Academics from the ladies

What has been happening in Science? In the words of Sarah Jane, Sophomore, Michigan

Well for our midterm, the whole science class had to teach a one hour Global Class about food. Not about eating food but about food production, aquaculture, agriculture, and waste vs loss.  We presented our class to all of our teachers and the other girls who are not in class.

After we finished up midterms, we started our current unit of soil. So far we have learned about human impacts on top soil and how natural processes such as erosion, decomposition, and weather play into how rich dirt is. A couple of weeks ago we went to a farm that practices permaculture and learned how it is different from agriculture. While there we saw a sloth (one of our highlights)!  The farm visit connected our food and soil units, we saw how soil types affect the finished food product.

In Pochomil, a small town on the Pacific Ocean, we get to have swimming science classes. In one class, "Tides and Trash," we did a beach cleanup. Then we discussed tides and how the sun and moon play into them. We learned that there are two different types of tides: neap and spring, and that spring tides are stronger than neap because the sun and moon are aligned and their gravity works together.

***

Algebra II from Annie, Junior, Maine and Katy, Junior, Illinois:

The wonderful class of Algebra Two

Has had problems of exponents and logs to do

In chapter seven we learned about "e"

Natural logs are as cool as can be

Sarah Jane is loving this class

She even remembers from semesters past

Maddys a wiz, she does math in her head

"Math can actually be fun!" Maddy once said

When folks are confused

Katy shares the news

When people need help

She'll never refuse

Annie's organization is better than most But don't you worry: she'll never boast

As you can see, they do math with ease

And it leaves them asking Meredith: "more please"

Meredith, our teacher, she makes math a blast Class is so fun, time flies so fast!

We look forward to radical functions in chapter eight Rational and irrational numbers, we just can't wait!

Thoughts from Bella, Junior, Montana and Sharleen, Junior, California:

  

In Precalculus we have started to learn about matrices. We are applying them to real world problems such as traffic control. We do practice problems outside of class and work together to solve some in class.  Having math class by the waves on Pochomil beach was something we will never forget.

Literature

Sitting in the sand on the shore of Lake Nicaragua, students shared what has 'stayed in their hearts' from the semester so far. What people, places, things, conversations, ideas have made an impact? A pre-writing exercise, students are in the midst of brainstorming and writing for their next assignment - descriptive vignettes inspired by Rushdie's 'Jaguar Smile'.

As I write this blog entry, students of history are completing an exam that requires them to reflect on U.S. policy in Nicaragua over the past few decades. Another round of student presentations occurred in the aisle of a wind-strewn bus sitting on the edge of Lake Nicaragua. Students taught their peers about the lives of Daniel Ortega, Giaconda Belli, Augusto Sandino, and the Iran/Contra Affair. Coming up next is an oral history project involving the homestays in Playa Gigante. How many stories can they collect? How many perspectives can they gather?

Thanks!