The week began with Robotics, which is progressing nicely. Our team made a special appearance giving our other engineers a chance to experiment with team materials and to learn from those who have more experience. Tracy set up a project to sew mittens that became little turkey puppets. Students revisited the quilt project as well.

Many students finished up their stories and composed their books. There was a great deal of excitement and jitters as they prepare for Author’s Showcase. While our older students practiced their presentations the youngest painted and decorated their scenery and props. They collected straw and glued it on the roof and cut out rocks and sticks to glue onto the hut. They practiced their lines and considered stage fright and other worries they were grappling with.

In Science the youngest students continued their study of fossils. This is a continuation of their study of rocks, minerals. Our older students recapped the debate considering the challenges they faced, the compromises they made and the reason for the outcome.

Tuesday – Sunny and cold

This morning students finished their book covers. Some drew pictures while others used collage materials. Several children put finishing touches on their stories and prepared for their presentation. They have come to understand that an author’s work is never done. Children also tended to their math working in small groups and individually.

We hosted a packed audience for Author’s Showcase. The younger group presented a show titled Who’s in Rabbits House? They used their masks and instruments as part of the show. The middle group wrote either realistic fiction or fantasy. Each child presented and read a small “teaser” section of their story. The older group presented their research papers. They explained their topic, their reason for choosing it and interesting ideas and facts they learned along the way. All of the children gathered at the end for a short question and answer session. During our first 10 weeks of reading and writing students engage in a variety of positive activities. As we progressed they were more likely to analyze, synthesize and integrate ideas from various sources including peers, teachers, other authors and researchers. Most of our writers seemed to gain and develop personal, social, practical and academic skills as they became more engaged in their work. We are very proud of their writing and their presentations.

Wednesday – Sunny and mild

This morning we cooked Gumbo for lunch. The children worked in small groups, with Rich cutting, chopping, measuring and mixing. They cooked a Shrimp and a Vegetarian Gumbo. They also made garlic bread and learned how to prepare a roux and Beignets, which are simply deep fried dough covered in powdered sugar.

When they were not in the kitchen, the students did their math, practiced guitar, played card games, estimated and measured objects using Unifix cubes, built symmetrical patterns with tangrams and played our directions game. Ask your child to teach you this game at home.

During writing, our older students read and discussed each other’s final papers. Our youngest students reviewed the play they performed at Author’s Showcase. They re-read their own stories then brought them home. Our middle group recapped their writing experience, talked about their next writing genre, memoir, and began to hash out some story ideas. Karen continued reading Tuck Everlasting diagramming the story, considering new words and focusing on the scheme that was unveiled.

Thursday – Cloudy with light rain

Most students started their day with math. After finishing, many of the younger students played cards, speaking Italian or created beaded jewelry focusing on the blending of materials. Some of the students played Bugeye, a four-player chess game using two boards.

Many students met to discuss a Nestles project. They have terrific ideas about new and improved products they would like to create including a carbonated tea, apple flavored ice cream and a completely edible, packaged, make-your-own dessert. After lunch, Matt led us in a game of Blob in the gym.

During our Reading/Writing period the older students played a word game making sentences from seemingly random nouns and verbs. They enjoyed this game so much that they repeated it twice. One student even tried to use all the words to create a paragraph that made sense. The middle group continued reading Tuck Everlasting while the younger group began writing again.

During Science the older students considered a cloud contained and manipulated in a bottle. They learned pressure influences water molecules dictating whether they condense on dust particles or not. The younger group created their own fossils from items found in the classroom. They plan to challenge older students to identify these “fossils”. They also found time to listen to and discuss a new book, My Rotten Red-Headed Brother. This book highlights sibling struggles and love.

During Art Kadi presented a mini-lesson with oil pastels. The kids enjoyed blending colors and learned about gradation in color and the blending of opposites. The younger kids found charcoal and explored its’ chalky qualities versus the qualities of the oil pastels.

We hosted an open house for prospective students. Visiting parents spent time in our classrooms and met with Karen, teachers and Kietha Biggers who volunteered to be on hand. We fielded a lot of questions and considered the concern presented. So many parents are growing tired of the packaged curriculum and impersonal approach that their children and they encounter day after day. In the coming weeks we will continue to welcome parents and their children as they make their decisions. Our next formal open house is December 11th.

