Voyagers’ Community School

Quick Notes – June 1, 2009

Monday - Warm and sunny

This morning there was a spontaneously carnival. We brought out the fishing game from our fun day, the face paints came out and juggling balls the children constructed in sewing class. Everyone was teaching and practicing new skills and refining those they already possessed. It is fun to have the day grow from an idea or two into an exciting and meaningful experience.

The older boys pulled out the blocks and built fortresses manned with guards. They battled each other much like the way they battle in strategic card games. The younger children joined in building their own editions.

During Physical Education we played with some new Frisbees. It is difficult for our younger students who are unfamiliar with the discs to orient themselves, considering direction and angle. As they experimented they seemed to change their throwing method often trying to find the best technique. Nobody complained about having to chase the disc; they happily ran about the fields.

The writing projects are coming together nicely. Many of the groups are moving into the final phases of their work: the monster truck rally is being filmed, backgrounds are being painted for the puppet shows, scripts are being typed up and the comic book is being formatted. Things are well underway.

During Global Studies the older children learned about the History of Desserts Around the World. We were provided information about the origin of sweets beginning with honey and which sweets are common to different countries around the world. Members of the class were asked to taste a combination of honey, nuts and crackers and then to chew a piece of raw sugarcane.

The younger children weeded the garden, watered all the plants and harvested lettuce and radishes. They eagerly munched on the lettuce, dipping each piece in Italian dressing. It was really great to see them excited about eating veggies. More than one child commented that they had never tried lettuce before and expressed how much they liked it.

At the end of the day everyone worked together to erect a large metal-poled tent that we use to block the sun and create a good outside workspace for the summer.

Tuesday - Warm and cloudy

Today children were drawn to card games they play most Tuesdays. There was much negotiation and compromise while they were playing. Some of the cards have large values that need to be added and subtracted in order for play to continue. Other cards require a great deal of reading. Strategy is also involved in these card games. Everyone seems intently involved as they play.

Children are continuing to work independently on their writing projects. Our deadline is fast approaching and the groups are keeping an eye on their schedules and proposals to make sure that they are staying the course.

Some children face painted today while another group tie-dyed items that they brought from home.

This afternoon another Global Studies project was finished. Today we screened a video about a pastry competition and then noshed on homemade desserts.

Wednesday - Sunny and hot

Students spent some time filling out evaluation forms for this week’s Global Studies classes. These are an important part of the class, as they allow each student to receive feedback about the content and quality of their presentation. After completed required tasks children played a Halo based board game that kept them engaged through lunch.

Today the children prepared the always-popular “Breakfast for Lunch.” They made waffles, pancakes and two types of frittatas. Side dishes included homemade hash browns, bacon and orange juice. Dessert consisted of honeydew melon, cantaloupe, pineapple and blueberries. All of the students were busy mixing batter, cutting fruit, whisking eggs and manning the grills.

During writing time all of the students worked on their project. Students are starting to feel the pressure as they compare their progress to their proposed schedules.

Thursday - Cloudy and warm

The students found baby bird during the morning walk and decided to bring it back with them. Once back, they started looking up information about bird care. They created a box to hold the bird and used light from a lamp to warm it up. The bird seemed to be feeling better as it left the confines of the box several times to explore the room. In the afternoon they successfully released the bird..

This year’s graduating students went on a fieldtrip to Folio Glass in Colts Neck to create glass tiles to present to the school. This is the start of a new tradition. During Workshop the students created beaded jewelry, sculpted creations with clay and played cards. Some of the students also took the time to continue their writing projects.

Today all of our young artists learned about shading and bringing a three-dimension feel to their work. They practiced drawing different shapes. The teacher used a light and various objects to show real life examples.

In science we learned about sugar in our foods. Children measured out and saw first hand how much sugar is in common, everyday foods. Then they tried to guess which food on the plate had the most sugar. They were surprised to find that a blueberry muffin had more sugar than eight jelly doughnuts. Don’t forget to read those labels!

Friday - Rainy

This morning we began with Writing. Everybody is down to the wire. Students are filming and editing, scanning and typing and painting and drawing. They are supporting each other by helping those outside of their groups when an extra hand or discerning eye is needed. There is still a lot to complete before next week comes to a close.

During Art we discussed using cross-hatching to shade three-dimensional forms. The children grasped the idea of light source and shadows and are asking which way the light is coming from when they are shading their drawings. They also learned how to draw a cube using two squares and connecting the corners. They enjoyed the optical illusion this creates.

