A Legacy Project is a collaborative art installment created by the oldest class on campus and gifted to the school at the end of the year. A Legacy project is student centered and can help maintain student connections to their school long after their gone. Students have an opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills through their collaborative efforts that over time create a colorful and inviting place for others to enjoy. The amount of time and effort put into a Legacy Project reflects student investment in their school that sets an example for their younger peers and leaves a lasting visual mark!
Last year was the first year we started the 8th Grade Legacy Project. The Class of 2014 designed and constructed six tile mosaic installations that are centered around our School Pillars (Critical Thinking, Shared Leadership, Cultural Awareness, Global Thinking, Tech Savvy).
These colorful mosaics hang at the beginning our the LEA Hallway
This year the class of 2015 is collaborating on life-sized Chess Pieces that can be played on the Life-Sized Chess board created by PFAA Senior, Christopher Skinner. Why Chess? Chess is an integral part of the 6th grade culture. Students learn about the origin of Chess, learn to play the game and continue playing long after 6th grade in Chess Club. Chess is a "Thinker's Game" that is played globally so the ability to cultivate a culture of students that have the skills necessary to play the game is something to continue to promote and celebrate!
The Chess Board and pieces will help to keep the game vital within the LEA Program as it will not only serve as a public piece of art but will serve as a gathering place for NCS students and faculty. Each individual piece will be hand crafted and signed by a group of students for others to play and admire. Our goal is to have the Chess pieces finish and board operable by Open house! Pictures below highlight our progress so far.
PFAA Senior Christopher Skinner instructing students on creating a chess piece form out of chicken wire.
Life-sized Chess board outside of Ms. Meindl's Room!
Collaborative Chess Piece Form
Lot's of problem went into forming the chess pieces!
Students had to work as a team to form the chess piece properly.
Students were sharing ideas left and right as they were forming their chess piece.
Students use mental visualization nearly every time they read. Imagining what characters look like, picturing historical events in history and viewing the vast geography of our world. Visualization is a proven technique that can bring better understanding of what one is reading by simply employing the imagination to visualize the content in which is being read.
Why not formally teach Visualization to students as a life skill for goal setting? We took visualization practices one step further and did just that in Expressions. Students are in the heart of our Pop Art Unit and just began a project where they will utilize math skills to construct a 3 dimensional piece of cake. Yes, a piece of cake!
Part of the lesson focused on where the phrase "piece of cake" came from and the concept behind what it means to say “that is a piece of cake!” Taking the idiom one step further, we discussed things that are “a piece of cake” and the power of our brain’s influence on tasks that we perceive as easy as well as tasks that our brain perceives as hard or challenging.
Students were asked to brainstorm personal and academic goals they have set for themselves and how their brain perceives these goals...are the goals I have set for myself going to be "a piece of cake" or do they seem unattainable? Students watched a Visualization video on the positive influence that mental imagery has on a gymnast when she is performing her bar routine. This video really "hooked" the kids and opened a great class discussion. Students were then challenged to answer these essential questions:
1. Why is it important to set goals for oneself?
2. How can forming mental images help achieve goals?
3. How can mental imagery help make positive changes?
4. How can mental imagery overcome challenges in one's life?
I asked students to select one goal to focus on from our brainstorm session and then turned off the lights in the room. Students closed their eyes, laid on the floor or put their head down on the table, and listened to my verbal prompts on breathing techniques. They were prompted to create an "I will" statement set to their goal and mentally visualizing themselves achieving their goal. Now, I knew several students would be open to this exercise, but it is still a Middle School classroom after all, so I was prepared for a few snickers and giggles. I turned on classical music and read through a series of prompts relating to breathing, visualizing themselves achieving their goal and repeating their "I will" statement. This exercise was set for ten minutes and I was absolutely stunned when NOT ONE snicker or giggle erupted throughout the entire lesson!
