Class #52--9th Age Composition

Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 11:45 A.M. 9th Age Composition Class. Class #52 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” voyage. Two weeks ago, the 9th Agers spent the day on a Living Classrooms boat trip on the Chesapeake Bay. When the girls in Ms. Preston’s class returned to campus, they spent some time journaling about their experiences on the water. At the start of class today, they sit in small groups (based on which boat they were on) and share some of their journal recollections. I hear “Chinese tanker,” “dissected oysters,” and “Francis Scott Key Bridge,” among many other comments. Although the conversations could go on for hours, it is time to learn some factual information about the boats. Ms. Preston passes out fact sheets about the vessels, and the girls highlight the most pertinent items for inclusion in their compositions. Now that the journals have been reviewed and the factual information has been disseminated, the girls move to the planner stage. Planners, which come in many different “shapes and sizes,” are extremely worthwhile tools to help students organize, sort, and sequence their thoughts before they put pencil to paper on the actual composition. The girls will be writing about their day on their water, but, on a higher, life-long level, they are learning the invaluable writing process. Writing is certainly an emphasis at Calvert; I can share that I am extremely grateful for the excellent writing education I received here as a student. I have two positive observations as class winds down. First, I think Ms. Preston walked a mile during class! She diligently circulated throughout her room the entire period, answering, encouraging, clarifying, and caring. Second, I was struck by how intently and seriously the girls worked on their planners. For a solid 15-20 minutes, the class members quietly and efficiently completed the task at hand; as a result, they are ready to write tomorrow!

Class #51--10th Age Reading

Thursday, April 21, 2011, 10:25 A.M. 10th Age Reading Class. Class #51 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” expedition. After snack is over, the boys and girls file into the classroom of Mrs. Szczerbicki (Mrs. S for short!) and very quietly settle down for the first activity, which is to read a story from their New Practice Readers book and then answer the accompanying questions. After five minutes of silent individual work, the class begins discussing “Katie’s Trunk,” which is a Revolutionary War-era short story they recently finished. There is a healthy give and take about the appropriateness of armies’ actions during a war, such as seizing the possessions of civilians. The class takes a few minutes to jot down main ideas for a poem they will write about the story. Given that April is Poetry Month, Mrs. S is making sure her students have plenty of exposure to the genre. To that end, the students come to the front of the room in groups of three and four to recite (from memory) a poem about dogs by Ogden Nash, “An Introduction to Dogs.” Why a poem about dogs, you might ask? The students are reading Shiloh, a book about a beagle named…Shiloh. Next, in groups of two, the students log in to Glogster, which is essentially an online collage maker. The students will create their own “glogs” about Shiloh, incorporating key ideas and themes in their own personal style. This is teamwork and technology in action! I am very impressed with how much Mrs. S and her students have accomplished in one period!

Class #50--9th Age Composition

Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 11:45 A.M. 9th Age Composition Class. Class #50 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” voyage. I made it to my goal of 50 classes! It has been such a pleasure for me to see so many students and teachers in action in both divisions. The 9th Age girls have just completed their egg drop. Each girl built a container (a modified shoe box) that was designed to protect an egg being dropped off the girls’ gym balcony. Now, in composition class, it is time to write about the activity. Mrs. Strom passes out the planner, cleverly entitled “Egg Drop Soup”. The girls work diligently at their tables of four to fill in the planner boxes, describing the order of events, how they felt at certain times, and, with vivid descriptions, what happened to their eggs. Mrs. Strom circulates throughout the room, checking on progress, answering questions, and encouraging the girls to be as specific as possible in their narrative. She then uses her laptop and classroom projector to display key words that the girls have suggested for the composition, such as: survived, balcony, disappointed, anxious. The girls then develop topic and concluding sentences, which are shared via the projector (see picture below). I liked this opening the best: “ ‘One, two, three. Release!’ That is how the egg drop started.” I commend Mrs. Strom and the girls for their hard work and productivity. In one 45-minute period, the girls filled out their planner, listed key words, and wrote opening and closing sentences. The students will write and edit the actual composition during the “compo” periods on Wednesday and Thursday. Even though I have now reached my target of 50 classes, I am going to continue observing given that there is still ample time left in the academic year. Class #51 is coming up on Thursday!

Class #49--8th Age Geography

Monday, April 18, 2011, 2:10 P.M. 8th Age Geography Class. Class #49 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. The boys of 8-2, after a vigorous PE period, arrive back in their classroom and settle down nicely for geography class. Mr. Paul, who taught me in 9th Age during the 1979-80 school year, is still working his magic at Calvert, now with the 8th Age boys. A published author and the 2009 recipient of the Deborah Dorsey Albert Award for outstanding contributions to the life and mission of Calvert, Mr. Paul incorporates his love of boating into the lessons whenever possible. In class today, Mr. Paul helps the boys gain a greater understanding of magnetic vs. “real” North, latitude and longitude, and the workings of a compass. The activity involves using a parallel ruler to chart a course between three buoys. Working as a “ship,” each table must determine the proper direction and degrees to sail in order to complete the voyage successfully. Although this is geography class, the students are using math as well as working on their critical thinking and teamwork skills. “Pirate Paul” moves from ship to ship to see who needs a little extra help or explanation. The period was quite enjoyable and informative for both students and observer alike!

