9.7.15

We begin Week 3 with breathing, awareness of "flipping your lid", and the "hard math" for which Monarch School is so famous.

The Sea Class held several productive class meetings and Positive Discipline in the Classroom activities last week. On Monday, we reviewed the Monarch Bill of Rights and several students worked together to show skits of what 'to be included' or 'to learn at your own pace' might look and sound like. In a second Monday meeting, we shared a game of cooperative juggling with bean bags. The game starts out pretty crazy, but the students' suggestions created a peaceful and fun game of toss (i.e., only use one bean bag at a time; say the recipient's name before you toss; and make eye contact before you throw).

On Tuesday, the students chose a Positive Time Out space, a reasonable amount of time to stay there, reviewed WHY we have PTO, and planned for some comfort items for the PTO area (i.e. drawing paper, squeezy balls, soft fabric).

On Wednesday, we practiced Quickly, Quietly and Safely making a circle for Class Meeting. Each time we added a definition to what 'safely' (or Quickly or Quietly) meant, we practiced doing that thing, like pushing in a chair that's in your path instead of climbing over it.

On Friday, we learned about the four parts of the brain (brain stem, limbic system including the amygdala, the cortex, and the frontal lobe). Please visit a YouTube video to watch Jane Nelson demonstrate 'flipping your lid' at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmdnamW_208. Finally, on Friday, we practiced working together by doing the Rhythm Band Warm Up from the Positive Discipline in the Classroom Teachers' Guide. Four students chose 'instruments': hands tapping on legs, hands clapping, pretend trumpet, and raspberry-powered tuba. The leg tapper beat out a rhythm and the other instruments tried to follow along. I asked the students what they noticed about our band. "It took a little while for everyone to get together." "The tuba didn't really work. Maybe he should choose an instrument that fits the band better." "Everyone had their own instrument, but it still sounded good." Hooray! So our tuba player picked up snapping fingers. Now that we had the right tools for the job, each instrument was asked to lay down their own rhythm. What did the students notice?  "The band was crazy." "The players weren't together and it sounded weird." "I didn't like all the noise."

Here's to working together, each in our own way!

I'll bid you good night now and write more about other parts of our learning plan in subsequent blog posts. In the meantime, enjoy the information below!



Here is a panorama photo of our first Community Meeting of the 2015-2016 school year! (Oh, EP, you ALWAYS know where the camera is!)

Here's our plan for this week. Individualized reading assessment that incorporates the Habits of Mind (Connection, Evidence, Supposition, Viewpoint, Relevance) necessitates lots of choice time!

Tuesday - September 8, 2015

Morning Meeting
9:00-10:00 Choice, sign kids up for summer presentations, continue spelling Assessments
10:30-11:30 writing assessment #1 in homeroom; show anchor papers - quiet reading when finished
11:30-12 Choice
Math: MARS assessment Day 3, math games
Project Based Science:
Tell overview of driving question:
start with review of what we noticed in the garden.
What questions to do you have?
go out again, and see if you have new questions. Come up with 2 more questions.
come back inside and write questions together.
Blog: Bailey
Cards: teachers

Wednesday - September 9, 2015

Morning Meeting
PBS: 9:00-9:30 What makes a good question? science talk what is a good question? questions have several purposes: testable, research,
craft good question together = driving question
9:30-10:00 PE
10:30-11:30: writing assessment con't, Choice and DRA
11:30-12:00 Summer presentations
12:00-12:30 Community Meeting


Thursday - September 10, 2015

Morning Meeting
9:00-10:00 Summer presentations, reading assessment, Address books and choice
10:30-11:30: Address Books, reading assessment, Choice
11:30-12:00 Summer presentations
Math:MARS assessment Day 4, math games
1:45-2:10 Class Meeting; Giving and getting compliments and appreciations
Choice and DRA
Blog: Jaden
Cards: teacher


Friday - September 11, 2015

Morning Meeting
9:00-9:40: Reading assessment, choice
9:40-10:00 PE Steal the Bacon
10:30-11:30: Reading assessment, address books, choice
11:30-12:00 Summer presentations
Math:
Finish assessments
1:45-2:40: Summer presentations, reading assessment, choice
Blog: Jahmai
Cards: teacher