We ask a lot of our Middle School Eagles: Quests; Deep Book Badges; Between the Lines Literary Analyses; Civilization Discussions plus Khan, Reading and Writing. Yet most find time to do so much more.
Take for example one MS Eagle who has started both the popular Computer Science Club and Film Club. Now he’s launched a Film Blog.
Who needs Godzilla to fight the forces of evil? We have Mason.
This session we started what will be a continuing series on the Six Traits of Writing: Ideas; Organizing Ideas; Sentence Fluency; Voice; Word Choice and Conventions (Grammar.)
Our long term goal is to equip Eagles to write clearly, convincingly and beautifully, each with an original voice that can be tuned for different audiences and genres. We want to inspire Communication Ninjas emboldened by Ninjato Tools – named after the swords ninjas wield — rather than Language Robots, who see each tool as a hard and fast rule.
For example, our focus this week is on Brevity in Sentence Fluency.
A Sentence Robot hears a suggestion like “try short sentences” as a hard and fast rule, and makes every sentence short. A Sentence Ninja uses sentence crafting tools to tease out and clarify ideas from a sentence, and then decides whether to string ideas together in a rhythmic way or let some ideas stand alone.
Eagles worked in groups of six on Tuesday, breaking a handful of long sentences into individual ideas. Some then recombined the ideas; others let them stand alone, with much arguing and discussion about which approach yielded the best results.
For example, Eagles reworked this sentence: “I killed him even though didn’t want to because he gave me no choice.”
Some struggled before one Eagle identified the first idea as: “I killed him.”
An Eagle who was passionate about film, argued for this version: “I killed him even though I didn’t want to. He gave me no choice,” before realizing that no character would ever speak this way.
This led to a more pleasing revision: “I killed him. I didn’t want to; he gave me no choice.”
Eagles practiced the following steps:
Then Eagles performed surgery on the following sentence, written by a Guide as part of the new Badge Requirements: “Do your best work and be sure to contribute details from your own life and examples and quotes from the lives of heroes you respect because these apprenticeship pieces will go into your Apprenticeship PLP and be part of your first Apprenticeship Badge.”
Why not give it a try yourself, and see if you qualify as a Sentence Ninja?
Those of us who hire employees know searching for the right person too often requires a depressing swim through a sea of commodity-like resumes and many cover pages strewn with grammatical mistakes and misspelled words.
So imagine you open an email, glancing down the text to see a picture of a whimsically dressed eleven year old, holding an equally whimsically dressed puppy. Then you start to read:
Dear Ms. Cxxxxxxxx,
I visited xxxxx last year with my mom, and it was one of the most beautiful, fascinating, imaginative, and inspiring experiences of my life. I learned so much about the methods and processes used to create beautiful clothes and how travel can work to inspire new creations. I admire you (and those you work with) so deeply for what you contribute to this world. I am so grateful for that experience, and I will cherish it forever. Thank you for spending time with us and giving us a tour of this beautiful space.
At my school here in Austin, Texas (Acton Academy), we believe in learning by knowing, learning by doing and learning by being. Each student is committed to their individual journey to find their passion. Otherwise known as, The Hero’s Journey. We each are blessed with our own gifts, talents, and callings. We nourish them every single day, so we are prepared to change the world some day.
The main gift that I focus on is fashion. I hope to bring beauty to the world, and inspire everyone to be themselves, and have their own style. As an 11 year old middle schooler, I am beginning a fashion blog very soon, and styling a fashion photo shoot with a local fashion photographer and a few friends, which I will then pitch to a magazine. I also designed and created a fashion look book last fall. I styled it completely by myself, and shot the photos on my own, as well. I sold them $15 each at a children’s business fair, and nearly sold out. I will mail one to you if you are interested.
Fashion is a huge part of my life, and I believe it is one of the things that makes us unique and authentic. I would love everyone to believe in that statement someday, and I am wondering if you would help me by considering my request for an apprenticeship.
