Week of January 31, 2012
By now, you all must know about our 6th graders involvement with the Montessori Model U.N. to be held in New York City in April. Although only the 6th grade students travel to New York, the entire class is contributing in some way or another. Through collaborative research and shared thoughts, the sentiments of all the children in the classroom are incorporated into the position papers that will be shared with the delegates at the U.N.
These are the specific topics our 6th grade delegates were assigned:
- Nuclear Disarmament---How can it happen?
- The Preservation of World Heritage Sites in Palestine
- The Reconstruction of Haiti (the physical, psychological and emotional reconstruction of a suffering population)
- The Rights of Indigenous People
Through a variety of group discussions, some prompted by us, others by the children, we’ve encouraged our students to walk for a bit in the shoes of the civilians, families, and children who live in countries suffering hardships and conflicts. We also tried to create analogies for them to better understand political leaders----that they are human. They can make mistakes, they can be uninformed, they can have too much pride, they can be stubborn, and most importantly, they can be afraid----just like each of us. How do these fallibilities impact the world? How can knowing this help us with our own shortcomings? How does one become a "good" leader? We’ve asked them to continue their thoughts and questions with you at home with the hope that you, too, can see how thoughtful, and often times profound, your children can be, as well as sharing your families’ perspectives and ideas for problem solving with them.
At the end of this process, the 6th graders’ U.N. papers will become the physical manifestations of our hard work, but we hope we are also helping all our students begin to understand and trust:
1. That each and every one of them has a great mind and a great heart. And, realize the responsibilities that come with that.
2. That each has a voice and deserves to be heard.
3. That clear communication can inspire positive thoughts; which in turn, can inspire positive action and positive change.
4. That a new global focus should not include the terms “us” and “them “.
5. That we must consciously choose to stop conflict rather than continue it.
6. And, most importantly, that everyone, young or old, can play a role in making the world a better place.
Week of January 23, 2012
Despite having to lose another school day to Mother Nature’s tricks, adding a make-up band session on Wednesday for last week’s snow day, and attending a whole school assembly on Thursday morning to celebrate the Chinese New Year, many of the children are continuing to forge ahead with their plans as if nothing is out of the ordinary. This ability to make plans, organize one’s week, and roll with the punches can be attributed, in large part, to how we support, encourage, and strategize with our children as they share their day planners and work choices with us. If we, as parents and educators, maintain high expectations of our children, model how to set realistic goals, encourage our children to set personal goals and stick to them, give genuine praise when appropriate, and help them accept the fact that natural consequences are as inevitable as snow days in northern Michigan, we will then begin to see the maturity levels, the skills, and the desire necessary for students to take ownership of their academic responsibilities. In these students, we see the genuine self-esteem, perseverance, and flexibility so necessary for becoming life-long learners and problem solvers.
I am so very, very happy to be back in the classroom with your children and Karin. Their kind notes, good wishes, and gargantuan bouquet of paper flowers expedited my recovery---- seeing all their sweet faces on Wednesday morning was the perfect therapeutic finale to my time out of the classroom. Ask your children what’s new in our global research or better yet, stop in and see everyone in action, one day soon.
Hugs,
P.
Week of January 16, 2012
Whether it was an extra-long weekend of playing in the snow or time spent reflecting upon and sharing with family stories of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the children returned on Tuesday prepared to dive back in to work.
Before they could delve too deeply into their studies, however, they were given the opportunity to speak with Phil Hamburg, a recent visitor to Chiapas, Mexico, where Amalia Fernand is currently sharing her wealth of environmental knowledge with a group of Mayan children. In response to Phil's account, several children chose to express their love of nature and why it is so important to them through writing and artwork, all of which will be shared with Amalia's students. We look forward to receiving similar odes to the world from Mexico.
Many of the children also chose to attend a performance by several musicians from Interlochen Arts Academy. They appeared to greatly enjoy the music and were enthusiastic about hearing instruments that they are learning to play being played with such ease and beauty. Please help your children to remember that there will be a make up day for band this next Wednesday, January 25, due to last Friday's snow day.
Despite several snow days, many of the 5th years are preparing to wrap up their studies this week in which they compare the digestive system of a vertebrate to that of an invertebrate animal. The 6th years and their helpers continue to gather information on their specific topics for the model United Nations, and the 4th years work towards discovering more about a specific country of their choice.
