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!