In the studio, students started with reading descriptions of mythological creatures, without any visual input. Working off of gestural drawings with ink, shapes were now added to complete the monster. This was similar to two earlier assignments, where students connected with each other through making lines or writing their names in a new way, connecting predetermined marks in order to create a pattern of connecting names. Finally poems or short descriptive texts were written to give a personal meaning to the students’ own creations: their own mythological monster drawings—a great start of a new curriculum.
In the studio, students started with reading descriptions of mythological creatures, without any visual input. Working off of gestural drawings with ink, shapes were now added to complete the monster. This was similar to two earlier assignments, where students connected with each other through making lines or writing their names in a new way, connecting predetermined marks in order to create a pattern of connecting names. Finally poems or short descriptive texts were written to give a personal meaning to the students’ own creations: their own mythological monster drawings—a great start of a new curriculum.
The sixth-grade English students were in for a treat when Erick Gordon, Senior Research Fellow for Innovation at the Center for Professional Education of Teachers at Columbia University, taught a class in February about “remixing” media, which ultimately led to historical fiction writing.
Matisse influenced interdivisional learning at Avenues last fall, when both the Early Learning Center and Middle School art explored the artist's work.
Imagine you are the captain of an oil tanker and you are piloting your ship down the Hudson River on a warm and sunny Friday afternoon. You and your first mate are looking forward to the weekend and sharing plans when suddenly disaster strikes! You have run the tanker aground, and oil is spilling out into New York Harbor. This is exactly the scenario that the Avenues fifth graders had to face in science class this fall.
During the minimester course the “Power of Design Thinking,” students investigated the design process.
In the seventh grade art studio, students have been exploring the question of how the scientific method of looking at organisms and objects can inspire an artist’s imagination.
Our Middle School students are preparing for their premier spring play, an original work written by New York City playwright Max Posner.
On April 20, the Middle School kicked off its third annual minimester. The minimester program is a week of curriculum that offers students an opportunity to further their interest in a particular passion or to investigate a new one.
During spring break, several Avenues Middle School students traveled to Beijing for a 10-day educational journey. They attended Chinese classes, visited historical landmarks, and made many new friends.
While in Beijing, Avenues Middle School students tour the Great Wall and spend a day with students at the Dandelion School.
This March, 16 Middle and Upper School students staged a remarkable performance of the Orphan of Zhao for their classmates, teachers, friends and family members. Known as the “Chinese Hamlet,” Orphan of Zhao is playwright Ji Junxiang’s 13th-century adaptation of an ancient tale of sacrifice, family and vengeance.
During Chinese classes at Beijing's Yucai School, the teachers led Avenues students in discussions about the landmarks they would be visiting later that day. Armed with historical context, the students were able to have a richer experience while exploring the city.
Students explore the relationship between visual art and music during an interdisciplinary minimester course.
In seventh and eighth grades, students have been deeply involved in researching and modeling the human digestive system. The classes were divided intro groups and assigned an organ to research, studying its structure, function, associated diseases and how to care for the organ.
In the interest of creating opportunities for future student leadership in the area of human rights, Avenues hosted hosted a visit from Amnesty International’s Northeast Regional field office this April.
This spring, students in the Middle School minimester course “Humans of New York: Avenues Edition” had an opportunity to photograph and interview members of the Avenues community, as well as our neighbors in Chelsea Market, along the High Line and on subway platforms.
In fall 2015, Avery Barnes will join Avenues as an English teacher in the Middle School. Some of you may already be familiar with Avery from her work in the last year as a faculty advisor on the Avenues Upper School student publication The Highliner and her presence in seventh- and eighth-grade humanities classes as a student teacher.
Taylor Yoo joins Avenues in fall 2015 as a Middle School math teacher.
Imagine accompanying NASA on a scientific expedition to the stratosphere. Two Avenues teachers, Mike Maccarone and Lizzie Rosenberger, were selected by NASA to represent our school aboard SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy).