Week of April 13

At the end of last week, the students utilized their critical thinking skills as they composed the answers to 5 thoughtful questions prompted by the story, The Mysteries of the Cabala.  These questions required the students to ponder about ideas such as whether life is mysterious and what is the most puzzling thing that they have encountered in life.  This week, they took their thoughts a step further by illustrating their thoughts to these questions and then focusing specifically on writing a response that meets all 6 of the requirements of an accurate written response.

The remainder of the week was spent covering the very important Habit #5: Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood.  In studying this habit, the students learned that the deepest need of the human heart is simply to be understood.  In order to be understood, we must first step outside of ourselves and try to "step into the shoes" of another person.  To do so requires good listening skills.  The students learned to recognize 5 poor listening habits that they often in their interactions with others.  Next, they learned about how they can begin the process of turning those bad habits into genuine listening.  To wrap up this habit, the students began working on a presentation in which they will demonstrate their understanding of this habit.