Post date: Dec 11, 2011 8:40:7 PM
Yesterday, while I was at a workshop at Google, I learned that there are almost 300 billion emails sent every day, the majority which are sent to distribution lists, are forwards, and/or are never fully read by the recipient -- hopefully this one falls into no more than one of those categories. In contrast to my usual drawn out and prolific style, I'll do this email in bullet-point style -- the nemesis of most proud authors.
English Recap:
Monday: reading any of 5 articles in the most recent issue of SCOPE magazine and writing various responses
Tuesday: book clubs, most of which are making great progress with the reading, discussion, and projects (DUE 12/16)
Wednesday: make an entertaining comic, using Pixton.com, that uses 4 vocabulary words in context. (see this recent sample and the whole list).
Thursday: introduction to the upcoming "3i" speaking session and viewing samples from TED conferences (or other)
Friday: common English errors session 5
Science Recap:
Monday: introduction of the "each-one-teach-one" process, and apply it to a set of readings on energy
Tuesday: student-created quizes for e-o-t-o then the Energy Conversion track
Wednesday: burning a peanut, capturing and measuring the energy (enter results)
Thursday: chapter 9 test (results on PowerSchool)
Friday: each-one-teach-one on chapter 10 overview and extension topics
Upcoming Things:
Thursday (12/15): chapter 10 science test
Friday (12/16): feast, festivities, and gift exchange
Feedback Wanted:
Formula vs. freeform writing: Over the past two weeks I've pushed the kids into an essay-organizing process to which most were very resistant. I had them create outlines and submit them to me for comments, approval, and grading. I also had them meet with peers and parents and turn in a set of extensively (hand) edited drafts before they finalized their essays. Apparently, this process was in stark contrast to the "any way that works for you" methods of previous years. Please let me know if/how the students communicated to you parents about this process.
Fascination with Fire: During the peanut-burning activity this past week I noticed a (understandable) fascination with matches and fire. More of the students' investigatory energy was spent lighting matches than was spent measuring and making sure that the peanut flame was captured in the water of heating. In the upcoming units on heat and chemical reactions, I'd like to gauge your (parents) thoughts on kids "playing" with fire. It is not a direct part of the curriculum, but I do want to provide experiences that increase the kids understanding of combustion and fire by giving time and (controlled) materials to burn. I have to admit that I am quite liberal in that area -- my kids, even the youngest, light the fires at home (a wood burning stove is our major source of heat up here in the mountains) and on camping trips. As an early teenager, I was in a boat fire that put me in the burn center for debrisment and kept anti-scarring bandages on my feet and legs for 6 months so I have a healthy respect for fire, but I also think that common sense and guided experiences lead to more maturity and greater understanding. Let me know... to what degree (ha) should kids play with fire at school and/or home?
Sincerely,
Chris