Student Work
RECENT PROJECTS
Mouse Trap Car Derby
The Mouse Trap Car Derby is the project that marks the culmination of science education at Windrush. Using a mouse trap and found materials, students design and construct an original car to compete in speed and distance races across the gym. Students utilize their cummulative knowledge of Newton's laws of motion, conservation of energy and forces such as friction, tension and air resistance to build the most effective car possible. Throughout the process students learn what it's like to work as project managers and how to apply their knowledge towards a scientific inquiry that does not lead to only one right answer.
The Way We See It: Windrush Through the Eyes of the Digital Photography Students
Kelp Web Site
Fourth grade students used Macromedia Dreamweaver to put together a web site that mimics the interconnectedness of a California kelp forest. Pairs of students worked together to gather information, lay out their pages and create original images. Pages are linked together in a food web by predator and prey.
Click here to explore the 2006 site!
For the Birds
First and second graders chose a bird to research and explored its habitat, diet, and physical characteristics. Students incubated and hatched ducklings and dissected owl pellets this week. To culminate their study and share their newfound knowledge, the Hobbits created an interactive "For the Birds" exhibit and invited their parents and K-5 students to visit. Included in the evening event for parents were edible treats of nuts, seeds and berries, and salmon.
Second grade Hobbit, Tam Stockton, shows his bird nest homework project—a life-sized replica of a bald eagle's nest, brought to school in the back of his grandparents' pickup!
MIDDLE SCHOOL
SIXTH GRADE
English
We are close to the climactic ending of Mildred Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry where we will find the Logan family rewarded with the victory of “surviving in a world built for their destruction,” in the words of the author. To make this historical novel meaningful, we have learned about the sharecropping system in the Depression Era South. We have also read and answered questions from an African American history packet that brought us from the time of slavery through the Civil War and Reconstruction, up to the Civil Rights movement. It has helped us to better understand the references, characters and themes of this engaging novel where everyday occurrences can result in acts of heroism. When we finish the novel, a comprehensive test that includes essay writing will be followed by watching the movie that is faithful to the novel starring a young Morgan Freeman.
We are also taking time in English to focus on creative storytelling. The Ananse stories were extremely successful and we are working on compiling them into a book. We also are experimenting with dialogue-driven screenplays after our inspirational and sun-drenched field trip to 826 Valencia. Related skills we have focused on are the grammatical rules of using quotations in a narrative and the use of adverbs. At the end of the trimester, we will return to short stories and a format of Shared Inquiry from the Great Books series with stories such as Through the Tunnel by Doris Lessing. These stories were not necessarily written for children, but they each share a protagonist or narrator who is 11-12 years old. And so we reflect on growing up and rites of passage as the summer approaches!
Social Studies
After a comparison of the Maya, Aztec and Inca civilizations, we have returned to Before the Common Era to learn about the Greeks. We have followed the Archaic Period from the monarchies of the Mycenaeans to the oligarchies, tyrannies, and finally democracies of Athens. Golden Age and Hellenisitic themes will include Athens vs. Sparta, the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars, Alexander the Great, and an appreciation of culture and mythology. We have already explored the tales of the Minotaur and Prometheus and will continue to read and analyze selected myths such as Narcissus and Echo, Pandora, Icarus, etc. The kids had a great time choosing their ancient Greek names, but they will also be presenting themselves as a “pantheon” – or modern day discussion panel - of historical figures such as Homer, Pericles, Aspasia, Socrates, Archimedes and others. We are going to collaborate with Phil in drama class to recapture dramatic moments from Oedipus Rex. Not surprisingly, no one wants to be Oedipus. Students will also undertake a fun “filmstrip” project in class on a topic of choice from Ancient Greece. We shall then tour the Roman Empire, admire their roads, aqueducts and domes, marvel at their political and military cunning and brutality, gasp at (or with) the mob at the Coliseum, salt the earth at Carthage, flee from volcanoes at Pompei, witness the death of Caesar, and somehow find ourselves in the Common Era after the rise of Christianity facing the Anglos, Saxons, Jutes, Huns (led by Attila), Franks, Vandals, Burgundians, Alemanni, Lombards, Visigoths and Ostrogoths. Did we forget anybody? If so, just say “Constantinople!”
