Weekly Wrap– May 1st

What an amazing evening of presentations, information, and beautiful displays at the 8th Grade Project Night! It was wonderful to see the culmination of so many months of hard work: bringing all their research and creativity together in impressive, articulate form. I learned a lot this year about so many diverse topics; thank you to all the parents for coming to celebrate, and huge congrats to the 8th graders!

For sixth and seventh graders, viewing the 8th grade projects on Wednesday morning was a great motivator and inspiration as they begin to research, organize, and write their Humanities Fair reports on student-selected topics from this year’s history curriculum. Please help your students find resources by making a trip to a city library together! We’ve covered in class how to find and analyze the validity of web sources, and students should be finding a variety of information from different sources, including videos, primary sources, textbooks, and articles. Students have begun writing their reports by crafting an introduction that starts with a hook, includes a strong thesis, and summarizes the aspects of their topic. They will continue to write these reports, using TEXAS as a framework for their body paragraphs, over the next three weeks.

Their drafts are due on May 15th, the final paper is due on May 22nd, and their projects will all be completed and due on the Humanities Fair day on May 29th. A few students have made a huge start already, and some are finding it difficult to get started– if either of those ring a bell, please remember that I offer office hours after school on Mondays from 3:15-4:15 and Thursday during lunch, in the Humanities Room. I want to help! Emailing or asking questions during worktime in class is another way to touch base with me.

All year levels are also working on short stories, to be completed by the end of the year. We have brainstormed and discussed what makes a compelling beginning, and students are off and running, writing elaborate stories about everything from plane rides to immersive video games, and everything in between. We will do a lot of work around grammar and spelling in the context of revising these drafts: here’s a helpful cartoon about Oxford commas:

We are also continuing to work on the essays on the novels that we have read, and the 8th and 6th graders are beginning creative projects on their recent novel. They are creating final chapters, movie trailers, poetry, maps, quote posters, and more– to show their understanding of the novels The House on Mango Street (6th) and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (8th). Since this is the second literary essay students have written this year, we are working on improving our analysis in our body paragraphs, and choosing strong, meaningful quotes to use as examples. Students will complete their drafts individually both in class and as homework, and then go through a self, teacher, and peer- assisted drafting process.

This time of year is always jam-packed, but also so great to see the culmination of students’ efforts in all the different areas of writing. Many students are motivated to improve their work in the last quarter of the year; remember that a good time to check in with me is before school, from 8-8:30, when students can check their grade as well as ask about previous grades or comments!

Snow trip recap!

Hi all–

I thoroughly enjoyed my first snow trip, even though I’m only just catching up on my missed beauty sleep, and finding my voice which I lost somewhere up in the mountains!

After a wonderful, sunny lunch in Sacramento, we arrived on the Tuesday afternoon to Claire Tappaan Lodge, where we settled in, unpacked our bags, and had the first opportunity to play in the snow. The kids were really impressed by the amount of snow that did exist right out in front of the lodge, and had a great time sliding down the ice and crafting snow balls — trying to avoid creating ice balls… In fact, the kids told me that I lied to them and there was plenty of snow! I was impressed by their ability to enjoy the record-low snow pack, and it was fantastic to see the kids of all ages playing together.

That evening, they had more chances to bond with their buddies by completing an impressive game of telephone. All the kids were included in the circle, which went around the room several times! This was apparently the largest group of kids and parents and staff ever on the snow trip, and it was impressive to see everyone engaged and working together.

After a night’s sleep (or lack thereof), kids woke up to a hearty breakfast to prepare them for the first full day of snow play and skiing. All the kids tried cross country skiing over the trip. The cross country skiing run was a short hike up a hill, where there was more snow! Most enjoyed success on the skis, and many kids opted to go for a second time! Others enjoyed the scenery and helped their small buddies practice their skills.

Inside, we had craft stations where kids created worry dolls, lanyards, and beautiful drawings, as well as some creative costumes and intense, complicated games of werewolf and cards. I loved schooling the kids on foosball downstairs, and others furiously battled it out with ping pong. On Wednesday evening, the kids searched throughout the lodge for hidden parents (such good sports), before tumbling into bed, tired from a full day!

Thursday was similar– with the opportunity to build snowmen or igloos, create fairy houses, play frisbee or ball games, or slide down the remaining snow just outside. Others got the chance to try cross country skiing, and develop their throwing skills by tossing snowballs to a very willing dog. Thursday evening, we enjoyed a performance by the finest Synergy students– from a very scary story about a train to a bad singing competition, some reflective pieces commenting on the snow trip itself (expectations vs realities) and, of course, some very funny comedic acts.

