In Modern World History, a special tribunal (pictured: Steve, Mustafa, and Judyth) convened to determine who was most responsible for crimes committed against the Taínos and the other indigenous peoples in the Caribbean basin under Spain's oppressive rule in the late 15th century. Students presented different arguments for Christopher Columbus, his crew and men, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, and the system of empire itself, and the judges assessed the evidentiary material, artifacts, and presentations.
WordPower!
Before heading out for the bonding trips, the 6th grade learned about the power of words and language with Sean, Tyler, and Sarah at Planet Word! They learned greetings and phrases in Swahili and Cherokee in The Spoken Word room; did some etymological trivia; laughed in the Joking Around room; read illuminated books in the glorious Library; and sang their hearts out in Unlock the Music. Sean writes, "as one of our first field trips, it started our year in Core and World Languages off just right."
Learning Balloons
Step 1: Put several scoops of baking soda inside a balloon
Step 3: Place the balloon on the flask, mix the two substances, and watch as the balloon inflates
What does this process teach us about the natural world? Morgan G. reports that 10th graders in Conceptual Chemistry used this fun experiment to observe the Law of Conservation of Mass.