Museum Musings
4/29/2018
I’ve always been a fan of museums. When I travel for work or recreation, I try to visit at least one local museum wherever I go, and I am always thrilled and inspired. Seeing the actual Emancipation Proclamation, an original Gutenberg bible, Thomas Jefferson’s study, Captain Cook’s maps, Van Gogh’s original art, Julia Child’s kitchen…. I’m always awe-struck that I am standing in front of THE actual objects that I’ve read about. Each museum I visit teaches me and broadens my view of the world. In a 1999 lecture, the late Emmanuel N. Arinze, President of the Commonwealth Association of Museums stated that museums “hold the cultural wealth of the nation in trust for all generations and by their function and unique position, have become the cultural conscience of the nations.” And Joan Wages, president and CEO of the National Women’s History Museum says that, "Museums ensure understanding and appreciation for various groups and cultures. They promote better understanding of our collective heritage and foster dialogue, curiosity, and self-reflection. Further, they serve to help future generations comprehend their history and recognize the achievements of those who came before them.” Our most recent class project, our Museum of European History and Culture, was designed to give students a chance to demonstrate what they have learned and to practice critical ELA and social studies skills, but also to develop an understanding and appreciation for museums and their role in our society. Students visited the Anchorage Museum of History and Art to talk with staff and examine various exhibits. They discussed and reflected on their experiences at other museums. They practiced some initial display skills with their African region bulletin boards, and three weeks ago they embarked on creating their own museum exhibits about a European country of their choice. The topics and styles of exhibits that students created are wide-ranging and unique. Students’ individual cultures and interests influenced the focus of their work, and in many cases, their student voice shines through in a way that we rarely see. The process of researching, planning, developing, and finalizing took over our class schedule for these weeks, crossing subject area boundaries as students immersed themselves in the work of being museum curators. They were excited, engaged, curious. They built and rebuilt; tested and re-tested; elaborated and refined. For our opening reception for parents, students baked and cooked and dressed in their finest to welcome their first visitors. They feverishly worked right up until the moment the doors opened, and then proudly shared their work. It’s been interesting to watch visitors of various ages come through and explore the museum… and to watch our students interact with them and observe them. Our student curators are already seeing changes they would make and refinements they would consider as they see their exhibits in action with an authentic audience. Some actually have made adjustments or additions based on what they’ve seen and heard. When middle school students engage in this kind of revision, we rejoice! With only one more school day before our museum closes we have already begun to talk about next year. The seventh graders will have another chance to be museum curators and they are ready for the challenge. Thank you to all of you who visited and honored their work! Springtime in Alaska!
4/16/2018
Here in Alaska, when the sun shines, we try to get outside. Last week was no different. The melting snow has given way to the soggy ground that we hope to develop in Ruth Arcand Park making it easier to envision the plans that we have been working on all winter.
Students reflected on this lengthy project earlier in the week. Here is some of what they had to say: I have learned that it takes so much longer to design and put a park together then I thought it would. When we first learned about the project in 6th grade I thought, oh cool we get to design a park?! I had imagined that we would design the park, hire people to build it, find enough money for the project, and just build the park in the woods. I never imagined that it would require applying for grants, going to community meets, collaborating with all these different organizations, and I never imagined it would cost so much! I think this is the most important thing I have learned because it shows that we live in reality and not everything is easy. Everything requires work. - Maya The most important thing I’ve learned during the project is that it’s a lot more fun to work on something when you’re doing it for a cause. With the park project, we are trying to develop the park so that it benefits everyone in the community, not for self pleasure. - Keno I think that the best work that I have done with this project so far is when I worked on writing out the speech/script that we would present at the community council meeting. A group of us stayed in for recess so that we could finish it and perfect it before the meeting that night. I was really proud of how it turned out and I was glad that the people there liked our idea. - Lilly The most important thing I’ve learned doing this project is how difficult it is to make something happen that changes the community. It takes a lot of time and effort to think of ideas and plans, and you have to get a lot of approval and help from other people. It’s not something you can just do in a day. - Tully The most important thing I learned was that no matter what you do, it takes time. Even if the task is boring, you have to push through it. Many times during the park project, I would want to be doing something else like science. Also it helped that I was surrounded by friends, it made the project go by faster. Also this gave me a look into what the real world is like. As kids, often times we are given a sugar coated version of problems. When we were faced with problems, they were not sugar coated, and we had to face them. - Debra Look for these reflections and a complete display of the project in the alcove by the gym. Project Paradise
4/6/2018
