Our 7th graders have been delving into the Fibonacci Sequence through a variety of curiosity-driven explorations, and their discoveries recently led them to the fascinating structure of the cochlea! Today, we were fortunate to welcome Dr. Glenda Callendar, a parent in our school community, who answered many student wonderings about the ear and hearing, and she also brought medical tuning forks and otoscopes. Our students learned about the Rinne test and compared sound conduction through bone and air using the tuning forks. They noted the differences in sound produced by the 128 Hz and 512 Hz forks, observing a large splash in water from the 128 Hz fork and a smaller impact from the 512 Hz. They also saw symmetrical waves created by the 128 Hz fork when it was gently placed on the water. The students had the opportunity to examine ears and ear drums using the otoscope, too.
A Slate School 8th grader presented his invention, the SafeRelease Helmet, at the Connecticut Invention Convention State Finals at UCONN last weekend. His invention reduces cervical spine movement during emergency removal. After a week of judging deliberation, the Invention Convention announced award winners, and our student has been invited to receive an award at the awards ceremony at the end of the month at UCONN! (The specific award(s) for each awardee will be announced at the awards ceremony.)
Today, our 7th graders worked collaboratively with our 3rd and 4th graders on algebraic thinking. Our 3rd and 4th graders have been doing algebraic thinking with models, including colors to represent different variables and groups, as well as parenthesis to show grouping and order of operations. Meanwhile, our 7th graders have developed robust thinking about a variety of algebraic concepts. All of the students shared their algebraic thinking with each other, and then circled up at the end to share what they learned from each other and what they found most interesting. It was a wonderful, collaborative experience.
As part of our African continent study, students from across the Lower School worked together to create a piece of textile art inspired by distinct artistic traditions: adinkra cloth from the Asante people, kente from the Asante and Ewe, and adire eleko from the Yoruba people. The work as a whole represents the South African concept of Ubuntu, often translated as “I am because you are.”
At Slate School, curiosity leads and creativity thrives.
Our students are driven by a deep curiosity and a genuine excitement to learn. Last week at Slate Upper School, for example, 7th graders engaged in a collaborative Harkness discussion on the book Factfulness by Hans Rosling, critically examining global data and misconceptions. They also led a Harkness discussion on the successes and failures of the League of Nations, and connected their independent research projects -- ranging from “nature vs. nurture” to color theory -- to current events, synthesizing ideas across disciplines.
Interested in learning more about Slate School's curiosity-driven education? Join our next May Tours and Info Sessions Register here: /tours-and-information-sessions
At Slate School, we reimagine education for Grades K-12. Slate School is a 501(c)3 nonprofit independent school in North Haven that accepts students from any town. Slate School is the only K-12 school in the country that is need blind and meets 100% of demonstrated financial need for every admitted students. More than 80% of students at Slate School receive significant financial aid.
Our Grade 3-6 students had the honor of welcoming members from Yale African Students Association in connection with our Lower School Africa continent study. The college students answered children’s questions about their connections to Africa, and our students shared their research into their project topics. The Yale students joined our Grade 3/4 students in dancing Gahu, a dance of the Ewe people of West Africa.
Yesterday, our K–6 students wrapped up their Africa Continent Project Study, and today we celebrated in a very special way! We were honored to welcome Dr. Seth Wanye from Ghana, who met with our Kindergarten, Grades 1/2, and Grades 3/4 students. Our learners came full of curiosity, questions, and excitement.
Our 7th graders had the incredible opportunity to speak today with Eske Willerslev, an evolutionary geneticist and pioneer in connecting molecular biology with human history. He joined us via Zoom from University of Copenhagan. In addition to reading some of Eske's published research, they've also watched the PBS documentary Hunt for the Oldest DNA, which describes some of Eske's extraordinary work. During their robust conversation, Eske shared with our students today about how he came to be interested in biology connections to human history, his current research focus, how he develops research questions. He also shared insight about his daily work, the challenges he's faced, and his grit, tenacity, and creativity as a researcher. This marks the third year that a group of our students have connected with Eske, and we are always so grateful for the wisdom and expertise he brings. He continues to be an incredible inspiration to our community.
Our Grade 3/4 students have been thinking about birds in their read aloud, while our Kindergarten students have been seeking out signs of Spring! Our Environmentalist took our students for a meadow walk to look at our very own bird boxes in connection to the work they've all been doing in our classrooms. Our Grade 3/4 and Kindergarten students have already developed a special friendship from spending time together as book buddies this year, and they enjoyed their joint bird-focused experience today!
Every year, we have a continent project study where all of our K-6 students study a project related to a continent. This year, our continental study is Africa. Students are studying a wide range of nearly 70 topics related to Africa, from Mount Kilimanjaro and flamingos to Savannah animals and Ghana. This week, our 1st and 2nd grade students looked closely at plants that are native to Africa. They sketched, explored range and climate maps, and wrote questions to add to the classroom Wonder Wall.
This week, our 7th graders have been comparing and contrasting the composition and properties of meteorites as well as Earth rocks. They began by analyzing paintings across history that depicted comets and meteors. They wondered about the compounds in meteorites and then read a 1901 publication about the elemental composition of meteors. Along the way, they watched videos about the recent meteor in Ohio. Our students' explorations included calculating the density of a variety of Earth rocks by measuring the mass of the rock and dividing by the volume determined by water displacement.