We are nearing the end of our school year. Our next step on our journey is to find an apprenticeship with someone who is considered a hero to you. The apprenticeships will be one or two weeks, and each of us will work with our hero, doing what they do to see if we enjoy it, and want to further pursue it. I immediately thought how amazing it would be to work with you. Inside one of the most beautiful fashion studios in the world. I will be very helpful, and never in the way.
Please be in touch with me if you would allow me to do this, or if you would like to talk more about it with me or my mom. Thank you so much for considering this request.
Very sincerely,
Reese Youngblood
(Reprinted with permission from Reese and her parents.)
How would you reply? Would you hire Reese as an apprentice, if fashion were your calling?
Here’s the reply Reese received:
Hello, dear Reese,
Your letter has touched my heart. I love the sweet clarity of your vision. Its timing is impeccable and poignant as I spent the weekend writing about my heart’s desires and my own heroic journey. I will need to speak with Christina who is not here right now. But if it were only up to me, I would say yes in a heartbeat! I have an idea that I will propose to my partner and we can see what happens. It would give me great pleasure to have someone as bright, passionate, focused, capable and talented as you are as my apprentice because it is my experience that not only you would have something to learn from me, but I from you, too!
I will keep you posted. In the meantime, can you tell me more about the practical aspects and time constraints of your apprenticeship. What is the possible time period – from now until end of June? Or? And more practical considerations such as housing and food – is your mom going to come with you?
Thank you!
Cxxxxxxxxx
When we critiqued Reese’s email in the studio and reviewed the reply she received, one Eagle chirped: “That sounds like a ‘yes’ to me.” We all agreed.
Graduates from prestigious colleges increasingly find themselves unable to find a job, and must move back in with their parents. Perhaps these graduates should be looking for a calling instead.
Not to mention that a few lessons from an eleven year old about how to write an irresistible email might help too.
BTL (Between the Lines) is a mentor text literary analysis discussion format designed, led (and named) by Acton Eagles. Below are the guidelines the MS Eagles came up:
Purpose of BTL:Through reading and discussion, analyze mentor texts (chosen by Eagles in the genre of their current writing project) to lift the curtain on the secrets of masterful writing.
Format: Small group discussions led by Eagles who pitched a text and persuaded a minimum of 3 others to sign on.
Points: 5 pts if you pitch, 20 pts if you lead a discussion (and are ranked an average of 4 or higher by your group), 10 pts if you participate. OPTED OUT on your SMART goals sheet if you opt out.
Pitching: Sign up by Friday to pitch on Monday. A qualifying excerpt or text must:
– stay within the genre you are writing in (this session, biography/ autobiography)
– be no longer than one chapter, but as short as one paragraph
– stand alone and convey at least one complete idea
– be an example of masterful writing (person who chose the text must be prepared to defend their decision)
Participating in a BTL: To sign up as a discussion participant, you must agree to:
– read text at least 2x
– read and think about the discussion Q’s provided
– Come up with one new question of your own about the author’s writing style or the craft of writing
Leading a BTL: BTL discussion leaders will ask questions designed to:
– deepen understanding of the text
– help the reader understand the writer’s technique and intentions
– reflect back onto the Eagles’ own writing with an eye towards improving their skills
In this week’s pitching session, three Eagles showed their powers of 30-second persuasion, sharing a sampling of their discussion questions and each using their own unique hook. One touted the length of his mentor text excerpt: “Only one paragraph! Much shorter than the others!”. Another handed out “free” samples as teasers. The third offered a warning: “This excerpt is rated PG due to adult language!”. (Caveat to parents: the subject is Clara Barton, so it’s probably not too risqué).
While those hooks may have helped, don’t be fooled- it was the power of the questions that lured participants to sign up. The Eagles love a meaty discussion and will not tolerate a lack of substance in their BTLs!
Remember that special English teacher who taught you to write? How he or she labored to edit papers, filling the margins with red scribbles? A noble effort, but one with limited scalability. Also too easy for weaker writers to hide in the shadows until the waves of red ink subsided.