A highlight of the week for the class was an opportunity to learn more about the country Madagascar. The poignant compliments bestowed on the presenter caused her to grow a few inches right there in front of all of us. Other students' phenomenal work is often the best incentive for those students who have yet to show us how brightly we know they can shine.
Special upper elementary flowers and well wishes are on their way to Patty in the near future. Your children have exhibited such love and caring for her that we know she'll return to us soon. She is available via her school email, and I know that she would love to receive updates directly from the source.
Week of January 9, 2012
The New Year is in full swing in upper elementary as the students strive to achieve the goals they set for themselves for this second part of the school year. We discussed how generous they (and you!) were in giving gifts to so many families in need and how now they were to reflect upon certain gifts they could give to themselves in three areas of their lives: as students, as friends and as sons or daughters. They wrote the resolutions down, sealed them up and placed them in a special, "magic" box of Patty's only to be opened when the snow is gone, the sun is shining more frequently and trips to the beach are in sight.
Among other interesting conversations and calculations this past week: two students chose to see how many Djiboutis ("a country!") can fit in the state of Michigan ("it's only a state!"), two have begun construction of a model of the Hagia Sophia in Turkey and many are learning interesting facts about the digestive systems of various animals from chow chows to starfish, dolphins to parasitic nematodes.
Our tour of the world continues as students choose a second, third or fourth country to visit in their studies. We have yet to reach Antarctica but by the end of the year we look forward to learning about countries on every continent of the world. The 6th years, with welcome assistance from interested 4th and 5th years, are continuing in depth research into some of the most difficult challenges faced by the countries of the world today in connection with their participation in the Montessori Model United Nations.
Several times daily, we think about Patty and send her our positive thoughts and wishes that she will return to us soon. In the interim, we have had the wonderful opportunity of welcoming Michele and Jodie into our community and benefiting greatly from their combined wisdom, kindness and grace.
Happy New Year to all and please remember that you are always welcome to visit and see these amazing children in action.
Week of December 12, 2011
In a more traditional setting, there probably aren't many educators that have the freedom to pause the mandated flow of curriculum for an entire week; nor, I suspect, do they have the freedom or trust to stop giving lessons to see where the natural flow of events takes the students. This week, the lessons that spontaneously generated from the task the students had of "Making Someone's Christmas Bright," and the spirit in which they were accomplished, were more substantive, meaningful and, hopefully, life altering than I could have created from my Montessori albums. Karin and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this possible----your incredible generosity gave the children over $1200 to use in support of this classroom project. We also want to thank the parents that drove the kids from store to store all over town: Lori Burns, Sean Skarshaug, Christine Magiera, Janet Hessler, Becky Tester, Melissa Johnson, Eileen Ganter, and Shen Chefalo. (see attached letter from Goodwill)
The work that occurred in each three person team began with selecting family members, and included figuring out how much money each group and then each student could spend, making lists of necessities vs. luxuries for each family member (distinguishing between the two was not as straightforward as one might have thought), and deciding where to shop. Some students even had helpful hints for wise shopping and how to go about navigating sales, false advertising, and getting your money's worth. I could literally feel my heart growing as each group presented what they purchased and why.
As if this wasn't enough, this week also made champions of each of our students from their efforts with the spelling bee. Hurray to all the student helpers throughout the week, to all those that participated in our classroom bee, and to those that participated in the whole school bee. Congratulations to our finalists Kira Ganter, Asa Wade, Jakob Gale, Eamonn McGonigle, Kyle Skarshaug.
Although the children probably can't verbalize this yet, their discovery that people in need is not limited to third world countries, their acknowledgement of how much we have in our community and how very lucky we are, the knowledge that people of all ages can make a difference, the feeling we get from putting someone else's needs before our own, developing the courage it takes to stand in front of your peers and spell out loud---these are all the lessons your children should have written in their planners this week. When you see entries like math, language, research, reading logs, spelling, U.N. study, know that many attended to these responsibilities as well, it's just that Montessori kids don't think of a week like this as being out of the ordinary or a disruption. In our environment everything is a lesson---- what the children choose to do with these lessons will ultimately determine their value.
