Post date: Sep 04, 2010 2:36:5 AM
September 2, 2010
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 such ambitions for our year. I've gotten to know the kids much better and have seen the quality of their efforts and experienced 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.
This week: In science we worked towards an operational knowledge of the scientific method, including hypothesis formulation and experimental design. During English class there was a benchmark writing assignment to complete, a composition book to format, and a book to start reading during class. 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. Have your student show you their Shelfari account, and perhaps you might start one of your own.
The two trips to the KCI went off without a hitch and I think that the time was valuable. My most sincere appreciation for the 12 moms who drove, helped, and drove back for that (relatively) short notice trip. On Tuesday the students created comic pages about themselves which I will print and post in the room. Thursday was a bit more of a challenge as the students logged into their Google-education accounts, learned the basics of collaborative documents, and then started their digital portfolio websites. During the whole year, their site will be a repository for work, a community workspace, and an ever-evolving academic portfolio. They are at the earliest stages of construction, but perhaps your student is willing to show you theirs. The sites, as with all their google-apps work, is not publicly visible, so they'll have to log in to show you the stuff. I'll explain more about GoogleApps for Education at Back-to-School night and perhaps Parent 102 night -- great stuff.
A Telling Snapshot: Today I stood back and watched the kids interact and was absolutely blown away by their wonderful ways with each other and their overall level of humanity. Let me explain. Today, after lunch, we went out to PE and found out that our time slot was not for another 45 minutes so we returned to class. On the way we had a little team meeting about our options during the extra time. As we walked back to class we could have a short and spontaneous discussion about our options and make a good decision based on input from the entire group and their moods and needs. After a few minutes in class, there was dancing and singing to made up lyrics, interactive games (both online and f2f), study/productivity groups doing History homework, whiteboard doodlers, and even a class-wide bubble-wrap orchestra. Although there was much activity and volume, there was absolutely no chaos and no need for me to do anything but sit back and enjoy these kids and the family that they are creating . I'm in heaven, I tell you!
Upcoming Project: As an odd project that will accompany the reading of The Bridge to Terabithia, I'd like to have the class actually build a bridge -- a wooden one with 4x6 support beams and some wonderfully worn 2x6 decking (that I have at home). If you've read the book or seen the movie, you may remember the closing chapters/scenes in which Jess builds a bridge for his sister, over which they travel to a land of great importance and imagination. I visualize our bridge somewhere outside (not 'over' anything, actually, but just on the ground) leading to a reading circle area made of log rounds (which I also have), perhaps under the canopy of a tree. This will all have to be planned and approved in advance, but I know the power of a group building project like this, and the symbolism is just too promising to pass up. The kids don't know about this idea yet, since it is not a sure-thing and I don't want to set them up for disappointment.
As always, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me and have a great three days off and I'll see you and/or the kids on Wednesday (Tuesday I'm attending a memorial service for my cousin Toby).
Chris