This was one of those weeks that made me incredibly proud to be this class’s teacher. Our biggest work for the week was all about media literacy and fake news. We discussed how people treat anything they believe as truth and facts they disagree with as fake news. While not diving into a political discussion, we learned how to evaluate a source, how to correct misinformation, and what our rights and responsibilities are as media consumers. This is one of those discussions that I wish we could have with adults, so equipping the class to be informed and discerning is incredible. I hope that they use these skills to better understand the world around them, regardless of their political or religious views.

Another highlight of the week was introducing the class to Mad Libs. I have never heard a student more excitedly what an adjective is than in this discussion. (For the record, poop is both a noun and a verb, as the class was quick to note) The class had a blast writing them and even took the opportunity to write their own blank Mad Libs in some cases. The parts of speech are one of those things that are ‘social knowledge’ that kids can’t pick up on their own but is important to know in the world. So, any time I can find a way to introduce them in a way that is fun, I’ll take it.

The rest of the week was filled with learning across multiple subjects. We worked on our quick math facts (including negatives) in a new math game. We had some out of this world science experiments that created some pretty funny mental images (like Petros throwing a spaceship at Gael). I’m even thrilled to celebrate how the class is experimenting with different ways to organize their time, with designated quiet work times. This is especially noteworthy to me, since THEY requested it, not me, recognizing that they wanted a time to be more focused while still having low-key social work times. This self-regulation and problem solving is precisely the conflict that middle schoolers are working on and I’m excited to see them working through it. Great job everyone!

This was a short week, but we started it in a very meaningful way, by examining the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While everyone in the class knew who Dr. King was, we dived into his actual speeches and writing to learn more about him in his own words. Reading pieces like his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and “Two Americas” really helped us understand how revolutionary his ideas were and the challenges he still poses today. The class worked on reading the articles and talking about them together, then writing up their own responses and how they still see Dr. King’s work around us today. What an inspirational exploration.

This week we expanded our work with negative numbers to start working more with absolute value. We continued our cycle of working, talking, and working again, which everyone seems to be really appreciating. I love seeing how the class grows and learns as we work together. We dove into a science world, but this time we worked on expanding the article, doing more research to add to the facts in the articles. It was interesting seeing them expand their research skills and follow their interests. We picked our newspaper winner, which was a bit of a challenge this time, but it was great reading everyone’s resolutions. Finally, we continued working on our service projects and History Fair presentations, which is some very challenging independent work. I love seeing how they work and talk together, helping their classmates learn and grow.

As a heads up, there should be communication about the class trip coming up which I am excited to share with you, so check your emails. Thanks for working with me to help these students become incredibly thoughtful and resourceful young adults. Have a great weekend and see you all next week.

This week was amazing, but was all about getting set up for things that are coming up. For me, the highlight was hearing what everyone is thinking about tackling for their service projects. While we don’t have any concrete plans at this time, here are some of the ideas we are thinking about. Addison is looking for ways to include extended families in the school day, like grandparents, while Christian is still thinking about what he feels passionate about. Petros wants to find ways to help the homeless population, Stella is looking way for ways help animals, and Maeve is brainstorming ideas for deployed and active military personnel, Gael and Lamasu are both looking closer to home, with Gael thinking about ways to get healthier food in school and Lamasu is looking for ways to beautify the school, like painting or organizing. I am inspired by the passion I see in this class and can’t wait to see the work they can do.

We also looked ahead this week by going over the attractions everyone found in Washington DC. These include the National Mall, the Smithsonian, and art galleries. Some surprises for me were people suggesting visiting the Pentagon and a Nationals’ baseball game. This is gonna be a great trip. We also continued working through integers, both in a yocubed activity with the coordinate plane and working through Khan Academy. I can really see it starting to click for the class and I’m so glad. We also continued working through the Odyssey, which has  been a real treat. I haven’t even assigned their Odyssey adaptation writing project, but a number of the students have already starting writing it. We dove into physics, with the class teaching me how Newton’s 3 Laws of Motions work; it was a challenge, but they really did a great job. This was a really fun week, full of planning and work. Great job everyone!

It is great to be back and we certainly started back with a bang. We started the week diving into integers for math. We studied them by creating a number line and seeing how multiplying, adding, subtracting, and dividing affects those values. For example, when we multiplied, the students spread out on the number line, while subtracting moved the whole group to the left. We built on this understanding later in the week, when the class played integer tic tac toe, which required them to use the skills they had developed in that exercise. Then finally, they practiced those skills independently on their Khan Academy work. We’ll review their work next week and loop back around, hitting any weak spots and pushing their understanding even deeper. I love being able to approach material like this.

In English, we’re are continuing to work through the Odyssey, both the text and their adaptations. This was a blast to see developing, and I’m inspired by their ideas. We also worked on their History Fair projects, exploring primary vs secondary sources and finding appropriate ones for their topic. Their research skills are also improving as they plan our DC trip, which includes the attractions they want to visit, lodging, and dining.  Once we have a finalized presentation, we will share it out.

This week we also did a number of smaller projects, like starting newspaper articles, designing a Google doodle, and exploring the library. This week was a journey and I am so proud of the work they did. Next week we will continue learning, growing, and working together. Welcome back everyone, and thanks for growing with us!