Tamika Dees, Head of Middle School

November 8, 2024

“If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday.” Pearl S. Buck

As history teachers in the Middle School, we believe teaching our students to think critically about past events and making connections to the present is essential. By doing this, we can understand when, where, and how our laws, societal norms, and social contracts have been shaped and molded. 

In fifth and sixth grade classes this year, we have had the opportunity to explore three different civilizations as well as look at the importance of laws within a civilization.  In fifth grade, we discovered ancient Mesopotamia and the importance of the Ziggurat as well as the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. In Ancient  Egypt, we learned the importance of the Nile as well as the role the Pyramids played in everyday life. We have even had the opportunity to build Ziggurats out of toothpicks and marshmallows and will soon be building Pyramids out of graham crackers and icing.  

In sixth grade, we studied African history and had opportunities to design and build our own African masks. We are beginning to look at different Monotheistic religions and the role each religion played in framing early civilizations. We have also examined the importance of laws and how they help protect all persons in a civilization as well as provide the framework for establishing government. Some of those laws have been passed down and are still in use today in our society. It is so amazing to see the ah-ha moments as students are able to make these connections.   

In seventh grade, we began the year learning about human migration from Asia to North America, and what caused mankind to want to explore outside the known world. While many factors led to early exploration, such as the old European Monarchs setting their sights on new lands for wealth and riches, students were elated to see how humanity is still looking to expand our horizons with the use of AI and uncharted territories. Finally, as we explored Galileo looking into the heavens at different planets to hypothesize about the earth and our place in the universe, students enjoyed the thought of humans occupying other planets in the not-too-distant future. 

In eighth grade, we began the year learning about the titans of the industry, also known as robber barons, and their effect on the government's role in addressing how business is conducted in the United States. By diving into this, the students were able to connect how and why our government had a responsibility to help the economy and create new laws to ensure that a financial crash like the one we experienced in 2008 never happens again. As we moved into The New Deal during the Great Depression, the students inherently also made the connection to the role the government played in the most recent pandemic.

Please stay tuned in the following weeks as we continue to feature our phenomenal departments and the amazing things happening here in the Middle School at Oakridge.

Progress Report:
The 2.1 Progress Report is now available on your Parent Portal. This document can be accessed and viewed under Classes and Reports. If you need assistance accessing your portal, please email technology@theoakridgeschool.org.

Information Station: 

Middle School Semester Exam Schedule
7th Grade Class Trip- March 26-28
8th Grade Class Trip- April 9-11
November Food4Life Menu