08/17/06

Much of today’s lessons are a continuation of the ideas from yesterday.

Cores 1+2:

1. Discuss-On: Discuss with at least two people your list of expectations. Try to agree on the two that you think are most essential. Be ready to share them out and have them written on the smart board.
2. Vote on the most essential expectations.
3. Re-Introduce my Classroom website, especially AR+ and explore all of its facets.

Core 3:

1. Turn-In: Perception Comparisons and list of promises/expectations.
2. As a class, talk about the classroom website. What did you find there that was interesting or useful. What questions do you need answered? How are you going to use this website in order to learn more or become a better language arts student?
3. Go into depth with AR+. Fill out AR contracts and look at other documents.

Core 4:

1. Discuss-On: Debate how essential each of our proposed expecations are and be ready to voice your opinion on them by voting electronically through the CPS.
2. As a class, talk about the classroom website. What did you find there that was interesting or useful. What questions do you need answered? How are you going to use this website in order to learn more or become a better language arts student?
3. Go into depth with AR+. Fill out AR contracts and look at other documents.

08/16/06

All of this is a continuation of yesterday.

Core 1:

1. Think/Discuss-On: How will writing these goals down and sending yourself an e-mail influence your actions in class?
2. Type up FutureMe.
3. What should our new set of classroom expectations be for this year based upon your goals? What should we all agree to because of who we want our future selves to be?
4. Come up with at least three expectations in groups.
5. Re-introduce AR+ and explore website (if time allows).

Core 2:

1. Think/Write-On: Read over your FutureMe. Think about how will you make sure that your present self becomes your future self. Write down the goals to get you point a (the beginning of eighth grade) to point b (the end of eighth grade and your FutureMe) Example.
2. Discuss and share goals and future selves as a class.
3. Type both future self and goal list into FutureMe.org.
4. How will writing these goals down and sending yourself an e-mail influence your actions in class?
5. What should our new set of classroom expectations be for this year based upon your goals? What should we all agree to because of who we want our future selves to be?
6. Develop a list of classroom expectations which makes sure that all of our goals will be met, not just the goals of some.

Core 3:

1. Act-On: Discuss with at least two people your list of expectations. Try to agree on the two that you think are most essential. Have one person from your group come up and write them on the smart board.
2. Discuss and vote upon which expecations should go onto the syllabus.
3. Introduce my Classroom Website and allow time for exploration.

Core 4:

1. Act-On: Discuss with at least two people your list of three actions. Try to agree on the three that you think are most essential. Have one person from your group come up and write them on the smart board.
2. As a class, format these actions into expectations for everyone to agree to.
3. Vote on the most essential expecations to go on the class syllabus.
4. Introduce my Classroom Website and allow time for exploration.

08/15/06

Cores 1-2 (8th graders):

1. Reorient students to the new setup.
2. Talk about the unique opportunity that Looping provides.
3. Introduce FutureMe:
1. First days are all about finding your footing again. You have been on the beautiful ocean of vacation for a couple months, and now it is time to step onto dry land again. As you get off of your well worn summer vessel,  your feet feel as though they are stepping through quicksand. Everything is shifting and swaying. Nothing seems real or easy. You were used to the rhythm of the waves, and it is going to take you a few days to lose that watery equilibrium.
2. In order to help this process along, I wanted to start off by looking ahead. Sure, we could look back and say, “We had a pretty good year last year, I think I am just going to coast by on that for this year.” But resting on your laurels is not an option when you are given a much better alternative: making this year even better.
3. I’ll admit, in some ways this year is a continuation of last year. You have most of the same teachers, and you are with most of the same students, but you are not the same person, and you won’t think the same way. So, acting like a 7th grade clone of yourself really isn’t a very good idea.
4. To make sure that our eyes become open to one another for the first time, to make sure that we never become stagnant within ourselves, and to make sure that we don’t become jerks or inarticulate slobs, we are going to participate in FutureMe.
5. FutureMe begins with looking at your future self. Who will you be at the end of 8th grade? Here is an example of what I am talking about.
6. You then need to think about who you are right now. How are you going to get from the present me to the FutureMe? Another example.
7. Once you have both of these things written down, you will be typing them into FutureMe.org. This is a web site that can send you an e-mail at anytime in the future that you want. I would like you to set it to send the end of the year (May 1st), so that you can compare who you thought you would be to who you actually became. When everyone receives their e-mail on the first of May, we will spend a class period laughing at how wonderfully right (and wrong) we were.
8. Collect hard copies of FutureMe.

Core 3-4:

1. Introduce concept of Write/Think/Draw/Discuss/Act-On:
1. How do your perceptions of the people around you affect the way you act?
2. Share out (with a partner) your perception words and images. Try and boil your how your partner does and does not want to be perceived into one essential statement.
3. Introduce your partner to the class and share the boiled down statement about how they want to be perceived.
4. What does it mean to make a promise to see each other better? How will it change your actions?
5. Make the promise on the smart board.
6. Introduce my classroom website.
7. Explore the website and write down any questions about what you find there.

08/14/06

Ideas for the first day:

1. Present how people see me vs. how I want to be seen. (talking about a fresh start).
2. Don’t talk at all. Play a song that fully represents me. Ask students to think about the one thing (a song, a book, a character, or a movie that most accurately represents them).
3. Introduce the concept of giftedness (the curve a la Jen Gottschalk).
4. Tour of the room for 7th graders going over all of the little areas of the room.

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