Math
The 6th grade math classes just finished a geometry unit where they found the missing angle in figures based on properties of triangles and parallel lines. We got to know angle relationships and graphed geometric figures on coordinate grids. The students were challenged to find all of the different processes for solving angle relationships based on the properties of lines and triangles.
We are now delving into new mathematical territory, pre-algebra. We began the unit with a review of the division of fractions, as well as adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers. The rules of multiplying and dividing positive and negative numbers (even negative fractions!) were discovered next. Solving one-step equations is on the horizon, as well as graphing inequalities.
We will finish the year learning about rates, ratios and probability. We will determine the nutritional value of meals using rates and calorie intake. Students will discover how to solve percentage problems with ratios as well as explore polygons using ratios. Our 6th grade statisticians will play different games and determine the probability of winning each. The unit will culminate with all sixth graders creating their own games based on the rules of probability and then trying to “sell” their games to the class.
Science
In 6th grade science we just finished exploring the five kingdoms of life and investigating viruses. Students learned how their immune systems respond to pathogens, and Dr. Cheryl Scott came in to talk about epidemics and her work with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Presently we are beginning our chemistry unit, discovering the differences between physical and chemical changes. We will investigate the formula for density and explore the law of conservation of mass. We will interrupt our regular schedule for a three-day integrated unit about the scientific and societal issues surrounding water use and treatment.
After chemistry, the 6th grade science classes will be looking at the physics of bridges and building their own bridges in teams. Their “companies” will create a budget in order to purchase the materials necessary to build their bridges. These company teams will research how different bridges are built and will design their own structures. Students will have to create posters and pitch their bridge ideas to the Building Commissioner, Morgan, and then build them with the materials given. On the last day of school we will test the structural integrity of our bridges.
Science Fair is coming and all of the students have been hard at work finishing up their experiments. We will compose the discussion and conclusion in class, as well as assemble the boards. On May 18, the evening of Science Fair, all students need to come in to present their boards to a judge and discuss their projects.
SEVENTH GRADE
Math
The Windrush 7th grade students are immersed in pre-algebra concepts. After learning the rules for operations involving variables and exponents, they worked on rules for combining like terms. Most recently, the class has passed an exam on solving multiple step equations and inequalities. Graphing inequalities on a number line accompanied that unit. Soon, students will be combining their skills to graph functions in the coordinate plane and determine the slope of a line. FOIL and polynomials will follow the graphing unit. We will finish out the year mastering the proportion and determining percent of change. The class continues to explore the worlds of the contractor and architect through our "A Blueprint for Geometry" project. Most recently, students applied their prior knowledge of formulas for finding area, perimeter and volume in conjunction with methods for measuring to scale in order to determine costs of flooring, amount of lumber for studs to purchase and type of heating/cooling to install in a given structure. We've also spent a bit
of time preparing for the ERBs, paying particular attention to the structure of a section of the test which measures quantitative reasoning abilities.English
Third trimester began with these students working on parts of speech and grammar. In addition, they continued work with narrative writing and the five-paragraph essay. After integrated unit, we read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. We will soon be watching two film versions and practicing comparison and contrast as students write about the play and the film adaptation. We continue to work on issues of grammar, and students continue to record their outside reading. We will continue with outside reading and with increasing writing fluency until the end of the year.
Social Studies
7th Grade students have just finished a unit on medieval West Africa, during which they wrote plays and poems about West African society and leaders. Additionally, they worked on individual poster projects of a modern African nation.
We now begin our unit on the rise of Islam. Students are reviewing the connections between the 3 main monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and will learn about the cultural achievements of the Islamic empire. We will be studying Baghdad and Israel historically and in the present as examples of the ongoing changes in the Middle East.
The last unit of the year will be Medieval Europe, in which we will have a slide show on the medieval church and the development of architecture using slides of Roman forts and cathedrals in Albi, Paris, and the monastery at Mont St. Michel. Students will complete a Coat of Arms Students will also learned about the history of chess and participate in a 7th grade chess tournament.
