Genres . Between the Folds . Silence of the Bees . Knots . Reading with the Kindergarteners . The Shapes of Stories

This week the students watched a brief clip of the documentary, Silence of the Bees and discussed the pivotal role that bees play in our ecological and economic systems. The students described the systems, relationships and perspectives at play as well as possible courses of action, including the possibility of pollinator-friendly areas around the school.

We visited Val's Kindergarten class this week for some quality reading time. The students were excited to share the farm stories they had picked out from the Ann Arbor Public Library. 

Inspired by Captain Bluebear's time with the Minipirates, the students spent some time this week learning and teaching how to tie a series of useful knots. It was wonderful to see the students work together and jump at the chance to offer assistance to anybody struggling with a particularly challenging knot.

As an introduction to a future project, the students watched the documentary, Between the Folds, which focuses on the art and science of origami as well as its origins and evolution. 

"Origami is a metamorphic art form; You don't add to it or take away from it, you change it."

- Michael Lafosse

As a part of our focus on "genre" this month, we discussed Kurt Vonnegut's ideas related to the "shapes of stories." The students shared examples of stories that matched the patterns and renamed the arcs themselves. The stories of all humankind can now be summed up as follows:

1. Ouch and Out

2. Happiness, Lost and Found

3. Fly, Fall, Save