Money has been donated!

A check was just mailed to the VP Foundation that funnels money to Haiti. It is the organization that Nancy Casey came to our school to talk about while she was updating the kids about life after the earthquake that she saw on her last visit. The picture of Nancy with the Crew is at the bottom of the blog. She also loaned us 10 posters that we displayed in the school to show life there and how the organization started. Visit the VP Foundation website and you can see how the money really does make a difference in the lives there. The crew collected $43.50. I added another $7 and so we donated a total of $50.OO. Way to go Crew!!

Last day filled with CREW smiles and hugs

Excited is a word that I use often with this group... yet, on June 9, it was in all upper case... EXCITED!

The day was fabulous with each talking about the book they had checked out from the UI Library in our last Literature Circle to playing the Palouse Prairie Song on recorders while the whole school sang in Community Circle. Spontaneously, the 4/5 crew broke into the last verse they have wanted for awhile. It goes.. Palouse Prairie teachers are awe-some. There were appreciative nods from the faculty.

They have grown up so much and together ended this 2009-2010 school year with the same intensity and integrity as they started. They really are an exceptional group.

It has been a terrific first year at PPSEL.

Reflection and Oh, we really get it!

Over the past week, we have been reviewing work and revisiting what we did and how we did it. The Learning Targets on the board right now have helped the kids keep in mind that this school year has been chock full of academics and social growth. The two say," I can end the school year with the same attention and responsibilities towards class protocols as when I started this year." and " I can accurately reflect upon my work and behavior and explain how I performed." Of course we unpacked these statements to make sure they all know exactly what they mean.
Today we used what is called the Socratic Seminar Rubric to use as the process for discussing the observations they made on Sept. 4 and June 4 of the community area on the south part of our grounds. They all presented to each other in small groups what they had noticed. As participants in the method, certain criteria is evaluated. Participants show respect, are active listeners, stay focused, cite specific references to the text, give input and ask for clarification. This rubric was designed by Kathleen McHugh and is a terrific tool. We came together and after each group assessed themselves and...
the best part of this day was when I pulled up an anchor chart we had created from share outs and debriefing on Narrative Writing and the kids realized, "Hey, we have been doing the Socratic Method all year!" We started the process in our Writer's Workshops in September with Questions, Comments, and Compliments. These brought forth their skills in listening and revising, taking constructive criticism with their writing. They learned to respect each and value each other from day one.
Their communication with each other is very productive and empathic and so their academics have been strong.

So, now they have a name for what we have been doing all year and also know that Socrates's idea was so good that it lives on over 2300 years later. I didn't tell them the end of his story for thinking...next year.:)

Two Experts-- Both named Nancy

Our first visitor was Nancy Casey who came to educate the crew about life in Haiti. She gave lots of facts about life on the island. Nancy was led to Haiti starting in 1995 because she liked the music, but really started going because she wanted to know how people live in other parts of the world that have less than we do. She spoke some creole with us and taught us a song. The kids learned how to carry 40 lbs of water on their heads, and that getting water took all day for some people. Mostly that is the job of the kids that were their age of this class. Goats are for meat and have to be moved and watered and if your family is doing ok, then they have a donkey which is used to carry goods. The people are very good story tellers and as Nancy has lived among them, learned how they think about life. The kids decided to give money to the VP Foundation to help a child there get books for school or more food. There may be a fund raiser this summer and Nancy asked if they would be interested in helping. The crew learned that it is not thought wise to walk at night. If you do and pass a friend, don't to say anything... the superstition is that ghosts will take you.
Our second expert was Nancy Taylor who has been leading the Art Basics Case Study. Today she debriefed and then reflected with the kids about the three pieces they did using their own name. The target was to create pieces using the elements of line and shape to create a design with balance and variety. We have analyzed other art works and experimented. This was a very helpful academic area and our background knowledge about why artists create has expanded. Nancy wants to come back and work with the crew again.
Both these ladies enriched our day by sharing what they are passionate about.