“What we want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not the knowledge in pursuit of the child.” -George Bernard Shaw

all that said, it is also extremely important that we all do the best job that we can to get our students to school for learning.  if there is anything that the school can do to help, please let us know.  even with the adverse conditions, we are still here to help promote education and to provide the best possible learning environment possible for your students.

love,

Kim

we are in the middle of a very important time at school.  we are working hard on lots of projects and preparing for exhibitions.  while this is very exciting, this also requires lots of work and diligence, and a commitment to maintaining independent work time from the students.  they have to keep up with their schedules, plan out their projects, and work consistently on developing their internships.  i am placing great emphasis on student responsibility and helping them to create projects and rubrics and time tables for themselves.

it is also important, as we enter late fall and winter, that we keep ourselves as healthy as possible so as to prevent any unwanted absences due to illness.  so keep yourselves and your students healthy by eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, taking vitamins, sleeping appropriately, and maintaining good hygiene such as washing your hands frequently, using tissues when you cough or sneeze, and using antibacterial and disinfectant wipes.

Advisory Newsletter  Issue 3: November 2, 2009

Highlights

Our academy leaders for this week are Natina Sudler and Maurice Harris.  Congratulations!

We wrote haiku poems that expressed the paradoxical ideas of violence and peace, and the students are working with Ms. Debby to create mobiles of their work.

The students also did AWESOME on their causes of violence presentations!

This week we will take our first class trip to the Central Library for a research seminar.

“Education…is not the filling of a pail…but the lighting of a fire.” -William Butler Yeats

RESPONSIBILITIES

Mon:  QR polynomials worksheet; Pea Plan Inquiry Investigation Project Proposal; 30 mins reading and reflection

Tues:  30 mins reading and reflection; research for history of violence research paper; current event and countdown paper

Wed:  Article annotation; Pedigree Chart; research for history of violence paper; 30 mins reading and reflection

Thurs:  LTI phone calls, professional letter and email, feedback forms, Pedigree Charts, 30 mins reading and reflection

Fri:  Flashback 1-page reflection; continue research; 30 mins of reading and reflection both Saturday and Sunday

LAST WEEK

This past week involved a lot of hard work for the students.  They were working on social reasoning presentations all week, plus they were also given an outline for their major social reasoning research project on the history of violence in the world.  This project will entail many hours of researching and reading primary and secondary source material.  Our work in the writing workshop has really paid off.  The students edited an expository essay on the sub-culture that they most relate to, and the process used for that paper will really help them to edit their research papers.  The students also created project proposals and designed their very own independent inquiry investigations using their pea plants.  They will be conducting the experiments over the next several weeks.

INTEGRATED CURRICULUM…PROJECTS, PROJECTS, PROJECTS

This week, we will design and organize our TV station.  This will be a means to produce the knowledge that they students have been building and working on all semester.  They will present the TV station at exhibition time.

Social Reasoning:  We are working on our “A Brief History of Violence” research projects.  This will require lots of research, reading, note taking, and synthesis and creativity skills.  Student will develop a thesis statement, write an outline, and then write a research paper according to college standards.

Empirical Reasoning:  This week, many students will begin conducting their independent inquiry investigations utilizing the cute little pea plants we have been growing.  Students will also construct Pedigree Charts of a trait in their family, and begin a group investigation project on genetic disorders, the human genome project, stem cell research, or cloning.

Communications:  The students will continue the writing workshop to build a research paper.

LOOKING AT THE FUTURE

We will be spending the next few weeks preparing for exhibitions.  The students will be writing personal narratives for their reflection journals, they will be doing independent research papers and inquiry investigations, and they will be writing scripts and producing their television programs, which will be their final products that they will present during their exhibitions.  It is very important during this time that students manage their time and materials well.

Please continue to encourage your student to read nightly at home and to write a written reflection of what they have read.  They have book reports on 1 book from this trimester due on Nov. 24th or Dec. 9th.  Make it a family event and read with them!

Much love and many Blessings,

Kim

Hello Families,

I have attached the file for this week’s newsletter.  I also sent an email with the newsletter file attached, and in fact, I am going to reproduce it here on the blog.

