Throughout the Middle School students are conducting research. In every grade and in many different subject areas students are learning to sort through information, cull out the important bits and put it back together in new and interesting ways.
In 6th grade, the ELA students are beginning a Civil Rights research project. Each student will be given a topic in the larger subject to research. They will need to then present their research to their classmates. 7th graders in social studies have been participating in “genius hour.” Every week they’re allowed the opportunity to follow one of their passions–research for their own edification and enjoyment. Some students are studying Madarin, another is learning to bake and decorate cakes, and still others are exploring mechanics and other countries. The 8th grade science students are hip deep in science fair. Last week and the week before they wrote research papers in which they studied the scientific principals behind the experiments they’d designed. This week they’re working on the much more practical side of science fair–the experiments themselves!
All over the middle school–from science to ELA to social studies to music–students are being asked to question, to discover and to determine the validity of information learning one of the valuable lessons that will help them in their future academic careers.