This week we explored aspects of film making, specifically shots and framing. The students will be applying their understanding of this in their stop-motion animations. We began with watching this video from Pixar and Khan Academy on The Art of Storytelling. After learning about how filmmakers think about shots and framing, we watched part of an episode of Our Planet, a documentary on Netflix, noting the shots and framing they used.
From here, students began creating storyboards, considering the part of the story they wanted to tell in each frame and which shot would best convey that.
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This week we spent time in the woods on a nature hike with Shawn Severance, a naturalist at County Farm Park. We began with the idea that we were looking for "stories in the snow." Shawn shared with us ways to distinguish different animal tracks. There are subtle differences between some of them so we had to look closely when observing. It was amazing to learn all the information we could gather from the different tracks, including what kind of animal it was and how it was moving. We also learned that wild canids,
A part of our project work this week focused on the concept of biomimicry, which is a design process whereby humans look to nature to find solutions to current problems. Because nature has been solving problems related to food, water, shelter, and waste management for millions of years, humans can look to these for inspiration. Our exploration included viewing a series of videos that provided examples of biomimicry in action. Examples include familiar objects like velcro, sonar and radar, as well as potential projects related to bacteria or carbon sequestration. One video highlighted the ways in which oak groves can inspire the way we design buildings in order to withstand damage from hurricanes.
We also welcomed Shawn Severance from County Farm Park to the school for a walk on reading the landscape. Our focus this week was on two periods, the Devonian and the Upper Paleolithic. The students were surprised to learn that during the Devonian period, Michigan was covered with a sea filled with coral and other aquatic life. They examined fossils and learned about the coelacanth, a fish that could be found in Michigan during that period that many people thought were extinct. This living fossil was later found off the coast of South Africa in 1938.
We also viewed a map that showed where glaciers covered parts of Michigan and the paths they took as they receded. The impact of the glaciers can't be overstated as they brought healthy soil to the area, particularly Ann Arbor. Native peoples here followed mastodon trails, hunting them. Surprisingly, we can still see evidence of these trails today as Michigan Ave remains a major transportation route. We welcomed Matt Grocoff from Veridian at County Farm to learn more about the project. We talked a bit about the history of that land, both recent as the site of a juvenile detention center and more distant as a place where mammoths may have roamed, feasting on the pods of honey locusts. Another aspect of our discussion was the ways in which the Veridian neighborhood differs from other traditional suburban neighborhoods, modeling some of its features on natural elements. To get them thinking about this, Matt asked:
"How is a building like a tree?" "How is a neighborhood different from a forest?" Biomimicry is a central element to the Veridian project and we will be spending more time looking into how nature solves problems and how that can inform the way we satisfy our needs for food, energy, water, buildings, transportation and waste management. Part of our project worked included a read-aloud of How Cities Work, a detailed picture book describing the evolution of cities, from early villages to those of the possible future. The students noted changes over time, including roads which enabled trade and travel, a reduction in green spaces, replaced instead by buildings and the importance of water throughout. Ways of providing power were also noted as factories were accompanied by alternative approaches including solar and wind. One aspect of the book that the students particularly enjoyed was the way flaps revealed the inner workings of many of these systems, including skyscrapers being built as well as the way water is provided throughout the city. We also used this book as an opportunity to talk about the features of informational texts, including titles and subheadings. Because maps will play a significant role in the project, we also gauged their understanding of maps and their various features. The students shared the following thoughts:
Maps are.................... "Works of Art" "Like a diagram" "Show you where you are and where to go" "Signify the journey ahead" The features they described included the following:
We also focused on the ideas of location and place with "location" describing where something was and "place" describing what it was like to be there. The students made maps of SK and nearby places. We then walked the grounds, orienting ourselves on our maps and adding details that we felt made our school unique or provoked emotions. Examples included the chicken coop, the crosswalk, the greenhouse, the soccer field and forts. The purpose of this was to help them begin to connect maps to their experiences of location and place. We will be revisiting the school grounds as well as the Veridian site with different lenses in the future. One topic that we will be exploring as a part of our project work is water and we spent time this week reviewing the water cycle both through discussion and illustration as well as a game. In the game, students were raindrops and stationed at various places in the room, including the Huron River, Bird Hills, clouds and a storm drain (among others.) Students then rolled a die to determine where they would go next. If they were in a cloud they might fall into the Huron or Bird Hills. If they were in Bird Hills, they might be absorbed by a plant or animal. The storm drain differed in that it only led to the Huron River. While some considered this a good thing, we talked about the problems as run-off collects pollutants and debris along the way to the drain. This has a negative effect on our river. After sharing their individual paths, they completed the second round with one minor change. The storm drain was swapped out and replaced with a rain garden. This replacement meant less run-off in the river and instead, it was captured and stored onsite where it could be used by plants and animals or as groundwater, thus benefiting people and ecosystems. This week we visited with urban planners to learn more about how they approach their work and the thinking behind the decisions and plans they make. We began at City Hall where we were shown the various elements of the building that capture rainwater and prevent runoff during heavy storm events. These included rain gardens and permeated pavers. A living roof also catches and stores rainwater and also reduces the need for air conditioning during the warmer months.
