomed into the sixth grade humanities class to share historical context for the Egyptian artifacts students are researching. Hannah also provided perspectives on repatriation from a research archaeologist’s point of view.

On Thursday, the sixth graders traveled to the Badè Museum at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. Aaron Brody, the museum’s director, gave the students a private tour discussing the complexities that repatriating the collection would present. He also answered many student questions connected to both the legal and ethical issues of repatriation. 

The 6th graders look forward to sharing more as their unit comes to a close next month. 

#SaklanPBL