While the standardized tests from the Education Records Bureau (ERB) have been the focus of our mornings this week, projects have been the focus of the afternoons. AUCTION PROJECTS In the science lab, two beautifully built benches (Trevor Howell) are being exquisitely painted by seventh graders under the watchful eye of Suzanne Farley. A slow and meticulous process, this project has been as each layer of paint needs to completely dry before the next can be applied. One of these benches will be placed in Ruth Arcand Park as an extension of their Park Project (see below). Meanwhile, Debra and Paris have been working on the eighth grade project - experimenting with dyes on silk, using resist with different applicators, mixing colors, and deciding which type of brushes and strokes will provide the best look. Their project is a silk painted room divider with design a la Debra. (A little known fact is that Ms. Mariner has the perfect place for this room divider in her house….) IN CLASS PROJECTS Next week is our week to debut the Ruth Arcand Park Project - even though it is not complete. This HUMONGOUS project has been our main “science” focus since spring break now that we finally have some plans approved and can get to work! Students have been creating a website that can keep the public updated on the status of the park as well as promoting community work days and providing contact information. While this website is still under construction, we will give you a sneak peak: Students have also been reflecting on the process of this project and helping to write the explanations that will be used in the project alcove display next week. In social studies, students have been doing their own research on a country in Europe so that they can showcase their learning through a museum project the week after next.
With all these projects happening at once, students amazingly seem to take it all in stride. When they were asked to explain what they like about PNA to a prospective student on Tuesday, many of them said, “...working on projects with others.” In a week like this one, that was music to our ears! Reading Matters...
4/1/2018
Research and experience continually affirm this important truth: the more students read, the more they succeed. Reading regularly, for pleasure, is positively correlated with most of the metrics for success we know: mature and varied vocabulary; writing skill; content and cultural knowledge; moral compass; perseverance and “grit;” college and career readiness; even success on standardized tests. (See the infographic below.) Reading literature of all kinds has deeper benefits than these for our maturing students: by entering a character’s world they practice facing difficult situations and challenges and can begin to safely work out for themselves who they are and how they would respond. Moral dilemmas and conundrums; tough relationships with friends and family; the highs and lows of adolescence; all these crop up on every page. As our students read daily, respond creatively and thoughtfully, and discuss their reading with each other, they sort out their own feelings and ideas and take those steps closer to independence. While we will spend class time reading for a wide variety of purposes, especially informational text, it’s important that students are taking time each day to read novels: building stamina, fluency, and vocabulary as they read ever more complex literature. This means that students are expected to read novels outside of class for 20-30 minutes daily, at least 5 times a week. This might happen right after school; in the car on the way to practice; at night before going to sleep; or even in the morning during breakfast. These past couple of weeks students have begun to record their outside-the-class reading in our Reading Status of the Class. This accountability helps them make sure that they are making reading a priority in their day. Each week they are also asked to respond to their reading: in conversations with peers; in informal reading letter in Google Classroom; and this week, through their choice of creative response. Creating these responses pushes students to think more deeply about what they’ve read and exposes them to others’ thinking and ideas. Students must think about their own reading processes, uncover confusion, and clarify understanding. Here are a few tidbits from last week’s responses… "Once I read the first half again, I felt as though the story was moving very, very slowly. Eventually I gave up the book, because although the plot was interesting, the characters were not, in my opinion, and they acted stereotypical.” "This book surprised me greatly by how the author played with the words with such an abstract and creative style. Most books I don’t have to think much on what the author means in their phrasing, but with Mafi’s book I had to take multiple looks to truly understand her voice.” "Of course reading it was a little sad because when I read a book or series the main character is the center of the story, so it is hard to process what is going to happen next now that they're gone” "I wish the author had written the book with more likable characters. You can tell that the author didn't really like the characters either. If I don't start actually enjoying this book soon, I think I'll quit.” "It was one of those books that you can never put down and you just need to devour it as fast as you can.” “...I like these quotes because I think they really show what Meredith is feeling. And after these messages from her grandmother, I can really see Meredith start to, I guess I could say, mature. I personally really enjoy this book and would recommend it." As you can see, our students are discerning and demanding readers! What are you reading these days!?
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Sarah Mariner
Ms. Mariner earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Colorado State University, and was awarded a teaching certificate through the University of Alaska, Southeast. Her varied background includes being an environmental education field instructor in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. She also served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Archives
April 2021
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