| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||
| 8:45:00 | 45 | Collection, Q&A, | Collection, Q&A, | Collection, Q&A, | Collection, Q&A, | All School |
| 50 | Reading | Reading | Reading | Reading | Assembly | |
| 55 | Karl | Karl | Karl | Karl | Joanna | |
| 9:00:00 | Homeroom | Wake-Up PE | Wake-Up PE | Health | Wake-Up PE | |
| 5 | Karl | Karl | Karl | (Our Whole Lives) | Karl | |
| 10 | Karl & Rachel | |||||
| 15 | ||||||
| 20 | ||||||
| 25 | ||||||
| 30 | ||||||
| 35 | ||||||
| 40 | French | French | French | |||
| 45 | or | or | or | |||
| 50 | Music | Mandarin | Mandarin | Music | Mandarin | |
| 55 | Latin | Imogen or Shiyu | Imogen or Shiyu | Latin | Imogen or Shiyu | |
| 10:00:00 | Josh or Imogen | Josh or Imogen | ||||
| 5 | 9:40 - 10:25 | 9:40 - 10:25 | 9:40 - 10:25 | |||
| 10 | 9:55 - 10:45 | |||||
| 15 | ||||||
| 20 | ||||||
| 25 | ||||||
| 30 | Math | Art | Math | |||
| 35 | Sam, Jason & Karl | Monica | Sam, Jason & Karl | |||
| 40 | ||||||
| 45 | Math | 10:30 - 11:25 | 10:30 - 11:25 | Math | 10:30 - 11:25 | |
| 50 | Latin | Latin | ||||
| 55 | Sam or Imogen | Sam or Imogen | ||||
| 11:00:00 | ||||||
| 5 | 10:45 - 11:30 | 10:45 - 11:30 | ||||
| 10 | ||||||
| 15 | ||||||
| 20 | ||||||
| 25 | ||||||
| 30 | ||||||
| 35 | Recess | Recess | Recess | Recess | Recess | |
| 40 | Science Club | Science Club | Science Club | |||
| 45 | George | George | George | |||
| 50 | ||||||
| 55 | ||||||
| 12:00:00 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | |
| 5 | ||||||
| 10 | ||||||
| 15 | ||||||
| 20 | ||||||
| 25 | ||||||
| 30 | Math | Art / | Work Crews | Math | Homeroom | |
| 35 | Music | Homeroom / | Nick, Fran, Elaine, | Music | Flex | |
| 40 | Sam or Josh | Flex time: at least | Josh, Rachel, | Sam or Josh | Karl | |
| 45 | one hour of art, | James, George | ||||
| 50 | 12:30 - 1:20 | potentially split | 12:30 - 1:20 | |||
| 55 | into smaller | 12:30 - 1:25 | ||||
| 1:00:00 | groups as | |||||
| 5 | appropriate. | |||||
| 10 | ||||||
| 15 | Remainder of time | |||||
| 20 | is homeroom | |||||
| 25 | PE/Flex | projects. | Writing | |||
| 30 | Karl & Nick | STEM / | Workshop / | |||
| 35 | Monica & Karl | Humanities / | Flex | |||
| 40 | Flex | Jason | ||||
| 45 | Karl, Jason & Sam | |||||
| 50 | ||||||
| 55 | ||||||
| 2:00:00 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 10 | ||||||
| 15 | ||||||
| 20 | ||||||
| 25 | ||||||
| 30 | ||||||
| 35 | ||||||
| 40 | ||||||
| 45 | ||||||
| 50 | ||||||
| 55 | ||||||
| 3:00:00 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 10 | ||||||
| 15 | ||||||
| 3:20:00 | 20 | Gather | Gather | Gather | Gather | Gather |
| 25 | Karl | Karl | Karl | Karl | Karl |
7-8
Friday, September 20, 2013
Flows of the Days
The Superior State
U P P E R P E N I N S U L A O C T O B E R 2 - 4
The seventh and eighth grade will voyage toward points north in early October for academic work, exercise, and community building in a beautiful Great Lakes setting.
We will leave for the Upper Peninsula at lunchtime on Wednesday, October 2, and will return by dinnertime on Friday, October 4. Your children should come to school as always for collection at 8:45 on Wednesday morning; we will have our morning of school before leaving at lunch. Be sure to pack a lunch that doesn’t need to be heated up in the microwave.
Rachel Goldberg, director of camps and extended learning, will also chaperone the trip.
We will be staying at a house located in Gros Cap, a small not-quite-village just west of St. Ignace, about five miles from the Mackinac Bridge. The drive from Ann Arbor will take about four-and-a-half hours. The house property is a wooded lot on the shore of Lake Michigan. The kids will have the option of sleeping indoors or pitching tents on the property in view of the house. I will assign groups for tents; the kids will also have the option of sleeping alone in a tent instead of with a group. Rachel will be staying indoors and I will sleep outside.
Our activities on the trip will be threefold.
First, we will travel to three locations within an hour’s drive for some physical activity: Tahquamenon Falls, the North Country Trail in Hiawatha National Forest, and Lake Michigan Dunes. We may also visit Whitefish Point and Les Cheneaux Islands, depending on time and inspiration. We will not travel to Mackinac Island on this trip.
