Dear Parents, Today I was such a lucky teacher because it is what I call the "Classroom Magic day," the sort of day when everything just sort of brims with magical-ness. Let me tell you about what happened... By now you have probably heard that we took a trip to Borneo where we explored the rainforest, just narrowly avoiding the python; walked on the moon and glimpsed the Earth from far away; and dove deep beneath the ocean to swim with jellyfish. It was pretty amazing, and we did it all before 10:00 a.m. so while your day may have been busy, ours was... Well... Other-worldly! We were incredibly lucky to have the Google Expedition visit us. If you want to know what it was like ask your clever learner! As you can imagine, it was hard to bring their focus back to J3T after such excitement, and I thought I would never be able to top that experience, and then I gave out the new homework menu. After 45 minutes of interrogation- I mean, inquiries, the children seemed okay with the fact that they didn't have to complete "a bunch of worksheets," as they said. I really wish I had recorded the session, as it was full-on: "Is this for real? You mean, I get to choose? You mean, I get to play- WITH MY GROWN-UP? Like, THEY HAVE TO PLAY because it's homework?" When I said that they could expand the homework and do more if they wanted to, the room went a bit crazy. The interrogation turned to: Can I write stories? Well, what if I want to write LOOOONG stories, with pictures? What if I want to make a commercial or a movie? Can I make videos teaching someone how to do the math homework? What if I wanted to build TWO things that helped kids, and make a video telling about it? Can I do that? Can I write book reviews? What about a class newspaper to tell about current events? What if I want to complete the whole chart- are you going to be upset? Finn very definitively said: "This is the best homework ever!" with many children making the sign for "me too!" You are thinking that it doesn't get better than this, right? Well... There's more. I told the interrogators that I was giving them homework journals to record their work, and when I told them that they could do extra research for our unit, write stories, letters- anything connected to our learning, Dia said: "Well, if we get to do all of that great extra stuff, shouldn't it be called something better than a homework journal? Shouldn't you call it a Thought Book?" And just like that, our Thought Book was born. Anthony loved that he was assigned to play games with his Mom, and Anna thought it was super cool that she talk about current events. Dia wanted to write more stories and Adil liked having time for research. Maxime liked the idea of building and Viktor liked having choice. Leo was a bit concerned that I wasn't giving enough work, and Abby wanted to be certain that I would still give math or other work if they felt like they needed it. I think it is pretty safe to say that the home study menu was well received, and perhaps it is just their 8/9 year old big dreams and ambitions speaking, but it seems that, freed from worksheets and traditional homework practice, our learners might just start being more inventive and creative with their time. I am so exited about that, and cannot wait to see what comes back to me! Last Friday we had a visit with Sanjli Gidwaney, the US director of Design for Change. We have been asked to help model and document this innovative service learning approach to be shared with teachers in training at Harvard, and the children are excited to help out! If you would like to come in to talk about work that you do- even if it is volunteer- to help make the world a better place, please reach out! This week we will continue along in our ongoing units from last week. New is the introduction of the happiness habit: Look for the Wow. Ask your child to explain that wonderful strategy to you! Important Dates:
- All students are encouraged to wear traditional/cultural/fancy dress to celebrate their familial history and culture. Please remember to send along sensible footwear, so you child can safely play outside and move around the school. - There will be a UN Day parade for the whole Junior School and the morning will finish with a breakfast in our classroom. The morning will end at 9:40am, so the children can make it out to their play time at9:45am. - All parents are requested to contribute a small plate of food to share. - Before we start eating families will be encouraged to describe to a small group what they have brought in to share (name and ingredients) and why they have brought it in. - I'll reiterate Dr. Collier’s and Craig's words and remind you all that UNIS is an “Allergy Aware” school. Please refrain from bringing in foods that contain tree nuts, peanuts and/or seeds of any kind. I am sure you will hear from our class parents, Laura and Scott regarding what to bring!
That's it from me! I will leave you with one of my favourite TED talks that helps bring "Look for the Wow" into context. Sincerely, Ms. Erin M. Threlfall
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SnapshotsA peek at life inside of J3T , curated by Ms. Erin M. Threlfall Archives
June 2016
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