Quick Notes – May 26, 2009

Tuesday - Cool and rainy

Some of the students started picking photos for the Yearbook. They showed each person images from the school year and let them choose their favorite. Other students completed their math and language before moving on to card games. The games played today were Pokemon, Chaotic and Magic.

After lunch the students worked on their writing projects. The end of the school year is rapidly approaching and they are all working diligently to finish in time.

The Global Studies subject presentation today was Cell Phone Technology: Its impact on our world. Students watched and discussed a video about current and future technology and the rapid increase in users over minutes, hour and days. .

Our younger children examined a world map, which showed the location of all the volcanoes on the planet. They were amazed at the number of volcanoes. They spent a good deal of time comparing countries considering how many volcanoes each one has and the physical location of each volcano. Students noticed that most are located on the coastline of continents. We discussed plates and the earth’s crust and how it has moved over millions of years.

Reading groups met and focused on a variety of reading strategies. The children are all progressing nicely and are more often viewing themselves as readers.

Wednesday - Warm and cloudy

Students worked on many projects during morning workshop. Some stayed in the Studio exploring materials for an art projects and finishing puppets for their writing projects. In the Town Hall a group of strategists played a game of Bugeye Stratego followed by Monopoly. When workshop was over they put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the game to be continue on Thursday.

While doing their independent projects the children all took time cycling through the kitchen to prepare lunch. They whipped up an African meal consisting of chicken in many spices, brown rice, raisin quinoa, baked yam and sesame seed cookies. Everyone was very busy.

After Reading/Writing the children dressed in their Dashikis and greeted African drummers and dancers. They listened to the drums and participated in several rhythm and dancing exercises. They learned a dance from Senegal and were invited to beat on the various drums. We had a great time.

Thursday - Damp and foggy

We had a productive morning finishing up board games started yesterday, playing cards and speaking Italian, beading, starting a puzzle, observing and drawing more bugs and a frog, painting boxes for projects, working on writing projects, and playing with magnets. Whew! Everyone kept busy and managed to get math and language done as well.

For snack we harvested the first vegetable from the garden. Sliced radishes and lettuce were added to the array of other vegetables and snacks. The garden is flourishing due to damp days mixed with sunny ones. The children are interested in the harvest as well as weeding and checking out the progress of the plants.

Health class met during lunch and then joined in a friendly game of Duck, Duck, Goose. Before the older children arrived the rest of the student successfully undid a few human knots. This cooperative games builds community spirit. We try to intersperse these with more competitive games so that the focus isn’t always on winning but rather on having fun.

The students are industrious during Writing and seem to know what they need to complete. They realize that their time is growing short.

During art class students were asked to focus on negative space that surrounds things so that they can draw things more accurately. The idea is to really see the object for what it truly looks like rather than what it is supposed to look like on paper. The students really grasped the idea; they were able to translate it to paper in drawings of chairs and other still objects. They are turning into dissecting observers.

The Global Studies project about cell phone technology and communication took the children out to the woods today on a scavenger hunt. They had to use different forms of communication to navigate the area looking for topical questions, which they then answered.

Friday - Wet and cloudy

Another wet morning walk, but despite grumblings students found they really enjoyed being out in the mist.

The discovery of an abandoned American flag while on the morning walk sparked an in-depth conversation about the traditions and rule surrounding our country’s flag. We talked about the symbolism of the stars and stripes, how one is supposed to handle the flag and how it is treated in general according to the constitution. The children were knowledgeable, interested and shared a great deal of accurate facts about the flag.

Writing was busy, busy, busy again. Students were constructing puppets and game figures, typing up their work, editing scripts, planning monster truck rallies and dictating stories. This writing project requires a lot more effort than many of the students anticipated. Most of the approaches blend writing with technology that has never been tried before. Teachers and fellow students are teaching and supporting each other.. We are learning new programs on the computer, figuring out layout methods, building and rebuilding prototypes for artwork, and trouble shooting when things don’t work as planned. Often projects morph as we become more adept.

During art we revisited the ideas of positive and negative space and relational qualities in a composition. We talked about how to estimate the size of on line to the next in a drawing, how to fit pieces together and how to see items as they actually look instead of what our minds think they should look like.

In addition to all other work we engage in from day-to-day we gathered in community meeting for 60 – 90 minutes each day for three days. During these meetings students and teachers worked to resolve issues of discomfort, disappointment and discontent.

These feelings stemmed from issues that arose during last week’s sleepover. Whenever actions or conditions within the Voyagers’ Community upset or confuse members the best solution are found after speaking openly and honestly until everyone has been heard. These meetings provide an opportunity to address what is troublesome to a community member, old or young. We gather in an effort to listen, explore, debate, negotiate, understand and come to agreements that fit our philosophy and our desire to maintain a caring and kind space.