On Friday, we got ourselves packed and ready to go– and as soon as we headed out it began to snow! It was a great contrast to see the soft, fresh snow landing on the older, firmer snow pack surface, and the kids loved the few minutes they got to see it actually falling from the sky, catching it on their tongues and making softer snow balls.

Throughout the week, middle schoolers showed leadership by cleaning the dining room, setting the table, taking care of their little buddies by reading and encouraging them, hosting the talent show, and being good role models! Thanks to Claire Tappaan Lodge for having us and feeding us, thanks to the parents for the essential help with driving, organizing, cleaning, and everything, thanks to staff for organizing, supervising, and encouraging, and thanks to the kids for being good leaders! My first snow trip was a great experience– full of bonding between parents, teachers, and students of all ages, and lots of new experiences for all.

Now, back to school and back to Language Arts– coming up, more essay writing, short stories, and research reports!

New books! Language Arts news…

The last few weeks have been a blur of reading, writing, grades, and discussing! Since grades went home, parents and students should have a good idea about areas of strength and areas of focus for the second semester. During conferences, we will be able to discuss this in more detail, as well as look at examples of student work.

Reading! We’ve begun our next novels in the seventh and eighth grade. 

Seventh grade is digging into The Book Thief, which is both a challenging and thought-provoking read. We’ve covered the basic history of WWII, and students are asking interesting questions about different types of governments, motivations for unbelievable acts, and working their way through the sophisticated vocabulary and narrative structure of the novel. We are focusing on vocabulary through targeted word acquisition and making connections to prior knowledge by discussing root words and synonyms. As a class, we discuss the plot of each section once we have finished reading it, and answer any questions that come up. We are even learning a little German! To help with the reading load, some students have chosen to listen to the audiobook, and it’s a great idea to listen to the words if you are having any trouble reading, although you should still follow along in the book for reinforcement. The audiobook can be found for free on youtube.

As we continue through the book, we will carry on with the same pattern of written responses on the blog, paragraph answer questions on the worksheets, vocabulary acquisition in small in-class groups, and close reading of selected quotes for deeper understanding of the author’s purpose.

Eighth grade has begun their close reading of Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. This is a fascinating read, also with a unique perspective, that has already meant some thoughtful discussions and also an increased understanding among the group about what it means to have Asperger’s or high-functioning autism. We are taking the opportunity to learn and enjoy some British English slang, and both blog writing and paragraph writing develop our understanding of the author’s intentions and narrative point of view.

Writing! Essays, short stories, and more…

Sixth graders are developing and editing their first literary essays! This is a large task and I am really excited to help them organize and structure their writing in a clear, straight-forward way. We are using the TEXAS format for our five paragraph essays, with the goal of using quotes as examples in our body paragraphs and creating a strong argument that is more than a plot summary. Proof-reading help and questions are always appreciated, and help writers develop their craft! Students received individual feedback from me on their drafts via comments on their google docs, and they will also do peer feedback before submitting their final copies this Friday.

Seventh and eighth graders are working on identifying strong and interesting conflicts for their short stories. Eighth graders are also continuing their research in preparation for their eighth grade projects. We looked at the school library resources, and I encourage each of them to further explore elibrary as a great resource to find articles and other print sources online that might usually be behind a paywall!

Coming up… More new books, more research!

In the next month, sixth graders will begin their next novel, seventh and sixth graders will begin their Humanities Fair research project, everyone will continue their short story writing, and we will also spend some time organizing our Language Arts portfolios to prepare and reflect for conferences!

Welcome back! Language Arts news for January!

 Hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable break! I definitely did– loved spending time with family and getting out to my parents’ place in the country for a bit, and also ringing in the new year watching the fireworks here in the city! We’ve hit the ground running, with new carpet and new, fresh paint, to go with the sparkling new curriculum for the new semester. Thanks to all the parents who came by today for the clean-up– the classroom and the whole school are sparkling.

Reminder: the snow trip meeting is next Wednesday, for anyone interested in the details. The trip itself is at the end of February. We need drivers and helpers (even if your kid says it would be so embarrassing if you came…), and I’m looking forward to spending some time in the snow and my first time cross country skiing! Cross your fingers for even more snow, and check your email for permission slips and more info!