How do we encourage Eagles at Acton Academy to improve their writing skills, without involving an adult? By having a community where each Eagle is expected to become a strong writer, and each Eagle’s writing is posted for all to see.
We begin with a challenging question at 9 AM Monday morning. For example:
You are a noted astrophysicist who discovers a large asteroid is likely to destroy earth in 30 days. Will you:
By Tuesday afternoon, first drafts begin to go up on a board, without a name attached. Someone from your Writing Group will choose your paper to critique, offering specific advice after learning about a new topic such as “strong opening sentences” or “choosing vivid verbs.” Specific lessons about grammar come from an online program, ironically called “No Red Ink.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Writing Groups assemble and someone reads your paper aloud, as each team member offers “warm” and “cool” verbal critique, to add to the written critique you’ve received.
Now it’s time for revision and perhaps a pass through an automatic grammar checking program, imperfect but a good start. Next drafts must be posted by noon on Friday, with your name attached. You read your final draft aloud to your group, and a winner is chosen. The best work is read aloud to the entire class, and a Journal contest winner is chosen for the week.
If this is a particularly important paper, it may be revisited and polished next week as well.
Notice that your work always is posted for all to see. You and others must walk past it every day. Many pause to read the writing of others. It’s almost impossible to resist comparing your writing and looking for ways to improve.
Learning to write well, in community, through hard work and revision, with no adult intervention. No red ink required.
In a traditional school, learning to write means a paper filled with red marks; reading a textbook on grammar; or listening to an adult drone on and on about Faulkner (the distorted wah, wah, wah of Charlie Brown’s teacher comes to mind.)
At Acton Academy, the first step towards becoming a writer is developing a love of reading. Next comes journaling: getting observations, thoughts and feelings on paper to share with others. Group critique with warm and cool feedback serves as a catalyst for the difficult art of revision.
Yet, this somehow feels incomplete. At some point a writer needs to hone her or his word crafting skills. No Red Ink is an interactive program that helps with grammar, as do the best computer grammar checkers, but this is more about art than convention.
So we asked each Eagle to choose a specific type of word to research – a pronoun or adjective or even more specific term. Then to prepare a Prezi celebrating the word.
Pods of eight shared their creations, and voted on the two best presentations from each group. The semi-finalists from each pod shared with the entire studio.
The result – lots of enthusiasm. Full coverage of every type of word, several times over. Energy; sharing with peers and more finely honed tools: a fertile soil for cultivating powerful writers.
Far more powerful than a textbook, red marks or a droning adult.
Frank Eakin and his family rediscovered the nineteenth book 12 Years as a Slave and helped turn it into an award winning movie.
On Friday Frank Eakin shared his Hero’s Story with our middle school Eagles via Skype, giving tips such as:
Maybe one day soon we’ll be walking down the red carpet with one of our Eagles!
Legend has it when Earnest Hemingway was challenged to write a short story in six words, he picked up a cocktail napkin and wrote: “For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.”
At once, the mind races with questions.
Today, as part of revising their Bestselling Books, we asked our Eagles to do something similar. In six words or less, answer each of the following:
1. I promise my book will: _____________
2. You should believe me because: ______________
3. The main sub-points (chapters) of my book are:
4. The order in which they are arranged is ___________ because _______________________.
5. Each chapter is further subdivided into ________________, then ________________, then ________________, then ______________ because ______________.
Brainstorming is important. So is letting the words flow onto paper, as part of a rough draft. But eventually you must organize your thoughts so the real writing can begin.
For this, clarity is everything. (Five words.)
Brevity, a close second. (Four words.)
Today was our first major peer critique of the bestselling book project.
Eagles have brainstormed ideas; chosen a topic and finished (most of) a rough draft. Next comes the hard part, revision, where main points must be clarified, ordered, deleted and supplemented.
Revision is the most difficult part of writing, more like major surgery as opposed to the finer shaping and tucking that occurs while editing.