Friday – Foggy morning, light rain

During Reading and Writing students continued their writing exercise from yesterday. They followed with reading and then played a few rounds of hangman.

The younger kids worked on their writing and then some read Bob Books either independently or to each other. A group used cardboard letters to form some of the words from they saw in their books. Watercolors were open in Art and watercolor crayons and pencils were introduced. These produce a more solid line of color that can then be blended into the background.

Many kids picked up their guitars and practiced songs with each other. Kadi taught students how to search for guitar tabs online and how to read them once found. They learned what the notation for “sliding” from one note to the next looks like as well as the notation to “hammer on” and “pull off” a note. We have missed music class for the past 2 weeks due to the debate and the Showcase, but students have continued their studies in both small and large grous during independent time.

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.

Home school student joined our robotics class us for the first time this year. Did you know that with good design and some programming rolling robotic vehicles make noise and turn in all directions.

During this workshop time students also worked independently on a diorama of a barn complete with animals and tended to their other responsibilities including math and composing and delivering snack. Today some children played soccer for the first time this year. On the tennis courts other children made up a game while others drew with chalk and invented games like Lily pad.

During Storytelling younger kids played word games with Dolch words. Dolch words include 220 sight words that are the most frequently used words in the English language. Sight words make up 50 to 70 percent of any general text. Therefore, teaching The Dolch Word List is helpful in developing reading fluency. Once the Dolch Words were introduced children developed variations including a matching game using Boggle and Scrabble letters to mimic the words on each card. Karen guided the middle group in reading and writing. They revisited their writing for a short time and then selected Tuck Everlasting as their group reading book. Karen began reading this fantasy to them stopping from time o time to predict, discuss and identify new words. They were all sorry to stop when the period was over. Our research group brought books from their local libraries and continued their research

In Science many students mixed up fast growing crystals that formed right before our eyes. The children were so excited that they forgot about classroom etiquette. All work stopped so that we could share our feelings and consider what helps each child learn during such an exciting activity.

Older students hypothesized about optimal growing conditions for a plant. They also identified what a controlled and valid experiment requires. The decided to see which among 5 plants will thrive and which will suffer under controlled irrigation conditions. They will be irrigating with water, soda, coffee, worm tea, and Gatorade.

In Global Studies older kids were challenged to link ideas about beauty from our cultural context conversation to our presidential candidates. They considered the influence of eyebrow shapes among the candidates. This conversation was seeded by a radio show interview on NPR’s Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me, where an “eyebrow guru” was interviewed regarding the topic.

Younger kids talked about the globe and how the children in Korea are experiencing nighttime during our daytime. The kids all know that the earth travels around the moon. Each has a different understanding of this phenomenon. Interesting theories about the impossibility of riding a bike across the ocean ensued. “You would sink and get seaweed all over you and it would be too slippery to pedal and the bike would also rust.”

During science kids examined the crystals forming. They were especially enamored by their fragility and fast-growing pace. As the crystals deteriorated new ideas evolved. A few kids started an experiment with two spider plants. They placed one in a concentrated solution of red food coloring and the other in blue.

Tuesday, October 7th

We continued our exploration with wire and enhanced our masks. Some students focused on the construction of their costumes. Kids helped take down the tent frame and engaged in games of Stratego. One student worked with a teacher to create a chart displaying all the students in alphabetical order by first name. This allows us to select our Physical Education leader each day. Everyone made progress in math working independently and/or with guidance and instruction from teachers.

Some students examined a world map and began to mark the places our instruments come from. They also played along with each other, experimenting with being louder and softer and faster and slower. This provided the lead into our music class where we danced and practiced listening to and leading other.

Older kids broke into 4 groups each tasked with creating their ideal candidate. They are focused on physical characteristics, party affiliation, political platform and other details. The children’s candidates will eventually run against each other in a primary, engage in a debate and face off in an election.

Students learned a new chord in guitar class and enjoyed practicing together. Please encourage your children to practice during the week. This will strengthen their hands. We are still on the look out for one or two more guitars. If you see a second hand steel string acoustic guitar for less $75.00 or less please let us know.

