Middle School Winter Curriculum Highlights
One of the highlights of my week is visiting our Middle School classrooms. It is always wonderful to see first-hand the incredible teaching and learning that happens in our classes daily. I wanted to share some of what I have seen over the last several weeks.
Our 6th grade history classes began a study of the origins and spread of Islam. The unit started with readings and discussions on the roots of the religion, which included topics like Muhammed’s vision in the cave outside of Mecca, The Five Pillars, The Hijra, and The Qur’an. The focus then shifted to how the religious, political, and social movements associated with Islam quickly spread across the Arabian Peninsula and beyond. The unit culminates in a student-driven research project that focuses on an aspect of Islamic culture that each student finds interesting. While some are focusing on notable structures like The Taj Mahal, The Dome of the Rock, or The Quba Mosque, others are choosing to study concepts related to other areas of culture like halal food preparation, Islamic calligraphy, and even the Sunni-Shi’i divide within the religion.
Grade 7 scientists have started an inquiry-based biomimicry unit. Using the design thinking process, students are asked to design a nature-inspired solution that addresses climate change by either helping communities adapt to climate change impacts or slowing climate change itself. Last week, grade 7 parent Dr. Jeff Karp visited to speak to the 7th grade about the work he does that ties into this unit. Dr. Karp is a Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He is also a principal faculty member at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and an affiliate faculty member at the Broad Institute and at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. He works in the fields of drug delivery, medical devices, stem cell therapeutics, and tissue adhesives. We were thrilled he made time in his busy schedule to speak with our students!
As part of their English class and in coordination with Black History Month, 7th graders are reading Brown Girl Dreaming, an award-winning story of Jacqueline Woodson’s childhood in verse. Woodson weaves her family’s history and her own recollections set against the backdrop of social and political change when it came to race in the US in the 1960s and 1970s. Readers experience her life through her eyes as a child, but a close reading reveals the complex conflicts with which her family grapples as they navigate the trials of life and how to participate and support Civil Rights Protests. The unit will culminate with a class discussion led by Ms. Christian, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and Mrs. Robinson, Registrar and Lower School DEIB Coordinator, on intersectional justice and equity to provide context on current issues paralleled in Brown Girl Dreaming. For the final assessment of the unit, students will write an essay that provides a close reading of a theme of the book using three poems as evidence.
Finally, in Art 8, students were working on an observational project that explored the properties of charcoal. The project emphasized the concepts of value, light, and shadow through the creation of a drawing that also utilizes elliptical shapes. Using oversized, wooden spools as their subjects, students established their composition, identified a light source, and applied charcoal to complete their illusion of depth, light, and form. It was incredible to see such sophisticated work from our 8th graders.
Brimmer and May School
69 Middlesex Road
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
As an inclusive private school community, Brimmer welcomes students who will increase the diversity of our school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, or any other characteristic protected from discrimination under state or federal law, in the administration of our educational policies, admissions practices, financial aid decisions, and athletic and other school-administered programs.