During our most recent meetings all members were fully engaged, honest, direct, and thoughtful. We began with a discussion that helped redefine the philosophical foundation of the school and to identify what makes Voyagers’ different from other schools. We framed or principles and progressed with a clear understanding of our goals.

First we addressed issues that surfaced when children engaged in pranks. Some children were offended by pranks imposed upon them while others felt the intent to prank was mutual and therefore agreed upon. These students felt accused of wrong doing by students who were fully intent on doing the same to another. In this case they felt there was implied consent. We all agreed that pranks needed to be addressed with greater care.

The community worked tirelessly to defined pranks. They agreed that a prank is something that is done to another person while they are sleeping or otherwise not in control. The students took great care to create this definition. Once the definition was adopted by a majority vote we discussed and voted on whether pranks should be conducted at school. They were banned by majority vote.

During our meetings we also addressed our peace conference process. We defined the Peace Conference process, the role of a mediator and agreed upon the expectation that each member, when participating in a peace conference will participate with a sincere desire to find resolutions, listen with an open mind and be respectful of each other. Staff members demonstrated the process of conferring peacefully. We acknowledged that several community members want to be peer mediators but feel they need a training program to better understand this important role.

Other concerns that emerged included community jobs, hurtful expressions, consideration for our space and possessions and competitive games and good sportsmanship.

Addressing one issue allowed us to open up and look at so many others. We really focused on and resolved so many things over these three days.

Quick Notes – May 4, 2009

Monday - Rain

Many students who don’t usually visit robotics gave it a try this morning making simple vehicles that moved across the floor. Our more experienced students continued their entries into the sumo contest. Some are incorporating sensors into their designs to see and avoid the boundary lines. Several students cycled through sewing to hem and turn in edges on their dashikis.

In science the paper mache for the giant volcano was finished. Students learned about building a strong structure and that wire holds everything together better than tape. In Global Studies another student-led session began. We began to learn about pop music and how it reflects our culture. The student presenting selected headings; politics, war, peace and love, parent/child relationships, poverty, equality and violence. Then she played music from 1930 until today, providing background information. We followed the lyrics of the songs and learned what was happening in the world. It was an engaging way to present our history.

Tuesday - Overcast and rainy

Tuesday many students played their trading card games after finishing their math. Two of our students went on a field trip to see a monster truck as research for their writing project. They came back with many pictures and are inspired to continue their work.

Other students also started testing recipes for horse treats, which is part of their writing project.

After Phys Ed. all of the students returned to their final writing project. The building is buzzing as children are learning new technology and creating a range of items that will show off their writing skills. We are looking forward to the marketing of a new company, a children’s activity book, a slideshow, a Machinima, trailers for upcoming movies, a puppet show, the premier of a new magazine, a monster truck rally, several new trading card decks and a stop-motion film.

In Global Studies the older students listened to and discussed popular music. The two subjects today were poverty and anti-war songs from the Vietnam War. The students discussed the lyrics and what the sentiment of the country was at the time. In music the younger students practiced playing music with hand bells. They are learning to read music and ringing their bell on cue. Other students played guitars.

Wednesday - Overcast and warm

This morning the staff announced plans for Fun Day and our annual sleepover. The students were asked to submit Fun Day activity and movie suggestions. They are so excited. The morning continued with a variety of activities. Many students listened to the continuation of the Popular Music Global Studies project. They finished the songs about war and moved on to equality and race relations. The students recognized that many issues arise repeatedly. They talked about subtleties and underlying currents and discussed discrimination including race, religion and gender.

From the kitchen emerged chicken, brown rice, a Red Curry sauce and soft dough pretzels with cinnamon and sugar. The cooks stretched the dough long enough and devised a new way to shape and knot the dough.

During Writing the students were given a calendar and asked to compose their work schedule. This will assure that everyone is on the same page as we move towards our goals. Once Reading/Writing was completed a group of children headed out to plant cucumbers and radishes and to thin seedlings already in the ground. The garden is doing well and has so far survived our rainy week.

Thursday - Warm and overcast

After a nice morning walk the students settled into Workshop. Many their math and language studies and moved on to other activities including completing the last issue of their newsletter. Doris taught another beading class. Students worked on necklaces and earrings paying close attention to their pattern and color designs. Carlo and Norma came in to play cards. The table was crowded with players learning a new game, Sweep. The children played in teams; they not only had to think about their hand but also had to consider their teammates’ hand.