In sixth grade, we are really getting into how to organize and structure essays, spending time together brainstorming how to create effective “hooks” to draw in the reader, and also picking apart how to structure body paragraphs and support our arguments with explanations and details from the text. It’s amazing to hear the creativity and engagement with the themes in The Giver!

Seventh grade has started reading our next fiction book, The Book Thief. It’s a beautiful book, and I encourage any parents who haven’t read it to check it out. The story is told through an extremely unconventional narrator: a personified version of Death as a character. It’s a challenging book because of the complicated language and depth of the topic, so we will continue to do lots of vocabulary and guided reading as we progress through the novel.

Eighth grade has begun their research on their 8th Grade Projects, and parents should see some deadlines and checkpoint sheets coming home this week for a signature. Please mark in your calendar the Project Night on Tuesday, April 28th. So far, topics include people of interest from Jimi Hendrix to Jean Paul Gaultier, places from North Korea to factory farms, with lots of interesting ideas in between! I love this project, since it’s a perfect example of how student choice creates student engagement– everyone is very focused and interested in their own research.

Final Reminder: the submissions for the yearbook cover are due on Tuesday, January 20th! Lots of beautiful drawings already, but the yearbook committee would love to have more to choose from! The theme this year is San Francisco, and the cover should include the words “Synergy School 2014-2015” and be the size of an ordinary piece of paper.

That date is the same day that semester grades and written evaluations will be sent home with students– keep your eyes open for that brown envelope!

Essays, essays, essays! Language Arts Wrap!

In Language Arts recently, we’ve been talking a lot about essays. We’re thinking about structure, paragraphing, what makes a strong argument, how to analyze quotes and examples, the purpose of “hooks” at the beginning and end of an essay, the best way to integrate and introduce examples with explanations, and how to gather our thoughts up in a neat bundle of clearly chosen words!

We use the acronym TEXAS to organize our body paragraphs within an essay– Topic Sentence, Explanation, eXample, Analysis, and Summary– to break down each part of the paragraph and understand how to build from the topic sentence to include evidence. For the whole structure of the essay, we think about the different types of paragraphs like the parts of a burger– the introduction is the top bun, the body paragraphs between are the juicy burger and toppings, and the conclusion is like the bottom bun. This edible metaphor makes the idea that the first and last paragraph hold all the information together very visual and real to the kids, and they had a lot of fun creating different delicious diagrams to explore what else has a beginning and an end– sandwiches, layer cake, ice cream cones– lots of imagination!

Students are working on their brainstorms, and checkpoints are in place for seventh and eighth graders to finish their drafts this week, and final copies before the winter break. Sixth graders will brainstorm and complete their drafts by the end of the semester.

The last day of school before the winter break is also the last day of the semester, so it’s a good reminder to check in with me if you’re concerned about your grade or wondering if you’re missing any work. You have until December 19th to resubmit or turn in any missing work. The semester grades will be going home with students in the second week back after winter break, to give us time to write narrative comments about their progress in each class.

The wide reading assignment where students read personally selected books has a checkpoint at the end of the semester as well– students should have read at least two books and written blog post book reviews by December 19th.

We are also working on short stories creation and brainstorming ideas for their final story, which we will continue after the break. Students wrote character profiles, created an individual story based on a class generated list of prompts, and shared their work with their classmates to prepare for their final story.

Looking forward to seeing well-developed, thoughtful arguments and carefully crafted writing!

End of the fall quarter!

Fall quarter grades went home today for all middle school students– keep an eye out for the brown envelope that contains grades for Language Arts, Spanish, History, Math, Science and PE. These first quarter grades are a progress report and don’t include comments. If you have any questions about your Language Arts grade, come talk to me before school starts or at snack, lunch, or after school. Eighty percent of the Language Arts grade comes from coursework (homework, assignments, wide reading, novel work, creative writing, farm school, etc) and twenty percent from participation (class discussion, self-management skills like completing work on time and tracking progress in the portfolio, group work, and listening skills). Grades are one indication of progress, and the comments on your work that I give is another; make sure you’re keep up your portfolio and reflecting on your learning in Language Arts for improvement for the semester grade!

These last few weeks, we’ve had a number of poetry slams as students share their Farm School poems, and it’s been great to hear the diversity of experience and the creativity of expression! If you have a chance, stop by the upstairs hallway to see the display of student poetry and farm school photographs.

We’ve also continued the novel work in all the grades.

Eighth graders are entering the famous courtroom scenes of To Kill a Mockingbird, and considering the layers of symbolism in the novel. I’m impressed with their nuanced understanding of the segregation at that time, and their analysis of the author’s intent with her choice of a child narrator.

