Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Geography ABC's
Hi, my name is Mia and I am a sixth grader in Falcon's Nest. My project was an ABC book for second graders. Each letter was an country of the world. Every page has a map, flag, and a fun fact. I did my project on PowerPoint, so the format would be appropriate. I hope the second graders like it, and I hope you liked my blog!!!!
ABC's and Trees
Mia presented her terrific Geography ABC's book yesterday and will be giving it to the second grade classrooms. We all learned a lot about the countries of the world. Did you know Hungary has no less that 1500 spas? How about the fact that Thailand is nicknamed "The Land of Smiles"? I get to learn new things everyday.
I will post pictures soon about the redwood tree that is growing in the Nest. Moira is building a tree out of papermache and it makes quite a statement. Moira's project highlights the many different learning styles the kids demonstrate while in Falcon's Nest. We have some kids, like Moira, who want to build and use their hands. Other students prefer to write or draw what they have learned. Some Nesters want to share with younger students and teach what they have learned, while others are content to have gained the new knowledge for themselves. The formats the kids use to express themselves are as different as the topics they want to learn about. The Falcon's Nest model is one of self discovery and independent learning. As their guide through this process I get to help the kids build upon their strengths and develop their talents. How lucky am I?
The latest in our "conversations to remember" file is "Why do some songs get stuck in your head? The age old ear worm question. Let us know if you have any insight to this topic.
Keep an eye out for more student blogging in the weeks to come!
I will post pictures soon about the redwood tree that is growing in the Nest. Moira is building a tree out of papermache and it makes quite a statement. Moira's project highlights the many different learning styles the kids demonstrate while in Falcon's Nest. We have some kids, like Moira, who want to build and use their hands. Other students prefer to write or draw what they have learned. Some Nesters want to share with younger students and teach what they have learned, while others are content to have gained the new knowledge for themselves. The formats the kids use to express themselves are as different as the topics they want to learn about. The Falcon's Nest model is one of self discovery and independent learning. As their guide through this process I get to help the kids build upon their strengths and develop their talents. How lucky am I?
The latest in our "conversations to remember" file is "Why do some songs get stuck in your head? The age old ear worm question. Let us know if you have any insight to this topic.
Keep an eye out for more student blogging in the weeks to come!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Guest Bloggers
So as you can see we have had our first guest blogger. Sara was interested in posting something about her project for all to see. I hope other students will want to share their thoughts and enthusiasm in the weeks to come. Also, the kids want to have a Falcon's Nest motto and this is the leading contender; "When life gives you lemons make grape juice then sit back and watch the world wonder how you did it." Thanks Paul!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Next Big Thing!!!
Hey it's Sara! I'm a sixth grade Falcon Nester and I'm here to tell you about the latest thing. Falcon's Nest has recently discovered the next Harry Potter, Twilight, and Spongebob! Meet Zit the Talking Pimple. He is a character that was part of my project for acne. We all loved him so much that we want him to go alot farther.Over the next few months you will be seeing alot of Zit. He is a fun and easier way to learn harder (and boring) things. In fact, his slogan is "It's not so complicated!". We will be putting him on some of our projects to make them more comprehendable and to catch people's eye. Let's hear it for team Zit!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to everyone! As always a new year brings new possibilities for us all. I am sure the kids in the Nest will be making the most of the year to come. Their curiosity and eagerness to learn will guide them in many new directions. Many kids came back from the winter break with new interests, new project ideas, and ambitious plans.
After a vacation the students are particularily eager to share their stories and new ideas with the other Nesters. The conversations the kids have both formally and informally in the Nest are always inspiring. One day this week we had fascinating conversations about the space-time continuum, and one student's adamant belief that Egypt was overrated as an ancient culture. There is a great breadth of subjects we chat about in any given day. Often one student will bring up a subject that leads to others asking questions and wanting to learn more. The Nesters are proud of their intellectual curiousity and feel safe bringing up their interests and passions. We talk about books a lot in the Nest too, kids suggest books to each other and discuss what constitutes a "good" book. Just yesterday they were debating the merits of popular book series like Harry Potter and Twilight. Twilight in particular seems to elicit strong emotions on either side of the argument. Sometimes the conversations get so stimulating we have to table them for another time! We have an ongoing list of "conversations to remember". The list itself is both entertaining and impressive. We will be returning to many of the conversations on that list as well as others in the weeks to come!
During this month students will be making their whole school presentation on New Year celebrations from around the world. The presentations are both informative and entertaining. It is great to see the kids combine their research and creativity. I also expect a number of students to be finishing their individual projects in the weeks to come. Parents you are always welcome to visit the Nest to see what the kids are working on, join one of our conversations, or see a student presentation. We would love to have you!
After a vacation the students are particularily eager to share their stories and new ideas with the other Nesters. The conversations the kids have both formally and informally in the Nest are always inspiring. One day this week we had fascinating conversations about the space-time continuum, and one student's adamant belief that Egypt was overrated as an ancient culture. There is a great breadth of subjects we chat about in any given day. Often one student will bring up a subject that leads to others asking questions and wanting to learn more. The Nesters are proud of their intellectual curiousity and feel safe bringing up their interests and passions. We talk about books a lot in the Nest too, kids suggest books to each other and discuss what constitutes a "good" book. Just yesterday they were debating the merits of popular book series like Harry Potter and Twilight. Twilight in particular seems to elicit strong emotions on either side of the argument. Sometimes the conversations get so stimulating we have to table them for another time! We have an ongoing list of "conversations to remember". The list itself is both entertaining and impressive. We will be returning to many of the conversations on that list as well as others in the weeks to come!
During this month students will be making their whole school presentation on New Year celebrations from around the world. The presentations are both informative and entertaining. It is great to see the kids combine their research and creativity. I also expect a number of students to be finishing their individual projects in the weeks to come. Parents you are always welcome to visit the Nest to see what the kids are working on, join one of our conversations, or see a student presentation. We would love to have you!
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