Latin Class in Molly's Garden

In this case, a picture IS worth a thousand words.

Class #48--10th Age Math

Thursday, April 14, 2011, 2011, 11:45 A.M. 10th Age Math Class. Class #48 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” expedition. My goal of 50 classes is in sight, and I am sprinting to the finish! I hope that my Baltimore-area readers had a chance to get outside, because it is a picture-perfect spring day. Despite the allure of the spectacular weather, Mr. McMahon’s class is already hard at work reviewing fractions as I enter the room. Mr. McMahon is making excellent use of the new ceiling-mounted projector; he shows the classes images that are readily divided into a variety of fractions, including a pizza, several flags (states, countries, and maritime), a football field, a window pane, and a Rubik’s Cube (the rage of yesteryear). The class builds on this knowledge in the next activity, which is to design a personal “fraction flag.” Mr. McMahon shows the students how to make various fractions by folding a piece of paper. The students practice their designs on “scratch paper” (a great school term, by the way) and then move on to the final copy, replete with an original “seal.” This hands-on activity allows the boys and girls to see fractions at work in the real world and not just in an equation.

Class #47--8th Age Technology

Monday, April 11, 2011, 2011, 10:45 A.M. 8th Age Technology Class. Class #47 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” journey. On this beautiful (and unseasonably warm) Monday morning, the girls enter the main Lower School computer lab and settle down quickly. Mrs. McGraw does not waste any time jumping into the lesson. She explains that the class will be using hand-held SMART response devices, also called senteos, to take a technology quiz. The senteos are designed for what is known as a formative assessment, which can provide powerful information about how much students know at a particular point in time before the final (or “summative”) assessment is given. Faculty can then alter their instruction accordingly. For example, if ten out of fifteen students in a math class miss both “percent” questions on a senteo quiz, the teacher knows she has to review that topic again. In tech class this morning, Mrs. McGraw asks eleven questions about computer and software functionality. The questions are projected on the board and read aloud; the girls answer anonymously using their senteo. Some questions are as follows: how many times do you need to click a piece of clip art in order to insert it into a Microsoft Word document ? True or false--you should always “x-out” of all programs before shutting down out of your computer? At the end of the quiz, Mrs. McGraw—and the girls—can see how the class fared in terms of correct responses to each question. Under Mrs. McGraw’s expert tutelage, the girls did very well. It is hard to believe they have so many technological skills at the young age of 8. Bravo to Mrs. McGraw and her class!

Class #46--7th Age PE

Tuesday, April 5, 2011, 2011, 10:45 A.M. 7th Age PE Class. Class #46 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” trek. As I enter the gymnasium, the boys are already running hard in an oval pattern around cones that have been set up by Mr. Vorsteg. At the conclusion of the warm-up, Mr. Vorsteg leads the students in a stretch of the major muscle groups. After being divided into five different groups, the boys hit a waffle ball off the top of a cone. After two swings with the plastic bat, the next boy takes his turn; Mr. Vorsteg circulates to provide individual tips and pointers about hand, feet, and bat placement. Multi-colored wiffle balls are flying around the gym! I can see the boys gaining confidence as they make solid contact and become more comfortable swinging the bat. When I ask two boys why they enjoy PE, one replies, "The fun games," and the other says, "I enjoy running around." Class concludes with a quick but effective clean-up. The boys line up and are off to math!

Class #45--6th Age Music

Monday, April 4, 2011, 2011, 1:20 P.M. 6th Age Music Class. Class #45 on my “50 Classes or Bust!” voyage. It is “Opening Day” for the Orioles, and we are celebrating with a black and orange dress down day in the Lower School. Could there be a prettier day for the O’s home opener? I think not! The 6-D students walk into Mrs. Elliott’s music room and take their place on the carpeted risers. Their chatter immediately stops as Mrs. Elliott begins playing on her keyboard. The class sings the following lyrics several times to get them in the music mode: “Good afternoon to you. How do you do? Nice to see that you are doing fine. Now it is music time.” Mrs. Elliott transitions the class to several other songs, including the Calvert classics “Funiculi, Funicula” and “Silhouette Child.” How do these young children know all these verses? I am impressed by their knowledge and attentiveness. In the spirit of the baseball game today, Mrs. Elliott teaches the class “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” The students first “clap” the sound to understand its rhythm before singing it. Then, the class members keep the rhythm going by tossing a gigantic tennis ball back and forth to Mrs. Elliott. What a fun, productive class!