Summer SAVY 2022/Session 1 – Matter Mysteries for Rising 1st/2nd Grade
Coming Soon!
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “Writing History: Truth and Lessons in the Past” (7th-8th)
Jul. 18, 2025—Today, we introduced Eleanor Roosevelt and her letter of resignation to the Daughters of the American Revolution, with the response from the DAR’s president at the time. We reviewed Mrs. Roosevelt’s 1939 newspaper edition of “My Column,” where she addressed the decision to resign from the nation. Together, we analyzed the situation (Should E.R. Resign...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “Utopia or Dystopia: The Nature of Power” (7th-8th)
Jul. 18, 2025—Hello Families and Students! I am so sad that today is our last day of Utopia v. Dystopia, but I have had such an amazing week with y’all! I have been blown away by the depths of our discussions and very impressed with how y’all handled our simulations and real-life scenarios, such as supply chain...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “Hidden Chemistry: Everyday Chemical Reactions” (7th-8th)
Jul. 18, 2025—SAVY Families, Today marked the final day of our journey through Hidden Chemistry: Everyday Chemical Reactions, and what an exciting conclusion it was! Your children have spent the week exploring the invisible forces and chemical reactions that shape the world around them, and today, we dove into the intriguing world of acids, bases, and pH. We began...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “The Origins of Math: Discovery or Invention?” (5th-6th)
Jul. 18, 2025—The big day has finally arrived! Student groups presented the Number Systems they worked so diligently on. Each group had a task of creating two: one with a visual reference to quantity, another with a cultural one (dozen eggs represents 12, New Year – 1, bike 2, etc). Students were required to include numbers 1-100,...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “Programming and Robotics” (5th-6th)
Jul. 18, 2025—Our last day in Programming and Robotics was a blast! We started our day thinking about how robots impact human jobs. We discussed and thought about the ethics of using robots. We then developed 3 laws for robots in small groups and discussed why these would be important. After our recreation time, students brainstormed and...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “From Myth to Modern Legend: Greek Mythology” (5th-6th)
Jul. 18, 2025—Happy Friday! We had a fabulous final day in Greek Mythology: Myth to Modern Legend! This morning, we ended our study of the mythology canon by learning about the Trojan War and the Odyssey. After that, we completed our mythological board games and finished writing our own myths. Students then had the opportunity to present...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “Space Academy: Exploring the Work of Astronauts” (3rd-4th)
Jul. 18, 2025—Our final day at Space Academy was filled with reflection, creativity, and connection. We began by revisiting the concept of Exploration and the five Generalizations we’ve been building on all week. Students shared how their understanding of exploration has grown and how it applies not just to space, but to science, learning, and life. Then...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “The Making of America: Rebellion, Revolt, and Resolution” (3rd-4th)
Jul. 18, 2025—Hello again, families! This week flew by. I have said this every day to multiple people—this is the BEST class I’ve ever had the privilege of teaching. I do not say this lightly. All students were eager to learn, curious, and extraordinarily kind. They have exceptional senses of humor, too! I do love teaching American...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “Exploring Epidemiology One Microorganism at a Time” (3rd-4th)
Jul. 18, 2025—Dear parents, This morning, we observed, analyzed, and drew conclusions about our moldy bread and homemade pickle experiments. Then, we sampled our pickles. We discussed bacteria growth conditions. The students learned the difference between symbiotic (beneficial) vs. pathogenic (harmful) relationships. And, we talked about animal symbiotic relationships. We learned how some bacteria are helpful to...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “Water and Weather” (1st-2nd)
Jul. 18, 2025—Today marked the final day of our week-long exploration of Water and Weather, and students truly shone as young meteorologists and scientists. The day began with excitement as students learned they would be creating and presenting their own weather forecasts! Working in teams, they ventured outside to collect weather data, predicted tomorrow’s conditions, and practiced...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “Intro to Coding” (1st-2nd)
Jul. 18, 2025—We had an awesome final day of class! Students were focused, worked hard, and managed time well. Our final project allowed students to be game designers. To help get creative juices flowing, I read What Do You Do With An Idea? By Kobi Yamada. We reviewed the engineering design process before beginning the challenge. Each...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 5, “Encounters with Measurement” (1st-2nd)
Jul. 18, 2025—Dear SAVY Families, I can’t believe that we have already completed SAVY Summer 2025 Session Five: Encounters with Measurement. This week has been incredibly fun for me as I learned from and with the SAVY mathematicians. I hope your SAVY mathematicians feel the same! Most of our day was spent on completing our final project....
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 4, “Writing History: Truth and Lessons in the Past” (7th-8th)
Jul. 17, 2025—Day Four! This was a WOW! A day in the life of the Writing History class. Students were given several actual resources: numerous newspaper clippings from the Nashville area around the time of WWII, actual war letters received between a husband and wife, black and white photos, and a selection of certificates and official letters...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 4, “Utopia or Dystopia: The Nature of Power” (7th-8th)
Jul. 17, 2025—Hello Families and Students! What a great morning and afternoon as we continued to make leadership decisions for our city-states and face real-world scenarios that might threaten the peace, disrupt our economies, and tip our power structures. As we continued to develop our city-states, we needed to take a closer look at different economic systems...
Summer SAVY, Session 5 Day 4, “Hidden Chemistry: Everyday Chemical Reactions” (7th-8th)
Jul. 17, 2025—SAVY Families, Today in Hidden Chemistry: Everyday Chemical Reactions, we explored the fascinating chemistry behind the food we eat. Students investigated how different chemical reactions transform ingredients during cooking and baking, making meaningful connections between science and the kitchen. Our learning objectives today focused on helping students understand that food preparation involves scientific principles and...