If you a Guide, now is when your palms get sweaty. Have we asked too much? After all, it’s crazy to expect middle schoolers to write, produce and sell a book in an eight week period. Right?
Today the Eagles formed into three to four student critique groups. Each was asked to force rank each rough draft based on the following criteria:
Some books were surprisingly bad. No central point. Little organization. Evidence of wholesale “cutting and pasting.” (This brought forth a spirited discussion about plagiarism.)
These will improve.
Other books were surprisingly good. Original. Witty. In need of work, but with some revisions and refining, viable projects.
How will all of this end? That’s a very good question.
If a Martian had shown up on campus today and presented that demand, the outcome would vary depending on the moment. Core skills? An elementary school guide who came in to verify the Friday pizza order was amazed at the intensity of the Eagles’ focus. Who led that?
The Socratic discussions during Civilization learning? Well, it depends on which question was put to the group. If it was “If you were a noble during the French Revolution, would you have joined the fight or stayed loyal to the Second Estate?” it would have been Sarah, who came up with the question, which was deemed by her peers to be worthy of discussion. Different question, different student leader.
If our otherworldly visitor had shown up during the journal reflection contest, it would have sought out Claire, who MC’ed the event (after a guide misguidedly tried to tap a student to MC only to be told indignantly that “we’ve already decided who’s doing it”).
Any Mars native who floated in at 2:45 would have been certain that the go-to guy was Crayton, who assembled the troops and set them to task with the surety of General Patton, the notable figure he’s delivering a powerful speech in the shoes of in just a couple more weeks.
And if the Martian had come during Game Time, it would have been certain that the committee of four guests from the elementary school (in the MS to guide our Eagles in learning a rhythm game) was where the power dwells. Happy Friday, and here’s to all the leaders of tomorrow!
We expect far too little of our young people. Really. Even when we know they are geniuses-in-the-making.
Our Middle School Eagles just published a Mystery Anthology, and presented two copies to the Elementary Eagles, who have been competing to see who can devour it first. Today we received this email from on of the ES students:
Hi Ms.Abigail,
I have a blog called Read This! and I recently reviewed your storybook on there. I am sending you the link so if you would like to read it you can. The link is http://readthisnk.blogspot.com/
Sincerely,
Nikita
This afternoon, we found out a Middle School Eagle will have an editorial published in the Austin paper next week, as a result of her apprenticeship.
Finally, and most powerfully, today we asked our MS Eagles to “stand in the box” as they read the rough draft of their hero speeches. We even invited in a flock of Elementary Eagles as an audience, to increase the pressure.
Frankly, I didn’t expect much. It was a first draft of a difficult speech, performed by two of our more reserved Eagles, who had struggled with the assignment. The goal simply was to get them in front of an audience.
Then the first Eagle began to read, and we were all mesmerized by her words. And the the second Eagle delivered a powerful plea to save his homeland from invaders. In both cases, I promise you that anyone within earshot would have answered the calls.
Later, as I was describing the impact of the performances, one of my high powered MBA’s said: “It’s so good that you are teaching them such a critical life skill.”
But you see, we didn’t teach them anything. Each Eagle knew all along how to write and deliver a moving speech, in an original voice.
An eight year old with a blog, writing book reviews.
A twelve year old publishing an editorial in a major metropolitan newspaper.
Two moving speeches – each from a first draft.
Today, as most days, I didn’t teach at all. I learned something new.
Be amazed.
How do you learn to write a powerful speech? To use your ideas and words to change the world?
Many schools focus on grammar, making sure every apostrophe and comma is in the right place. Certainly we want our Eagles to be able to write and speak in correct English, but we care even more ideas and having an original voice.
So how does one learn to write and speak in a way that changes the world?
First, we believe by seeking out, experiencing and critiquing world class examples, in the case of a speech, The Gettysburg Address or Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech.
That’s why we are drawing inspiration from Corbett Harrison, a teacher who has developed a terrific set of modular tools that students can use alone or with peers to polish their ideas and words.