The last project of the year will be a costume party in which students will attend as their favorite medieval character.Science
The seventh graders just finished an exhaustive study of earth science. They learned about the theory of plate tectonics and how it explains the creation of mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes. The students got a chance to build some earthquake-safe structures using straws, index cards, paper clips, and tape, to learn about how scientists and architects work together to make buildings safer. We discussed how volcanoes are formed and why they erupt, which gave us a perfect opportunity to mix vinegar and baking soda! We also looked at the rock cycle and the process of radioactive decay and carbon dating. In the coming weeks, we are planning a field trip to the Hayward Fault to learn about the movement of the plates in our own neighborhood.
The next topic for the seventh grade will be flight. We will start with an exploration of Newton’s Laws of Motion and the force of gravity, which of course must be overcome for anything to get off the ground. We will then explore all of the various ways that humans are able to fly, from hot air balloons to airplanes and helicopters to rockets. The unit is always a lot of fun because of the opportunities to build and launch different flying machines and investigate how they work. A highlight each year is the annual hot air balloon launch, where the students turn dry-cleaner bags into air-worthy flying machines.
EIGHTH GRADE
English
Third trimester began with these students finishing their work with Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Next, we read Willa Cather’s My Antonia. Students explored character development, plot development, the function of setting and the function of symbols in the book. We also explored the issue of immigration and what it means to be “home.” They practiced interpreting quotes and discussing major themes all before completing a project of their own. Currently, we are reading Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The students are becoming quite adept at discerning subtler aspects of plot and character, and their thinking critically about the moral issues the text presents. We have also been reviewing the basics of grammar and mechanics, and we’ll continue to work on writing skills and outside reading until the end of the year.
Math
Algebra I
After mastering work with proportions and percents of change, the class jumped right into work with linear equations.
Domain and range, as well as the standard and point-slope forms of a line were introduced first. Students learned how to determine the slope of a line given two points and are able to graph a line in the coordinate plane given only an equation to work with. Understanding the definitions for a horizontal line (no slope) and vertical line (undefined) has prompted good mathematical thinking and discussion. Next, we will be solving and graphing linear inequalities and working with polynomials.
Advanced Algebra
This group has worked at some exceedingly difficult concepts with interest and determination. It is fascinating to observe which students are drawn to a particular type of word problem. Some preferred the wind speed/ current problems and others felt more comfortable solving money and mixture questions. All students learned to use substitution and linear combination methods to solve word problems. We spent some time on solving systems of three linear equations before taking a break from graphing. The focus right now is polynomials. Simplifying terms with negative exponents and variables, degrees of polynomials and factoring are all important skills to master in this course as work progresses to a higher "degree" of difficulty: the quadratic equation.
Social Studies
The 8th grade U.S. history class is concluding their immigration unit by sharing their immigration and family history projects with the class. Thank you to all the eighth grade families for being so generous with your time so that students could create these marvelous historical documents. The 8th grade has also been working in the computer lab using Photoshop to create self-portraits focused on heritage.
The final unit of the year will be social transformation (abolition and the women’s movement.) The year will end with a costume party in which students come dressed and in character as a famous American of the 19th century.
Science
The eighth grade class has finally wrapped up its intensive look at genetics, heredity, and cell biology, and is entering a new unit about thermodynamics. We have already investigated fire, which was the first chemical reaction known to humans, and we have burned various food items in order to learn how many calories of heat are stored inside. We will also discuss how heat is transmitted by conduction, convection, and radiation; the processes of boiling and freezing; and how different substances behave when heated. The unit will conclude with a discussion of Earth’s atmosphere, the greenhouse effect, and the growing problem of global warming.
The eighth graders’ science careers at Windrush will end with the Fifth Annual Windrush Eighth Grade Mousetrap Car Race, where the students must build a car powered only by a single mousetrap. We'll run them to see whose can travel the farthest distance, and which car is the fastest in a short sprint. This has always been the highlight of the year for many students, because it presents them a fun challenge, a last chance for teamwork with their friends, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and lots and lots of laughs on race day.
