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.
