This week, students in every division took their learning out of the classroom to Latin dance lessons, Mars mission simulations and the St. Louis Zoo!
Spanish 500 Tries Latin Dancing and Cultural Cuisine
Nineteen seniors went to Club Viva in the Central West End this week for a Spanish 500 field trip with Spanish Teacher David Sanders. They took lessons from an instructor who taught them basic Latin dance step and a cumbia variation. They ate at La Cocina Latina afterward, enjoying traditional dishes from Peru, Colombia and Cuba.
Reflecting on the trip, Jane Baur ’19 shared, “The field trip was a super fun way to see aspects of Latin American culture…It really showed us there is more to learning Spanish than just the language itself. It is just as important to understand the rich culture that comes along with it.”
5th Grade Designs Rockets and Simulates Mission to Mars at The Challenger Learning Center
For the annual 5th grade trip that adds to the final trimester’s astronomy unit, students visited The Challenger Learning Center this week. “The kids engaged with two main activities: The Great Rocket Design Challenge and a Simulated Mission to Mars,” shared Middle School Science Teacher and Robotics & Maker Coordinator Branson Lawrence.
In the Rocket Design Challenge, students worked in small groups to manage a budget, create a design, purchase materials and build their rocket. The rockets used air pressure to launch and each group was able to conduct two trials with their rocket (test, tweak, re-test). In the Simulated Mission to Mars, students were placed in a variety of roles to work together as a large team in both mission control and the spacecraft. The students made calculations, studied samples, recorded data and relayed their findings to partners at the other location (mission control to spacecraft or the other way around). What a great way to expand learning across the universe for MICDS 5th graders!
SK Students Flock to the St. Louis Zoo for Bird Unit
Senior Kindergarten students flew to the zoo this week to embark on a bird scavenger hunt. “We visited the birdhouse, bird garden, flight cage, lake and Penguin and Puffin Coast,” shares SK Teacher Kelly Hummel. “This was a fun way to celebrate the end of our bird unit.” During this unit, students learned what birds eat, why they fly, what makes a bird a bird and the different parts of a bird.
