Hendricks High School Happenings
Nov 28-Dec 9
English
Grades 9-12 are reading Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Right now, we are doing different reading activities as we work through the play. Students are also following a character and a plot throughout the novel and creating timelines that show the character or plot’s development while we read. Later, they will be going to the Park Square Theater to see a professional rendition of this play.
Grades 7/8 are learning more about literary elements such as: foreshadowing, assonance, dramatic irony, and/or personification. First we learn about the literary element as a large group and later students create comic strips or poems which showcase the literary element’s…elements.
Creative Writing students are writing food and movie reviews at this point.
Video Production students are working in a menagerie of projects ranging from making DVD’s of school events to a faux episode of Pimp My Ride.
Science
The sixth graders have ended a semester of chemistry and are finishing the semester with engineering projects of their choice. Our classroom is filled with catapults, bouncing balls, and electrical circuits, and the scientists are excited to share their projects with grades 1-4.
Our earth scientists in seventh and eighth grade are learning about the major geologic time scales of Earth's past and creating a collaborative, digital timeline. They will use this information to either write a children's story about the geologic past OR create a board game to teach others about what they have learned. Stay tuned for their results!
The physical science students are working their way through Newton's Second and Third Laws by testing sling-shots, experimenting with online simulations of force and acceleration, and creating balloon rockets. Yes, there is some algebra involved in this unit, and yes, we will have a test over these laws before the holiday break.
Finally, the chemistry students are finishing their unit about atomic structure and the periodic table. This is crucial information for them to understand before we can begin the fun of chemical reactions in the second semester. We also will be having a test before the holiday break, so encourage your scientist to not get distracted by the upcoming (and well deserved) vacation.
~Mrs. Dorn
Designing an oil spill cleanup method.
An overview of our geologic timescale
Sir Isaac Newton
Social Studies
Social Studies Update: In MN studies, the 6th graders finished a project on Fort Snelling, and are wrapping up that unit with a test this week. In Government, students explored the political spectrum, and now know the difference between classical liberalism and modern liberalism. The students also took part in a political compass quiz, to find where they land on the political spectrum. Some were surprised by the results. In Global Studies, the students stepped up their game and studied the basic foundations of economics, the laws of supply and demand. In Human Geography, students debated the merits or lack thereof, of the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Students will further explore the relationship between Latin America and the Cold War in their next project. Lastly, the 5th graders wrapped up production on their explorer movies, which were awesome by the way, and started a new unit on the southern colonies.
Mr. Thoresen