weekly wrap-up

Even though this was a 4-day week, it has been jam-packed! I’ve enjoyed the office hours and home visits several of you scheduled this week. If you would like to schedule a meeting or invite me over for a home visit, be sure to check out the “sign up” page of this website.
 
MAPs Assessments began today. If you have not yet signed your student up for two sessions (or you only signed up for one), please go here to RSVP for Monday, Tuesday or Friday morning or afternoon. If you have questions about MAPs, just let me know.
 
WoW is the perfect acronym for our Weds. workshops! I’ve so enjoyed this time with the Adventurers and seeing them bond as a group. Our group identity is coming together quite nicely…they are so considerate of each other and thoughtful. I see many examples every day of genuine caring and connection. It is truly a joy to be with them.
 
Here are a few highlights from our workshops…

• We went to the makerspace and worked on mirror writing (which Leonardo da Vinci used to avoid smearing ink as he wrote with his left hand). This is quite a challenge and the Adventurers were up to the task. Everyone took home at least one of the pieces they worked on. I hope they have invited you to try it with them. Here is the beginner method: Write a word conventionally. Position a mirror to be able to see the reflection of that word as you write. Use your left hand and write what you see in the mirror from right to left. Loads of fun and a good activity for “crossing the midline,” which necessitates coordination of the two hemispheres of the brain.
  • Habit of Heart and Mind focus: exploration
  • Next week, we will be making paper with Jim in the makerspace. Please send in as much junk mail (matte, not shiny) as you can collect, with the plastic windows removed. We will use this to create pulp.
• We followed up the mirror writing with observational sketching of plants around campus (we all loved the sunflower). I introduced the skill of reflection (a Habit of Heart and Mind) and students worked as partners to help each other reflect on their drawings and find ways they could make them even better. We have also taken baby steps with providing feedback to each other that is kind, helpful and specific. They’ve taken these drawings home to share with you.
  • Habits of Heart and Mind focus: reflection and collaboration
• After lunch, students had a quiet time to use ST Math (or relearn their password), explore origami, color mandala prints or read. Please be sure to have your child use ST Math daily for a while, to help them retain their password. Please let me know if your child is having password trouble.
• Our afternoon was filled with pattern work. We watched a video from youcubed.org on patterns and quite a few of the Adventurers were intrigued by the Fibonacci sequence. The next time you are out collecting pine cones, you might spend some time with your child, identifying the clockwise and counterclockwise spirals. We then began working on a task called Painting Youcubed. Everyone engaged with the task at their own challenge level, using various blocks and folding cubes from paper. I would encourage you to look at the task and continue exploring it with your child. Those who find solutions to various cases and recognize the patterns, might want to work on finding solutions for the case when cube length is n.
  • Habits of Heart and Mind: exploration and collaboration
• Did you know that we always end our day with the Voyagers, as a whole-Collaborative family? This week, the Voyagers shared some of their work with building and testing straw rockets and the importance of only changing one variable in a design test. The Adventurers shared their mirror writing with the Voyagers, who were very attentive and supportive as they met with our kids in small groups.

 
Thursday Excursion to LACMA: Chiaroscuro Woodcuts
Thank you to everyone who participated in our field trip this week! I am continually impressed when I see you all in action, supporting your children’s engagement in learning and scaffolding their understanding. I heard so many rich family conversations. Jennifer and I do our best to organize experiences that provide unique opportunities for both you and your child. We strive to provide content knowledge, flexible (yet structured) tasks and examples of various ways you can create experiential learning while engaging many modalities.
 
After a brief gathering to set the stage for our visit to the exhibit, including this video, students and parents set out on a quest to find and explore a variety of exhibit items. As part of the quest, students looked closely, sketched carefully, compared and contrasted various pieces, considered an artist’s angle of view, generated a list of descriptive words (which can become a poem), saw some tools and colorants used in creating woodcuts, thought about some of the variables that impact printmaking, created a tableau of poses they saw in a piece and much more.

• Attendees – if you have your child create a poem with the list of descriptive words they generated, please send it to me. I’d love to share them with the museum staff.
• Thank you for modeling participation for your children! When they see their parents be willing to take risks (eg. pose in the tableau), it can make it feel a bit easier for them to do so.
• If you were not able to attend but want to take your child to the exhibit, I’d be happy to send you some ideas of ways to interact with the artworks.

 
Upcoming Field Trips (see sign ups page of this website to RSVP and download permission slips)
A=for Adventurers           C=for all Collaborative

• 9/13       10:45-noon+      Tour of el Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument (Olvera St.) C
• 9/20       10:00-1:00           Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area Hike and Social Outing C
• 9/25       12:30-2:30           Learn About the Library with the Wiseburn Librarian, then go to Hollyglen Park A
• 10/1       11:00-1:30           Tomás and the Library Lady - Pepperdine University Center for the Arts A & older sibs
• 10/4                ?                    Please hold the date. We are trying to get into the Printing Museum. C
• 10/9       9:30-noon           Natural History Museum: We will enjoy the NHM Homeschool Day together C
• 10/18           TBA                 Social Gathering – suggestions? Let me know. C
• 10/25           TBA                 The Getty – more info coming soon C
• 11/1             TBA                 Hike – location TBD A

 
Upcoming Workshops for Adventurer Parent Educators (see sign ups page of this website to RSVP and get details)

• Navigating the Digital DVConnect World and Sharing Favorite Resources and Strategies Monday 9/10, 6:30-8:00pm
  • Bring your own device so that you can easily save bookmarks
• Engaging Math Resources and Strategies on Friday 9/21, 1:00-2:00
  • Bring your child(ren) and engage in activities with them. Helpful tools for home use.
• Easy Assessment Strategies to Use at Home: Portfolios and Writing Assessments on Monday 9/24, 6:30-8:00pm
• Engaging Mini-Lessons for Writing Instruction on Thursday, 10/18. This will be a casual conversation during our social event. Details to come.

 
Math Workshops for Parent Educators with Helen Chan (see newsletter)
Wednesday, September 12
9-10:30 kinder-2nd grade
11-12:30 3rd-5th grade
 
Collaborative Clubs: Jennifer emailed information and a survey about getting clubs started. Please respond ASAP. We are excited to work with all of you to make this happen for our kids.
 
Check it out! Building reading fluency by rereading enjoyable texts aloud is important (and fun) for Adventurers of all ages. Check out these resources:

• Resources on this website
• Reading Rockets Top 10 Resources on Fluency
• Reading Rockets – Target Fluency…When fluency is hard…what it looks like and how to help.