Seminar this week:

September 25 to 29

Seminar students at Drexel Hill Middle School and Aronimink Elementary School conducted researched, discussed, or made progress on the following topics and assignments:

Grade 8

Classroom Theater: The Birds by Daphne du Maurier

Writing: Create a Somewhere – Writers Portfolio 4A

Grade 7

Fiction: Tales of the Arabian Nights

Grade 6

Intro: Physics of Amusement Parks

Grade 5

Math: New School Year….New Supplies (Data Analysis)

Non-Fiction: Paw Prints.

Written response: Printing Solutions – Text Structure

Grade 4

Non-Ficiton: Paw Prints.

Written Response: Text Structure

Math: Animals Go To School (Expressions)

STEM: Using gears, create a moving device.

Grade 3

Non-Fiction : Scream Machines – How simple machines are used in amusement park rides.

Written Response: Post cards from the park

Math: Did Dino’s Really Roar? (Subtraction methods)

STEM: Create a Park Challenge Part 2 - build a scale model of a park ride.

Seminar this week:

September 18 to 22

Seminar students at Drexel Hill Middle School and Aronimink Elementary School conducted researched, discussed, or made progress on the following topics and assignments:

Grade 8

Classroom Theater: The Monkey’s Paw

Writing Skills: Foreshadowing and Flashback

Grade 7

Non-Fiction: Thinking in Pictures, students use works of art to think visually and write creatively

Fiction: The Lady and the Tiger by Frank Stockton

Grade 6

The First Day of School: A matter of Perspective

Listening skills: Facts about School Supplies

Fiction:  Waking up is Hard to Do, an excerpt from Sleeping Freshman Never Lie by David Lubar

Writing: Tom Swifties

Grade 5

Math: Animals Go To School (Algebraic Expressions)

STEM: Cartoon Challenge Part 2 – Use graph paper to create cartoon characters with geometric shapes.

Grade 4

Non Fiction: The Amazing History of Dogs

Math:  Did Dino’s Really Roar? (Subtraction methods)

Geography Stem: Why is the Sky Green?

STEM: Using gears, create a moving device.

Grade 3

Current Events: Paw Prints: Darby the Dog is one of many animals that have had their lives changed by 3-D printing.

Math: Did Dino’s Really Roar? (Subtraction methods)

STEM: Create a Park Challenge Part 2 - build a scale model of a park ride.

September 6, 2017

Dear Seminar Parents and Students,

Welcome back for another exciting year of Seminar Class!  I hope this letter finds you well and rested after the summer vacation.  I can’t tell you how excited I am to see you all in the coming weeks.

As many of you may remember, the Upper Darby School District decided to revise the middle school schedule for the 2016-2017 school year. After much discussion we are happy to report that seminar students will receive direct instruction throughout the school year using a pullout formula similar to the schedule that was used in past years at Drexel Hill Middle School.  Let me explain how the schedule will work this year.

The Seminar schedule and curriculum is an evolving process.  This is the third year of the district’s review of the seminar program; its policies and procedures.  Students will continue to receive enrichment in both the seminar classroom and in their basic classroom through differentiation targeted to meet their individual needs.

Please know that the administrative team and I will be available to answer any questions or discuss any concerns as we move forward with this school year.  I am looking forward to working with your children and providing exciting and challenging  activities throughout the school year.

Sincerely,

Dr. George Hight Ed. D.

Seminar and Engineering Teacher

Drexel Hill Middle School