Post date: Mar 28, 2015 6:50:50 PM
At this time of year, when summer is in sight but a ways away, there often tends to be a slump in energy and enthusiasm. But for me at least, things are on a thrilling upswing and great moments just keep coming. A few times in most days I just pause and absorb the good feelings and healthy lifestyle that permeates Discovery. If I had to distill this group’s interactions (myself included) down to one word, it would certainly be “family”. Quirky and filled with character, loving and intermittently animus, we embody all of what is meant by family. One that I’m very happy to be a part of, of course.
Science:
Magnetism was the topic of the week. The kids read the first section of chapter 18 over the course of the week, watched a video on magnetism, and had some interactions with magnets in class. I challenged the kids to devise a system whereby the strength of magnets could be tested and assigned a unit value. Each group then found their strongest magnet and challenged each other to some rounds of magnet soccer. Next week, armed with a box of supplies from Thomas, the kids will do more investigations into magnetic fields and their practical applications.
The big event for the coming week is the science fair. I am depending on parents to continue to view their kid's Science Fair Status Sheet and discuss their progress with them. The role of a parent in this process should be that of consultant and project-management assistant. The ideas and actions are the responsibility of the kids, but they will need some help from you in the area of materials procurement, reminders about documentation, and the encouragement to establish and maintain a high level of quality control. How's that for a tough job?
English:
In keeping with my current emphasis on "self identity" and "hey world, here I come", the kids have refined their personal logos and put them as the theme-icon onto their websites (we did that Thursday afternoon, but not all kids were in class). The next step in this endeavor will be for each kids to create their business card of the future, which is a fun project that asks for a combination of personal creativity, graphic design skills, and technical abilities.
The kids did also another week of vocabulary activities and posted four words each that they thought were extremely useful and powerful words. (photo).
Social Studies:
By now most of the kids have learned quite a bit about the three branches of government and we have moved on to the amendments of the Constitution. Each kid has chosen one (list) and they will now find out many things about it and put together an engaging and informative presentation about it. I've asked that their research and teachings contain at least five components listed here and I have high hopes for the quality of their products this time, as they should be excellent presentation writers and deliverers by now!
Rants & Raves:
I want to rave about how hard many kids in this class are working at pushing their skills to a higher level. The atmosphere in the room is positive and productive most of the time and I have seen big growth in so many of the kids. I also appreciate how nice the kids are to me and how responsive they are to the activities, both planned and spontaneous. Even when I get upset about the lack of follow through or inability to follow directions on the part of some, the kids take my concerns or objections to heart, take responsibility for their part (if applicable), and eventually remedy the situation. Now for the rave: The one thing that continues to bother me is relatively trivial but worth mentioning... I'd still like the kids to take more responsibility for the physical environment of room 25. Many leave their things lying around, their trash on the floor or in the table cubbies, and are fairly rough on the furniture and equipment. I spend way too much of my time picking up trash, putting away supplies, reorganizing chairs, and reminding kids to take care of their own things. It is a small room filled with lots of stuff and I like to have it open before school, and sometimes during recess, at lunch, and after school -- but it does get abused a bit simply by the volume and movement of so many bodies. Help me out by sharing my sense of pride in our place!
Calendar
April 1-3: Science Fair
April 6: Deputy DA Visits rm 25
April 6-10: Conferences
April 14-18: Spring break
April 28: Levi Stadium Tour
May 6: Courthouse
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