nichols news

This week in Science class we...

• Used the "Mega-Plate" experiment as an example of evolutionary change happening in E coli. bacteria when they are exposed to high environmental pressure from antibiotics. We also identified the importance of antibiotics and the ways they are frequently misused.

• Practiced modeling natural selection by showing how a population of susceptible bacteria can become resistant over several generations

• Analyzed ecomorph and DNA data about 12 species of anole lizard living across three Carribean islands to understand common ancestry between species

Students will have the choice of a final assessment during wrap-up week on reasoning or modeling. Next week students will have more time to practice for the assessment they chose to take during wrap-up week.

If you have any questions please feel free to communicate with at sparker@cvsdvt.org

English

Students have made so much progress with their speaking assessments! It's been awesome to see them use body language, increase their eye contact with the audience, and change up their tones when they're giving their presentations. We finished our last speaking assessments this week, and next week students will take their final Humanities assessment during wrap-up week. It's been a great year for Nichols Core, and we're all looking forward to RISE!

Social Studies 

We are in the home stretch — ninth graders are about to complete their first quarter of the high school experience, which is pretty amazing to think about.

We wrapped up our Silk Road maps this week. They took a while, but the final products look fantastic. I have been really impressed with how engaged students have been throughout the entire Silk Road project — from the research, to their creative logbooks, to the maps themselves.

Next week, during our last regular classes, we will hold our final discussion of the year focused on the Silk Road. Prompt: How did the interdependence of the Silk Road create both opportunities for exchange and vulnerabilities to control, instability, and disease across civilizations? (Pros and cons of global trade) Students completed the readings and prep sheets this week, but it would definitely be helpful to review and prepare a bit over the weekend. I am looking forward to our discussion. 

During English and Social Studies assessment blocks next week, students will also be writing a reflective essay about the school year.

Thank you all for a wonderful school year. It has been a pleasure working with this group of students, and I appreciate all of their enthusiasm and willingness to try new things and take risks. 

Dinner Table Talk

• How are you feeling about your final speaking assessment?

• What about public speaking has been the most difficult for you?

• How did your map turn out?

• Are you feelinhg ready for next week's discussion?

• Are you seeing the connections between global trade during the time of The Silk road to today?