We ended the visualization exercise with feedback and discussed feeling and outcomes on the power of mental visualization to achieve goals. Students were amazingly positive and open to the power of positive thinking and visualizing their goals being achieved. By show of hands, all but five kids plan to continue these learned visualization techniques to help them achieve their goals, many of which relate to confidence and passing upcoming portfolio presentations! Who knew that getting students to be open to the powers of visualization and positive mental imagery would be such a Piece of Cake?!
I love literature circles. I love how students get to pick what they want to read and then have authentic conversations about their books. I love the community building that happens in my classroom every time I introduce them. That said, I always struggle with what to have students actually DO with their reading. What is the product after they finish? Is it always an essay? Or can it be something that will go beyond the classroom and build upon the pillars we organize our curriculum around (in this case: Technical Savvy, Building Partnerships/Leadership, Global Thinking)?
After attending a workshop presented by Writing Project Teacher Consultant and NCS Administrator Kirsten Spall, I was inspired to try an RSA video project with my 8th graders after they finished their survival themed literature circle books. This project would enable students to utilize their tech skills, as well as build partnerships and collaboration skills. The driving question in this unit was: How can you create a professional video that engages a real world audience and teaches the survival skills presented in a novel?
At the beginning of the unit, I introduced that students would need to create an animated video that teaches an audience how to survive whatever challenging situation their book posed. Students had to work together to brainstorm and storyboard their films and then they got a week to film and edit their videos. Here is an example from last year:
However, once they created their awesome videos and we watched them as a class, I felt that it didn't go far enough to reach a larger audience. This year, I made a few changes to the unit to improve the Global Thinking aspect.
I added a few more books to the book list, including Joelle Charbonneau's The Testing. Elsa Ouvrard-Prettol, our fabulous librarian, offered to organize a skype session with the author and students were able to ask her questions. This was an awesome experience for our students. They were able to ask about her writing process, how much writers make, and get advice for young writers.
8th graders skyping with the author of Joelle Charbonneau, author of The Testing.
As students planned their RSA videos, they used google docs or padlet to collaboratively brainstorm and storyboard their ideas. They will be creating their videos next week and when they finish and publish them, I will be uploading them to youtube and tweeting examples out to reach a larger audience.
The 8th Grade Students just completed a Graffiti Project that was centered around the following questions:
Is Graffiti a valid form of artistic or political expression?
Does Graffiti contribute to a sense that a neighborhood is blighted?
Can Graffiti be a positive influence on city life, or is it always detrimental?
Who decided what is good Graffiti, and what is bad?
Can different sides of the Graffiti debate come to a consensus on its validity?
The objective of this project was for the 8th grade Expressive Arts Students to step into the shoes of a Graffiti Artist to gain a better perspective of the art form in order to make informed judgments whether or not Graffiti is art or vandalism. Students began by investigating Graffiti within their community and the greater Sacramento area. They then selected a word of their choice and created digital graffiti using graffiticreator.net. They used a screenshot of their digital graffiti and replicated the digital graffiti design by hand “stepping into the shoes” of a graffiti artist. Using acrylic paint, students carefully applied blending techniques to create a gradient color effect for their letter designs and layered effects.
This project was a total success with 100% student engagement and effort poured into every last detail or their artwork right down to their artist signature. Student reflections in the form of QR Codes prove that their artistic process has been used to interpret as opposed to judging artistic intention and meaning in original works of art. This project is one example of how art can be used to teach tolerance.
California along with other states across the country finally has adopted new, modernized science standards: Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). I've been updating my curriculum and classroom practices as a result of these new standards that are designed to mesh well with CCSS's emphasis on critical thinking.
One standard that I am especially excited about is "Gather and synthesize information thatsensory receptorsrespond to stimuli bysending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories." (MS-LS1-8) This standard is exciting to me because it gives students the opportunity to learn about the brain and how they learn. Like all good PBL, it lends itself to the "real world" very well with connections to students' everyday life. On the first day of our studies, we close-read an article, What you should know about your brain, together by Judy Willis, a neurologist turned classroom teacher. Students were asked to find specific strategies that Willis claims helps memory storage. For example, we learned that students could help information travel past the R.A.S. (reticular activating system) by doing things like making sure they have had enough sleep and reviewing information in a fun way such as while throwing all ball with friends. The article was packed with information about the parts of the brain connected with memory storage and ideas to more effectively use these systems.
