Class #10--5th Grade English

Monday, September 27, 1:45 P.M. 5th Grade English Class. Class #10 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” tour. After Mr. Little’s class, I stroll down the hall to Mrs. Lawrence’s 5th grade English class. We added several afternoon English blocks to the 5th grade schedule this year—to supplement the daily, morning class--so that we can spend additional time on this crucial, core element of the Calvert curriculum. Mrs. Lawrence, who teaches one of our 5th grade girls’ homeroom classes as well as 6th grade English, does not waste any time in getting started. She conducts a formative spelling assessment to see how well her girls know the words at the start of the week. Mrs. Lawrence says the fifteen words aloud, and then the girls write the word on their individual white boards. They hold their boards in the air (showing only the teacher) and then Mrs. Lawrence can see how many girls got each of the words correct. Here is a sample of the words: obedient, patient, pedestrian, burly, compatible, obstacle, retire, accustom, assign, budge, and concept. As it turns out, the girls know most of the words very well, so the test on Friday will only be on the seven words that most of the girls got wrong. This makes perfect sense—why should the girls spend time studying fifteen words for Friday’s test when they know eight of them already? Studying seven words will save them time—and allow them to focus on the most difficult words! Next, the girls give a short oral presentation on various letters of the alphabet. The girls have to “sell” their letter by making a small poster and then giving a short but persuasive speech. One by one, the girls make their way to the front of the class and make their pitch. I feel like buying lots of letters! What a productive, fun class—spelling and public speaking—what could be better?! By the way, did you know that Mrs. Lawrence played basketball in college? She is still a very good player! With this class completed, I am now 20% of the way to my goal of seeing 50 classes.

Class #9--6th Grade Math

Monday, September 27, 1:00 P.M. 6th Grade Math Class. Class #9 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” expedition. It is a rainy, somewhat dreary Monday, but there is lots of excitement in Mr. Little’s math class. After spending the first ten minutes of class finishing a test, the students hear from Mr. Little about the project for the next chapter—Metric Mania! Mr. Little, who won the 2009-2010 Apgar Award for innovative teaching, teaches multiple grade levels of Middle School math and also coaches cross country, basketball, and track and field. The objective for the project is to learn to measure using the metric system and then be able to complete conversions, e.g. from meters to centimeters. Rather than have his students simply sit in their seats and hear a lecture, Mr. Little sends them off in teams to gather data in a variety of places and in a variety of ways. For example, they measured the length of the Middle School Gym and the height of the classroom door, calculated the volume of a tissue box and a soda can, and found the mass of a paper clip, a pencil…and Planet Earth! (Not kidding!). The groups then hustled back to the classroom and, in true collaborative spirit, shared their data. For homework tonight, the students will convert the measurements as specified on the Metric Mania project sheet. Given the hands-approach in class today, I am confident that Mr. Little’s students will finish the chapter with an excellent grasp of the metric system.

Class #8--7th Grade History

Wednesday, September 22, 11:40 A.M. 7th Grade American History Class. Class #8 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” voyage. I am in Mr. Bennett’s room on the third floor of the Middle School. Mr. Bennett has moved up to the Middle School after three years serving as a 10th Age homeroom teacher. He now has the opportunity to teach some of his former Lower School pupils in his Middle School classes, which are 7th grade history and math. In addition, he is the head coach for football, boys’ basketball, and boys’ lacrosse. In short, he is a multi-talented—and busy—faculty member. In class today, the students discussed some of the fundamentals, so to speak, of American history: the founding of Massachusetts Bay Colony, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, as well as pivotal figures such as Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. I really liked the way Mr. Bennett had the students approach the material in a variety of ways—four, by my count: individual reading the evening before class; teacher-guided class discussion; group work; and by using hand-held “senteo” devices as a part of a formative assessment at the end of class to gauge both individual and group comprehension. The senteos are a great way to infuse technology into instruction in a meaningful, impactful manner. It was evident, based on quiz grades at the end of the period, that the students had, indeed, learned a great deal today. Bravo to Mr. Bennett and his class!

