Still Learning Together...Apart
4/15/2020
The recent news that we will be finishing our 19-20 school year via distance learning was hard to hear. In a school community that strives for hands-on, face-to-face, multi-age, active learning, it’s sad to know we won’t get to be in the same space together until next school year. And yet we celebrate the learning that has continued to take place, even if it’s not in the most ideal circumstances.
We continued reading our novel, Fever 1793, learning about how that illness ravaged Philadelphia and realizing that our modern medicine and conveniences make us very lucky indeed. There are many new words to encounter in an historical novel such as this. We have a whole different idea of what the “necessary” is, and “dittany tea” is something none of us has tried! We are nearing the end of the novel and are eager to see what Mattie's life is like in the aftermath of the yellow fever epidemic. In science we have been watching some bean seeds in an enclosed plastic bag of water to see where plants get the material they need to grow. We weighed our bag at the beginning of our experiment on March 31 and have observed the changes for two and a half weeks. We were wondering: what will the weight of the bag be at the end? Will it decrease, increase, or stay the same? After a very slow and uneventful beginning, our ‘long distance” science experiment observations finally picked up the pace this week. And our question was answered: the weight of our baggie was the same at the end of our experiment. We are pondering what this means and what this teaches us about where our plants got the material they needed to grow... it certainly wasn't soil!! We also finished trying our hand at scientific illustrations. We've been learning about food webs, and students chose a habitat and created beautiful watercolor food web illustrations. Each day we connect with each other online using videoconferencing. We play games; share "good things;" discuss our assignments; use whiteboards, thumbs up, head nods, and our voices to show our learning and understanding; ask questions; and try on new personas. We value the chance to see and hear each other and to add to our shared experiences. We may be finishing our school year from a distance, but we are still learning together! |
Elizabeth FerryMs. Ferry's experiences include teaching with the Peace Corps in Tanzania, teaching high school English in Maine, and this is her second year at PNA. She loves moose, outdoor activities, and being with her students. Archives
April 2021
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