Volume 16: 3 December 2016

Our Movember tribute (Mannequin Challenge)

"My Comic Life is so colorful and it has so much stuff in it. I love it!" said a student about five minutes ago. This is in reference to his work on his creative process in completing his final project about statistics, or the study of data. To review what we have learned, we created a Mind Map, or a "spider-web" looking drawing of our how the concepts that relate to data, connect (see photograph below). This Friday we look forward to showing, not just telling, our knowledge about data on our final assessment. Next week, we will begin a new unit. Stay tuned for more...

Data Mind Map.

Our writing pieces, or works of art, are now complete and they demonstrate how writing can reveal the inner-self. Each student interpreted what the statement "The Best Part of Me" meant to them. Then, they wrote a narrative, a poem, a realistic fictional piece, a book, diagram, or many other interpretations of what "text" can look like. Each student as taken his/her piece through the writing process, including adding vivid verbs, descriptive adjectives, thought-provoking dialogue, and visual descriptions of scenery and characters to give their reader a full sensory experience. Innovative and challenging, these pieces demonstrate the skills great writers employ, both as technicians and artists. Be sure to ask your child about his/her piece and how they interpreted the best part of them.

Inquiry is boundless and infinite and so are we. Our community was faced with the question: "What do we wonder about where we are in Time and Place?" Such a provocation has lead us to wonder about the universe, the meaning of life, why animals and humans are not joined together, why do we fight, why do countries have borders, why are their different cultures, and so much more. We examined all these questions and then found common themes. Our themes were: history, humans, connected, person, choice/desire, change, movement/travel, action, and consequences.

Such a discussion needed to be narrowed, so we broke into different groups and read several articles about a variety of topics, including how astronauts prepare for space, how expat children move from country to country, migrants, and others. We did not just read, but we close read, these articles. The steps to close reading help a reader not just improve his/her fluency, but also improve his/her understanding of the text.

What is Close Reading?

1. Read to get "the flow."
2. Re-read and record important and unknown words. Discuss their meaning.
3. Re-read to write the gist, or what the article is mostly about.
4. Re-read to add supporting details for your gist.

After we did this, we came together and compared our gist statements and analyzed how the connected with our themes from our initial questions from the day before. This rich discussion left us debating and moving our thematic words around quite a bit. In the end, we realized that we moved several words more frequently than others. We decided to focus on the ones we moved then: humans, person, change, and movement/travel.

From these words, did not know where to go yet! We decided we needed to experience these words, so we did. The teachers became actors and the students completed four activities: 1. Walking vigorously and aimlessly around campus. 2. Completing a Polish visa application with Ms. Magda only speaking Polish. 3. Playing an advanced Russian game with Ms. Irina only speaking Russian. 4. Ms. Tina giving different scenarios requiring students to engage each other from different cultural/made-up backgrounds. The reaction? Students were tired, confused, angry, frustrated, apprehensive, and felt every range of emotion! We debriefed and used our raw emotions, along with our focused thematic words - humans, person, change, and movement/travel - and wrote our own central ideas:

Humans move place to place responding to risks and challenges.

We move for purposes.

Humans move to respond to challenges.

History's desire of movement changes for humans.

People move place to place to respond to challenges and try new things.

People move to new places to take risks.

Humans decisions in their movement can create challenges and risks.

Humans move place to place to go to better, or rich, countries.

Humans take risks, travel, and meet new challenges.

Humans move to take risks and have a future.

Some people move to countries to be safe, for example Syrians.

Humans move to a new language, be smarter, help people, solve problems, and work.

Humans move to help and give others challenges and risks.

Humans travel to learn other languages.

Humans respond to risks by moving to other places.

The changes that people go through.

Humans go to different places to learn different cultures.

Humans take risks, travel, meet new personal, and diversity (international) community challenges.

Humans travel to do research.

Although they are thought-provoking and resonate within each child's experience, some are too narrow and some are too broad. What to do? We asked three students to analyze them and focus on what we as a community want to explore further. They wanted to focus on disease, medical care, and job/leisure travel. They will lead a class discussion to weed out the central ideas and then create one with the community. What is most powerful is they are leading the discussion. We can not wait to see what we decide, as it will guide our specific questions of inquiry and central idea for the next five weeks. Stellar and amazing work in owning our learning and guiding our exploration into a changing theme of "Where we are in Time and Place." Enjoy the week!

Homework

Besides working on your book presentation and reading 20 minutes each night, please complete the following:

Monday: Gather your family history activity

Tuesday: Map Skills: Map Directions activity & Choose 1 Math Activity

Wednesday: For the next two weeks, we are trying something new. IXL will be done at school, so here is an activity: Map Skills: Scales activity (Please bring the school ruler back; keep the ruler in your folder.)

Thursday: No School Uzbekistan Constitution Day

Friday: In a push up position, turn 90 degrees so that your shoulders and ankles are above each other, place your right hand in the air, while your left hand turns the pages of a book. (Send pictures as photographic evidence.) We might even play tennis next week, while reading the newspaper?

 How you doin'?

 Creating our gist and discussing how they connect with our main themes.

 Experiencing where we are in Time and Place.

 ... We have to get there!

 Sheer exhaustion and strength, at the same time.

 It's so crowded.

 Consequences of not making up the stairs. The actor playing Mr. Mike was tough.

 Risking your life for someone else.

 In it together.

 Triumphant!

 Alone, and yet, not.

 Two students planning to seek snowball revenge on Mr. Mike. Gotcha!

 Writing about our experiences from the morning.

 Practice makes perfect at the winter concert rehearsal.

Book Share! 

 Mind mapping in style.

 You are moustashe-tic!

What? You don't have two heads as well?