This week's note is particularly long because knowing that I won't be back with your children for a while makes it difficult for me to select just a few topics to share with you---I want to tell you about every wonderful experience I've observed. I hope you've received Michele's letter explaining my upcoming leave in January. I hope, too, that you'll know that my being gone will not disrupt the beautiful flow of work and community that has been developing since the start of the year. Karin is a strong, caring, and creative guide and the children have internalized the expectations that she and I share. While I am away, I will be in close contact with Karin and, I'm hoping with the children, too.
I wish, with all my heart, that I didn't have to be away from the classroom but I know that my being gone will not disrupt the beautiful flow of work and community that has been developing since the start of the year. Karin is a strong, caring, and creative guide and the children have internalized the expectations that she and I share. While I am recovering, I will be in close contact with Karin and, I'm hoping with the children, too. Please feel free to contact me through my school email. I'm accepting all the positive thoughts and energy you can send my way. Very best wishes to you and your families for a beautiful Christmas with lots of time spent together.
Week of December 5, 2011
As 2011 winds down on the school calendar, Karin and I are seeing more and more students internalize the objectives and expectations of a Montessori upper elementary classroom. We are seeing this in the type and quantity of work choices that are made, in the work partners and seats that are chosen, in the contributions to community efforts, and most importantly, in the leadership that is arising; the genuine leadership that stems from words that we discuss frequently in the classroom: integrity and responsibility.
We hope you are beginning to notice this, as well, as you meet with your children each week to discuss their day planners. Look for daily work in each of the four core subject areas, notice a greater variety of work within subject areas, and best of all, notice the pride on your children's faces when they talk about work that was completed using their best efforts or what added responsibilities they had being classroom manager. Student and teacher notes in the planner will also serve as reminders such as: bring warm outer wear to school, need a new math journal, must complete past due reading logs, continue working on flash cards, practice handwriting, etc.
This week, some 4th and 5th level students were invited to begin working with the 6th levels on the Montessori Model U.N. project. The value of working in committees was discussed, as was the respect, communication, and time management necessary for such an important collaborative work. Their first goal is to research Timor Leste. Each committee of three students received 1-2 topics and a due date of Thursday, Dec. 15. We hope all aspects of this venture inspire good conversation at home.
As next week is the last before the holidays, we are asking all students to think about their own list of to do's and do what it takes to complete them so they can start the new year with a clean slate. For some this may involve bringing work such as spelling, project research, and/or reading logs home. Please support this goal by talking with your child about his/her status within these areas and offer a half hour or so per evening for them to meet their goals.
And lastly, thank you, thank you, thank you for your support of our new "wish list" idea---it has been heartwarming discussing this concept with your children.
Week of November 28, 2011 - Wishlist
I remember my first Christmas here at The Children's House. I'd never experienced a "wish list" before and couldn't even begin to imagine the generous nature of our community. The excitement was reminiscent of pouring over the Sears Holiday Toy catalogue with my sister when we were kids. I must add, though, that as kids we typically received just one of our many circled wishes from the catalogue. It didn't make Christmas any less fun---it was the entire process that brought "magic" to Christmas and, with hindsight, was one of the best parts of the holiday.
As our studies in the classroom begin making countries of the world more like neighbors than distant lands, I know many of the students are trying to imagine what it would be like to live as a child in another part of the world. Thankfully, the poverty and need that so many experience is beyond true comprehension for our kids, as is the fact that some of that poverty can be found, right here, in our beautiful city. Well, this year, as I was wracking my brains trying to think of items to put on our wish list, it occurred to me that if it was that difficult to create a list, maybe we didn't really "need" anything at all. Maybe, what we need is the gift of an experience that is reflective of the holiday.