Second, we will engage in some community-building work. This aspect of the trip will include conversational sessions, led by Rachel and me, opening up our health curriculum, in a setting that will allow us to take our time and remain free of the distractions and tumult of the average school day. In addition, we will undertake the organic collaboration required when fourteen people have to cook for themselves and clean up after themselves.
Third, we will touch upon the Explorers of the World curriculum through reading, writing, and sketching about the rich history of the Straits of Mackinac. Our material will be taken from the great Civil War historian Bruce Catton’s book Michigan. Catton grew up in Benzie County and pulled some of this excellent book from his memoir, Waiting for the Morning Train. We will take in the lakeshore setting for some bonfire-and-storytelling sessions as we consider the meeting point of cultures that occurred at that site in the 1600s.
The house is being graciously offered for our trip by my parents, William and Sheila Sikkenga. You better believe we’ll be taking good care of it.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
First XI
Soccer is much on my mind these days, since we have been playing in PE, so I thought I'd kick off (hem hem) the year with a First XI. The world's game is eleven-a-side, so writers frequently muse over best elevens, or, as they're usually designated, First XIs. In that spirit, here we go, here we go, here we go.
I. Every morning, the kids check in by going to one of our many whiteboards and filling in: Jonathan is _________ (each to her or his own name). Mike usually writes 'first'; Denali's is often weather-related; on Friday, Saul wrote, 'wearing a V-neck--SO WHAT?'
II. We have had numerous writing prompts on the theme of explorers. One of the first was to define the term, based on a specific reading from our Explorers coursepack (see VIII, below). From Mike: An explorer is someone who is brave enough to travel to the dark spots on the map, and patient enough to illuminate what he finds there.
III. I also like Danny's: An explorer is happy to find a new place.
IV. We took a fruitful trip to the University Museum of Art, and to the Kelsey across the street, an archaeological museum. Monica Wilson, our new middle school art teacher, accompanied us to the first stop. The kids wandered thoughtfully, even purposefully--if one can be said to wander that way--writing and sketching, keeping the theme of exploration weaving through their work.
V. There is great enthusiasm for Monica, and equally so for Josh Grekin, our new music teacher, who had the kids singing Lean On Me and has continued to stoke their enthusiasm and talent.
VI. The upstairs digs are wonderful and fabulous. Please continue to visit as the space evolves--don't wait for Curriculum Night. We have a huge cork board, with some communal space and a four-by-four space reserved for each student; two comfortable chairs and two couches for informal gathering; a quiet project break-out room with a fish tank; a workroom soon to be stocked with art supplies; a classroom soon to be stocked with tables; two floor-to-ceiling whiteboards; two dozen stools awaiting only the eight tables that will enable us to set up two formal classroom spaces; a library room featuring all 2,000 books from last year's collection along with cushions for everyone; enough space to hold indoor PE, including a three-a-side soccer tournament, with the proviso that the ball can never leave the ground (Denali and Lily were prominent players, though Denali had a hard time keeping the ball down).
VII. The final standings of that tournament: England, Romania, Australia, Scotland.
VIII. Humanities is built on the 140-page coursepack for this theme, entitled Explorers of the World. The coursepack comprises twenty-two readings from eighteen different authors, beginning with material from Richard Feynman and closing with an exercise from Keri Smith's book. This past week we conducted a free-market assignment, in which the students exchanged information on ten different readings from the coursepack.
IX. If you haven't done so yet, ask the kids about the eight-foot crossword puzzle.
X. We will begin reading The Odyssey this week.
XI. Friday afternoon--Friday afternoon--was spent in quiet reading, contemplation, and writing on three prompts inspired by two readings in the coursepack. One was a broad account of the centuries preceding the Age of Exploration in Europe, taken from Jean Fritz' book Around the World in a Hundred Years, the other a now-and-then account of the Norse exploration of Newfoundland, taken from Tony Horwitz' amazing A Voyage Long and Strange. We spent about two hours on that. Did I mention that it was quiet? And that it was Friday afternoon?
The students are a year older, and it shows. They are making rapid and happy progress.
I. Every morning, the kids check in by going to one of our many whiteboards and filling in: Jonathan is _________ (each to her or his own name). Mike usually writes 'first'; Denali's is often weather-related; on Friday, Saul wrote, 'wearing a V-neck--SO WHAT?'
II. We have had numerous writing prompts on the theme of explorers. One of the first was to define the term, based on a specific reading from our Explorers coursepack (see VIII, below). From Mike: An explorer is someone who is brave enough to travel to the dark spots on the map, and patient enough to illuminate what he finds there.
III. I also like Danny's: An explorer is happy to find a new place.
IV. We took a fruitful trip to the University Museum of Art, and to the Kelsey across the street, an archaeological museum. Monica Wilson, our new middle school art teacher, accompanied us to the first stop. The kids wandered thoughtfully, even purposefully--if one can be said to wander that way--writing and sketching, keeping the theme of exploration weaving through their work.
