Sixth & Seventh Grade: February 3 - 7, 2025

Feb 7

Hello, Middle School Families,

Thank you for meeting with me last week for Parent Conferences. It is such a joy to talk about your children and show off their work. The students are all proud of their accomplishments, and were excited for me to share Main Lesson books and materials. I sincerely appreciate your partnership and support at home, and thank you, as always, for the privilege of teaching your children.

The class is fully enjoying their time in the Renaissance. We have spent several lectures looking at many (many!) works of art from this time period, both through slideshows, books, as well as a plethora of art postcards Ki Sara lent us! The class has enjoyed discussing the various techniques and mediums used and is starting to grasp the development of art and culture through the biographies we study in this block. Having just finished the Perspective Drawing Block, the students now have a first hand understanding of the importance this principle of art had when devised and introduced during the Renaissance.

Building on the understanding of the concept of a Renaissance man (someone who was knowledgeable or proficient in a wide range of fields), we delved further into the biography of Leonardo Da Vinci. Leonardo was not only an artist but also a scientist, a naturalist, an engineer, and an inventor. The class examined copies of sketches from his notebooks, from his intricate drawings of bone structure and muscles to his sketches of water and wind in motion. Finally, we capped off this lesson by looking at his engineering drawings/inventions. They had fun guessing what each drawing might be. The students could not believe how far ahead of his time he was!

The class also tried their hand at copying the methods of great artists. Leonardo da Vinci wrote in his notebook backward from right to left, known as mirror writing. Some think this was a way to keep others from reading his ideas! The class had a lot of fun attempting to write first their names and then a full quote in mirror writing (holding up a mirror to confirm that what they wrote was accurate). Mirror writing was a great brain exercise.

In contrast to the nature and life of Da Vinci, the class then learned about the life of Michelangelo, a figure in history who was a bit more capricious! After learning the vast amount of work in his portfolio, the class climbed under their desks and laid on their backs to draw the hands from the Sistine Chapel. After only spending about 15 minutes drawing while lying down, the students could not imagine spending 3 - 4 years working on a piece of art in that position, not to mention painting it!

Last but not least, we celebrated Jiyah and Bridget’s birthdays last week. With the lovely weather, we brought our birthday celebration outside. Happy birthday, Bridget and Jiyah!

Wishing you all a wonderful Mid-Winter break!

Announcements and Reminders for Sixth/Seventh Grade:

Valentine’s Day: As has been our tradition at The Garden School, please save any student card/gift exchanges for play dates off campus.