Tamika Dees, Head of Middle School

November 10, 2023

 

Greetings, Middle School Families, 

Pyramids, Castles and Battles, oh my! There are a lot of wonderful things going on in History this year, and at Oakridge we are definitely having fun learning.

In 5th Grade History, students are studying ancient Egypt and have the opportunity this month to design and build their own sarcophagus to help understand the afterlife in Egypt. They are super excited about building an Egyptian pyramid out of graham crackers and icing to help understand the importance of science and mathematics in ancient history as well as the important role of a Pharaoh.

In 6th Grade History, students are entering the Middle Ages and are about to encounter a design thinking build project where students create, collaborate and design a Medieval Castle. They will take their ideas and bring them to life when we return from Thanksgiving break and present them to the class during end of semester exams.    

In 7th Grade History, students recently completed their study of the geography, history, and daily life in the early American colonies. Now, students are learning about the very early stages of the American Revolution as they analyze and reconstruct the famous “JOIN or DIE” political cartoon created by Benjamin Franklin in 1754. Guided by our essential questions – “Why does conflict develop? What motivates people to act?” – students are investigating the incremental steps that eventually led the American Colonists into war against the British Empire.

In 8th Grade History, students are wrapping up their current module, “A Changing American Society”, in which they investigated our essential question – “How do new ideas and new technologies change the way people live?” – by looking back into the Jazz Age, the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Civil Rights Era. Students engaged in a game of Monopoly while they analyzed the game board and accompanying game pieces as a primary source that captures American culture of the 1920s and 1930s. 

We applaud these educators for making our History courses unique and engaging experiences. Please stay tuned in the upcoming weeks as we continue to feature our phenomenal departments and the amazing things happening here in the Middle School at Oakridge.

With profound gratitude,

Tamika

 

November Food4Life Menu 

Information on Visiting Author, Chris Barton- 5th Grade