Seventh graders had a hands-on experience cooking fry bread last week, and used it to springboard into discussions about culture, rituals, home, and tribes. I especially enjoyed the conversations we had about what it means to belong to different tribes, and the depth of understanding students showed on this topic compared to the beginning of the unit. We’ve finished The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and we will work on novel projects next– students have a choice of ways to respond and comment on the book through messages, creative writing, posters, short films, etc., before we begin our work on a character analysis essay.

In sixth grade, we’re questioning the value of happiness without any sorrow as we continue to read The Giver. With the explosion of great young adult fiction that deals with extreme restrictions on society and arbitrary rules, students come to the book with an understanding of totalitarianism that’s impressive.

In other news, it’s November! This means that I’m challenging myself to write a novel. 50,000 words worth of one. In one month. It’s an organized insanity and I’m not alone: it’s called Nanowritmo, and people all over the world participate in the race to get some sort of novel written within thirty days. Editing isn’t the point; writing is. It’s a wonderful way to free yourself from your harshest inner critic, and so far I’m keeping up with my quotas, but it’s only day three! If you want to join me or just check out the crazy, more info is on their website, here: http://nanowrimo.org/

Weekly wrap: Goal setting as we near the end of the quarter!

I’m looking forward to the conferences starting tomorrow! This first conference is all about goal setting, and the kids have been working on their SMART goals for the year in advisory this week and last week. When we meet with parents, we will be able to help refine and decide how we can support these goals, as well as hear about their plan for success and offer any suggestions. I’m impressed already to see how committed and self-aware the seventh graders are about their academic strengths and weaknesses.

In Language Arts, each grade is solidly working on their novel reading and analysis. It’s great to hear the seventh graders expanding their understanding of literature and engage more deeply with the text this year. We’ve had some impressive conversations about censorship and racism, as well as understanding the difficulties facing the Native American protagonist in The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian.

Eighth graders are also considering censorship and racial slurs as we get to the main dramatic storyline of To Kill A Mockingbird– the court scenes! And sixth graders are finishing work on brochures advertising their own personal utopias as the final pre-reading task for The Giver, and have begun their reading. Sixth graders, remember that you can email me if you have any questions about the reading packet and how to complete the quote notes!

Google classroom is working well. It’s easier for students and me to update assignments and check homework, and they can even interact and ask questions of each other. For now, we are using this classroom as a static place to put assignments and homework, and parents should have access to their kid’s email and password so they can also check the assignments and see what the classroom looks like! We will be using more features of the Google classroom soon– look forward to submitting essays, completing surveys and quizzes!

See you all this week or next for chats about goals!

Many of you wrote about avoiding procrastination– here’s some solid advice: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/11-practical-ways-to-stop-procrastination.html

I personally like to change my environment, have an accountability buddy, and break things down into small, time chunks/ task!

Weekly Wrap: Farm School edition!

 I’m currently writing this from a table in the jury summons room, which is an interesting and new experience for me! I’m sorry to be missing everyone on the first day back at Synergy after two weeks of fabulous farm school, but I’m focusing on how important it is to do my civic duty and the power of the court. And it’s kind of fitting considering the eighth graders have just started reading To Kill a Mockingbird!

Farm school was wonderful. Two weeks of learning, exploring, trying new things, playing, and growth. The sixth and seventh graders created their own cultures, based on their sites (Crystal Rock, the pond, or the redwood canyon) and their beliefs. I was impressed how students tailored their culture’s way of life to reflect their resources, ranging from hunters and gatherers to traders and artists. Students were probably most engaged in the building and creation of structures and alters, and each group built something substantial– using sticks, leaves, reeds, ferns, and grasses to make shelters that even withstood the rain of week two! Most of the shelters were large enough for the entire group, and groups needed to problem solve and work cooperatively to build these together. On Thursday, we went for site visits where students presented their cultures with a ritual or ceremony, and were guides, explaining their government, religion, structure, alter, creation myth or legend, and structure. I loved how groups used their sites in different ways to present their information– like the week 2 pond group hiding behind bushes around the pond and popping out at dramatic points in their retelling of their legend!

Throughout the week, students spent time writing and reflecting in their journals, and we will continue this Language Arts work back in the classroom to publish creative writing about our experiences at farm school. Work on this will begin this week, and include brainstorming, paragraph writing, more journal entries, and poetry.