This was the perfect jumping off point for an investigation focusing on the driving question: How can we optimize our learning? Working in small teams, students each developed a testable question. Here are some they chose:
Does tossing a ball during review affect test performance?
Will getting less sleep negatively affect your scores?
Will visualizing a peaceful atmosphere help improve students' memory?
Students had a week to collect data. Then, we shared findings in class, presenting mini-conference style with one member from each group staying back at a Chromebook to present a slideshow to students from other teams. During a reflection on Schoology after, I asked students about the experience. Here are some responses to one of the questions, What is the most important thing you learned from our studies about the brain? Here are some responses:
"The most important thing I learned was to stay healthy and to remain calm. Also, that you CAN get smarter."
"I think the most important thing that I learned is that the more you take care of you brain the more you will succeed."
"In this unit I have learned so much on how to help my brain do better in school and while doing other activities as well. I think one of the most important things learned in this unit was how to help it do better. While learning the anatomy about the brain was interesting and all, I think that most of us will use the findings from the brain investigations in real life to give us an advantage in school and life. This was a very cool and interesting mini-unit."
"PBL is a set of learning experiences and tasks that guide students in inquiry toward answering a central question, solving a problem, or meeting a challenge."(PBL Starter Kit, 2009)
8th Grade students reflected on a science concept of their choice and created video projects that identified a problem and interpreted information beyond surface learning. Nolan, Ethan, and Kenneth wanted to show the effects of deforestation and how it effects us for generations to come.
How can students culminate a project? How about a website! So that our 8th grade students could better understand philanthropy and the importance of civic responsibility they were asked to address one issue or concern either through an advocacy campaign, a fundraiser, or by donating their time to a cause and present their findings in the format of a website.
Students investigated global issues through five main themes, listed below. They chose one theme to plan and carry out a service project related to that issue.
Diversity Community: Who Is My Neighbor?
Environment: Sustaining Our World
Global Education: Why Learn?
Global Health: Hunger and Food around the Globe
Issues of Global Finance: Investing in Others
Student Reflections (click title to view projects)...
"Me, Brooklyn and Tameyah had a bake sale and then made hygiene kits for the homeless. The best part of this project was being able to connect with others that we don't usually talk to or have a connection with. All the people we met were really nice and sweet when we were giving the care packages out. I loved being able to see the smile on their faces when we gave them the kit. The one thing I had a difficult time with was the baking because we had troubles with cooking them right and how they came out. But in the end we sold almost all of our baking goods, so I would say we did great! I am happy Ms.Music assigned this project, because it allowed us to think outside of the box and look from a different view point." by Alex W.
How can we help people without enough food around the community? This community service project made me think a lot about all the problems in the world. It feels good to solve one problem and make a difference at least in the community. There were many challenges especially in making decisions on what we would fundraise for. I feel that the outcome was great and am happy that I got a chance to do this and help the world. I feel that this is a very good deed to do for the community and around the globe. The best highlight of this project was working together and having fun and even being happy to help out. With friends, you feel more of an enjoyment when you are doing a community service project!" by Hiya P.
"In this project we had many challenges and decisions that had to be made. Our project was on Issues of Global Finance: Investing in Others. When we went to and ideas document on how to set up our fundraisers. In my mid people loved to see volleyball games so in my head I was thinking that if I could set up a J.V vs Varsity the this would bring profits for the non-profit through the roof. So I talked to Mr. Shane that day and he thought that would be a great idea. So we figured out a date and time, entry fee, plus all of the other details. Then on September 29th we did our fundraiser and made over $120 for our organization. I felt after this project that I did something good for the community and the world. Homelessness should be a better distinguished problem that people should know about. We made one small step into defeating homelessness." by Antonio V.
The Math Video Challenge engaged students in project-based learning in a way that was innovative and creative. Student teams created their own math teaching videos. Although our students did not make it as finalists in this competitive challenge they were able to connect and apply math to their own lives, and teach others in the process.
