Monday - Warm with gray skies
In Sewing children made flags, different shapes and designs emerged. In robotics students are really getting the hang of building vehicles. One was nearly 2 feet long! Some of the robots follow lines around on the floor using a sensor.
Everybody cycled through math this morning. Many of the older children finished answers to debate questions and spent the Global Studies period in the afternoon identifying the speaker for their group and practicing their speeches to gain fluidity. They also created posters, which include the candidate’s name, his or her party name and a picture.
During Global Studies the younger children read a Cinderella fairytale from Ireland called Cinderlad and talked about the similarities between this story and the Cinderella story we are familiar with in our culture. In reading and writing the youngest kids learned about the calendar. We talked about how many months there are in a year and why we number them, how many days there are in a week and what happens after the last month of the year ends. Then we drew and wrote as we do each day.
In Science, the younger kids discussed the dry ice experiment from last week then built boats out of tin foil, Popsicle sticks and tape. The challenge was to create a boat that could carry 8 rocks. They were successful! The older kids discussed what they learned about dry ice last week and what they observed and accomplished during their experiments.
Tuesday 11/4/08
Sunny and warm
During the morning walk some children decided to follow the water that often runs along the driveway and under the grate off the veranda. They trudged over land and through puddles to discover the source of this water, which has been a point of interest for some time. Then they took their boats and sail them down a potion of the “river”. They were completely engaged and supported each other with further suggestions and unique attempts. We will be contacting our neighbor to learn more about the work that has been going on for some time. Hopefully, we will be able to continue our exploration and to understand the purpose of their efforts.
The children continued their work with watercolors adding tissue paper that bleeds and salt, which creates a unique effect to our paintings. The children enjoyed this melding of art and experimentation. They were quite willing to manipulate the materials and to examine and reflect upon the outcomes.
In writing the middle group explored the use of quotation marks when writing direct and indirect quotes. They considered all the punctuation required and the nuances that affect the use of quotation marks, commas and closing marks.
Our older students put the finishing touches on their candidate projects in preparation for the debate. They finished their posters and organized and practiced their answers. This has been a long project with many evolutions. The children made many decisions along the way. Not only did they learn a great deal about current issues in our country they learned about cooperation, collaboration, delegation and compromise.
Our youngest readers discussed, with greater depth, the Rabbit’s House story, which they will perform at Authors’ Showcase. They reassessed who will play each character, how the story is going to be performed and deadlines for a variety of related tasks. Then they sang songs and did some finger plays to transition in to their music studies. All this work is done with a focus on global relations and how people around the world are similar and different from us.
Wednesday 11/5/08
Cloudy and warmer.
The kitchen was the focus of energies this morning as groups cycled though preparing chicken fajitas, refried beans, salsa and cookies for lunch. The smell of sautéing onions and peppers filled the building while other students worked on math, built more boats, painted a backdrop for their play and practiced for the debate.
As we started physical education it began to rain so outside games were cancelled. Younger students played indoors while older students moved furniture and prepared for their constituents. Students dressed for the debate, put on make-up and tended to last minute details.
The debate was a great success; children presented their position with poise, presence and confidence. They proved that they had carefully analyzed current issues and developed solutions. They certainly learn organization and clarity, how to persuade and how to listen. They were able to make eye contact and some even employed effective gesture. This was a proud moment for our community.
