
Second Quarterly Report 2016/2017
Helena _____
6th Grade
Hours of Instruction: 225 +
Helena has made satisfactory progress in all subject areas.
Math: A
- Prodigy math; 8th grade level
- Conversions from metric to English in science
- Measurements to make a model cell for science
- Researched pricing and kept a tally of costs for buying rats and all of their
supplies
Social Studies: A
Covered many topics in world history, current events, government, and culture
- Read Who Is Hillary Clinton? biography
- Attended drum circle at a retirement community with several
centenarians; had lunch and chatted with seniors age 80+ - Watched Call the Midwife; learned about historical healthcare issues; life
in 1950’s and 60’s in London’s poorest neighborhoods; fashion of 50’s
and 60’s - Watched several episodes of The Crown, learning about Queen
Elizabeth, Winston Churchill and events of their era - Watched season one of The Paradise, historical fiction from Victorian era
England - Season one of Lillies, historical fiction set in post WW1 England
- Listened to Michelle Obama’s renowned New Hampshire speech and
discussed - Listened to presidential debates; went to voting polls; watched/listened to
various coverage of the election and election day; kept count of states and electoral college votes - Did the Outschool class: Electoral College: What is it? Why do we have it? And how does it work?
- Watched/read/discussed items regarding various social justice issues
- Read a BBC article on current events in Syria, and Aleppo in particular;
watched videos of refugee kids being interviewed; watched a
documentary on life in a Syrian refugee camp - Finished Story of the World: From the Fall of Rome to the Rennaisance
- Read all of Presidential Elections and other Cool Facts by Syl Sobel, J.D.
- Reading Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz, covered NYS
requirement to cover the US and state constitutions before the end
of 8th grade - Reading the DK book Who’s in Charge? Big Questions about Politics
- Various Outschool Big Picture History in One Lesson online classes with
Mr Powell on outschool.com
• Big Picture India in one Lesson
• Big Picture Canada in one Lesson
• Big Picture Ancient Egypt in one Lesson
• Big Picture Chinese History in one Lesson
• Big Picture Britain in one Lesson
• Big Picture European History in one Lesson
- Select lectures/quizzes from Dog Emotion and Cognition with Dr Brian Hare through Duke University, an open access class via Coursera focused on evolutionary psych specific to canines
- Watched A Dog’s Life, a documentary on “how dogs perceive, understand, and experience reality”
- Watched documentary Second Chance Dog’s learning about the ASPCA’s work in canine psychology in their national behavioral rehabilitation unit
• Cesar 911 and other dog training shows - Watched Call the Midwife series and learned about healthcare issues in
post WW2 urban, poor London - Continued Biology studies
- Used microscope
- Read Ranger Rick magazine
- Used Redstone in Minecraft to create electrical and mechanical things
- Went to ChoreoPhysics, a collaborative performance/lecture between Ellen Sinopoli Modern Dance Co and a U Albany physics prof that uses dance to explain concepts of physics.
- Continued to explore veterinary medicine and animal care
- Watched more of the Bondi Vet; demonstrated an incredible
knowledge of veterinary pathophysiology and treatment in dialogue
(Ok, *too* much - gross!!) - Watched videos and shows on dog training
- Researched veterinary herbalism
- Rescued a pit bull terrier; was able to tell a lump on her was an
abscess not a tumor - confirmed by vets - Treated rescued dog with various herbal remedies
- Conducted extensive research on rats, their lifestyle, habits, training,
- Watched more of the Bondi Vet; demonstrated an incredible
English Language Arts: A
- Daily reading
- Explored poetry together
- Discussed grammar and punctuation and usage in writing
- Studied spelling word/lists
- Watched a reality tv series Steam Punked on modern day fantasy fiction
- Took an online, live class on Nordic mythology and comparing Norse
mythological creatures in original mythologies to their use today in
fantasy literature such as Harry Potter or LOTR - Completed the award winning audio book Elijah of Buxton by Christopher
Paul Curtis
Health & PE: A
• Hiking/walks nearly daily
• Taikwondo classes
• Playing outside, climbing trees, swinging, exercise ball
• Talking about health continually
• Daily meditation practice
• Stretching, pushups, situps
Art & Music: A
- Weekly drum circle
- Listen to a variety of music at home
- Watched a variety of diy Youtube channels
- Attended Nutcracker ballet
- Attended ChoreoPhysics performance
- Drawing with and without tutorials
- Helped paint her bedroom
- Made bath salts, salt scrubs, fizzy bath bombs, and chocolate cupcake lip
balm for holiday gifts for friends and family - which could also count as chemistry and math, not just crafts