7/24/08

Thursday, July 24, 2008 - Daily Log

Breakfast:
We chatted with our mouths full of gigantic muffins and a variety of cereals and fruit. I reminisced on my childhood as I ate Lucky Charms for the first time in over 12 years. They truly are magically delicious! Breakfast was brought to you today by: Patty, Ellen, and the letters Y-U-M!

R&R:
Ellen read a chapter from The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron. Everyone in the group was able to relate personally to the story of a boy and his father who found a special bond through books. Karen, Beth and Missy were courageous enough to share their personal reflections with us. There is a wonderful level of comfort and trust that the members of this writing project share.

Writing Groups:
We continue to share our writing pieces, and watch them grow, in preparation for the much awaited anthology. Just a reminder that all entries for the anthology are due this Sunday!

Teaching Demo:
Mark presented his demo lesson, “Through the Eyes of the People”. This lesson engages students through interaction with an expository text, an excerpt from a memoir and photographs. Different styles of writing are required throughout the lesson to illustrate an understanding of the horrors of the Holocaust. This was a difficult subject to present and everyone was emotionally involved in today’s activity. It is our hope as educators that through this emotional engagement, students will be more connected to and interested in learning about history.
Congratulations on the job Mark! Based on today’s lesson, your students will be very successful with the materials you present to them.
During our feedback time to Mark, Keri asked an essential question that led to a mini-Socratic. “Should we ask our students to put themselves in the shoes of other people in history?” is the question that was openly discussed. The Holocaust Museum requests that teachers refrain from doing these activities. Through our discussion many of us were exposed to new perspectives and possibly altered our own educational philosophies a bit. This is the type of discourse that many of us have been craving for a long time.

Lunch:
The morning long rain prevented many of us from our routine of basking outside in the sun while eating lunch. So as Noah loaded up his animals in the courtyard, some of us dined in the dining hall where they were serving homemade comfort foods. Some of these tasty delights were chicken and broccoli on top of penne pasta with alfredo sauce, sweet & creamy corn chowder, and soft & chewy chocolate chip coconut granola bars that were big enough to feed two. Mmmm, mmm, good!

Inquiry Groups:
“Quiet on the set please!” Inquiry groups were in full swing today. All groups were filming portions of their I-movies at various locations on campus. There were costumes, voiceovers, product placements, dangerous stunts, and plenty of bloopers. Movies must be finished by next Wednesday and will be viewed on Thursday. I smell an Oscar…

Until tomorrow…
“It’s Log! It’s Log!” Ren & Stimpy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPHtKarae2Q
Nicole L-ski

2 comments:

Nicole Lesinski said...

Whoops! I forgot to put my name as the author of this blog.
Nicole :)

Joel said...

That's my fault. I've got to find a new template that posts that info automatically. You can, however, go back and edit your posts by revisiting your dashboard.