We’ll break down these critiques into six areas:
Idea – How original and powerful is the idea?
Structure/Organization – Are the ideas are sequenced and arranged in a way that is easy to follow?
Craft
Eagles will practice force ranking, discussing and providing evidence of these traits not only for Mentor Texts – great works that are provided or found, but also applying them in their own pre-writing, drafting, revising and editing – all with the goal of publishing a powerful piece or giving a world changing speech.
In the revision stage, Eagles will learn to self critique, and solicit and deliver peer reviews and expert critiques.
Writing, speaking and communicating through the visual arts are all skills that are “learned by doing,” in deep relationship with others, while referencing great works of the past.
Note that this requires learners with the courage to think, draft, revise, edit and perform – but not a teacher, at least in the traditional sense.
At the end of this six week session, our Eagles will deliver a world changing speech: standing in the shoes of a historical figure, at a particular time, in a particular place.
Learning to move people, to call them to action, is an important skill for a hero. But the Speech Quest is about more than writing, polishing and delivering a powerful speech.
Eagles also will be required to use Expedia, Trip Advisor and other travel related sites to create an itinerary and budget for a multi-day trip to visit the city where their speech will be delivered, including touring historical sites, museums and other point of interest.
While planning the trip, Eagles will make a “bare bones,” “luxury” and “actual” budget, so they can learn to make the difficult trade offs in time, money, breadth, depth and comfort that traveling requires.
Also included in the Speech Quest is the requirement to create a Google Earth guided tour of the city, including street level views of the sites to be visited, including pictures, images and historical commentary (if you haven’t tried Google Earth – it’s an amazing tool.)
Even the introduction to these tools and the various adventures and expositions has raised important questions, like:
“Why do we travel?”
“Is it for new adventures and new experiences or to learn deeply about a culture?”
“Is it better to spend a little time in many places, staying in hotels, or to spend an entire week or month living with one local family?”
Learning to ask questions is as important as the final product. So is making difficult tradeoffs between time, money and goals. So is learning new cutting edge tools.
All a part of becoming a hero in the 21st century.
“I have a dream…”
“Four score and seven years ago…”
“Ask not what you your country can do for you…”
There’s only one reason to give a speech: You want to change the world.
No photos from your latest family vacation; no boring PowerPoint slides to control your audience’s attention; no droning lectures to put people to sleep. Simply a moving speech that moves people to action.
Six weeks from now, each Eagle will deliver a world changing speech, as a historical figure, at a pivotal point in time, on a subject he or she feels passionate about. It will be an original speech, drafted, revised and crafted over a six week period.
Today several Eagles were called forward to stand “in the box” for ten minutes to speak on something they care passionately about. The lesson: giving a great speech takes passion AND serious preparation. You cannot just “wing it.”
Next came two hours of Improv training and practice. Because giving a world changing speech means letting go of your fears and saying “yes” to being comfortable being yourself on stage.
At the end of the day, our Eagles went to the Elementary School to present a gift of two copies of last session’s Mystery Anthology, and give each author a chance to pitch his or her story by reading a few lines.
How do you learn to give a world changing speech? You start by having the courage to get into the arena.
The word “inspire” means to “to breathe life into.”
Our Middle School Eagles are full of life already, but have been even more inspired lately by earning the chance to guide Acton Elementary School Eagles in Math and Reading.
It’s important to note the word “guide” versus “teach.” We believe the deepest and most powerful learning comes from having a Socratic Guide as your partner, rather than suffering a lecturing adult teacher posing as an expert.
Our MS Eagles earn the right to guide an elementary school Eagle by completing a Learning Badge challenge. Each Learning Badge challenge earns the right to 30 minutes of guiding time, which comes with a learning covenant and feedback on the Guide’s performance. Complete a dozen or challenges and you earn a Learning Badge.
Our MS Eagles consider it a privilege worth working hard to earn, and are lining up to do so.