A few of the students are sponsoring a horse treat recipe contest in connection with their writing project. They are collecting and preparing submitted recipes and using their horses as the judges. They are also fine-tuning their own recipe ideas, testing to determine ingredients and appropriate baking time. In the end they were faced with binding issues as their treats were falling apart.

During lunch our 7th and 8th grade students attended their first health class. They requested the class to discuss and better understand what is happening to them physically and socially and the difficulties of becoming a teenager. In science students painted their volcano; the big eruption is scheduled for Monday!

Students, still fascinated by a record player, wondered how a record generates music or how the sound actually “happens”. Teachers decided that an experiment would help them understand sort out their questions. Students took a piece of paper, rolled it into a cone and taped a pin to the smaller end. They then held the pin to a spinning record and actually heard the content. This led them to trying to amplify the sound. They experimented with different sized cones, a tin can, and a musical instrument with a cavity.

Later in the day students created string art, winding a string between nails to form complex patterns. They tried different patterns and contrasting colors of thread.

Friday - Sunny and warm

In the morning the students worked on their writing projects. Some created their illustrations using the digital tablet. Other students worked on their screenplays or puppets. In art, our young artists finished their string projects or created stamps from foam plates. After art everyone worked on their math, taking the opportunity to do their work sitting on the low stage that was left from an activity hosted the night before.

Quick Notes – April 27, 2009

Monday - Hot and sunny

Warm weather inspired us to start our much-needed Spring Cleaning. We began by banging dirt out of our boots and sorting extra clothes. Many children need a change of clothes for the new season. Some of our robotics students decided to hold a sumo match. They each devised a strategy and created a wrestling robot. They programmed these to react to the boundary of the ring and to other robots. During sewing dashikis were finished. We can now move on to the dying process. Children also addressed math, language and writing projects this morning. After lunch they either played basketball or strolled in the woods.

During Reading/Writing proposals were returned to students. These were either approved or returned for revision. For those needing revision teachers provided suggestions and questions to be addressed before resubmission. Students went right to work on their project or their proposals.

Following Reading/Writing one of our students began his Global Studies presentation addressing the branches of the United States government and our constitution. The students followed along, highlighting notes provided and asking questions from time-to-time. In science our younger students began constructing a giant volcano. They each have their own cone in the same volcano so they must work together to make sure the lava flows the way the group wants it to. At the end of the day all of the students worked on the garden and set up our Earthboxes.

Tuesday - Warm and pleasant

This morning the children set out in different directions with lots to do. Some began their math and language, some their writing projects, some in the garden and others on independent projects. Reading groups met in the library.

During Reading/Writing, groups and individuals work on their new projects. Students hovered over computers updating their proposals or writing screenplays. They began drawing their trading cards, building their monster trucks and props, constructing puppets, designing their website and writing text for each.

Following this the younger children revisited our New Jersey map and reconsidered where everyone in our school community lives. Using this information they completed a bar graph. Then they moved to a map of the United States and began discussing the difference between a state map and a country map. In Global Studies our older students played a Jeopardy style game answering questions about the 3 branches of government and the constitution. Everyone participated and seemed to enjoy the activity. They were quite accurate about obscure details.

Wednesday - Mostly Sunny and Windy

Today the children prepared Buffalo Chicken with Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing, Macaroni Salad and Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream. They hade to butterfly the chicken, cut the veggies for the macaroni salad, mix the buffalo sauce and prepare the bleu cheese dressing. The kitchen was humming.

During workshop there was a special meeting for those children creating trading cards as part of their writing project. Potential supporting technologies and software were introduced, some were demonstrated and questions were answered. One technology, the use of Corel Painter software and a digital tablet to draw directly to computer, received a great deal of attention. This tablet has been on hand for more than a year unnoticed. Now everyone wants to try. Our card designers also discussed the need for character development, back stories and rule books.

In science Diane talk about the many parts of a living tree starting with the inside heartwood and moving outward to the bark. She discussed the leaves and their function, the phylem and ecoderm and how each works and the root system and it’s purpose.

Thursday - Warm and windy

Many of the students played their card games this morning. Some are now learning how to play Magic. Doris taught a beading class that focused on the design of earrings. Many of our young artists tried their hand at making these.

In science, the older students determined the amount of space required to support each person in the class. They calculated the amount of trees needed to create oxygen to breathe and the amount of land required to grow the food they eat each year. They learned that their diet influences our land needs, as calories from animal products must also include the food consumed by the animals. Finally they addressed the amount of solar panels needed to meet our current power consumption. Other students finished the framework of their volcano and started adding Paper Mache. They are looking forward to painting the volcano and letting it erupt.

