2/24

Dear friends of seventh grade,

Winter has returned to the North West as a soft blanket of snow wraps itself on the ground.  These moments call for us to look with wide eyes at the world around us.  This looking is like the sound that accompanies a quick breath in; a harmonious movement just before the release of a cloud of swirling vapor.  Falling snow, our breath and the pulsing ocean all reveal unique qualities of water that have been a part of our chemistry exploration.  The way water moves, is heated, and its role in the human body have been topics that we have been illuminating.  In addition, the role that salt plays in the world and in our body has given us a picture of balance that the wisdom of our human form perpetually works with.  Why is salt from the store white?  If salt comes from the sea, then why are there “salt domes” on land?  These questions and more have led us on a creative path of knowledge and discovery in the chemistry block.  This path has shown us that chemistry does not just happen in a laboratory with scientists and elaborate equipment.  Chemistry encompasses the building blocks of life and these same elements that are in me, are in you and all other living organisms in the known universe.

In other news, the play practice of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory brings an atmosphere of levity and movement into the classroom.  Students seem to revel in the joy of laughter and play that balances the other areas of intense academic striving. 

Our upcoming block will be a hands on and artistic look at algebra.  We will jump into the history of secret brotherhoods that saw math as an expression of the world of thought.  We will construct tools, try out proofs of theorems from different cultures and express the visual beauty that numbers symbolize.  The intent is to introduce these topics so that students will become curious and confident learners as they delve into the unknown.