Residency, Whittier Elementary School - Alex Lange, 7 hours
The students were quite chippy today! They did a lot of talking, of course, but the mood seemed to have improved greatly from last week. They’ve been working on a book for the past few weeks about the American Revolution. Mr. Alex and I went around and helped them finish up so that their books could be ready to print.
Watching their process has been fascinating. They wrote the first paragraph together as a class then the second chapter was on whatever subtopic they wanted to write about. They planned the chapter on an outline sheet, researched in books and online, organized their thoughts, then typed it all up. For the third chapter, the students made a more creative type of writing where they could make up primary source. Some students wrote in the perspective of a soldier, a nurse, a redcoat, a patriot, etc. The creation of this book was challenging for most of the students but certainly doable. From what I know, they will have their books printed into booklet form and they will be able to customize/ draw on it to their liking.
There are many components to this project that I find to be important. Spending so much time working on a single piece gives the students a sense of satisfaction and pride in their work when they are finally done. It also teaches the students commitment and follow through which is a valuable trait. Also, calling their creations “books” adds a sense of importance and sophistication that I think many elementary school children are not granted quite often. Doing the first chapter together guides the students in the right direction, having them do a researched based second chapter helps them with the more structured and self guided learning aspect, and the third chapter being creative writing let's them have more fun and expression. Additionally, printing out the books for the students gives a final hoorah in which they can see their hard work pay off in a material way. Also, who wouldn’t want a published book?
I love how much the students are being pushed. The challenges are not only within many of their means, but Mr. Alex is very helpful and doesn’t shame students for getting things wrong or asking questions. Many of the students are learning algebra right now and quite a few of them are struggling. They’ll give up and say “I can’t do this” and Mr. Alex encourages them and tells them that they can. It’s usually that the students will stop trying if they figure out they can’t find the answer immediately. Mr. Alex and I guide the students through the problems and it turns out with some guidance and pushing, they can do 7th grade level algebra!
I don’t believe that the students are being challenged in a way that makes them uncomfortable, but more in a way that they can practice it, get the hang of it, and feel accomplished when they find the right answer. It makes me so happy when they get that “I got it!” light in their eyes.