Take a look at these innovative and creative projects!
Team Indirect by Madeline, Gillian, Myra, and Kush solve a math problem by explaining indirect measurement and similar triangles. They must use indirect measurement and similar triangles to see how much of a run-up the Superhero (Madeline) needs to fly onto the roof and save Gillian.
Camp H.A.C.K. by Ajeshni, Kamryn, Harmit, and David are going camping. The instructions for their tent are in French. To set up the tent they need to use the Pythagorean theorem to find the pole that is the height of the tent using the picture given in the instructions.
The Upcycle Unit involved the use of use recycled materials as mediums for artwork! Sound fun and exciting, right- and it is! Students created Social Issues Collage Artwork with glossy magazine paper in the style of Romare Bearden, communicated a positive message out of yarn colors that were woven into circles onto recycled CD's in the style of Wassily Kandinsky and successfully took on a series of recycled challenges like folding 1000 origami cranes for Cranes For Hope as well as competed in the Project Runway Recycled Newspaper Fashions Challenge.
1000 Cranes Using Recycled Map Paper
I found that through these projects the driving essential questions spiraled back around naturally given the mediums we were working with and how connected the projects were linked to the questions. The conversations that stemmed from the content we were exploring included the way our human actions are interconnected with the environment, the ripple effect of our actions and ways to reduce our carbon footprint and make a difference while doing it!
Social Issue Collage using Recycled Magazines
Students excelled on their projects, collaborated well and participated actively in class discussions. I felt like they took away a deeper understanding of social issues and art as a form of communication as well as acquired many skills and techniques to reduce their carbon footprint. We ended the unit with a survey to gather student feedback on each project so that we can continue to strive for 100% engagement and involvement with out project-based curriculum.
Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth graders brought in projects based on the theme: Inventions! Science and Engineering Solutions to Solve Real-World Problems last week at our annual Science Fair. This year, we renamed it Science and Innovation Fair to further emphasis that our fair would not be the same old science fair model. Students were challenged to create and think about world problems using science and tech.
Some students designed 3D prototypes of their inventions in Tinkercad to print out on our 3D printer.
We also incorporated "Innovation Stations" in which students talked about the technology we've been using in class for Science and Technology. They demonstrated how the 3D printer works. They also showed how to use Makey Makey to control Pac-Man game. Foldscopes were also a hit with students showing their parents and younger siblings how to use the origami microscopes developed by Stanford that we have been helping beta test this year.
What really makes this PBL to me is the amount of ownership that students had in it as well as connections to the real world. From choosing what world issue was important to them to dreaming up high-tech solutions and designing their own creations, students were in the drivers' seats.They were really invested and had to make connections to real world problems (along with emerging technologies). They also ran the Innovation Station tours explaining their work to the community. Here's a link to what two sixth graders wrote about the event in our sixth grade blog "Proud to be LE": http://le6th.blogspot.com/2015/03/science-and-innovation-fair-by-shreya.html
After collaboratively writing their scripts in google docs and applying their newfound acting skills in rehearsals, students performed their original plays for both peers and parents. We organize a Renaissance Faire every year for our 7th and 8th graders to share their medieval/renaissance artwork and digital projects from Expressions, History, Technology and ELA classes. In front of this large school community audience, our 8th graders performed their plays.
Little Red Riding Hood performing on the indoor stage
Outdoor stage audience
The following day, we set aside the afternoon for our 8th graders to perform for each other in our Library Media Center.
Beauty and the Beast at our Library Media Center
8th grade performance afternoon
Following the performances, students voted for the top 3 plays that were performed for the First and 2nd Graders at STAR academy on April 22. Below, you can view an example of one of the performances: The Little Mermaid.
To wrap up our 7th Grade World History unit on the Renaissance, students (in small groups) selected, researched, and adapted a play by William Shakespeare into an iMovie trailer for a modern audience. Before filming, each group was required to storyboard their adaption, to ensure that they touched upon the larger points of the play, as well as made use of all of the time allotted by the iMovie trailer templates. I utilized a wonderful source for individualized storyboards to fit all of the various templates in iMovie Trailer (here). for Finally, students spent a few days filming their video trailers using iPads. These were shown during class during a mini film festival, as well as during our annual Renaissance Faire held after school for family to attend.
