Post date: Jun 05, 2016 4:53:50 AM
Aloha Families. I have to start with a word that I just re-learned Saturday morning when I arrived: Aloha, as an acrostic.
Akahai – kindness, grace, relating with tenderness
Lokahi – unity, unbroken, living in harmony
Olu’olu – agreeable, gentle, living in pleasantness
Ha’aha’a – humility, minimal needs, expressed with modesty
Ahonui – patience, waiting for the moment, living
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There is so much to write about this time! This won't be a short newsletter.
Student Writing: During the first half of the year I gave essay writing assignments at the rate of about one per two weeks and walked the kids through pre-writing, organization, theme-evidence, and single-topic paragraphs. That worked fairly well, but big improvement was only occurring for those students who were working hard towards it. So, during most of Spring, we went with a more focussed approach, during which the kids were to work 1:1 with someone for long sessions on a single essay. Although improvement is subjective and hard to measure, we can compare the writing sample that they did in the fall ("Describe the perfect middle school") to the spring writing sample that they will create this coming Tuesday ("What do you want high school to be like?). The other writing pieces that the kids have done lately are their personal letters to themselves at 18, their letters of appreciation to parents, and the "I Am" poems that will be posted at the graduation ceremony.
Rafting: The highlight of the week was obviously our camping/rafting trip and it was one filled with adventure, camaraderie, and an ever-growing love of the family that this 8th grade has become. I really appreciate that you parents continue to support us teachers and your kids by allowing us to do these excellent but expensive experiences. Whether it was during meal time, campfire time, or river time, there were many important and impactful moments to be had/created out there. There is something absolutely magical about the energy and atmosphere created by groups of kids in natural environments and it has always permeated deep into my core -- it is where love grows strongest and I'm so glad that I got to spend some time there with this group out there.
Science Fair:
There are two parts to our school’s science fair. The first part happened a few months ago when kids performed some kind of experiment using the scientific method and wrote it up (and/or demonstrated their findings) on a trifold board. Kids and parents visited most of the rooms in the school, hopefully chatting with the kids about their projects.
The second part of the science fair happens this week and it focuses on design and engineering rather than the experimentation part of the scientific method. We want them to tinker, play, build, and improve a thing. There are three “traditional” construction projects: making a toothpick bridge that can span 70 cm and hold a progressively heavier load; building a toothpick tower that is at least 25 cm tall and can hold up a progressively higher stack of textbooks; and a made-from-anything catapult that can throw a ping-pong ball into a trash can 3 meters away. (tinyurl.com/dcssciencefair) The 8th grade, or possibly just our class, has also added two other categories this year, which are the “build-un-build” part and a technology integration part. Kids can build things like rubber-band powered vehicles, model airplanes, cars, etc., or just about anything that gives them a chance to explore materials, designs, and functionality. They can also demonstrate things that hey have built in the woodshop class, 3d design class, or the wired class. The “unbuild” category should involve carefully dissecting a mechanical device, figuring out the details and specifics of how it works, and then creating some sort of demonstration board that they can use to show others what they have learned. (ideas) The last category is only vaguely defined as technology-integration and can involve coding, digital art, or electronics projects using things like Arduino, RasperryPi, etc.
Rob and I have built in a couple periods of class time (Tuesday & Wednesday at 11) for the kids to use for this kind of stuff. Even if they don’t do a completed or large project, I’d like them to spend time “tinkering” with mechanical stuff like anything listed above. Sample: a kid could bring in a flashlight, take it apart, figure out how it works, and make a demonstration board showing what they have learned. The number of bridge, catapult, and tower entries will probably be fairly low this year, although room 29 kids are all required to participate since they missed the first part of the science fair. Rob will have to decide how you think things will work best as far as viewing the competitions and getting our kids to share what they’ve learned.
Sub Plans: I've been adding more details to the chart and plans for this coming week, and although they are written to/for Rob Keller, I've given the kids "comment access" to that document so that they can best contribute to the implementation during class, and suggest changes or improvements (thx Nic). I'll check in via that document every night from here and read the comments on how things are going. Hey, by this time in the year, I bet that this group of kids could run a great class all by themselves. Parents, if you are going to at school for your workshift, or any other time, please feel free to hang out in 25 and help, adding your talents and enthusiasm as desired/needed.
Well, as I sit here on the hostel porch and write this newsletter, there is only so long that I can resist the calling water, waves, sand, fish, coral, jungles, and luscious greenery that have ultimate power over me. I love it here and I also miss all of you very much!