Post date: Feb 08, 2015 1:26:34 AM
Dear Room 25 People!
Time flies these days and as talk of high school applications and graduation begins to emerge I am reminded that my time with this group is finite -- I want to make every minute matter! We have much valuable work ahead of us before these kids head off to make good on the long term investment in their own learning. Our job is to challenge them daily and push them towards their highest potential.
Recap:
Three things to mention about this past week: buddy time, science demos, and ship-prep.
Buddy Time: Once a month our class gets an hour with Mrs. Gallagher's 2/3 class and up until this week the activities were planned by either teacher. This past week, though, the students were in charge. We split the class in thirds and each group was responsible for creating a 15 minute activity through which the 2/3 kids would rotate. One group did a progressive story, another group built Valentines, and the third group played "amoeba tag" on the grass. In each group some effective leadership emerged and it all went smoothly. I think that it was a great experience for all.
Science Demonstrations: We are 2/3 of the way through this round of science demos and most have been a good combination of entertainment, intrigue, and science content. Grading is based on reparation (do you have all the stuff ready to go on your presentation day and is it evident that you have practiced), presentation (getting class quiet, using strong voice & eye contact, good pacing, explaining things as you go), and content (explaining the science involved and the connection to student's experiences). There are 8 kids to go and I hope that the positive trend continues.
Ship Prep: Just as a refresher, we squeezed in a bit of time to review each crew's responsibilities (food, flag, bells, knots, and songs). By the way, if kids haven't already, please take a look here at how I divided up the song lyrics so that each crew leads one verse. Galley crew, remember that you have to have a snack cooked up that we bring with us tomorrow! Parents, please spend a few minutes with your kid today/tonight to review the packing list as well as browse their crew's packet. There is lots of info on the sail page of my site, and even more on the AgeOfSail website.
Coming Up:
The report cards for first semester will come home Wednesday 2/11. Letter grades are a big topic of discussion and difference amongst the staff (and parents, I assume). They measure productivity and information retention, but rarely do they fully reflect learning, autonomy, curiosity, and maturity. While it is important to recognize the students' accomplishments, it is more important to recognize their individuality, catalyze curiosity, and facilitate the next challenge. When we get back from the Age of Sail trip, there will be only 8 days of intensive rotation left, which means that we will have mostly-homeroom time for March, April, May, and June (calendar). I'm looking forward to the upcoming science units on electricity/magnetism and the waves as well as the history units covering the Constitution, government, Civil War, and Westward Expansion. All of that stuff is new to me this year and I find it quite interesting. Add to all of that some time with reflective writing, poetry, public speaking, and graduation prep, and we've got a full schedule ahead.
Calendar:
February 9 & 10: Age of Sail
February 11: High School Information Night (parents and kids)
February 16-20: February break
February 26: Exploratorium
March 5 & 6: Diversity Conference
March 6: Laps for Learning
March 10: Spring Portraits
March 13: No school for kids
April 1-3: Science Fair
April 6-10: Conferences
April 14-18: Spring break
April 28: Levi Stadium Tour
May 9: Spring Auction
May 15: No school for kids
May 29: Middle school dance
June 3 to 5: Rafting the South Fork American River
June 12: Field Day
June 18: Last day of school
June 19: Staff work day
Love You All!
Chris