We have begun the repeated drawing of an outline map of the world, with the goal of students being able to do it without using any resource beyond their memory. We’ll practice about ten times, gradually taking away the printed map from which they’re now copying. We’ll also increase the size of the drawing to fill an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper. 

Bill Nye educated and entertained today via his “Archeology” video that includes footage of present and past dig sites, pictographs along the Deschutes River, dumpster diving by Bill himself (and professional analysis and interpretation of the “artifacts” found there), a simple, clear explanation of Carbon-14 dating, and lots and lots of shards and tiny fragments that may add to “the big picture.”

Student Council elections were the highlight today, as three students in the morning class and three other students in the afternoon class did their best to woo their potential constituents to vote them into the one representative spot per class. The candidates told their classmates: 1) their experience working in groups; 2) why & how they’d be a good representative for their Block; and 3) two things they’d bring to Student Council to improve Monroe. They each then answered three random (unscripted) questions from the audience. The secret ballot voting and counting was quick, with Chris and Sam winning their respective Block class positions.

As announced before and after this election, there are some “at-large” positions available for students who really want to be on Student Council but didn’t get elected (or who chose not to run, etc.).  Application forms are available in the front office, and are submitted directly to Principal Tromba, who then invites those he chooses to join the Council.

The first significant and visible action that Student Council undertakes is the Fall Food Drive that provides “Care packages” for Monroe families near Thanksgiving time. Councilors will inform, organize, and inspire their classmates to donate what they can to help.

Continuing today with learning to complete the Home Reading form correctly, and this week’s ROOTS “aqua.”

Day 2 of “Oh Susannah” the mixer dance, and it’s looking like we might indeed wear plastic food-serving gloves or latex so that kid hands can actually touch kid hands, that is, so girl hands can touch boy hands in this simple American folk dance. Still waiting for the first brave ones to laugh and grab hands and dance up a storm. We’ll see . . .

Second day with the vocabulary portfolios, gluing in a few more pages. And a ten-minute info session about OBOB, Student Council, & clubs.

The afternoon class partook (partaked?) and enjoyed chocolate toes a la Primrose. Will her other lost digit be similarly macabre??? Students can clarify . . .

Today in class we read Waffle and the chapter was called “I lose a toe.” EWWWW!!! Then we turned in our Home Reading in-class practice sheets with the drawings that we started yesterday.

I had lots of fun with ANTISOCIAL writing. And we got our pictures—lots of people didn’t like them but people LOVED their ID’s! And that’s what happened today.

Today’s entry written by Jada

Handwriting practice (the last one), ROOTS “anti” (the first one), Waffle and the in-class practice & “how-to” on the Home Reading form [the chapter in which there's a bit of an unusual accident—and result—and a gift of chocolate cashews is described as being possible macabre], and TopoQuest & Design an Island. Lots to do, not enough time, so there’s some more HW, as there’ll be tomorrow.

The recording of limericks continues, albeit slowly. Here are a few more [sorry, but you have to click the "Back" button of your browser twice to get back to this page after listening]:

 Eva1       Jada1       James1      KJ1       Taylor1       Evelyn1        Gabe1        Jordan1       Kobe1       Nic1 

Today students wrote their map labels in ink, rather than just pencil, as ink is the standard for final copies of maps, most writings, and the outlining of some illustration. We also watched the Five Themes . . . film a second time, so 2-3 students could mostly just watch all the images and listen (rather than furiously taking notes); and so 5-6 students could add the pictures/graphics to their text notes.

Students also got a first look at gradesheets. I consider today a “practice” day, as I told students how to use the gradesheets and interpret what’s told by them, and what to do and how to do it, with the goal of improving their grades (or maintaining their A’s and A+’s. The plan is to print them again tomorrow—with the hope that students will really see that turning in and/or fixing assignments really does positively affect their grades. Finally on Thursday I will send home a gradesheet that parents need to view and sign (for student credit); that copy—and web-grades—will be the 3  1/2 week progress report that we teachers are working on Friday afternoon [I will add in any assignments that are turned in Friday, and update the web-grades then].

The first, and short, version of TopoQuest today—geographical land- and water-forms such as rivers, mountains, atolls, archipelagos, plateaus, etc.

Alexis1