Class #7--7th Grade Life Science

Friday, September 17, 1:45 P.M., 7th Grade Science Class. Class #7 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. I hustled down from the third floor to Mrs. Finnegan’s science lab on the first floor of the Middle School. If I can do it in four minutes, then I know the students can! You might think that Mrs. Finnegan has an unenviable class time—the last academic period, on a Friday, on a Black and Gold Day, and, actually, right before a Black and Gold activity in the gym. That assumption would be wrong. After the class settled down, Mrs. Finnegan started with a “Yeah, science!” exclamation, drawing applause and cheers from the students. Throughout the class, there were similar positive bursts of cheering and clapping. I have never seen such enthusiasm for a “Fun Fact” before! In the first part of class, the students learned about food safety, the danger of bulging cans, botulism, and applying the scientific method. Next, Mrs. Finnegan displayed a PowerPoint slide show focusing on (pun intended) the microscope. The power of the microscope was highlighted through the display of what various organisms look like through the microscope: dust mite, strawberry, snail teeth, butterfly wings, wasp, and bacteria. “I want you to look at the world through new eyes,” Mrs. Finnegan enthusiastically exhorted. The class then reviewed microscope basics, including safety, how to carry it, focusing, table placement, and identifying parts of the scope. Again, I am impressed by the amount of material covered in one period. Kudos to Mrs. Finnegan and her students. Yeah, science!

Class #6--6th Grade Math

Friday, September 17, 1:00 P.M., 6th Grade Math Class. Class #6 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” quest. Mr. Doss, teacher and coach extraordinaire, is holding court in Room 301, up in the top corner of the Middle School. Although it is a Friday afternoon on a festive Black and Gold Spirit Day (yes, I am wearing a blinking gold necklace over my Calvert t-shirt), the students are attentive and engaged. Class starts with a review of the homework (evaluating expressions) and then moves to a lesson on order of operations. Working on the Smartboard, Mr. Doss goes through a few examples, offering high fives for correct answers. He stresses PEMDAS (in fact, he has the class chant it in unison!)—Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply/Divide, Add/Subtract. Next up is a team competition. The students rearrange their desks to be with their team members and then work together in teams to solve order of operations problems. Mr. Doss checks the answers and gives tally marks to the teams with correct answers. The “Dream Team” won the competition by amassing 13 correct answers, with the other two teams close behind with 12 and 11 correct. After the controlled frenzy of the competition, the students work individually on some workbook problems to finish the period. It was certainly a packed, productive class!

Class #5--Earth Science

Thursday, September 16, 1:00 P.M., 6th Grade Earth Science Class. Class #5 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” quest. Mr. Ewen, who also coaches soccer and basketball and advises the Student Government, teaches all of the 6th grade earth science classes. Class began with a few warm-up questions: what is the difference between a pond and a lake? Would you consider the swimming area at Oregon Ridge State Park to be a pond or lake? Why? The key distinguishing factor, Mr. Ewen explained, is that if sun can hit the bottom, it is considered a pond, and if not, then it is a lake. The key activity for the next two classes will involve determining how much water a leaf on a tree gives off in 24 hours. The class reviewed the lab procedures, which include affixing a small plastic bag around multiple leaves (still on the branches), and then performing a series of measurements the next day, after the leaves have been removed from the trees. After developing their hypothesis statements, the students went outside to the trees across the stream (behind the Gazebo) to bag their leaves. I will have to circle back to the class to learn about their final calculations!

Successful September Events

September means lots of back-to-school events, and I am pleased to report that we had three such excellent events this week: Lower School Parents' Night (9/7), 8th Grade Kickoff for students and parents (9/10), and New Parents' Barbecue (9/11). At the 8th grade event, the students played laser tag on the Krongard Field and then received their special Class of 2011 fleeces. We are counting on the 8th graders to provide excellent leadership throughout the school year. Earlier this evening, about 65 enthusiastic new Calvert parents gathered at my residence on campus to make new acquaintances, meet members of the administrative team, and enjoy a delicious barbecue. We were blessed with such a beautiful night of weather! We will have our final September parents' night this coming Thursday (9/16) when 6th, 7th, and 8th grade parents will gather to hear from Middle School Head Kelly Herrity and meet their child's teachers.

Class #4--Ninth Age Science

Tuesday, September 7, 11:00 A.M., 9th Age Science Class. Class #4 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” odyssey. After a three-day weekend, we at Calvert picked up right where we left off—with lots of teaching and learning! I am in science class with Mrs. Preston’s 9th Age girls’ homeroom. Mrs. Wlodarczyk, our multi-talented Lower School science teacher, reviewed some of the class procedures with the girls and then began the class’s first official science lesson of the year. With textbooks, sharpened pencils (is there anything better than a freshly sharpened pencil?) and a clean, yet-to-be-written-in lined notebook, the girls were eager to start. After learning about the definitions of “hypothesis” and “experiment,” the girls were introduced to the scientific method by reading about the chameleons of Madagascar. The students were attentive, eager to read aloud, and generally excited about science. Now that they are in 9th Age, they have science homework to complete before the next class. The first homework involves providing definitions for key scientific vocabulary, such as "variable." In addition to teaching science to 7th Age through 10th Age, Mrs. Wlodarczyk is our Planetarium Coordinator and also coaches 5th grade intramural basketball with me.

