Intensive Update 2 (3/4/15)

Post date: Mar 04, 2015 11:29:24 PM

Hello Again Room 22 Parents and Kids.

I know that in my last email to you (2/14/15) I said that intensives were ending the week after vacation, but we decided to extend them for an extra week (SF trip and Susan's pneumonia ate away some time). So, now I can say that this coming Friday (3/6/15) is really the last day. I've had a good time with your kids; pushed them hard to understand the Constitution and current events, but also hopefully raised their curiosity and interest.

The major accomplishments since I wrote to you last, have been the "each one teach one" sessions about the amendments. The kids each learned a lot about one and then had to teach the rest of the class about it. They did this in many 1:1 sessions, a few small-group presentations, or one whole-class presentations (or a combination of all those scenarios). I created a tracking sheet to monitor which kids have taught and learned, and as of today, that chart is almost completely filled. After each kid presented their topic, they wrote three multiple-choice questions that anyone who experienced their presentation should be able to answer. Those questions (or my modifications thereof) will comprise a test that I will give them tomorrow or the next day and the online copy is here. It will grow a bit tonight as I type in questions that a few kids gave me today, and then even a bit more tomorrow during class. Please remind your kid to take a look at those and understand each (or contact the author or me). During the quiz, the kids can refer to their personal copy of this document which contains a link to everyone's presentation as well as the notes that each kid should have taken as they received each other person's presentation. This is complicated I know, but suffice it to say that the kids have access to all the info necessary to do well on the test (including the test itself).

For those of you who monitor things such as grades, please take a look with your kid, and make sure that my records match the kids' accomplishments. If grades are below the level that you and your kid desire (and agree upon), my website describes ways to get extra credit and to make-up / redo work. There are other less measurable outcomes of our 6 weeks together, including an understanding that every issue is surrounded by various "sides", levels of passion, and degrees of complexity. Few are simple and most are worthy of personal understanding, political awareness, and sometimes even discernible action.

So, this brings me to Friday's intended party. The kids and I are hoping that, after the test, they can have a bunch of free time and some food. If any of you (kids or parents) are willing to help out in this endeavor, please take a look at this page and add something that you can bring by filling out the form with the gingerbread dudes on top.

Thanks again for reading and I want you to know that room 22 is a wonderful bunch of kids and I hope that they had a good time and learned a lot during this intensive.

Chris Heumann

cell: 408 482-2394