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!