From there, we walked over to Kerrytown where we took note of the various changes they made to accommodate multiple types of users. Pictures of Kerrytown prior to redevelopment made it easier to see the changes. Seeing that the street was difficult to cross and designed mainly for car use, the planners designed for bike lanes and a median strip that made crossing the streets for pedestrians much easier. Seating was also added so that people, including students from Community High, could gather. We ended the trip with a walk through the farmer's market where students sampled local produce and were taught how to make bread pudding by a local chef from Zingerman's Cornman Farms. Students reflected on the trip through a group discussion followed by individual writing or drawing of an element they connected with, describing what it was and how it benefited the community or the environment. The trip served as an introduction to a project we will be working on that focuses on the built environment and its effects on people and the natural environment. This past week, the students ventured to TreeRunner, an aerial forest park, in West Bloomfield. They spent the day on various ropes courses, testing their limits and overcoming fears as they climbed, crossed and zip-lined between the trees. The experience is a great way for students to learn about themselves and connect with others as they climb together, offering advice and support for each other.
It was a whirlwind of a first week (as always) with students reconnecting and getting to know and settling into a new space.
We introduced ourselves to each other through a game involving the students sitting in a circle and saying our names. From here, the students were given a ball. They would say the name of one student and then throw/roll the ball to that student. This would continue with a different student until each had thrown and caught a ball. The second round continued like the first as they were required to maintain the order of the previous round. An extra challenge was posed with the addition of more balls to the circle. Students had to be listening to hear their names and continue the order. As a way of learning more about each other and our space, the students completed two scavenger hunts. The first focused on our space and where they could locate items they would need throughout the year. The second focused on finding people in the class with different interests including different sports, music or art. The students also shared with each other who they are as readers by bringing in a favorite book, sharing a little about it and what drew them to it by completing the sentence, "This book is for someone who......" Some examples included books for people who love mysteries or silliness or graphic novels or history. As a group, we talked about the ways we want to interact with each other and our space. One framework we use when thinking about this is The P.E.A.C.E. Plan, created by Ryan Brown at The U School. The core principles are as follows: Play and be safe Everything gets respect Awareness Communication Eudaimonia (This one we modified from Experience the Fun) We discussed what these meant as a class and will be creating posters that reflect our understanding and remind us of how we want to treat each other and our space. During homeroom we discussed language and learning, considering how we develop our abilities to speak by imitating those around us. What begins as initial sounds and approximations of words transforms over time into words imbued with meaning. While this all seems trivially true, we often don't think of taking the same approach to writing. Some of our work around writing this year will include studying the structure of sentences written by famous children's authors and creating our own that mimic these structures. 3rd-graders focused on "chunking" sentences with the idea being that sentences are composed of individual clusters of meaning. 4th-graders discussed how paragraphs are like trees, with the roots being the idea in your head and the sentences, like branches extending from the trunk. They then read through paragraphs and selected possible titles from a provided selection. We will continue the work next week in a small group where students will explain their thinking behind their selections. Math We spent the week with some students continuing their work in their Singapore books from the previous year while others worked on assessments. Once they reached their goals for the day, the played math games. Popular ones included Prime Climb and Zeus on the Loose. |
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