In this post...
- And away we go!
- What we are learning
And away we go!
It's that time of year - time for Middle School students to travel to the far corners of the world! Well, not the farthest corners perhaps, but California, the Southwest, and Costa Rica represent a big slice of the Western Hemisphere.There are so many advantages that come with the Journeys program, but for us three rise to the top. First, the Journey ties the academic curriculum together in a unique and outward-thinking way. It's a privilege to travel with students and watch them apply what they've learned to the world that is not only beyond the walls of the school but beyond the distances that most students have traveled! There are explicit ties, like connecting the geological features of the Grand Canyon to earth science units or visiting the world that Steinbeck lived in while reading The Red Pony, but there are implicit and interdisciplinary connections, too - some of which we don't even anticipate until our students make the connections for us. Symbolically, too, the Journeys represent an "end" or a "summit" for our students' academic experience with a global focus.
Second, the Journeys bring students - quite literally - outside their comfort zones. From the trip in general to particular activities throughout the itinerary, students are challenged to try new things, to engage with their peers differently, and to see themselves from new vantage points. Whether it's kayaking on Monterey Bay or ziplining through the jungle, each trip presents opportunities to try new things.
Finally, the Journeys build community in a unique way. A children's book called The Treasure tells the story of an old man named Isaac who follows a dream to take a long journey to find a buried treasure, only to find it buried under his own stove. The concluding moral of the story is, "Sometimes one must travel far to discover what is near." Getting out of the normal boundaries of our campus and the school day, and finding themselves experiencing new things together, students have the potential to see themselves as part of a community in a new, perhaps even deeper way, and they bring that sense of community back to campus.
For all these reasons and more, the Journeys provide an experience that is not only unforgettable but also invaluable in building a distinct program.
What we are learning...
In Sixth Grade I&S we took the summative assessment on Rome and the students all have feedback on their essays. While for 6th grader preparing for and writing an essay can be often loathsome and feared it is always reassure for me to see how well this group does at synthesizing information and then putting it in their own words to prove what they know. The assessment was not easy, they were asked to use previous knowledge, research organize and ultimately write a 3 paragraph in class essay, but they did well. The grades will be given back, but more importantly is the conversation about what skills do they need to continue to develop in their writing. I was very impressed with the depth and detail they are developing. We are jumping into our next unit on Medieval Europe and the book has changed. There is a lot of excitement about the upcoming Medieval Day as well as the idea that we get to talk about knights, castles, chivalry and the Black Death. We will hit the ground running after the trips.
In 8th Grade Individuals and Societies we are in the middle of our WWI and WWII unit exploring the involvement of governments and technologies that were developed and utilized. The students just finished their technology projects with which I was thoroughly impressed with the creativity and information they provided. Their presentation skills have also improved immensely throughout the year. Once they return from Costa Rica we will finish up the World at War unit and go into our Civil Rights unit. They will continue with research for their Oral History Projects and I look forward to seeing the compilation of their work.