A Time of Growth and Regeneration

Last week, we watched as our little pea seeds sprouted and grew into green, thriving pea plants.  The students created observation logs in which they described their pea plants using language and quantitative data, drew pictures to mark their change in growth, and also took digital photos to document the pea plants’ journey into adulthood.  I remind the students that this growth is symbolic of their own journey into adulthood.

Highlights!

Last week, we implemented a new procedure of 30 minutes of nightly reading at home.  I am pleased to report that most of the class was able to find success in this endeavor.  However, few students returned their at-home reading logs.  I implore the families to help hold their student accountable for this reading as well as a short, written reflection afterward.  Please sign the log and return to the class on Mondays.

Also, our leaders for the week were chosen for their commitment to improvement: Congratulations to Geraldine Torres and Michael Lawrence!

Responsibilities

Independent Pea Plant Inquiry (Due Friday):  They will design their own experiment with their pea plants.

Causes of Violence (Due Friday):  10 minute visual presentation of the causes of violence.

Math Skills (Tuesday & Thursday):  QR research and pre-algebra math skills packets.

The Integrated Curriculum

This week we are going to begin many of our independent and small group research projects for exhibition.  Students will work at their own pace.

Quantitative Reasoning

This week in “math,” the students are working on statistics, ratio, and probability.  They will be doing independent research to define certain math terms, watching videos on YouTube that describe statistical processes, and doing pre-algebra stations during class on Tuesday and Thursday to work on math skills.

Empirical Reasoning

The students will design and conduct their own investigations with the pea plants that we have been growing in class.  They will also build genealogy charts that will track genetic traits in their families.

Social Reasoning

We are going to study the history of violence in America.  We will watch part of the film, Bowling for Columbine, in order to inspire discussion about the causes of violence.  The students will prepare a presentation of one cause of violence, and this will lead to a major research topic on causes of violence and a specific period of violence in history.

Communications/Literacy

This week we will be continuing the writing workshop.  In class, the students will edit their sub-culture papers for content, structure, and grammar.  They will then type a second draft of their essay that will be submitted to me by email (digital copy).  We are taking this process step-by-step so that the students will have a better understanding of how to be powerful writers.  Next week they will begin research papers!

Thank you all so much for your continued support.  I love getting to spend every day with your students, and I look forward to continuing our learning journey together.

thank you so much for all of your hard work and dedication to your students’ education.  if you ever need anything from me, please do not hesitate to call or stop by the school.  my door and heart and ears are always open.

i am going to post weekly updates on the goings-on of our advisory.  in addition, i will post articles and news items that relate to our study.  i can post responsibility assignments, extra credit information, and other relevant information on this blog that will help us to create a comprehensive and cohesive learning environment for our students.

newsletter for october 19, 2009

Mission of the School: Eastern University Academy (grades 7-12) seeks to provide a holistic, college-integrated learning community dedicated to the education of each students in the context of his/her unique interests.  Merging the Big Picture Company & Early College High School designs, the Academy will provide students with an environment of excitement and early expectation through an integrative discovery-based learning experience that will develop logical reasoning, critical thinking, and purpose-driven global citizens.  The school will graduate self-directed, self-aware learners many of whom will have successfully mastered college level work.

Our Motto:  THINK BIG.  LIVE ON PURPOSE.  EXCEL AT LIFE.

Our advisory has created an integrated curriculum project entitled, “The Shield.” We are going to evaluate our communities, our culture, and who we are as individuals in order to create a “shield” that will guard us against the negative forces out there in the world.  As part of this project, the students will study how crime affects their community and what organizations exist to help communities fight crime; we will also study the history and influence of our individual cultures; and lastly, we will study who we are as human beings in a holistic fashion that includes our personalities, learning styles, and biological foundations.

We will combine these ideas in the creation of a television station called, “The Shield,” in which the students will write, direct, and perform in news programs, fictional dramas, documentaries, children’s science programs, and even entertainment news.  The students will construct sets, plan budgets, and actually film the programs on their own.  Our television station will be a multimedia presentation of all of the concepts and knowledge that we have learned together throughout the trimester.  We hope that you will enjoy it and also learn a little bit more about your students and about life.  If any parents would like to assist in this or any other project at school, you are more than welcome.  In fact, I will be calling to ask for volunteers in the coming weeks to see if there is anything you would like to contribute to our learning environment.