In art the kids made crepe paper flowers to ring in the spring. They tried out different techniques of wrapping, folding and twisting and made some beautiful and unique bouquets. As usual the materials took them to unexpected places and soon many donned moustaches and other facial decorations.

Friday - Wet and warm

This morning Kadi brought in her record player and some vinyl records. Many of the children had no prior experience with records. The player prompted many questions and ideas. We watched a How It’s Made video about vinyl records. We talked about the process and how the record works.

The children counted our bottle caps and donated most to the Clean Ocean Coalition. The white and clear caps were donated to another organization to benefit people with cancer. We will continue to collect all plastic bottle caps for these causes so please send yours our way. The kids worked on math and writing and had snack. The morning zoomed by.

Quick Notes – April 20, 2009

Monday - Warm and rainy

During robotics our young engineers worked on individual projects, experimenting and creating new robots. In the upcoming sessions the children will focus on creating robots that can move precisely from task to task.

In sewing most of the students finished sewing their Dashikis and are ready to start printing.

After lunch, the students read in small groups before meeting to complete and share their writing proposals. We carefully reviewed what a proposal should contain and how it should be organized. In science, the younger students talked about their next big volcano. They would like to make the whole volcano edible. They are considering the construct of a chip volcano with salsa lava or an ice cream volcano with fudge lava. They are formulating a method that will allow the “lava” to flow without using chemicals.

In Global Studies a student introduced the customs, culture, geography and demographic of Ireland. Students were engaged in discussion regarding political, economics and religious issued the Irish people faced over centuries. They readily compared these to the circumstances in Sudan and Iraq. It is clear that they are getting “big picture” ideas and forming opinions about the nuances of regional culture and human nature.

Tuesday - Foggy morning, warm

The walk this morning followed the stream as it had rained last night and there was residual runoff to explore and splash in. During the workshop our older students finished watching the movie Future of Food and discussion genetic engineering, environmental impact, related health issues and economic motivations. They better understand the consequences of manipulating nature and are equipped with ways in which to bring attention to this issue and effect more favorable outcomes.

Many young hands were at work in the garden digging and hauling sod out and mixing in new soil to replenish the soil nutrients. Everybody was muddy, tired and happy by the end of the day.

We spent the afternoon outside, writing, listening to the story of Desperoux and playing guitar on the veranda.

Wednesday – Earth Day, Wet again

Today we cooked tacos and chocolate pudding for lunch. There was a lot of measuring, chopping and stovetop cooking. This meal was a big hit with the kids and second, third and fourth helpings were had by many.

While not in the kitchen children worked on dashikis, completed language and math lessons, folded laundry and worked on various individual projects. A full size layout of the garden was taped out on the gym floor and paper was cut out to represent the full-grown size of each plant we intend to cultivate. This allowed the children to plan the placement of the plants in the garden before actually planting the plants. It also allowed the authentic use of math to solve a common problem.

Students’ writing proposals were submitted today. We reviewed each aloud and students asked probing questions of their peers. This motivated some to rethink some aspects and provide a more comprehensive plan. Each proposal will be reviewed by teacher/researchers and returned with suggestions or an approval. Once an approval is obtained children can move into the production mode. Teachers will be considering each project’s compatibility with the assignment and feasibility given the timeframe set forth. We will also considered the support required from staff and outside experts.

At the end of the day Woodsy the Owl visited in celebration of Earth Day. Woodsy gave each child a Red Oak sapling, the official tree of New Jersey, to plant at home. Diane provided considerable information about trees and compared deciduous to evergreen trees. We studied the structure of the red oak and the pine tree and talked about their similarities and differences. Finally we planted marigolds around the perimeter of our garden, tie together trellises and met with Diane to ask more specific questions about trees and plants.

Thursday - Sunny and breezy

We started our day with a quick walk down to the lake followed by a morning meeting where we sorted out morning plans. Many children visited the Newsletter table to work on the second installment of Voyagers’ Times. Some children conducted a survey about ice-skating, some wrote a “how to” manual for constructing a paper airplane and others submitted an article about what to do when you don’t like the lunch your Mom packs. The newsletter is well on its way to being another interesting and informative piece of journalism.

After revisiting our garden map some children began planting the sunflowers and peas at the back of the space. We found that the ground is wet, compact and rocky in areas, but the children all worked together to overcome this condition. First, they put the handmade trellises in the ground and then set out the plants to ensure proper placement. Once certain they planted about 12 seedlings. Next up, carrots, radishes and lettuce.

