Sorting and testing rocks

Grade Level: Elementary

Objective: To build on our knowledge of the rock cycle by spending time observing, testing, and categorizing different types of rocks

We charted:

  

-Color

-Texture

-Whether rocks floated (density)

-Whether rocks bubbled in vinegar (mineral content)

Into the Wild

"It shall not be denied...that being footloose has always exhilarated us.  It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom, and the road always leads west."-Wallace Stegner, The American West as a Living Space

Grade Level: High School

Objective: To examine Chris McCandless, a modern day American wanderer, in the context of the texts we've read this semester.

Today we:

-Read Death of an Innocent: In 1990 Chris McCandless left his well-off East Coast family, gave his college fund to Oxfam, and took to the road - young, idealistic, invincible. Last year, equipped with little more than Tolstoy and a rifle, he hitched into Alaska. There, the wilderness turned against him

-Discussed Krakauer's depiction of McCandless and our first reactions to Chris's story

-Listened to an interview with Sean Penn on PRI's Studio 360 about the making of the film Into the Wild

-Read the end of Krakauer's article out loud, watched the final scene of the film and discussed stylistic similarities and differences

Plant Cells Models and Metaphors

Grade: Elementary/Middle School

Objective: Students will better understand plant cell organelles and their functions through making models and analogies.

We:
-Talked about cells, the discovery of cells, and how cells do many of the same things our bodies do (make energy, digest, etc.), while they make up our bodies and the bodies of all other living things
-Made a chart of plant cell organelles, their functions, and analogy for something in our community that functions the way that organelle does (for example the leaders of our community function like the nucleus)
-Made analogies for things in our school that function like the parts of a plant cell and put green labels on those things (for example, our school building is like our cell wall)
-Made a model of a plant-cell using a plastic bag as the cell membrane and various other found items as the organelles

Grading Contract

Grade Level: 6

Objective:  To create a learner-centered grading system that gives students a sense of agency

(inspired by a grading system researched and utilized by Professor Schuette of Valparaiso University)

Grades:

We will be using an evaluation method called “contract grading.”  This method entails an agreement between student and teacher about the work necessary to achieve a particular grade.  For our class, this means that if you fully participate in the list of activities, assignments and behaviors below, I guarantee you’ll receive a final grade of B.  Don’t mistake this for an easy grade.  The list will challenge you, and because the activities assignments and behaviors are designed to help you improve meeting that challenge will mean you have earned your B. 

I expect you to…

(General Expectations)

-Come to class on time and ready to learn

-Be an example for younger students in both behavior and academic curiosity

-Keep class materials well-organized, using binders and folders to keep track of all work

-Log daily learning in your learning log

(Language  Arts)

-Use the writing process to complete your essay on The Giver and other assignments which will follow

-Your essays should have: a catchy introduction, an argumentative thesis, and three well organized body paragraphs, using appropriate transitions, and formal style

-Your essays should be well-edited and thoughtfully written, using vivid and precise language

Plant Experiments

"Human nature exists and operates in an environment. And it is not 'in' that environment as coins are in a box, but as a plant is in the sunlight and soil." —John Dewey, Philosopher

Grade Level: Elementary

Experiment 1:

1. Cover a single leaf of a potted plant in tin foil
2. Keep the plant in a sunny place, wait several days
3. Uncover the leaf--look at results, if no results are visual do a starch test (compare to a control sample)

Our hypothesis: We think the leaf will die because it can't get the sun it needs to photosynthesize

Experiment 2:

1. Coat a leaf in Vaseline.

2. Place Vaseline coated leaf in a plastic bag

3. Place another non-Vaseline coated leaf in a plastic bag

4. Wait several days, look for changes

Our hypothesis: The leaf covered in Vaseline will die because it can't get CO2.

Learning Logs, Learning Plans

Grade Level: 6

K and I have been working to develop a learning plan and an organizational system to track the work he does and plan the work he wants to do.  Today we continued forward on this process during our time together.  K typed his goals for each subject while I typed reflections regarding where K is and where he hopes to be by the end of the semester.  We printed these reflections and hole-punched them into a binder we found in the school supply closet.  K likes this binder system. He added his folders while I added the grade-level state standards for each of his subject areas.  We also started a “reading log” to track the books K has read and a “learning log” so K can record what he does in each subject area each day.  We’re excited to feel so focused and organized and to move forward into the semester with a clear sense of direction.

More planting

“Authentic environmental commitment emerges out of firsthand experiences with real places on a small, manageable scale over time.” – David Sobel (2004)

Lately, our little class has had a "if you build it he will come" experience with our indoor garden.  The more interested in seeds and plants we become, the more community members seem to gift us with awesome supplies to build a more elaborate garden.  We began with a couple pots and some cress and cilantro seeds I purchased from a Port Townsend farmer at the Tonasket Barter Faire.  Since then we've been given planters, soil, compost, and almost a dozen different kinds of seeds: kale and chives, majoram and pea plants (among others).  We've expanded our garden so it stretches from end to end of our library window.  Every time a seed sprouts, the second graders come running to show me.