In planning for our Modern Fairytale performances, we took our 8th graders on a trip to Ashland, Oregon for the Shakespeare Festival. It gave our students the opportunity to explore a college campus, attend theatre workshops and analyze both a modernization of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and the classic musical, Guys and Dolls.
The excitement from the trip was awesome. Students loved the performances and were able to discuss elements that they wanted to include in their own Fairytale performances. Despite the "language barrier" of the Shakespeare performance, students understood the story line and laughed aloud at the banter between Beatrice and Benedick. The set design, music and choreography of the two performances inspired students to think beyond the box in this project.
The workshops were especially meaningful. Students had professional actors and a make-up artist lead them through elements of a production. From Stage Fighting to Stage Make-up, they got first hand experience and practice.
There are many ways in which our students feel comfortable performing. Some students perform as leaders within a group setting or as individual role models within the classroom. Some students perform as mentors, guiding and directing their peers towards a common goal. Some students perform on our sports teams, representing our school with pride both on and off campus. Leading Edge Academy students have many performance opportunities.
However, when it comes the Performing Arts, not all students feel comfortable with the idea of performing on stage in front of a live audience. One key element that Cary Zierenberg and I discussed when collaborating on the Modernization of Fairy Tales was to create that sense of comfort and safety that would allow all students to feel confident stepping out of their shell and assuming another role. We realized that this basic element was critical in order to engage all students.
Luckily for us, we share a campus with the amazing Performing and Fine Arts Academy! With the help of Tyra Simone, the Senior Project Advisor, we enlisted the help of senior Chazz Distefano who will lead our students through a 10- hour Actors Workshop in the Expressive Arts Classroom. This workshop will lead right up to the day that the 8th grade class leaves for the Ashland Shakespeare Festival field trip. We believe that the momentum gained from these rich experiences will cultivate a culture of appreciation for the performing arts and provide students with the skills necessary to produce and perform.
At the beginning of the school year, Jenell Novello and I came together to discuss the option of revamping our school play. We wanted more student ownership, choice and a cross-curricular connection for our 8th grade performance piece. We decided we wanted our students to go through the whole process of putting a production together, from creating a script to costuming and of course, acting or directing.
We next had to decide on a realistic, engaging topic for our students to tackle in their script writing. I love the trend in YA fantasy and science fiction where authors are modernizing fairy tales for today's audiences. From The Lunar Chronicles series to The Woodcutter Sisters Enchanted and Hero, my students are reading these updated classics and enjoying the new spin.
Our guiding questions for this project evolved from these book topics and our motivation for the play revamp:
How can classic children’s fairy tales be updated to entertain a modern audience?
What does it take to put on a professional performance?
What components are required to make it entertaining and interesting?
After deciding on a topic and the guiding questions, we started looking at creative ways to find the community engagement piece. Each year, we have put together family night around the Renaissance to showcase the projects and art pieces our 7th graders have created. This seemed to be a perfect audience fit for our 8th graders' performances. In addition, we have arranged for three of our acting troupes to visit our NCS elementary school, STAR Academy, to perform for students in April.
We also wanted there to be a larger real-world connection as well. Working with our Technology teacher, aka our Field Trip Queen, Jennifer Music, we put together a multiple day field trip to Ashland, Oregon. With the help of some creative fundraising, every 8th grader who wanted to attend the trip was able to sign up to go. Oregon Shakespeare Festival offers both the chance to experience high quality theater productions, but also acting workshops and the opportunity to explore a college campus, Southern Oregon University.