We welcomed several guests during our open house today; our students were gracious hosts. Two visiting children join small groups of students during Workshop; lunch and Phys. Ed. Seven children are scheduled to visit during the coming week. The number of phone calls and visits this year has been remarkable.

Children began work on their writing projects. These include puppet shows, movies, a screenplay, trading card games, a Machinima, a coloring book and a magazine. These past two weeks have been packed with a great deal of planning and preparation, everyone seems quite engaged.

Another child finished her Global Studies presentation. Today we took a closer look at Ireland and considered the Potato Famine, Easter Rising, Irish Republican Army, civil war and civil rights movements. Students considered economics as a driving force behind war. They revisited our revolutionary and civil wars and found some analogies and similarities across cultures.

Our younger children played a classifying game where they had to think of descriptive categories, such as long sleeves and short sleeves and divide their peers accordingly. Once separated the children in the classified group were challenged to figure out the descriptive characteristic. It was an interesting game; the children came up with very creative categories for sorting.

Friday - Warm and sunny

We began our morning with math; it is nice to see younger students relying on older students for instruction. This also helps us assess the degree of retained knowledge each teaching student possesses. After math our older students met to discuss the need for and value of open discussion and the airing of grievances. Some of us feel discontent in the air and wanted to bring this to the table for examination. In our democratic community we encourage openness, truth and honesty. In order for this to exist individuals need to assure, support and help each other voice opinions and listen with care.

The younger children mulched the marigolds and made paths through the garden. Then older students marked out and planted additional crops, adding topsoil and mulch in the designated areas.

During writing the younger kids composed thank you notes to one of our parents for the giant rolls of sparkly sticker paper she sent in to school. The children love this product. They all adorned themselves with belts, stars, lightning bolts, happy faces, bow ties, etc. They also decorated their notebooks and other personal items. What fun!

Some parents have asked us to address the concept of emergent curriculum and project-based learning. These two terms are commonplace in the world of progressive education as they reflect a more cooperative, community-driven, learning environment. Project-based learning suggests long-term, cross-curriculum exploration that is, at its best, conceived of and driven by a student or students. In this case the curriculum emerges, permitting learning activities to arise out of each child’s interests, actions or serendipitous events. If you look back on our school year you will find a number of examples:

• The water project, which began with a curiosity about the flowing water and the ever-changing puddle along side our driveway.
• The study of seeds, worms and gardening sparked by the collection of acorns.
• Our presidential debate, which emerged from the students’ concern for poverty, economy, ecological responsibility and war.
• The music program, which has include the study of instruments around the world and related cultural reflections, the construction of instruments, the exploration of music terminology and the joy of making music with bells, guitars, percussion instruments and voices.
• Personification in literature and the emergence of mask making and storytelling activities.
• The ever-growing interest in strategy games, which led to four-person chess, bugeye Stratego
and Yu Gi Oh.
• The collection, repair and donation of 8 bikes to the Bike Church provoked by one bike left at our door.
• The Nestle’ project, which grew from a provocation stated by staff and embraced by students.
• The diversity of topics in our Global Studies program after students were challenged to take responsibility for the content and approach.
• Add to this archery, cooking, rocketry and aerodynamics, paint and color exploration, sewing, robotics, foreign language and motion and movement.

Our learning activities are long-term, interdisciplinary, student-centered, and integrated with real world issues and practices. The benefit of this practice is that it motivates students to take responsibility and engage in their own learning. Students are able to pursue their own interests and questions and make decisions about how they will find answers and solve problems. They integrate the content of different subject areas at authentic moments in the learning process, instead of in isolation or in an artificial setting.
This learning is relevant and useful to students as it connects to life outside the classroom, addressing real world concerns and developing real world skills. Many of the skills learned through an emergent, project-based curriculum include the ability to work well with others, make thoughtful decisions, take initiative and solve complex problems.

This approach provides many unique opportunities for teachers to build relationships with students. Teachers fill the varied roles of coach, facilitator and co-learner. Finished products, plans, drafts, and prototypes all make excellent “conversation pieces” around which teachers and students can discuss the learning that is taking place.

In this environment teachers provide essential support including related vocabulary, appropriate tools and resources, broadened questioning, critical reflection, organization, flexibility and encouragement. The teacher must extend her thinking beyond what to teach and when to teach and include why to teach. Coexisting, collaborating, co-creating and assessing with students must answer this question of why. Our teachers become research partners with children, seeking answers to questions and supporting investigation. Our school is our laboratory, offering the materials and tools to inspire each other.