I know this is very short notice, but, if families were willing to pledge a dollar amount by December 6th (email pledges to Lori, lori@traversechildrenshouse.org), Karin and I could find a needy family (or two, or three . . .) right here in Traverse City for our class to adopt for the holidays. I have visions of our kids talking about the needs of a family, making lists, adding things that might bring some "magic", distributing the funds amongst themselves, organizing outings to shop, bringing the items back to school to wrap, and finally, writing their sentiments in cards that will go to each family. I would love to give our kids the joyful heart that comes from putting someone else's needs before your own, and plant the seeds for an altruistic life. I'm hoping this might inspire conversations at home about the possibility of your child giving up one of the many gifts he or she might receive in order to make your family's pledge possible. I know we can make this a wonderful experience regardless of how much or how many of you would like to contribute. Thank you for considering this idea and thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping us be the kind of school that can give the children so much more than reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Week of November 14, 2011
This period of time, right after first conferences has always proven to be one of new beginnings for the children. Familiarity with classroom routines, expectations and dynamics has been established and we typically see more student driven choices---in the work they choose for themselves and the "bigger, better, harder" quality they put into it. For many, this is the time to really show the community who they are as students. And for others, making decisions that include increasingly difficult work is still a challenge that requires guidance. As an integral part of the student-teacher-home triangle, we encourage you to ask your children what new works they are choosing and what new challenges they are giving themselves---whether they are in academic or behavioral areas.
This week we introduced The Children's House Passport. The students earn stamps in their passports for each country study they have completed in the way that shows each of their best efforts. Although many students have chosen to present their work, some are still hesitant about sharing what they've discovered with the class. This, too, is an important area of development and can be encouraged at home as well as the classroom. We feel very fortunate to be a part of a community that actively supports the high expectations of upper elementary education.
Something else that was introduced this week is another way to acknowledge those students that are consistent role models for their peers. Using the words "admire" and "emulate," we ask your children to think of classmates they admire for a variety of reasons, and then challenge them to emulate their behavior. Although they may keep this to themselves and just write it in their planners, they may also share who they've chosen in group. We hope it serves as reward for those that make studentship a real work each day, as well as serving as inspiration for others to become the type of exemplary student that earns peer acknowledgment.
Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving break and know that we are thankful for each and every family in our community.
Week of October 31, 2011
While children all over the country were counting down the minutes for school to be over so Halloween fun could begin, I had the rare pleasure of being asked at clean up time if "the day had to end so soon". Our day began in the typical way----some math, some research----but at 10:00 I gathered the students and presented small team challenges to celebrate "Pumpkin Fun Day." In groups of four and five, the teams had to complete as many exercises involving pumpkins as possible. I witnessed 27 children turn into teams of writers, artists, scientists, composers, historians, and most importantly, collaborative, hard working, and creative wonders.
As some began drafting pumpkin haikus and pumpkin songs, others tackled pumpkin story problems in the math component. The artists in the groups began making illustrations of the science experiments being conducted and also had fun designing "unique" Jack-o-Lanterns. Other students researched Halloween, some wrote skits involving pumpkins with human traits, and many took active roles as scientists determining the mass, volume and density of their pumpkins. Although the concept of "density equals mass divided by volume" is incredibly abstract, several students came back three and four times after my presentation with the kind of great questions only true thinkers and scientists are able to come up with. We talked about metric measurement, Archimedes and displacement, how mass and weight are different, and how varied density can be with solids of equal size--- what an interesting new way to look at matter.
What a pleasure it was to see your children in action. I learned so much by observing them and how they interacted with one another. The positive encouragement they had for each other and the quick way in which they determined how each could contribute in an area of strength just made very proud to be associated with such a great group. Best of all, I think we confirmed that being challenged and learning is exciting and fun.
Week of October 24, 2011
This week finds most of the students applying finishing touches to country studies and preparing poster boards for presentation. We continue to share newly discovered facts in group and many more references have been made to the disparity in salaries and buying power amongst the nations of the world. Many of our families spend more per month on groceries, dining out, and entertainment than many citizens of third world countries make in an entire year. 5th levels are beginning studies on the non- chordate members of the animal kingdom--- porifera, coelenterata, annelida, and arthropoda are just a few of the phyla being studied.
We were so happy to welcome parent visitors to our classroom---I love the look of pride on the children's faces as they show you their work. We hope it was just the start of many more visits and opportunities for your kids to shine with you.
This week marked the first of our twice weekly reading buddy opportunities with the lower elementary students. Our kids will spend 20 minutes each Monday and Wednesday reading and listening to readers from Jill and Nadine's room. What a lovely sight to see such thoughtful mentoring and how joyfully it is received.