Ice Cream!

We started a tradition a few years ago of 5th and 8th graders having ice cream sundaes during the first week of school. We pair the youngest and oldest Middle School students together in a Big/Little Brother/Sister relationship, which will continue throughout the school year. The first activity is enjoying ice cream together! Mr. Little and I served as ice cream scoopers this afternoon—simply a great, fun way to wrap up the first week of school. Enjoy a few pictures below!

A Healthy Eighth Grade

Friday afternoon. 2:00 P.M. Middle School Room 201. 8th grade Health class. Class #3 of “50 Classes or Bust!” After a vigorous French class, I have headed downstairs to Mr. Broy’s Health class. Mr. Broy teaches physical education and health and coaches interscholastic football and lacrosse. This was his first session with the 8th graders. Mr. Broy made a compelling case for the importance of health class by sharing a story about a former student of his who saved his father’s life by performing CPR. The class discussed a variety of important topics, including: recognizing life-threatening emergencies, the universal choking sign, the Good Samaritan Law, and preventing disease transmission. The students also practiced putting on and taking off latex gloves. By the end of the year, the 8th graders will be certified in both adult and child CPR. As a School, we are placing more emphasis on overall student wellness this year, and a high-quality health program is an integral part of that initiative.

Dancing Faculty and French Class

The pace is brisk this week even though we are only in the first week of school. This morning, we held our first divisional assemblies, which were excellent opportunities for community building. In the Lower School, Dr. Trusty asked some trivia questions, introduced new faculty members, and emphasized the importance of friendship. The Middle School assembly was lively, to say the least! To present dress code “do’s and don’ts,” seven Middle School teachers and administrators danced onto stage in various forms of dress code adherence. Students then had to point out what clothing items—and accessories!—were prohibited. Students who provided correct answers received a pass for a dress-down day. Many thanks to the brave faculty members! Yes, we took pictures as well as video of the assembly.

I am now observing class #2 in my “50 Classes or Bust!” quest. I am in Middle School Room 304 with Madame Bofill-Polsky’s 7th grade French class. The lesson is being conducted almost entirely in French. I am impressed with the pace of the class and the skill level of the students. Given how rusty my French is, I am having a hard time keeping up with the class and understanding the dialogue. My biggest educational regret is not learning a second language to fluency. I really hope these students continue their French studies until they become fluent and fully conversant. Madame, who is a native French speaker, has designed a very Middle School appropriate lesson, with a variety of activities built in. The students moved around the room after responding to commands, conjugated verbs by sliding magnets with pre-printed words on them into the right spaces on the board, worked collaboratively in groups, and recited conjugations as a class. To Madame and her students, I say “Bravo!”

Assembly and "50 Classes or Bust!"

We had our opening of school assembly this morning at 9:15. We decided that 9:15 this morning would be much cooler (and shadier) than the originally scheduled time of 11:00 yesterday. It was wonderful to see 579 students and 105 employees all together at once! Ms Herrity and I shared some remarks, and Dr. Trusty read a humorous poem he had written. In addition, the President of the Student Body welcomed everyone and, by stating, "This year is what we make of it," encouraged us to work together to have a great school year. Mr. Hardesty played music, including a lively re-mix of "Silhouette Child" while the students were recessing.

I just finished observing Mrs. Babb's Sixth Grade history class. I am on a quest to observe at least 50 full-period classes this year, and I am starting today, on Day 2 of the school year. I am energized by what lies ahead on my "50 Classes or Bust!" quest! I plan to blog about some, if not most, of my visits throughout the academic year.

Mrs. Babb discussed maps with her students, focusing on the evolution of maps, different kinds and shapes of maps, and perspectives. Most traditional maps American students see have the Western point of view, with North America being in the top left quadrant of the map. The class examined and discussed seven maps including Nystrom's World Map, Peter's World Map, a map from an Australian point of view, a Calvert map, and a Chinese map from several hundred years ago, among others. Under Mrs. Babb's skillful, enthusiastic tutelage, the students realized that cartographers have, for hundreds of years, created maps to put their country in a favorable light and/or position on the globe. "Every country wants to be on top of the world," commented one perceptive student. I am sure Mrs. Babb's students will look at maps much more critically in the future.

Tomorrow, I plan to observe 7th grade French and 8th grade health. Stay tuned!