Coupla Things v4 (9/14/12)

Post date: Sep 15, 2012 3:58:11 AM

Happy Friday!

One of the great highlights of the week for me was spending time with you parents on Wednesday during our first evening meeting together. I know that I spoke quickly and not always coherently (something about SATs... what was that?), but it sure was great to see some affirming nods as I explained some aspects of my teaching, the curriculum, and my hopes for the classes. It also became apparent that I have been possibly overly dependent on my website to communicate about some things going on in and out of class (camping trip, science experiments, etc.). Regardless, I loved spending time with you and beginning some conversations about the amazing potential that this year holds.

Science this week was all about honing observation skills and understanding the metric measurement system. The kids spent half of a class period making observations and manipulations of a burning candle. Fun and educational stuff! The majority of the week was spent learning to understand and appreciate the amazing metric system, including its five major advantages (based on tens, consistent prefixes, international, reproducible standard, and a clean relationship between dimensions -- ask the kids about those if you get a moment). Yesterday and today the kids used triple beam balances and graduated cylinders to get experience with the tools as well as gain a first-hand understanding of error analysis and significant digits. The daily schedule and unit outline have more details and specifics.

In lieu of asking the kids to interact with you (parents) via a current events non-fiction discussion, I've asked them to invite you as a viewer on their newly-created "Fall Experiment Control Sheet" (here is a blank sample). That document will give the kids some project management tools, keep them accountable to a timeline, and keep you informed about their progress. Their projects run quite the range, from simple to overly-complex, but they all should move the kids towards the overall goal -- to gain experience with experimental design and the scientific methods.

Lastly, I want to explain a bit about the non-academic things that we've been doing in class during some of the afternoons since school started. The common theme to these experiences, across the 8th grade, is "Identity and Community" which helps the kids look at themselves, their roles in their various communities, and the potential of they have to interact with and enhance the world. During this past week the kids wrote pieces about themselves (Name essay or BioPoem or I Am From) which they printed and/or posted today. Today I read an article that proposes the "destructiveness of "When I Grow Up", and calls for educational experiences that put the students into active roles in their world. This, and the short discussion that followed, introduced the eventual action piece that the students will create and execute.

I'd love to hear from you about whatever is on your mind and any comments or suggestions you might have (this goes for students as well as parents, of course). Have a good weekend!

Chris Heumann