I look forward to hearing about the specifics of our Montessori Model UN involvement upon Karin's return from her workshop in New York. Our 6th level students had a second lunch with Michele Shane, this week, to discuss their role as fundraisers for this amazing venture they have undertaken. It's difficult to distinguish which is more important in their eyes---lunch with the head of school or an upcoming trip to New York to address the UN! I love that they have so many opportunities to realize how important and capable they are. Karin and I look forward to talking with all of you at conferences.
Week of October 17, 2011
Division of all kinds was being performed this week by many children in our class: one, two and three-digit divisors, decimals in divisors and dividends, racks and tubes in teams of two or pencil and paper solo. Jake and Aidan presented an extremely thought-provoking quotient from the division problem they created after our class discussion of the Gross National Income of the 192 countries in the world, as represented by per capita annual income. They discovered that it would take an individual in East Timor 167 years and 21 days to save as much money as one person in Luxembourg earns in one year. A hushed "wow . . ." was the general reaction to this news about the country we look forward to studying when our 6th years prepare to represent Timor L'Este in the Montessori Model United Nations this spring.
This week the 4th and 5th year students have been working diligently to complete final drafts of the introduction to their first country study. After gathering information, organizing their thoughts, writing rough drafts and meeting with Catherine, they are ready to do their most careful and beautiful work and decide how they would like to present it. Annie surprised herself and amazed and inspired others in the class with her hand-rendered map of Australia. Braiden patiently and carefully sketched and colored in a beautiful flag of Mongolia.
Within our classroom community the discussion continues about what it means to be an upper elementary Montessori student. The children have been sharing their ideas of what principles should be included in the classroom "Bill of Rights". Addie states, "We have the right to make great work choices." We agree and have been so pleased by much of what we see in our busy days. Remember that you are all always welcome to visit our community and see for yourselves.
Parents of 4th years, please be on the look out for the Weekly Reader homework to be completed at home before each Wednesday afternoon reading group with Catherine.
Week of October 10, 2011
"Chordata or nonchordata?" that is the question . . . the 5th year students will be asking themselves as they embark on their adventure of classifying the Kingdom Animalia. It is clear by the low buzz of discussions in the room that they greatly enjoy learning how to group various animals together based on their similarities and differences. Opportunities for new vocabulary abound in this discipline, and we anticipate that your children will share some of their favorite scientific terms with you at home.
With respect to the 4th years, the "50 States in 3 Years" challenge has been made and accepted after a lively geography lesson. Some have already started getting to know states from California to New York by exploring their capitals, major cities, neighboring states or countries, as well as rivers and mountains and other points of interest. The finished product will be beautifully illustrated and labeled maps of each state . . . one down, forty-nine to go!
Some highlights of this week include the 6th years' lunch with Michele during which they will discuss their plans for their final year here with us and an end of the week celebration to help raise funds for Safe Passage, an organization that provides invaluable assistance to families in Guatemala. Spanish is always fun with Señora Koski, but this week has been exceptionally entertaining and heartwarming as the upper elementary class prepares to sing a song in Spanish at Friday night's fundraiser. We also had a very special guest, Agnes from the toddler wing, who visited our room to share with us what life is like in Poland. We could have kept her with us answering questions all day!
Sharing a positive thought has become part of our daily routine before we dive in to lunch. It is always refreshing and grounding to hear about whom your children are thinking and to whom they would like to send their love and best wishes. Whether we pause to think of a friend with a shoulder on the mend, a father returning home from afar, or the precious, young Guatemalan children . . . in that brief moment, we acknowledge our interconnectedness and the power of caring for our fellow human beings. This week Jakob Gale may have said it best: "Make life better by helping . . .If you touch life, let life touch you back."
Week of October 3, 2011
We could feel the excitement in the air as the week of our trip to LOC arrived. The annual trip has been part of many of your children's lives for years now, and the joy and warmth with which they greeted the counselors was palpable. This group outing greatly enhances the feeling of community within the classroom, and the celebration in the evening with parents, siblings and grandparents was a beautiful example of the love and support that the greater community provides to these remarkable, young people.
At LOC, the children welcomed the opportunity to get to know each other and themselves a little better in this unique environment. As your children may have shared with you, the LOC motto is an equation: "being considerate + doing your best = having fun," and fun was had by all. At the climbing wall, we enjoyed seeing how the children challenged themselves to either reach the top or go just a little bit higher than they had before, as their friends cheered them on from down below. We also witnessed your children overcome obstacles as active members of teams. For example, despite some frustration that a team of nine, with one blindfolded, was on its fifth attempt to cross the tennis court using small carpet squares, none of the children gave up; they persevered, encouraged each other and succeeded.