During Farm School, we also spend time playing games, reading, swimming, cooking and cleaning, practicing for the talent show, doing art projects, and putting up and down tents! These times at farm school are also really important, since they are chances for kids to try new things, like catching newts at the pond, and opportunities for kids to bond and work together, like staking tents and getting them dry after the rain last week. One of my favorite things that we do at farm school is the soapstone activity. Over the course of the week, rocks were turned into a variety of smooth objects, from necklace pendants to bunny rabbits, and it’s really impressive to see the thoughtful gifts that the students give to each other at the end of the week gift giving.

The eighth graders have a different curriculum for the week, with a variety of activities surrounding the theme of rites of passage. I was really impressed how each group came together to succeed on the variety of challenges throughout the week– from the ropes course on Tuesday, the solo overnight on Wednesday, and maybe the most challenging, giving an articulate and engaging presentation on Friday morning despite their lack of sleep! For their rite of passage, it’s important that the students interact with different facilitators to get a fresh perspective and I really appreciated the enthusiasm and experience that both Ariel and Jillian brought to this program this year.

I hope those parents who had the opportunity to come up to OceanSong enjoyed the experience as much as I did! Middle school farm school is a real rite of passage not just for the eighth graders, but also for the sixth and seventh graders who are given a lot of responsibility for taking care of themselves and each other during the week. It was a great way to start the year, and I’m looking forward to bringing the teamwork and sense of adventure back to the classroom as we continue to explore in Language Arts!

Weekly Wrap– last one of the year!

Camping was a great way to round off the year. From the mud beach on day one, to the challenge of hiking up what felt like a million hills on day two, and finally finding a serene golden sand beach on the final day, I enjoyed spending time with the sixth and seventh graders out in the (semi) wilderness. Often the school year (or group dynamics in general!) is described as a process of forming, storming, norming, and performing,  with the reverse happening with the “adjourning” phase– highlighting the tension that can occur in a group that sees the end of their time together approaching. I think having some time away towards the end of the year helps dissipate this tension, and re-focus and bring together the group.

I heard some of the eighth graders quizzing the seventh graders when we returned about what drama happened on the trip, and appear disappointed with their negative response, but I’m glad we had a (relatively) drama-free experience.

When I was still in school last week, we worked on drafting our final persuasive writing pieces, reflecting on the play, planning the eighth grade gift, and organizing portfolios. This week– I’m only here for two days because I have my very best friend from high school’s wedding on the East Coast! We will finish up the persuasive writing, check over portfolios, watch The Book Thief, discuss the year as a whole, and check out some other visual media that relates to the themes we’ve been studying in various texts.

Also, keep your eyes on the blog because I will post an extra credit opportunity for the last week of school!

And yearbook staff, don’t forget that we’re having a shared lunch (bring your own lunch or something to share!) Tuesday to check out the yearbook! I had a sneak peak and it looks awesome.

Weekly Wrap

Happy Mother’s Day! My mom is incredibly hard-working and supportive, and I appreciate her so, so very much. Strength, beauty, kindness, and logic! Hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating the people who matter to you.

This week, sixth and seventh graders have been crafting conclusions that answer “so what?”, editing and re-reading their reports, brainstorming and practicing test taking, convincing their peers about what aspect of school is the best (the last day was a strong contender!), and providing feedback about our recently-finished novel units.

Eighth graders have been completely absorbed by the study of Shakespeare, spending their time getting very close and personal with the words of the Bard. If you would like to spend some time with the Bard in a different way, check out this interesting interactive game from Modern Library (I like “What’s in a name”): here.

Work reminder!

6&7th Grade:

• History Fair Report due on Monday May 12th— turn in a paper copy along with the self- check list (Self and peer Check Lists – report writing) in the clear folders near the whiteboard in the Humanities Room.
• History Fair Board due on Monday May 12th
• History Fair 3D project due on Thursday May 15th
• History Fair! is Thursday May 15th from 8:30 to 10:30! Parents are very welcome, and projects will be on display in the halls on a rotating basis starting the week after.
• TerraNova Testing will take place on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday May 12-14 from 10:50- 12:30.

Other important dates coming up:

• 8th Grade Play– May 14 & 15, Wednesday and Thursday
• 6 & 7th Grade Camping Trip– May 21-23, Wednesday- Friday
• 6 & 7th Grade Advisory Dolores Lunch Trip– Wednesday, May 14 (leaving at the beginning of lunch to eat lunch and do teambuilding in Dolores Park and coming back by 2:10, the end of the school day)