Post date: Nov 27, 2016 6:39:50 PM
Hello Families!
Two weeks have passed since my last weekly update so there are quite a few things to let you know about this time.
1. Living History Recap: Apparently, twenty four hours provided quite an array of powerful experiences for the kids as they lived the soldier's live at Camp Reynolds on Angel Island. On Thursday morning they walked off the ferry and straight into their roles and quickly adapted to the strict tutelage of The Major and the practical demands (and rewards) of a do-it-yourself-and-for-the-regiment lifestyle. Upon their return to school, I heard many stories and diverse (but strong) feelings about their experiences, but the single factor that rang clearly above the tales of exhaustion and hardship, was that "one gets out of it what one puts into it"! The kids (and adults, I'm sure) who "played along" and invested themselves fully into the power of the experiences, both comfortable and not, benefited the most. All of the 8th grade trips are designed to provide new experiences, expose the kids to new places, increase autonomy, and facilitate interdependence. It sounds to me like this trip achieved those goals quite well. We all owe a big expression of gratitude to Bonnie for making this trip come together, and to the 5 adults who gave their time, energy, and enthusiasm.
2. Coming of Age Books & Discussions: Amy (Heumann) will be helping the class (and me!) throughout the year by providing insight, structure, and instruction to the literature curriculum. She came to class on Wednesday during book club time and described the nature of "coming of age" stories and gave brief synopsis of some examples. I created this doc to provide more information about each book, and then asked the kids to fill in this form in order to form groups. BUT, since there are still ?? kids who haven't submitted that form yet, we won't be able to start reading groups until next week. Aidan, Amiri, Gwen, Jacob, Jason, Karina, Maya, Parth, Rhema, and Will PLEASE choose a book and fill in the form NOW -- yes, the all-caps is aimed at the 10 of you. I need to form groups and give people time to find their books.
3. Collaborative Story & Mr. Dowling's Intensive: During the 15 school days in December our class will be spending 100 minutes each morning with Mr. Dowling increasing their grammar skills and story-writing abilities. I'm going to ask him to use the collaborative stories that are in process as material for their story-writing skills so that they learn to generate narrative fiction that has a cohesive and well-structured storyline as well as the descriptive detail, dialog, and style that will make it intriguing and rewarding to read. Additionally, the writing coaches will each take on a story and work directly with the group for the next few weeks (Marie, Aislin, Tara, Isabelle, and Sharina, please take a look at the stories and let me know which you would like to work with/on).
4. Curriculum Check-In, Science Shortfall: The three classes are on schedule with the 8th grade intensive rotation but I am quite a bit behind with the room 25 vague plan, mostly in the area of science. So, during about half of the homeroom time between now and the end of the semester, I'll be asking the kids to do lots of science. This will be a "hybrid" experience, involving textbook reading each night and activities, labs, and demonstrations during the day. To make the routine transparent to you parents, I'll be posting the reading schedule on my website and also including it on the nightly assignment sheet. I'll give short reading quizzes on most days, during which the kids can use any notes that they may have taken the night before. Those skills, along with the lab skills and knowledge (and questions) gained during experiments will hopefully lead to a solid understanding of the topics, readiness for high school physics, and increase in self concept regarding science.
5. Mid-Year Investigation & Ongoing Curiosity Slides: In addition to the teacher-prescribed topics, the kids delve into topics of their own choosing. They are on their 12th "curiosity slide" and if you have a moment, check out your kid's row in this spreadsheet and perhaps view their slides (by clicking on their name in the spreadsheet. Starting this week, I'll be getting the kids into a bigger project that will allow (require) them to find, pursue, and share an area of strong personal interest (passion!). They'll have 3 or 4 hours per week in class for 3 or 4 weeks to get deeply into something, almost anything, that piques their curiosity and is likely to sustain their attention. I'll utilize some aspects of similar projects that I've done with DCS kids before, but the open-ended nature of this attempt is new to me. I have high expectations and great faith that the kids will seize this opportunity to learn completely for its own sake!
Thanks to all of you for just being such wonderful people to work for and with. I am so fortunate to be able to share lives with you a bit. Lets continue to treasure it.
Calendar:
November 28: Stories & Grammar intensive starts for room 25
December 3: Star Party
December 6: 8th Grade to The Exploratorium
December 16: Early dismissal & break starts
December 16 to January 8: Winter break
January 16 (Monday): No School, MLK day
January 25 (Wednesday): 8th Grade Panoramic Photo
February 3 (Friday): Last day of first semester selectives
February 20-24: No School