V. There is great enthusiasm for Monica, and equally so for Josh Grekin, our new music teacher, who had the kids singing Lean On Me and has continued to stoke their enthusiasm and talent.
VI. The upstairs digs are wonderful and fabulous. Please continue to visit as the space evolves--don't wait for Curriculum Night. We have a huge cork board, with some communal space and a four-by-four space reserved for each student; two comfortable chairs and two couches for informal gathering; a quiet project break-out room with a fish tank; a workroom soon to be stocked with art supplies; a classroom soon to be stocked with tables; two floor-to-ceiling whiteboards; two dozen stools awaiting only the eight tables that will enable us to set up two formal classroom spaces; a library room featuring all 2,000 books from last year's collection along with cushions for everyone; enough space to hold indoor PE, including a three-a-side soccer tournament, with the proviso that the ball can never leave the ground (Denali and Lily were prominent players, though Denali had a hard time keeping the ball down).
VII. The final standings of that tournament: England, Romania, Australia, Scotland.
VIII. Humanities is built on the 140-page coursepack for this theme, entitled Explorers of the World. The coursepack comprises twenty-two readings from eighteen different authors, beginning with material from Richard Feynman and closing with an exercise from Keri Smith's book. This past week we conducted a free-market assignment, in which the students exchanged information on ten different readings from the coursepack.
IX. If you haven't done so yet, ask the kids about the eight-foot crossword puzzle.
X. We will begin reading The Odyssey this week.
XI. Friday afternoon--Friday afternoon--was spent in quiet reading, contemplation, and writing on three prompts inspired by two readings in the coursepack. One was a broad account of the centuries preceding the Age of Exploration in Europe, taken from Jean Fritz' book Around the World in a Hundred Years, the other a now-and-then account of the Norse exploration of Newfoundland, taken from Tony Horwitz' amazing A Voyage Long and Strange. We spent about two hours on that. Did I mention that it was quiet? And that it was Friday afternoon?
The students are a year older, and it shows. They are making rapid and happy progress.
Every Day
Here is this year's daily schedule.
Joanna spent many hours this summer gazing at the white board in her office, concocting a daily flow that would magically enable students and teachers alike sufficient time to concentrate, to mix their experiences, to collaborate, and, above all else, to personally excel. For seventh and eighth graders, features of the resulting schedule include:
Mondays
Joanna spent many hours this summer gazing at the white board in her office, concocting a daily flow that would magically enable students and teachers alike sufficient time to concentrate, to mix their experiences, to collaborate, and, above all else, to personally excel. For seventh and eighth graders, features of the resulting schedule include:
- smaller groups and more frequent time in math, music, and Latin
- time specifically allocated for humanities, especially historical study
- shorter and more frequent time in physical education, integrated with academic work
- time specifically allocated for health
- integrated time for art and homeroom project work
- weekly meeting time for all middle school faculty
Mondays
8:45 assembly (all-school)
9:00 homeroom (with Karl; theme-based academic & project work)
9:55 math, music, or Latin (7s & 8s rotate through all three disciplines)
10:45 math, music, or Latin (teachers: Sam, Josh, and Imogen, respectively)
11:30 recess
12:00 lunch
12:30 math, music, or Latin (Sam, Josh, and Imogen)
1:30 physical education (with Karl)
3:20 gather (with Karl)
3:30 release
Tuesdays
8:45 collection (7s & 8s gather together with Karl upstairs)
9:00 wake-up physical education (with Karl)
9:40 French or Mandarin (with Imogen or Shiyu, respectively)
10:30 math (with Sam, Jason, and Karl)
11:30 recess
12:00 lunch
12:30 art (with Monica)
1:30 homeroom (with Karl; theme-based academic & project work)
3:20 gather (with Karl)
3:30 release
Wednesdays
8:45 collection (7s & 8s gather together with Karl upstairs)
9:00 wake-up physical education (with Karl)
9:40 French or Mandarin (with Imogen or Shiyu, respectively)
10:30 art (with Monica)
11:30 recess
12:00 lunch
12:30 work crews (with Nick and other adults; beginning September 18)
1:30 science, technology, engineering & math (with Jason and Sam)
2:30 humanities (with Karl)
3:20 gather (with Karl)
3:30 release
Thursdays
8:45 collection (7s & 8s gather together with Karl upstairs)
9:00 health (with Karl and Rachel; begins early October)
9:55 math, music, or Latin (7s & 8s rotate through all three disciplines)
10:45 math, music, or Latin (teachers: Sam, Josh, and Imogen, respectively)
11:30 recess
12:00 lunch
12:30 math, music, or Latin (Sam, Josh, and Imogen)
1:30 writing workshop (with Jason)
3:20 gather (with Karl)
3:30 release
Fridays
8:45 collection (7s and 8s gather together with Karl upstairs)
9:00 wake-up physical education (with Karl)
9:40 French or Mandarin (with Imogen or Shiyu, respectively)
10:30 math (with Sam, Jason, and Karl)
11:30 recess
12:00 lunch
12:30 homeroom (with Karl; theme-based academic & project work)
3:20 gather (with Karl)
3:30 release! release! sweet weekend release!
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