Wednesday, October 8th

We made english muffin pizzas, a salad and apple crisp in our first cooking class of the year. It was a great success. Children peeled, sliced, grated, sautéed, browned, blended and created with care. Each student topped his pie to his own delight with meatballs, pepperoni, black olives, additional cheese or all of he above.

While children rotated through the kitchen, the rest completed their math, worked on their board game skills, discussed the election, prepared snack and built with Kinex and blocks.

A Community Meeting followed Physical Education. We talked about troubling physical, verbal and emotional interactions between members. Almost every person found himself both at fault and with cause. The group decided that having a buddy at school would be helpful. Some selected each other while others left their selection to chance. Once buddies were matched most stepped into high gear sitting together and sharing greetings and making connections. It was a sweet moment at our school.

The rest of the day we worked on reading and writing. The older kids worked independently and benefited from a mini lesson that defined types of research papers. The children considered the type of paper that would best suit their topic and interest. The youngest kids wrote and drew short stories. Sandy read aloud an exciting book about African performers creating a folk tale play. The middle group enjoyed some more of Tuck Everlasting after working on their stories. It was a full and satisfying day.

Two groups played games after lunch. The first, played our ever popular Capture the Flag while the second played Hopscotch on the sidewalk in front of the school. Our hopscotch group drew a variety of boards, naming shapes and practicing writing numbers.

All of our students once again worked on writing in their various genres. Several began sharing their writing and gaining insight from others. Peer conferencing is an important component of our writing program.

Our youngest scientist documented their observations of the crystals they created last week. They also participated in chemistry experiments using baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice. They just love anything that bubbles, fizzles and overflows.

A Life Science theme was introduced to our older student. They discussed the nature of life and what all living creatures need. There was an intense debate as students added to an otherwise typical list the idea of existence, motion and technology. We observed that these students are quite capable of presenting and defending their positions.

During Global Studies the older students concluded their discussion of context in culture while the younger students created music with the instruments they purchased at Ten Thousand Villages and read about children’s lives in other countries.

Tuesday

Children were off but the staff was hard at work. We assessed our progress to date, reviewed children’s work, examined our hypotheses, and planned for future work in all subject areas. We also played a variety of new games in hopes of gaining an understanding of the academic value of each and learning the rules of play. Finally, we picked our first two books for our professional book club. We will read, Educating Citizens For Global Awareness by Nel Noddings, followed by In Defense of Childhood: Protecting Kids Inner Wildness by Chris Mercogliano. These authors will be speaking at our conference in January. If any of you want to read along with us let Karen know and she will give you further details.

Thursday

Students designed and created more beaded jewelry after a mini lesson on symmetry. Our card players learned new games while speaking Italian. They practiced numbers, learned the names of card suits and short phrases.

During gym class many of the students participated in a new game called Burning Bridges. This exciting game is similar to Capture the Flag. The children were faced with a few challenges while learning the rules. They debated fairness and the nature of physical play. We are certain that this discussion will continue as they decide whether to add this game to their repertoire.

Authors continued their stories and research papers. After a mini lesson our middle and older students work independently while teachers visited one-on-one to offer writing tips. Two teachers supported our youngest writers as they wrote and dictated stories, reacted to each other’s work and listened to a story read to them. The focus of their mini lesson was the importance of a strong opening sentence

Our older scientists considered the study of Biology. They decided to engage in a series of experiments on plants. They also expressed a strong desire to dissect something. Finally, they giggled as they considered whether sexuality was part of a good biology curriculum (more to come). The younger students met the members of our composting team – several thousand red worms. We now have classroom pets.

Finally, all students created art using wire, paper and Modge Podge. They created everything from flowers to abstract designs. Our words of the day were symmetrical, similar and congruent. The children asked, “are these the same or are they different?

Friday

Our day began with reading and writing. Our youngest writers revisited the rules of Story-telling time and went to work. The middle group read portions of their work aloud and asked for reaction to or help with the content. Their writing includes works of realistic fiction and fantasy. They displayed strong skills in conveying feelings and physical experiences through metaphors and simile. Our researchers continued gathering sources and facts while learning to highlight and take concise notes.

Everyone revisited his or her wire sculptures with more fanciful ideas and creative freedom. After a thorough clean up we closed our day with math.