Week of September 29

In order to introduce our new story this week, "A Likely Place" by Paula Fox, we kicked off this week with a group exercise dealing with a major theme of this story: how grownups "should" treat kids. The students broke out into groups to discuss a particular question relating to this theme and were required to reach a consensus after a short period of time. They learned how very difficult it can be to agree with others, stay on task, get everyone in the group to participate and ultimately to reach a consensus! We discussed what went well and what did not go so well, and then we talked about how we could make improvements for the next time group work is required.

As the week continues, the students will spend some time reading our new story and then listening to the story as the practice directed note-taking once again. At the end of the week, we will shift gears back to our Covey study and revisit Habit #3: Put First Things First. Delving deeper into this important habit, we will discuss 2 obstacles that frequently stand in the way of our ability to put first things first, namely fear and peer pressure. After our discussion, the students should have a better understanding of what these 'road blocks' are, how they can stand in the way of their ability to put first things first, and hopefully what they can do to overcome these obstacles in order to truly make Habit #3 and habit in their own life.

Week of September 22

Our story this week has been "My Greatest Ambition," by Morris Lurie.  In this story the students learned about our author as a 13-year old boy as he pursued his dream of becoming a professional comic strip creator.  Delving into his character, the students were able to gain a deeper understanding of Morris' struggles with this pursuit and where his determination helped him get closer and closer to his goal.  

Even in my absence on Thursday the students refused to miss a beat and kept up with our schedule in order to complete this study.  I was most impressed with their enthusiasm and proactive behavior to stay the course!  

Friday we turned our attention to the study of Habit #3: Put First Things First.  We learned about taking care of the "big rocks" in our life first before dealing with all of our little pebbles.  In an effort to turn what we learned into a real habit, the students will be creating daily "to do" lists for the next month.  They will schedule time for their "big rocks" each week and begin prioritizing what needs to get done each day.  The goal for each student is to utilize these lists each day so that they become more organized and efficient with their time and feel more confident in their ability to succeed in their individual goals.  

Be on the lookout for whether or not your child is referring to his/her "to do" list each day.  I would love to hear about any positive changes in behavior you may be noticing as a result!  It's going to take some discipline on your child's part but hopefully he/she will soon come to realize that with a little bit of planning up front the payoff at the end of the week can be a tremendous sense of accomplishment and peace of mind :)

Week of September 15

Last week we were cut short by 2 days of benchmark testing as well as Early Release on Wednesday.  Even so, we were able to finish up our study of "Through the Tunnel."  The students began to understand the process of Shared Inquiry discussion as we gathered on my rug for some smaller group discussions of the story.  They ended their study of this story by drawing a scene from the story with depicted a pivotal point in the main character's self-discovery process

This week we encounter a new character, Squeaky, in "Raymond's Run."  Squeaky is a girl who doesn't always act or say the things that are expected of most girls.  This story presents the students with another opportunity to learn how to take directed notes and then utilize the Socratic Method as we share our thoughts and opinions about Squeaky in our Shared Inquiry time.  We will wrap up this story with a written assignment which will allow the students another opportunity to demonstrate their comprehension of the story.

This week we will also discover Habit #2:  Begin with the End in Mind in our 7 Habits course.   The students will learn how to apply this habit by creating their own Personal Mission Statement.  They will also be reinforcing their understanding of Habit #1:  Be Proactive as they are responsible for one journal entry each day this week which describes a proactive behavior they have made that day. Ask them to share their proactive behavior with you.  Sharing with you will help reinforce this very important habit.

Last week we began the Great Books course. Our first story that we read was "Through the Tunnel." We learned how to take "directed notes" on the story as well. The students were also responsible for exhibiting PROACTIVE behaviors throughout the week, writing them in their journals, and sharing their experiences with someone. Did your child happen to share any proactive behavior with you? I hope so!

On Monday, Sept. 8 we will begin the process of "shared inquiry" on our Great Books story. Hopefully, this process should not be too difficult for the students since we have been practicing using the socratic method throughout all our discussions in class. We will finish up "Through the Tunnel" this week with a writing activity, and then we will hop into our next story, "Raymond's Run."

Progress Reports will coming home on Monday so be on the lookout for them.

A few of you who have asked me to post homework assignments. In general I will NOT be posting homework assignments on my blog. The reason for this decision is because I want all my students to become RESPONSIBLE students and develop a HABIT of writing down the assignment in their planner when I give it to them. I will always tell the students their homework assignment (either verbally or in writing) and then reiterate at least one time to ensure that everyone present has had an opportunity to hear what is required of them. If I post my assignment on my blog then I am not holding my students responsible for listening and paying attention in class. If a student is absent, he/she will be given ample opportunity to make up the homework assignment upon their return to class.

Last week we learned about Paradigms, Principles and Habits. The students wrote an essay describing their top 3 principles in life and elaborated by writing about specific habits they have within each of their favorite life principles. We really began an introspective approach to what is important to each of us in life and began thinking about how we are going to live according to our principles. The students also demonstrated their understanding of these concepts by listing the same information but in a different format: the 4-square approach.

This week we are shifting gears. We move from our "7 Habits" curriculum to the Junior Great Books curriculum. In this "Great Books" curriculum we will be reading 12 excerpts from stories that the students should really enjoy. Besides just reading the stories, the students will be taking directed notes as well. The next step in this process of learning to become a critical thinker involves a time for 'shared inquiry.' During 'shared inquiry' time, the students will be utilizing the Socratic Method of discussion wherein I will act primarily as the facilitator instead of the teacher. The students will asks questions of each other in order to gain a broader and deeper understanding of the story which they have just read. The final step of this critical thinking process will involve written work to demonstrate the students' knowledge of what they have read and discussed with each other about the story.

Every Friday we will be shifting gears again. I call this time our "Fun Fridays." We will be focusing back on our 7 Habits again, covering one of the 7 habits every 2 Fridays. Last Friday we began discussing Habit #1: BE PROACTIVE. The students are required to make a minimum of 5 journal entries (on 5 different days) this week describing PROACTIVE behaviors they are making. They must list the date the behavior took place, describe the PROACTIVE behavior, and list the name of the person with whom they shared this behavior. We have the philosophy of LEARN IT, LIVE IT, SHARE IT wherein we learn about the behavior in class, we live it out in the real world, and we share it with others to help reinforce our understanding (and hopefully inspire others to exhibit the positive behavior as well). Be on the lookout for PROACTIVE behavior from your child this week!