On Tuesday, the children planned for a "deep discussion" (our term - also known as socratic dialogue) that would go across all Franny K. Stein books. They created extended Bubble Maps with evidence from the text to support their thinking, cited a favorite scene with details, created an unanswered ethical question (combined both), and noted patterns across all books in the series. That was created individually in preparation for our "deep discussion" today. Based on their energy level with three days left in school it was risky to "kick it up" that high. They did it! It was a phenomenal discussion at such a high level as they tried to enter conversations sharing their ideas with depth and complexity (without raising their hands - monitoring pauses in speech). Their thinking was so impressive as well as their listening skills as they connected their contributions to the conversation to someone else who has spoken at some time. It was so amazing that it was videotaped - the entire discussion. Amazing! With only a few days left in school, your children shared ideas at such a high level with insight and connections. Hooray!
If you didn't hear about the discussion, you probably heard about how their tables were moved along with a few other things to try to use some of their redesign ideas from homework last week. They were very eager to help in preparation for the group that will be in the room next year. :) :) :)
On that note, the responses have been received from all but one person who previously cited interest in continuing but is currently out of town. Thank you for all of your speedy texts. Classes will be made by each teacher tomorrow. Many of your selections were echoed in the room today as the children realized what it meant to "plan classes". :) My class is formed with 24 amazing children and families. Thank you for all of your trust, support, and true teamwork this year!
Your child might have also mentioned the Bugs Bunny video from YouTube that featured the music of Camille Saint Saens. They loved it and really recognized the songs.
Enjoy your three day weekend!
