By Br. Yusuf Ali, English, History, and Social Studies Teacher:

In social studies, the 7th graders completed their study of Unit 1, Europe During Medieval Times, with lessons about the Roman Catholic Church in medieval Europe, life in medieval towns, the decline of feudalism and the Byzantine Empire. They have begun our study of Unit 2, Islam in Medieval Times. Each student has volunteered to study one of the topics in the unit and prepare a lesson and quiz on their topic. They will present their lessons to the rest of the class and assess their classmates’ learning using their quizzes.

In the 9th grade world history course, the students have completed their study of Unit 1, The Foundations of World History, and Unit 2, The World before 1750, which covers the rise of the new major civilizations that replaced the empires of the ancient world, such as the Muslim empire, Byzantine empire, and Tang dynasty in China, as well as civilizations in West Africa and the Americas. We also began Unit 3, The First Global Age and the 9th grade students are preparing a presentation and quiz for the 7th graders on the “Gunpower Empires” of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals.

In English, both classes have continued their units on short stories, practicing their skills at interpreting and analyzing literary texts. The 7th graders used what they learned to write their own original short stories utilizing some of the advanced literary devices, such as frequent changes of narrative perspective, that they encountered in the stories we studied. The 9th graders engaged in deep thinking and analysis of more sophisticated literary texts that dealt with themes of social injustice and generational understanding.

In Mathematics, grade 7 students learned the basics of algebraic manipulations. They worked on simplification, expansion, and factorization of algebraic expressions by extracting common factors and grouping terms. They were also introduced to factorization of algebraic expressions using area models. Later students practiced solving equations and getting the solutions of both linear and fractional equations, and discovered how to find out the number of solutions of an equation, if there is any. Finally connecting everything they learned, students applied the acquired knowledge to form linear equations in order to solve real-world problems.

In Geometry, grade 9 students learned about different kinds of rigid motions including reflection, translation, rotation, and glide reflection, and how to construct these transformations with and without the coordinate system. They were also introduced to symmetry and its relation to rigid motions. Later students learned about triangle congruence where new theorems were introduced and used in writing proofs. Using what the learned about congruent triangles, students worked on a bridge building project to see how triangles play a huge role in the stability and sturdiness of constructions.

By Mrs. Malak Charara, Science and Electives Teacher:

– In Science, Grade 7 students continued their investigations about changes that happen on a particles level when matter is heated or cooled. Through their lab experiments, they were able to observe changes in temperature and learned how to calculate the changes in thermal energy in calories, taking into account the mass and change in temperature of that matter. They also understood the criteria and constraints when it comes to engineering designs of thermoses that keep our beverages hot and double-paned windows to keep buildings warm during winter.

– In Elective Nutrition, Grade 7 students learned about factors that affect their daily needs of nutrients and how much of each food category their body needs through MyPlate. We discussed ways to include more fruits and vegetables in their meals and snacks. They also learned how to calculate the amount of added sugar in pre-made and bought food and assess how much in percentage it takes from their healthy carbohydrate daily needs. Students were able to identify the snack/food that they need to eat less from to minimize added sugar consumption. Remember, cutting down added sugars completely is not a realistic goal for our teenagers, yet reducing it with time and helping them choose better options for their sweet tooth from natural resources is. 

– In Biology, Grade 9 students started with a new unit this month to study about global populations and ecosystems. We investigated energy flow and cycling of elements and matter through the four spheres we have on Earth (atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere). Students also studied about communities and ecosystems’ dynamics that help us understand the relationship between organisms among each other and the effect of biotic and abiotic factors in their environments on them, as well as factors that limit the growth of populations and its relation to extinction of species.