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LAST PROJECTS, WOW!

4/23/2014

I LOVE project presentations. It is always amazing to me to see what my students come up with. I learned yesterday that Harry Reid was a boxer in high school; child laborers were plentiful and compact during the industrial revolution; they needed blacksmiths and carpenters for the wagon trains on the Oregon trail; and Einstein created the kinescope which made film making possible. I can't wait to learn more today during presentations. I hope that my students appreciate what a unique opportunity it is to attend a project based school. I know that they don't ALWAYS get the depth we are hoping for, but some of the individuals dig deep and produce truly spectacular presentations.

There are always students who beg to not have to do three whole pages for their research paper, but more often I am blown away with five to ten pages of well thought out and organized information. What a great gift to be able to learn from these amazing young people!

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Happy Spring

4/8/2014

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Spring is in the air and students are READY for Spring Break. Teachers are ready for Spring Break as well. I can't believe we have only six more weeks of school! Where has the time gone?

I can't stand the thought of losing my 8th graders! I'll be so sad to see them leave for high school. I've had them in advisory for 3 years and I can't believe they are ready to take on high school.

We are finishing up our FINAL project cycle of the year. I'm excited to learn about new and exciting topics. In May we are having seminars which should be a lot of fun. I'm teaching Engineering with help from "The Three Little Pigs." I can't wait to see what the students build!

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January 10th, 2014

1/10/2014

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Hi Ho.. hi ho..! It is off to work I go! It was a great break and I got a lot of sleep, read books, visited family, and I'm ready to get to work...

OK, this first week back has been a little (a lot) stressful. We have a new schedule and it makes the afternoons VERY long. I know a lot of people love having the earlier lunch. I liked having lunch later so that my afternoons flew by, now they seem soooo long.

We have begun our first project cycle. It is a little different since our advisory only has to do one project per quarter. Today their project proposals are due. We are piloting a new project tracking system that EKA might be using next year. We get to be the beta testers and so far it is going ok. We have had a little confusion with the proposals, but I'm sure that we will be able to work out the kinks.

I'm glad it is Friday, and I'll be ready to sleep in tomorrow. I'l

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End of Semester

12/13/2013

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I can't believe that this Semester is ending all ready. We have been so busy and the time has flown by.
Our advisory class is a fun and crazy mix. Sometimes the boys are a little rambunctious, and the girls are a little giggly; but they are all smart and teach me fabulous things. We are finishing up the third project cycle this week. Next week we are doing a short book cover on an advisory topic of their choice which should be fun. We had to sneak in a 4th project because we simply ran out of time.
Next Semester is a little bit longer and our days will be organized much better. We will have more time in advisory which will be wonderful! I love spending time with my Advisory Class!
Next Friday will be our Fun Food Friday with our Favorite Holiday Treat. It is always a great way to end our project cycle and reward the class for a job well done.
This project cycle has had some interesting themes. One day we had presentations on Japanese Internment Camps, The Atomic Testing Site, and World War II. They all complimented each other and we ended up getting a more complete picture of the war and the effects of the atomic bombs. My mother lived in Southern Utah at the time of the atomic bomb testing and later died of cancer which was a direct result of being downwind from the testing facility in Nevada. I'm grateful that my students were able to make a connection with the testing of the bomb, the treatment of the Japanese, and ending the war with the devastating effects of the atomic bombs in Japan. We were able to watch a BBC video which showed actual footage of the bombings and interviews with some of the men involved.
On a lighter note we learned about DC Comics and Lego. Then we got an in depth look at climate change in Australia, Greek Culture, Muslim and Christian religions.
Hopefully today we will be able to finish our presentations, but we have only been getting through three or four a day, so it may run into next week. I'm looking forward to next Semester when hopefully we can finish our presentations in one week!
I'm wishing my advisory students, their families, and our EKA staff a very happy holiday season! Enjoy your time off and come back ready to WORK!

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First Project Cycle Finished

10/5/2013

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I always love project presentations. I learn so much from my amazing students. Hopefully those that haven't embraced the research process will soon catch the excitement of exploring new topics. I'm relieved to have the new Base Camp project tracking system sorted out, for the most part.

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Ish & The Dot

9/13/2013

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Today we celebrated International Dot Day. The Dot was published on September 15, 2000. Since the 15th is on Sunday, we decided to celebrate today with circle shaped treats.
In order for us to celebrate everyone had to finish their 100 Notes and Facts. It has been a bit of a learning curve learning Base Camp, but I think by the time we finish this first project we will like it so much better than Project Foundry. It is great being able to upload files from school or home. I instantly have access to anything the students submit. No more full e-mail inbox.
We read Ish and The Dot by Peter Reynolds. Then we loaded up on munchies while Michael helped me get the TV working. We voted and watched Hotel Transylvania.
Students hopefully got their Rough Draft #1 completed and uploaded to Base Camp by today. I'll be spending my weekend making sure all of their components are loaded and ready for their 3B4me. Then they have a day to make corrections and give me the hard copy of their 2nd Draft with their editing packet. This first project has had to move so quickly. I'm so excited to learn about Paris, Fiji, The Terracotta Warriors, The Knights Templar and much more. It should be an informative and fun project presentation week! It will be here before we know it.
The year is off to a great start. I have loved being with my students from last year and getting to know our new Calvert Advisory. We have some great new additions! We are in for a fabulous year!

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Learning Styles Sharing

8/21/2013

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Please write a one paragraph response telling the class what your top learning style is and one learning strength you have.

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LAST PROJECTS, WOW!

Happy Spring

January 10th, 2014

End of Semester

First Project Cycle Finished

Ish & The Dot

Learning Styles Sharing

Calvert Advisory

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