Eng 9: Less/More, Thirty Circle & Guidelines & Expectations

Less/More Hashtag Activity.

Today we'll start with this video from Amy Burvall.

As you watch, you'll jot down the less/mores that speak to you.  After a think-pair-share, you and a partner will put a couple on Post-Its and we'll see which connected most.

We're doing this activity so I can get a sense of your abilities to watch a video for information, think about it, discuss it, and create something new from it.  

Then we'll take a few minutes to create our own and tweet/Instagram/Periscope them out.

Thirty Circles.

We are participating in a bit of an experiment with other students and thinkers in western Maine.  It's the thirty circles doodle experiment.  You'll have three minutes to fill all of the circles.

We're doing this activity so I can see how well you process visually.  We are going to be using sketching and doodling all year to help us understand complex ideas and develop rad skills.

Guidelines & Expectations.

Finally, the big activity of the day will be exploring Guidelines & Expectations.  We'll be using a notice/wish/wonder tool to help us better understand the handout you'll receive in class.

Here's a video of the Guidelines  & Expectations as well.  It's a bit hard to see but . . . it's there.

We're doing this to better understand what you will be doing in class this year and also for me to start assessing your reading and thinking skills.

All Classes: Guidelines & Expectations 2015

If  you prefer a video you have to squint to watch . . .

Everyone will also receive a hard copy and will be emailed a digital copy once laptops roll out.

Humanities 2BG: Shelves of Inspiration and Artifacts

In today's class, we opened with a quick review of names and attendance.  (I think Mr. Brackett and I performed admirably, if I do say so myself.)

The focus of our day was a discovery of the inspiration shelf in the back of the room.  Mr. Brackett and I have populated the shelf with items that inspire us as thinkers, creators, makers, teachers, people, problem solvers.  Each item is there for a reason.

We distributed a graphic organizer (Notice/Wish/Wonder) to help you explore and uncover the meaning behind those objects.

After being given time to complete the organizers, Mr. Brackett explained the cuneiform artifact and I explained both the Superman lunchbox and the Stanford d.School bookmark.

We ended with some quick takeaways on the day, etched on sticky notes and plopped in the front of the room.

Humanities 2BG: HMW LEGO Our Summer?

Today we asked: How might we LEGO our summer?  (Technically I believe the question was, "HMW show our summer in LEGO, but I prefer this new iteration.)

We started the day with attendance, working the names, and sharing the expectations for the encouraged personal design kits. 

We built like we've never built before, for it was the second day of class.

And then we dove into building with LEGO and explored ways of relating our summer experiences to one another.  Some folks made very literal builds and others made very conceptual, abstract builds.  What was the most exceptional development of the day?  Everyone made something.  

I ran around with my phone to document the amazing and some of it can be seen here.

We also used Periscope to share our work with the rest of the world.

Mr. Brackett and I both thought this was a pretty fantastic day.

Big thanks to Mr. Tierney for the LEGO inspiration.