We now return to the classroom renewed and ready to apply this "can do" attitude and the "sky's the limit" approach to our work as teachers and students. We have already observed many children taking that extra step in their work choices, offering words of encouragement to their classmates and expanding their vision of the role they play in the classroom and of their abilities in the adventure of learning.
With respect to other travels, many of the children have traveled outside of the classroom in their imaginations as they learn about the countries they have chosen for their first country studies. As our resources are limited, we encourage them to literally travel out of the classroom to seek out new resources at the public libraries in our communities. The children can plan a "going out" during the school day, but, as they "explore and gather" their information, you may wish to travel with them and support their research by taking them to the library on a family outing. We have already learned many interesting things about Mongolia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Brazil, to name a few, and are looking forward to hearing more about the world around us.
As we enter our second month of the school year, you may start to see some work coming home with your children (e.g., flashcards and periodicals for 4th years). Your children's Day Planner is intended to help them keep track of assignments and responsibilities and at the same time give you an idea of how they are doing in this regard. To encourage the development and continuation of good work habits, we may provide more guidance with work choice for some students by making certain choices for them. These choices will be reflected in the Day Planners. Please feel free to contact either of us should you have any questions on how best to support your children as they learn to become the best students and community members they can be.
Thanks again for joining us out at LOC and for being such good sports in all the activities. There were some pretty impressive "bananas" out there!
Week of September 26, 2011
As we learn more and more about your children, we're striving to help them become more observant of themselves, their environment and the role they play in it, and of their friends, that many have had since Primary days. This important task involves slowing down. I think, as a society, in the interest of utilizing our time efficiently, we have all become very "fast"----with our work, our observations, our judgments and our responses. The serious job of being ones best student and consistently modeling the behavior expected of the oldest children in the building requires mindfulness----not an easy task for these children that are so enthusiastic and energetic. But, as we approach the whole child, not just his academic skills, we realize the importance of integrating the skills that will allow them to step into young adulthood with grace and thoughtfulness.
These skills can already be seen in their observations of one another trying to catch random acts of kindness to record in our classroom log, in the compliments and thank you's they extend to one another at mid day group, and in the voices of the leaders that are popping up daily----those students that remind others to try to listen respectfully in group, to use 12" voices, or to walk in the building. We are also slowing down by asking them to revisit their work and add "just one more layer of beautiful." Whether it's a focus on handwriting, making sure all sentences begin with capital letters, or just one or two more facts that might make the work just that much better than something they might have done last week, or last year.
As difficult as growing up is, we hope to instill in each of these children the fact that "hard" is good and that striving to accomplish something difficult develops genuine confidence and earns them the pride that comes with knowing you've done your best.
We are really looking forward to seeing you everyone at our family gathering at LOC on Tuesday.
Week of September 19, 2011
I can't believe we've just completed our third week together. As we all get to know one another and learn the ins and outs of the classroom, we are slowly introducing a common terminology that lends itself to exploration and research. With our student dictionaries, for example, we are learning that the etymological study of words means the discovery of word roots and origins. Math finds us reviewing the appropriate terminology that is used when talking about operations with numbers, i.e. addends, totals/sums, multiplicands, multipliers, partial products, products, minuends, subtrahends, differences, divisors, dividends, quotients, remainders, numerators, and denominators. One of our lessons involved the construction enormous numbers on the checkerboard with practice saying them without the use of "and" (we wait to use "and" with decimals). Our sixth level students were introduced to the language of science with a first presentation on the human body systems. It will be interesting to see how the study of science can incorporate an etymological look at relevant terminology; i.e. homeostasis, subcutaneous, circulatory, respiratory, reproductive, lymphatic. Learning about words and realizing how they become the mortar to our educational foundation is amazing. We hope you have fun with your kids as they share words they've chosen for their dictionaries.