Week Review:

For the first part of the trimester, we have been working very hard to build relationships within our advisory, to build cognitive skills within our minds, and to build bridges that will connect our learning to our lives and to the future.  We have been diligently laying the foundations upon which all future learning must take place, foundations that will allow the students to think critically about knowledge and gain access to information.  Last week, we completed an inquiry investigation of learning styles, began an in-depth study of Mendelian genetics, described our personal culture and sub-cultures and began an essay-writing workshop.  We also germinated and planted pea seeds that we will use in student-driven, independent inquiry investigations.  In light of the holiday last Monday, students learned of the true nature of Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” of the “new world,” and wrote a persuasive essay on whether or not we should maintain Columbus Day as a national holiday.

This Week:

We are going to continue our essay-writing workshop and research more information on our cultural history, continue to investigate the growth and maturation of pea plants, and begin a research project on the history of crime and violence in our communities.  This study of community will culminate in an essay on the history of violence in America, leading up to and directly relating to the crime we find in our communities today.  In addition to all of these things, the students are also working hard to develop skills for their internships such as writing phone scripts and rehearsing phone etiquette, professional development skills, and proper dress and decorum.  Many students will place calls to sites this week, and some may even begin their internships by November!

RESPONSIBILITY:

Each week I’m going to let you know what the students’ responsibilities for at home will be.  I ask that you help hold them accountable for continuing to be wise stewards of their own knowledge and learning.

#1:  30  minutes of silent reading per evening.  Please sign the reading log to demonstrate that you saw your student reading!

#2:  LTI phone scripts and phone calls.  The students must rehearse proper phone etiquette and research potential internships.

#3:  Curriculum–culture web and essay on sub-culture, writing workshop, inquiry proposal, QR charts, community history, genealogy charts, current events.

*Other assignments may be added or taken away depending on classroom work time.

Highlights and Praises:

We have built a paper tree in our room to be symbolic of the growth of a small seed buried under ground into a tall, thriving tree.  We will use this as a “tree-jectory” to demonstrate each students’ growth as they progress through their LTI (Learning Through Internship) preparation.  The tree has been beautifully handcrafted by our students, and stands as a commitment not only to education, but nature and the arts.

Congratulations to Jael Brown and Ty-kee Walker, our leaders of the week!  These students exemplify service and leading by example, and I want to recognize their achievements in the class.

Thank you so much for allowing me to get to hang out with and guide your students every day!  Each and every one of them is truly a joy to be around, and I feel so privileged to get to be their advisor!

imagine allowing students to research the potential candidates for other cabinet posts, secretary of education, secretary of energy, secretary of housing and urban development.  they could debate and discuss the various issues involved with each post and each potential candidate and propose for themselves whom they think should be placed there and why.  especially in a science class, how much fun would it be to talk about the bills regarding energy (mostly) but also other environmental concerns that have been passed recently and what effect those will have on our futures.  i was just thinking, that’s all.  hope other teachers out there are thinking too.

dot earth

also right now i’m doing some research on environmentalism as a religion so look forward to, hopefully, something fascinating.

Help us mark World Food Day this year as high food prices, dramatic increases in fuel costs, and profound changes in climate conditions have conspired to bring new dimensions of suffering and hardship to the poor, depriving almost one billion people of the food they need to live a healthy life.  

“On this day, we remember those who have lived with the ache of hunger, for too long . . . and who now need our help even more,” said Executive Director Josette Sheeran. 

What is World Food Day?

World Food Day is celebrated every year on October 16 to mark the day that our partner organization, FAO (the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization), was founded in 1945. 

FAO was the first agency created by the United Nations to address global hunger. Later, WFP was created to take on a specialized role in fighting hunger.
What you can do

World Food Day is an opportunity to learn about global hunger and join in the fight against it!

1) Learn about Hunger & WFP

    – Visit www.wfp.org to learn about our work

    – Where are the hungry? Check out the hunger map

    – Play Food Force, our computer game simulation 

2) Spread the word

    – Become a fan of WFP on Facebook

    – Watch our HungerBytes video competition and share your favorite video with friends

3) Help WFP in the fight against hunger

    – Fill the Cup for a hungry person. Make a donation. 

    - Play FreeRice, www.freerice.com, to translate your right answers into rice for the hungry.