"My hands just need to be in the soil!" - Emma
We began the week with a trip to Community Farm of Ann Arbor where the students took a hayride tour of the farm, met with some of the farmers and participated in some of the daily routines. These included the feeding of the animals (a cow, chickens and goats), uncovering of squash plants, and harvesting potatoes by hand. The students appreciated the experience and many spoke of a desire to return, either as volunteers or farmers.
The students also made good use of their hands during two origami sessions where they analyzed instructional approaches and made two animals (a pigeon and a pig) in preparation for a larger project that begins next week. The students will be asked to study an origami animal, master the folding process and then teach someone how to make the animal. This will be then be recorded and posted on the blog.
In addition to our work with Singapore Math, we have been reading The Number Devil. This week's reading focused on the infinite nature of numbers as well as the importance of the concept of zero, its discovery and the difficulty we would have producing numbers without it.
Our time with Bluebear this week saw Bluebear encounter the devastating Bollogg, and bid farewell to Mac as Bluebear began a new life in the "Nocturnal Academy." We also used the lives of Bluebear for a small writing project where the students were asked to select one of the lives of Bluebear and retell the story, modifying content in order to change the genre. Some chose to compose verses / songs retelling a life and a "Life on the Run" that took place at sea was transformed into a science fiction space escape. Our work on these will continue as we prepare for a larger related upcoming project. The students also made tourism posters for the lovely, "Gourmet Island" a tropical paradise where all of your gastronomical dreams can be fulfilled. The existence of the "Gourmetica," a carnivorous plant which lures unsuspecting creatures, fattens them up with culinary delights and then eats them is only a rumor.
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