This week already finds some of our students organizing individual outings for themselves. One going to visit the Gale family's recycling center to gather information for in-school recycling presentations. And another team of two students went out to purchase materials for the tunnel greenhouses they are being constructed today. The trip to purchase the materials showed the children a glimpse of the behind the scene operations involved in maintain such a beautiful campus. It was also turned into a wonderful, real-life application, math story problem for everyone in the classroom. Another hands-on math problem that was tackled was determining the size of final draft paper each student would receive to frame a classroom "Bill of Rights" with all 27 students' "Flags of Me." Thanks to Eamonn, the document and all our flags can proudly be displayed in the frame that awaits the completion of this classroom project.
Thursday saw the first of our student presentations outside the classroom. Sylvie and Allyson were the first 4th level students to brave the task of introducing the in-school mail service (their community service) to Nadine's class. They comfortably gave a clear, step-by-step lesson in how to use the mail system and ended with an offer to help any students in the building draft letters to friends and faculty at TCH. Hurrah!
We look forward to seeing you all at our first family gathering at LOC---Tuesday, Oct. 4. We're hoping it will be a great opportunity to get to know everyone better as we let our hair down and spend some well deserved time just "playing" as a group. Please look for the R.S.V.P. flyer from Blythe.
Week of September 12,2011
Week two finds us practicing and working hard to internalize the good habits that create a perfect environment for safe exploration and learning. These habits include developing control of our voices and bodies, using manners, using positive and kind statements, and implementing the "think a plan, write a plan, do your plan" work ethic---all equally important to the beautiful classrooms you see in action throughout the year.
Students are learning and/or reviewing parts of speech and how terminology changes as each fill roles within sentences. Nouns and pronouns can fill the role of subject and verbs become predicates. They have also learned that the adjective, the part of speech that allows us to show our creativity and unique perspectives on paper, is not just a pretty/interesting word but rather a necessary part of sharing information. Ask your child if he/she played the adjective game with Karin and how many attempts at retrieving the correct "that book" occurred before the introduction of the appropriate adjective.
Michele visited our morning group on Wednesday to have a discussion with the students about standards for conduct. Words such as dignity, kindness, trust, safety, integrity, friendship, responsibility, and inclusion were just a few used to define the environment we must all help create and model. We are hoping you will incorporate some of these terms into your daily lives at home, as well, to support this oldest group of students in their endeavors to become peace makers, helpful classmates, loyal friends, and consistently thoughtful young people.
Fifth and sixth level students have all been introduced to the "Reading Log" follow up work that should go hand in hand with the monthly reading books they are choosing. Catherine sent a note to each family with the specifics detailing the work. All students have also been given a review and/or introduction to the steps involved in the writing process. Here is a brief explanation of each so you understand how hard your child has worked to create a "publishable" study.
1) Explore and Gather The term we use for the initial exploration of a subject. From this, students are able to determine if they're truly interested in a topic, able to generate helpful questions, find adequate resources, and able to collect enough initial facts to catapult them into a serious study.
2) Map and Plan Uses various techniques to begin thinking about what kind of information will go at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of a piece.
3) Draft and Expand This step has children going from a collection of random facts to the first thoughtfully organized, written draft. Here we emphasize how each draft becomes clearer, more concise, more beautiful, and closer to presenting exactly how much the author has been learned.
4) Polish and Publish This is the step that incorporates editing and revision. It may involve adding adjectives, including more supportive evidence, page formatting, titles, visual support, and determining the vehicle that will be used for presentation.
Week of September 5, 2011
Your children entered the classroom confidently and raring to go on Tuesday! They are happily practicing all the strategies that make us a respectful working community, as well as those that consistently allow your children to present themselves as the oldest students in the building. Many have already started thinking about the daily "personal challenges" they want to set for themselves.
We hope the day planners inspire great conversations at home and that every week your child has something he/she has done that can be proudly shared with you. As we develop the habits that encourage your children to be responsible learners, please help them establish a comfortable routine at home that makes it easy for them to share their week, get the day planner signed by mom and/or dad and returned to the classroom on Monday. Day planners will come home each Friday along with any classroom notes for the week.
Karin and I have begun our year by making assessments of abilities and skill sets for each child so we can begin lessons at a comfortable and appropriate level. We look forward to calling to you in the next few weeks to share our discoveries and discuss how we can mutually support your child's learning. As we begin what I know will be a great year, please remember the importance of communication and the key role your child plays in the triangle between child/parents/teachers.