Once our sixth grade students came back from camp, many were eager to implement some changes on campus to reduce waste. I shared with them the data we had collected the week before while they were gone (that about 50% of the items going into the recycling bins were actually not recycling making all items have to go into the big trash bin for pick up instead of the big recycling bin for pick up). Many also voiced concern that we use so many plastic and cardboard containers for food here as well as disposable forks and spoons. We reflected in our notebooks individually and then had a group discussion on why this issue is important. Next, we brainstormed ideas on how to help the problem (in pairs and small groups). Students then shared ideas with the class and decided on which idea they would like to try and implement. Students grouped together and made action plans.
Now, we've headed into actually putting our plans into action. Many emailed Mrs. Goldman, our administrator, for permission to set up projects that would impact the whole campus. Others wrote proposals to Ms. Meindl and student leadership about ideas for spirit weeks and rally games to educate about recycling. Some students have signed us up for TerraCycle a company that collects reusable items to upcycle them into products like pencil pouches and backpacks. They made collection bins and put a message into the school bulletin about where to turn in the items students collect. Other students have worked on trying to convince the school to use reusable trays. They met with a high school group from PFAA and brainstormed next steps. The highschoolers had met with Mr. Leo to discuss options a few weeks ago.
Another really exciting development is the cross-curricular involvement. Ms. Meindl is collecting used water bottles for an art installation as has received clearance from Mr. Leo to display it in the cafeteria. Mrs. Hanson has also helped students collect more data through measuring waste produced on campus to help support their letters for change and to give them a starting point to compare to later after implement their ideas. Now, I need to gear students up for sharing out with the class what they've accomplished (beyond just sharing on Schoology). It feels like we need a re-measuring of waste on campus to see if we really have made a difference. Hopefully, by then our actions will deserve a celebration of what we've accomplished.
In January, our 13 knitted blankets were among the 880 donated blankets to WIC, Ronald McDonald Home, UC Davis Children’s Hospital, Shriner’s Hospital, WellSpace, Sacramento Children’s Home, the Life Center, and Foster Care Licensing! The collective effort of our 8th grade students definitely provided individuals with the sense of love and security!
Each year, when January rolls around and kiddos are coming back from break, our 7th graders dive into the world of Medieval Europe. In ELA, I've tried to figure out ways to connect to their History curriculum, with mixed results. This year, I needed a revamp.
My first step was to look at my students and school. Our 7th grade group is incredibly creative and loves artistic activities. This is a huge motivating factor on projects. I also knew I wanted the academic focus to be supported research and synthesis, with an emphasis on literacy activities and primary source analysis. Our academy also has a 5 Pillar focus for students and there needed to be tie-ins to these overarching themes (Critical Thinking, Building Leaderships/Partnerships, Demonstrating Technical Savviness, Appreciating Cultural Diversity, and Global Thinking).
My next step was trying to figure out the topics that would work for the time period and engage my students in a Language Arts setting. Over the summer, I participated in a primary source teacher institute through the Library of Congress and was introduced to the Stanford History Education Group's "Reading Like a Historian" curriculum. The World History lessons provided a jumping off point for my unit planning. I loved the two Black Death lessons and thought to myself, how could people in the middle ages avoid the risk factors in the spread of this disease? This became the jumping off point for my essential question: How could city officials protect citizens in Medieval towns from the Black Death?
With this driving question in mind, the materials for the unit came together quickly. I created a data set for students to read, annotate and categorize to get a deeper understanding of how the societal make up of Medieval Europe contributed to risk of plague. Students analyzed the primary sources with the engaging Stanford activities as well, synthesizing their learnings into a chart with Risks and Countermeasures.
The big challenge for me in this process was determining the requirements for this project. I wanted to give my students parameters, while also allowing flexibility in the process. I decided that the end result should be a presentation to their peers, utilizing both a visual layout of a medieval town or castle as well as a poster to help organize their ideas for the presentation. Knowing that they will be writing problem/solution essays as the next genre we hit, I wanted to introduce some of the academic vocabulary, so students needed to show cause, effect and solutions on their posters.
The visual component of the project needed to illustrate the risk factors for plague. This is where students really surprised me. The project ideas ran the gambit from models built of cardboard and other craft supplies to Minecraft worlds and even student produced videos. These projects will be displayed at our Renaissance Faire for parents and families to explore.
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