Upper School (8-12)
Case Studies
Case Study 1: From verse to video
 The simplest way to bring a poem to life is to read it aloud. But teachers Mara Taylor, Russell Silverman and Maria Smilios wanted Class 9 students to take their study of poetry further than oral recitation: They wanted them to find a favorite poem and make a video about it.
The videos had to include a memorized recitation of the poem, an explication of its meaning and a personal story that explained why the poem mattered to them. In addition, the students had to make two storyboards that outlined their analysis of the poem and their plan for shooting footage.
In short, they had to be both literary critics and movie directors, wielding critical insight and visual storytelling in equal parts.
Students approached their poems and videos differently. Some began by paraphrasing difficult passages in their selected works, while others used their cameras to create atmospheric visuals that reflected the meaning they found in the lines.
Regardless of how the girls chose to interpret the assignment, they gave the poems — and their connection to them — a life beyond the page.
Case Study 2: Crops and calculus
Students in Sherman Taishoff and Maria Oesterreich’s Calculus AB classes learned to resolve questions such as this one: How can you determine the maximum yield of an apple orchard, for example, knowing that each new tree you plant also strips the soil of nutrients, limiting productivity? The problem was part of the students’ investigation into a “closed interval,” in which a clear minimum (zero apples) and maximum (the ideal balance between the new-tree factor and the nutrient-stripping factor) are at play.
 Mr. Taishoff and Ms. Oesterreich taught this concept using concrete, real-world examples such as the orchard, as well as a hands-on activity. The activity required the girls to create boxes out of single sheets of uniformly sized graph paper, cutting squares of various sizes from the corners and folding the remaining surface into a three-dimensional open-topped box. The girls then developed an equation, using the derivative function in calculus, to determine what the maximum possible volume of such a box could be.
This skill involves complex equations and a grasp of theoretical concepts, but there are plenty of real-world reasons to learn it. Such questions have many economic applications, from maximizing yields to manipulating a market for a product to maximize profit. And if any of these Upper School students should ever own an orchard, she’ll know exactly what to do.
Case Study 3: Constructed drawings
When some people look at construction sites, they see only garish orange fencing, scaffolding and obscured views. But students in the Upper School drawing and design course were asked to see something else: fodder for the imagination. Art teacher Duane Neil challenged them to create, based on a major renovation and expansion of the Chapin school building that was taking place at the time, drawings that would unite photographs, pencil sketches and architectural blueprints into a harmonious whole.
 "We started by sketching small portions of the construction from outside,” one student recalled, describing her process. “I focused on the underside of the scaffolding and the steel beams,” she added, “but another student focused on graffiti, for example.”
The girls then took digital photographs of the construction site and had the option of looking at the architect’s blueprints. They examined those elements alongside their sketches as they worked toward a final drawing.
“It was a really fun project,” one student said. “But connecting all the elements at the end was tough.” Tough, but appropriate. The students learned that art, like construction, requires intense observation and coordination before it can be made beautiful.
Last updated 06.12.08
This page overseen by the Head of Upper School
Questions, comments: E-mail
|
