6th grade – 6th grade has been working on a mini short story unit over the past two weeks. They read “The Lady or the Tiger” and, since it famously  ends in a cliffhanger, the students were tasked with writing their own endings. They ranged from exciting adventure to absurdist comedy and everything in between. This week, they read the classic “be careful what you wish for” tale “The Monkey’s Paw.” They are working on reading comprehension questions and vocabulary.

7th and 8th grade – They continued their study of Greek/Roman Mythology with presentations about the idea of Hubris or excessive pride. This was a huge concept in the ancient world and figures into many myths. For that project, they studied 4 people punished for their hubris: Bellerophon, Phaethon, Icarus, and Arachne (which also served as the origin story for spiders also known as arachnids).

This week, we moved on to myths about famous heroes as the idea of the hero and the hero’s journey is a major trope in literature. They have been assigned the myths of Perseus, Theseus, Orpheus, and Atalanta. In groups, they are choosing how they present the myths to their classmates. Slide shows, posters, plays, videos, and more are possible choices for them to demonstrate their knowledge.