Post date: Sep 03, 2011 4:3:53 AM
Happy Friday!
Today marks the conclusion of the first full week of school and I'm happy to report that all is good in room 25. This week we settled in, established some of the routines and got down to the academics a bit. I have such admiration for the kids in our class and high ambitions for our year. I've gotten to know the kids much better and have seen the quality of their efforts and reaffirmed the creative power that is DCS. These kids are extremely good hearted people, each with a distinct set of attributes, and yet quite cohesive when it comes to the practice of collaboration and a sense of community. I hope to further foster those attributes and capitalize on them in order to have exceptional learning experiences in the next 10 months.
This Week: I learned a great deal about the kids this week as they input some information into our group biography page. The students then read about their peers and submitted a few questions to be used in our class' online jeopardy game. These kids love each other! In fact, the entire 8th grade is very much like a big family with all the caring, bantering, and playing that goes with it. I'm in heaven, I tell you!
In science we worked towards an operational knowledge of the scientific method, including hypothesis formulation and experimental design. Yesterday, the students performed a quick experiment that tests the relationship between the drop height and bounce height of a golf ball. As an observer rather than instructor, I was encouraged by their interactions, methods, data-collection, and process reflection. During English class there was an essay on their name to write, a composition book to format, and always a book to read during SSR right after lunch. There are certainly exceptions, but for the most part all of the kids are excellent readers with a wide repertoire of literary experience (check out this list) and a keen eye out for the next great read. The days go by quickly and I give the kids a lot to do -- just take a look at the assignments page of my website -- about ten different projects/assignments gone by already, including one fairly significant essay writing endeavor.
This Weekend: There are two activities that I've asked the students to do at home this weekend. The first is to perform a simple experiment of their design. My instructions were simple: "perform an experiment that tests the effect of ___ on ___". The two blanks should both be things that can be easily observed and (hopefully) measured. For example, testing the effect of salinity on the time it takes water to boil. There is a form to fill out for that, and my comments will be posted on the resultant spreadsheet.
There is also an assignment that should involve you. The reading time on Fridays should be spent on non-fiction material, and sometime this weekend, your student should engage you in a discussion about what they read and ask for your comments or signature on a sheet that they filled out today.
Next Week: Although we only have 3 school days next week (Labor Day Monday, Ropes Course Friday), we will hopefully get a lot done. In science we'll work on graphing and classification, and in English we will begin our first all-class book (an easy but involving one). I am eagerly awaiting our ropes course experience as well as the optional overnight that follows. For those 18 students and 4 parents who will be staying, I've created a "trips" page on my website for information and details.
One Last Thing: There is much that goes on in our class and the pace requires some sustained attention and interaction. In order to make it easier for students to stay aware and organized, I've included quite a bit of information and support material on my website. There is a page for our daily schedule, a page for assignments (calendar, spreadsheets, etc) and a variety of other occasionally-useful pages. I have also subscribed to a web service called Remind101 that I can use to send text messages about homework to students who subscribe. If you browse the website and find it lacking in content, design, or organization, please let me know so that I can attempt to improve it.
As always, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me (please) and have a great three days off. I'll see you and/or the kids onTuesday.
Chris