Inspired by Moby Dick and Captain Hook, 7th and 8th grade students are designing either a prosthetic leg or hand as the culminating activity for our unit on bones, muscles and skin. We were able to get some movement of Avi captured on film!

 

This week we focused on the seeds of democracy planted in the fertile soil of America during the colonial period. For example, we studied the case of John Peter Zenger, who was arrested for criticizing the royal governor of New York. His lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, argued that Zenger was not guilty of seditious libel because he had printed the truth. The jury found him not guilty; that verdict laid the groundwork for the idea that press freedom must be protected, as is was in the First Amendment.

 

 

We are nearing the end of The Crucible; when we finish it on Friday we will be studying the connection between the play and the McCarthy era in American history; we will be reading about why the Cold War produced such fear, fear that was exploited for political gain, and compare it to the fear in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692.

 

We finished our novel and have been discussing the concept of author’s message. We are writing essays about the importance of this book and we are creating artwork that expresses the author’s message in a creative way.

 

7th graders complete a project הכי ישראלי The Most Israeli. They asked people what in their opinion is the most Israeli. Stay tuned for pictures from our Israeli feast.