Quicknotes, April 3, 2009

Monday - Sunny and windy

Success in robotics! The team now has a robot that controls another. Persistence pays off! The students demonstrated their success by driving one robot with the other, remotely. They really worked hard on this project, reprogramming each robot in stages to find and address bugs. For other kids, the rubber wheels were a big hit; they gathered every variation of wheel and tested each against another finally determining which rolled the best. There was lots of trial and error and constant discussion and reasoning as they progressed.

In sewing the children made small bags with handles similar to the larger shoulder bags they were working on last week. Most students carried these around all day with books and other learning tools. Some students found time to build a huge structure with wooden blocks crossing from tabletop to benches to the floor. Bridge construction poses interesting challenges that our students seem to revisit from time-to-time.

Our youngest students engaged in a focused conversation about being a good friend and a good sport. They were able to define characteristics, communicate concerns and create a list of actions. They identified a few new methods a student might employ in the classroom when she needs to change the atmosphere.

Many of our writers have completed their stories and are exploring materials in an effort to create a unique cover or housing.

The Global Studies presentation today was on Atlantis. We were treated to a historic look back at land formation and geography, Mythology, and philosophers in order to understand the topic. After hearing theories and descriptions each student drew a picture of Atlantis as they imagined it.

The younger kids continued to paper Mache their volcanoes during science. They have vivid imaginations and great stories and theories about their volcanoes already. The older kids prepared corn-based plastic containers that are said to be “green” and biodegradable. They buried these in our compost pile to see if they actually begin to break down. This is an extension of a prior Global Studies project where some questioned of whether many of the green claims are actually true.

Tuesday - Sunny and mild

This morning we attended our last session of ice-skating. All of the children have gain confidence on the ice; most are skating with ease and the rest are confident enough to move around on their own. After skating we all retired to the café for a cup of hot chocolate.

We returned to school for lunch followed by reading and writing. Our older students are behaving like professional authors, never finished and always plagued with one more idea. They are in the final stages but some are reluctant to call it done! The younger children gathered and planned their presentations for Authors’ Showcase. They supported each other, expressing what they thought was being done well and what could enhance their presentation.

During Global Studies the second half of the presentation on Atlantis brought up intriguing questions about its plausibility. We watched a film clip presenting theories about the existence of Atlantis, its possible demise and conflicting details that make it difficult to get to truth of the matter. This inspired interesting debate.

During music the younger children played hand bells in interlocking patterns. The older students taught each other new songs on the guitar and learned new riffs from the visiting teacher.

Wednesday - Cold and windy

After a long morning walk our chefs started their lunch preparations. We prepared two kinds of chili, a cucumber salad and a large fruit salad. Everyone helped prep and clean up as we progressed. While waiting for their turn in the kitchen students did their math, played chess and Stratego and worked on their books. The younger students also spent time in their reading groups.

After lunch the kids chose to play with the jump ropes. They all took turns jumping, seeing how many kids could get into the center. There record so far is six.

The books for Author’s Showcase are nearing completion. All of our writers are working on their final edits and creating their covers. It looks like almost everyone will be ready for the Tuesday after break.

Students talked about composting garbage. They took the kitchen scraps from lunch, newspaper, a little sand and some worms, combined them together in a large bucket and will be checking in to see what happens.

Thursday - Warmer and pleasant.

During the morning walk children with boots ventured down the streambed to check out the water gathered from last night’s rain. They found lots of mud and inviting puddles!

A newsletter meeting was held this morning to discuss the community reaction to the last issue and to gather ideas for the next issue. All the children stopped by to share their ideas. Thursday is card day and many kids played games of Yu Gi Oh after doing their math. We are seeing a growing interest in this activity, as more children understand the nuance of the game. In addition we are seeing other types of cards being introduced and cards being created for homemade games

It was a beautiful afternoon and we spent our recreational time outside on the tennis courts jumping rope and playing basketball. In science volcanoes were erupting; the children were ecstatic. Now they plan to join efforts in hopes of build a very big one.

Our older kids spent their science time talking about ideas for woodworking projects to begin after the break. Everything from stools to hot air balloons is on the table for discussion.

Quick Notes - March 23, 2009

Monday - Cold and windy

In robotics many students are very close to making a working remote control for a robot. A bug in the software that wouldn’t allow them to write the program to meet their initial vision has hampered them. They rewrote this in a new way and are hoping for success when they test it next week. Meanwhile, others worked on their Lego structures, building spaceships and fortresses. In sewing, students took charge designing and sewing tote bags using material from old bedspreads.

During lunch, many of the students played Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon while eating and catching up on the latest gossip.