All Eagles will move from the Independent Learner badge to Running Partner to Socratic Guide to Project Guide to Curriculum Creator, until by high school each Eagle is capable of running a school (or company or non-profit) on their own.
Think of it. An army of bright young people guiding each other, delivering “learn to do” and “learn to be” skills and lessons better, faster and far less expensive than adults.
You might even call it a revolutionary idea.
Flow, the feeling of being “in the zone” while working, is a powerful force at Acton Academy. When an Eagle is in flow in completing a Khan math exercise; reading a book or writing a speech, learning happens at an extraordinary pace.
Collaboration is an important part of Acton Academy too. Sometimes you need a friend to explain a difficult concept, or even more importantly, to ask the right question. Almost all of the real learning at Acton is student to student, not Guide to student.
But collaboration can interrupt flow. And too many interruptions can ruin a two hour block of Core Skills time.
So what to do?
Our Eagles came up with this solution – a Collaboration Request board. Now if you need to ask someone to collaborate, you post a request rather than interrupting. When your potential collaborator takes a break, he or she can check the board and rendezvous at a set time. Plus, we have a record of the peer to peer learning.
Collaboration happens. Flow is protected. Our best ideas come from Eagles. Every time. If we just ask.
Today we returned from break. Only eleven weeks until summer session. Time to put the finishing touches on our learning culture before we let new Eagles into our tribe.
The focus word for this week: Intentionality.
Acting with intention. Being purposeful. Tapping into your passions. That’s what heroes do.
So time to eliminate the trivial; to minimize the unimportant. Time to put all of our energy into learning. Time for a new definition of work times, based on a survey late last session, asking Eagles how we could reduce distractions.
So we created new definitions of the our Work Blocks. All Core Skills time is now silent. We added No Tech Core Skills time, where all computers are closed and Eagles simply read, write and ponder.
No interruptions are allowed – if an Eagle needs to collaborate, he or she posts to a Collaboration Request board. An added benefit – we now have a record of who is helping whom and why.
We also rearranged the desks in the classroom. All of this was based on recommendations submitted by Eagles.
Core skills time was incredibly focused and purposeful today. Deep concentration on “blacking out” Khan skills; serious writing; deep reading. Not a sound in the classroom.
In the afternoon, the launch of an exciting new project. But more on that tomorrow.
Shift gears overmuch? Your transmission will suffer.
So what’s the connection between a rotten banana and correct usage of the past progressive*? What about a link between precise language, kindness, and a rather annoying buzzer?
Scattered and smothered are fine at the Waffle House but less than optimal for the pursuit of excellence. At Acton, we strive toward holistic cohesion in our curriculum, though juggling many tasks is a real-world skill that also comes into play in our classroom. Ironically from a guide’s standpoint, the task juggling unfolds quite naturally, while the cohesion requires a bit more forethought.
To connect the above dots: Eagles are working as Detectives-in-Training, learning valuable science as they pursue the skills they’ll need to not only solve crimes but also make a persuasive case against a suspect before a jury. At the same time, they are creating their own mystery crime stories, using logic, artistry and their fabulous imaginations to pursue excellence as writers. (* and brushing up on their grammar along the way- though a quick survey of adults on campus suggests that while it’s incredibly important to be able to use tenses effectively, no one actually cares what the tenses are called).
Underlying the “Learning to Know” and the vital “Learning to Do” is the even more essential “Learning to Be”, and a focus on character building and discussion skills permeates every “know/do” quest. In today’s launch, we went over the new student-generated community standards and honor code with a careful focus on defining any potentially vague terms. Terms like “scapegoat”, “cheat” and “bully” were hashed out to a unanimous understanding by the community. Students circled the discussion back to the positive by brainstorming what steps to take to prevent negative situations from beginning/escalating. At the end of the day, we introduced a new reward for our daily Kindness Hero, challenging all to channel their detective skills toward looking for evidence of kindness in their peers.
