When You Feel Left Out
3/30/2019
We all have gone through life when, at some point, we feel left out. We have somehow felt how it is to be alone. When we move to a new school, new job, new city, even when we show up to a party, we try to find a friend we can talk to. Making friends or building relationships is human nature. At PNA, we recognize the importance of social emotional learning. We recognize that some kids may feel left out at school and we are also aware of the harm exclusion can do to a child’s self-esteem and emotional well-being. Through ACE Club (Academic & Character Enrichment), the topic of inclusion/exclusion was addressed with three goals: 1. Students will learn that exclusion is never OK. 2. Students will be given strategies on what to do when they feel left out. 3. Students will learn that they in charge of themselves. They can shield themselves from getting their feelings hurt. Kindergarten to 5th grade students were divided intro three multi-age groups. A book about a monster feeling left out called "You're Not My Friend" was read to the groups. The book led the discussions about how it looks like to exclude someone, how exclusion feels, and what can we do when we feel excluded. Sometimes children are excluded from friendships because they don’t know how to enter into social situations. So, after the read aloud, students were divided into multi-age small groups. They were given scenarios to act out strategies that will help children begin to learn some of these essential social skills. The scenarios introduce three skills:
Last but not the least, students were asked to fill out "The Hurt Feelings Shield". The activity gave students some things they have to remember to defend themselves against words or actions that hurt them. Teaching children how to manage their own hurt feelings will empower then as they experience situations such as being left out. Sometimes people say or do things that might hurt your child's feelings. When that happens, teach your child to imagine he or she is a knight that has a shield to defend himself or herself from people's hurtful words or actions.
Student Agency & Confidence
3/22/2019
Without a doubt, the big news for this week was Pacific Northern Academy's production of The Twilight Fairy Tales -- a show that originated with, and was written by, the kids here at PNA. The point of projects such as the show, and PBL in general, is to put creative freedom into the hands of the kids and give them agency over their environment. As anyone that attended the show could see, this has enabled them, as courageous and visionary learners, to put on a show that would dazzle their audience and instill them with a sense of pride. By allowing them to make the choices necessary to shape their own learning process, students develop a deep sense of commitment to the community and help to shape the culture of their own school. This encourages a growth mindset in students that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. The third, fourth and fifth grade gave it there all and, knowing that each and every detail counted to make a greater whole, there was no part too small. Together, our students took on roles as taxi drivers, princesses, police officers, and (lost) boy scouts, and friends of the protagonists. The performances were electric, the music rocked, and a great time was had by all in attendance! Miss Tabitha Day!After the whirlwind of a the show, the week ended on a bittersweet note -- Friday was Miss Tabitha's final day at PNA. Though there were a few tears shed, the students did their best to celebrate a brand new holiday here at PNA -- Miss Tabitha Day! Sadly, this past Friday was our own Miss Tabitha's last day and the third, fourth and fifth graders were there to hand over cards, flowers, chocolates, wishes and lots and lots of confetti. Things won't be quite so bright and cheerful around the school now that Miss Tabitha won't be around, but we wish her the best in her future endeavors! (And there was a rumor that she just might be returning for graduation...) One Last Thing...And, finally, we have some stunt work by two of PNA's resident fifth graders... just for fun! Brain Power
3/2/2019
Project-based learning focuses on preparing students to become successful in school and in life. Academic content and 21st century skills are the heart of any unit. Target Content: NGSS Standard: 4-LS1-2. Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on systems of information transfer). Target Skills: Students are expected to collaborate with a parent, create an activity that will answer the driving question, and present their product to the community. How were student learning and engagement maximized?
Students were deeply engaged and motivated because of the authenticity of this project. Students learned from content-area experts who shared their expertise on brain development, human anatomy, and the senses (specifically the eyes). These experiences challenged the students to go deeper or farther in their thinking. The experts were also able to bring models that doctors used in the real world.
Special THANKS to Dr. Botson (rheumatologist), Dr. Lorenz (ophthalmologist), and Dr. Howard (psychology professor) for generously sharing their time and expertise.
This project provides opportunities for sustained inquiry all throughout the unit using different information sources beyond the traditional idea of "research" - searching a website. Aside from consulting the experts, students also used multimedia, Brain Games, to gather more information and ideas.
Project Based Learning gives students real ownership of their work because they are given the choice and voice on their project. For this project, students' partnerships depended on student requests. Students were asked to choose 3 students they want to be partner/s with and the reasons why they think they would make the best partner/s for a quality project. Students were also given the autonomy to choose the activity they're going to present, as long as it answers the driving question.
Because students were given the choice and voice, they held themselves accountable in their work.
With Project Based Learning, students do not just receive feedbacks from teachers. Peer critique is a part of the process. Students were taught how to give and receive constructive feedbacks that will help them improve their project and learning.
What are the evidences of learning?
Public Product
Students had to present beyond the classroom which motivated them to produce high-quality work. 4th and 5th graders presented at the Loussac Public Library where they had parents from the Anchorage community as their audience. The social learning aspect is maximized because aside from presenting, they had to discuss and answer questions from strangers. Students had to include the following in the presentation: 1. Explain the process of information transfer (senses-brain-response process) 2. Teach the activity 3. Explain how the activity helps the brain
Here are some feedback from the audience:
Let's go back to the heart of this unit: the content knowledge and skills students are expected to learn. In this unit, the specific learning objective is for students to be able to demonstrate the following:
Evidences of learning include checkpoints, formative assessments, public presentations, and summative assessments.
So, what do you think about the process and the amount of concepts and skills students learned through PBL? Your feedback is welcomed.
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Jessica GrahamMs. Graham graduated from the University of Alabama with a BS in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, and is currently working on her master's in reading. She enjoys hiking, traveling, arts & crafts, and playing the ukulele. Archives
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