Writing continued with first drafts, revisions and final drafts. In Global Studies, another student started teaching his two-day lesson. This week’s subject is the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad and its effect on commerce and culture in the United States. He began with a lecture style presentation supported by a PBS film production. Day one was quite interesting. Many students took copious notes.

In science, the younger students began discussing and constructing a volcano. They also spent time feeding their pets.

Tuesday - Sunny and cool

Our day began with math followed by a quick trip to the rink for our third open skating session. All of our young skaters have improved tremendously and most are now able to skate around by themselves. Many of them felt confident enough to play tag on the ice.

After lunch, our younger authors went to Reading/Writing class. There, they shared their books with peers then focused on their individual stories. This was followed by Global Studies, where they continued their map project. Students discussed what areas border New Jersey and identified and marked where each student lives. Finally they alphabetized the names of each town of residence.

Our older students are working feverously in writing to meet their deadlines. After Reading and Writing they attended Global Studies. Our student/teacher completed his lesson on the Transcontinental Railroad. He offered graphs and charts for our consideration. This and the topic stirred thoughtful conversation.

In music our younger students listened to Peter and the Wolf and played out the story using stick puppets. They are quite aware of this composition and the related storyline. The older students played their guitars and practiced songs.

Wednesday - Cool and sunny.

The theme in cooking was sauces! The kids made chicken, rice, roasted vegetables and a variety including: buffalo wing, BBQ, lemon pepper, honey mustard and mustard vinaigrette. For dessert a hot fudge and a raspberry sauce were made to top ice cream. Our cooks were given the prep times for each item and asked to decide when to prepare and cook each so that everything would be ready to serve at the same time. Our warming drawer, made possible by the Nestle’ Corporation, was a big help.

Reading groups meet during workshop. Our youngest students examined Nursery Rhymes considering the differing first sounds and the rhythm created by the ending sounds. Another group focused on root words and the suffix endings -ed and -ing. Each child worked at his own pace and conferring with one another about their findings.

Workshop included Math, Language, Science experiments and other small-group activities. Several students manipulated 3 dimensional magnetic polygons in an attempt to make stars, unbroken circles and cubes. It was a challenge that required patience and careful assessment of one’s progress. They also explored magnetized items in the classroom and discussed how they became magnetized. During another activity students was asked to consider cardinal directions on a map of New Jersey. They identified North, South, East and West and labeled their map accordingly. Some children added N.E, S.E., N.W., and S.W. to the compass.

The seeds we planted last week are sprouting. Our windowsills are full of plants, some grown from seeds found in the food we have been preparing in the kitchen and others from seeds we have been discovered in our environment.

This week Diane brought in her worm farm and pulled out globs of material for the kids to explore under magnifying glasses and a stereoscope. They examined worms as well as worm castings. Diane explained, “at times tiny worms are visible inside just before they hatch.” The kids learned scads about the life of a worm. Worms are intriguing.

Thursday - Warm and rainy

In lieu of the morning walk, the students played jump rope, tying several together to make one really long rope.

After completing their math and language many of the students played cards. There were several Yu Gi Oh and Pokemon games going on simultaneously. Carlo and Aunt Norma came in to play and tried to learn Yu Gi Oh strategy from the children. Another popular choice during workshop time was beading. Doris came in to help our artists string necklaces and jewelry.

After writing, the younger scientists started building their individual volcanoes while the older students discussion population patterns. We watched a short video demonstrating the population of the Earth from 1 A.D. to present-day and projected figures until 2030. Through a variety of activities they considered how an increasing population affects resources and life on the planet. In art, the students continued their block printing techniques with an eye toward their overall design.

Friday - Overcast and warmer.

This morning in reading and writing the youngest kids discovered travel magazines and became extremely excited. They traveled to exotic places like Tahiti and Australia. They noticed pictures of Canadian geese in the travel book of the Grand Teton Mountains in Wyoming and made the connection to those outside our door.

The Students continue to listen to Desperoux and ask and answer questions as it is read aloud. They are able to infer meanings from context clues and prior knowledge. The book inspired a conversation about words that sound like what they mean. Some of the words the kids offered up were “hiccup” and “splat” and “cut.”

Book construction was the focus in art; children were intent on their projects. The dioramas are all painted and the inside pieces are being constructed and glued into place. In the pop-up books the focus is the delineation of backgrounds and foregrounds.

Some of the students found time to teach each other some songs on the guitar and the sounds garnered a lot of attention and soon more guitarists were gathered round joining in. Math was the last task of the day and then everyone headed out for the weekend.