Throughout all of this, Eagles passed around a buzzer, to hold themselves accountable for accidental use of the verbotten “um”s and “like”s. Hooray for excellence in discussion skills, but here’s one vote for Buzzer-Free Fridays starting, um, now.
At day’s end, Eagles reflected back to lessons learned from the morning’s weekly wrap-up, discussing the amount of effort they’d put into their work vs. the amount of payoff they received in terms of personal achievement and our classroom points-tracking system. In Core Skills they determined individually which work to focus on to best reach the goals they’d set for themselves on Monday.
While all journaled in hopes of winning the weekly writing contest (congratulations, Kenzie!), some focused on Khan skills, others on their Mystery Fiction writing, others on their Apprenticeship Quest work including some beautifully rendered Mind Maps.
Looking for tools to increase focus and help in their pursuit excellence, some students experimented with making their own “Claire Boxes”, named for the Eagle who first had the idea of creating a sensory-deprivation space to block out distraction and help her dive deeply into her independent work.
Later in the History Yurt, all Eagles were able to enjoy special personal space with our new eye pillows; Eagles lay back with the lavendar-scented pillows weighing pleasantly against their eyelids and listened to stories from 17th Century England, including the military and political strategies of Oliver Cromwell during and after the English Civil War, and a look at daily London life through the diaries of Samuel Pepys. We learned that one of our Eagles’ ancestors was likely the actual executioner of King Charles! All students are working towards learning about their ancestry as part of their ongoing series of History Challenges.
Enjoy the three-day weekend and have a Happy MLK Day, see everyone on Tuesday!
Our Detective Quest entered a new phase today.
Eagles added handwriting analysis and lie detection to their list of investigative tools.
And began to piece together all the clues, and to narrow in on a prime suspect.
Discussing and voting on the most important piece of advice offered by Sherlock Holmes.
Earlier Eagles met in small groups to critique the first drafts of their mystery stories, the best of these to be published in a collection at the end of the session.
Learning to do, in real world projects, where the end result matters.
Do what you say you’ll do, or follow your conscience? Do you have the courage to be honest about your choices? In this morning’s huddle, Eagles discussed adding a West Point-style honor code to their governance documents. At issue in particular is internet use during free time. While exploring the repercussions of offering our bodies junk or nourishment, and to what degree the level of tidiness reflects the learning space as a “landfill” or a Studio of Excellence, this age group is facing decisions re drawing boundaries for their interaction with the Web. Student-generated guidelines will be introduced tomorrow after a town hall-style debate, and the decision is firmly the students’ to make. Guides and parents stand together watching this important process, reinforcing the message that this is serious, the community is involved, and we absolutely trust you to argue with each other until you create an agreement that’s right for you.
Today saw the launch of Thursday morning Writers’ Workshops. First project, tying in with the afternoon hands-on Detective Science quest: write a great detective mystery. Eagles brainstormed about elements crucial to a great crime story, listened together to a classic Sherlock Holmes short, then revised their megalist to create their own rubric of excellence in crime/mystery fiction. Agreeing that a detective (whether casual or pro) is a crucial character, they used StoryMatic to jump start ideas for character generation. Until they didn’t. Whoops- a Guide set a guideline without thinking it through all the way to make sure there’s an ultimate WHY. Naturally many students rebelled; they can smell bogus a mile away. In this case, the students were set free to use StoryMatic, or not. Ask your Eagle which they chose. The MS’ers take this seriously at least in part because they know that what they do matters, and that they, as brave and thoughtful adventurers, are creating a path for others to follow.
New path in PE: after an invigorating awards ceremony with certificates for Olympic Champions (whoever exceeded their previous best by largest percentage increase) and trophies for Best Sportsmanship (congratulations Ellie and Pace!), down to the field for….. Wiffle Ball!
Ms. Anna and Ms. Terri challenged the D.I.T.s (that’s Detectives in Training) to learn the science behind fingerprinting and analyzing data from footprints left at a crime scene. Also a great lesson in following directions, as it turned out, and in cleaning as you go.
Tomorrow, a look at goal tracking for the week, a Town Hall meeting, the journal reflection contest, history in the yurt and a more meaningful version of (offline) Game Time.
The first day back from break almost always is a challenge. The second day, better.
We opened with a clip from Whodunnit – a wonderful test of our Eagle’s observational powers. Attention to detail matters. It matters for a writer who uses crisp details to hook you into a story; it matters to a cook who needs “everything in its place;” it matters to a detective at a crime scene.
We also are tightening the focus on goals – long term goals for the session; weekly SMART goals; daily goal check ins with Running Partners.
After setting ambitious goals for all three, Eagles were back at work in Khan for math; were introduced to our new Mystery Writing challenge by Ms Abigail; and continued on their Detective Quest with hands on work collecting fingerprints and documenting a crime scene.
Our theme for the next four weeks is CELEBRATE!
Celebrate living in Austin; celebrate the holiday season; celebrate learning with friends at Acton Academy.
We started the day with dancing to Cool and the Gang – CELEBRATE!
Then we quickly settled into Core Skills, because fun and hard work aren’t mutually exclusive. All Eagles are now up to speed on Khan, with many approaching the 107 skills needed by semester break.
Towards the end of Core Skills, Claire and Jack held a Zombie story critique session with their with fellow writers and illustrators.
Then followed PE, lunch and Project Time with Ms Anna, where Eagles created new prototype games, in preparation for the public Acton Game Exposition to be held three weeks from Friday.
At closing group, the following exchange took place:
Guide: “What’s your biggest lesson learned on the first day back from Thanksgiving break?”
Eagle One: “It’s good to be back. It’s boring when school isn’t in session.”
Guide: ‘How many students in Austin do you think feel the same way?”
Eagle Two: “Fourteen.”
Eagle Three: “No, more like forty, because you have to count the (Acton Academy) elementary students too.”
No Boredom allowed. Fun. Hard work. Celebrating with friends.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
Are you more likely to be disappointed by your laptop or by your best friend? Does it feel worse to be disappointed, or to disappoint someone else? If you don’t keep yor commitments to the community, who are you letting down- your running partner or yourself? Tough questions met with candor and courage by our brave Eagles.
So, back to that laptop… or not. The middle school experimented with 30 minutes of Luddite time, focusing on (analog) reading and writing, before plugging in for their SMART goals,daily check-in and their online work. Collaboration reigned, writers brainstorming monster story plots and presenting drafts for informal peer critique, and math geniuses unleashing their exponential powers of encouragement.
Sometimes it’s Yurt time, and the MS is always grateful when that time rolls around. Ms. Laura launched with the news that scientists have discovered a powerful correlation between happiness and gratitude. After a quick survey of Thanksgiving fun facts, including info about the persuasive letter written to President Lincoln that helped make Thanksgiving a national holiday, students eagerly shared their family Thanksgiving traditions and had the opportunity to write their own letters of gratitude. Those that chose to tackle History Challenge #2 took us back to ancient Rome for some detailed analysis of similarities and differences between their culture and our own, and earned a treasure from the Yurt Treasure Box for their efforts and courage.
Ms. Anna launched today’s probability quest with a video addressing the Monty Hall problem. Initially as confused as the general populace, the Eagles has a collective Aha! / Eureka! moment as they absorbed the implications of the probability swap. Then they got to play games to further their insights, poor things. At the end of the day, Mr. Jeff asked: If you take a chance and lose, is it gambling or investing? What about if you take a chance and win? What if you break even?
Eagles will have a chance to test their hypotheses tomorrow afternoon, when the classroom is transformed into a casino, complete with free sparkling cider for all players. Do you have to be in it to win it? Who knows when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em, and can they back up their instincts with evidence?
And most importantly- who will hoarde/hold out out to cash their accrued chips in for an Eagle buck, and who will choose to spend them on donuts? All bets are off, from this blog’s point of view.