Week Four
In ENGLISH:
Students finished their origin story unit by comparing their myths with the scientific timeline of the creation of the universe. While the timeframe of the stories and the billions of years it took to get to today may vastly differ, there are certainly common threads connecting science with origin myths. Our gallery discussion walk helped to visualize the commonalities - and differences - of the myths before comparing those themes with science.
(All kinds of things and nothing all at once.)
(Spoiler. Yes!)
(There was, indeed, more suffering than they wrote down. This question spurred discussion.)
(No consensus.....hmm....)
Each class ended the week receiving a new novel.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin - Grace Lin is a Taiwanese- American artist and author that grew up in a predominantly white community in upstate New York. She seeks to write rich stories with protagonists of Asian descent so that Asian- American readers may see vibrant characters mirroring themselves in the books they read. This particular novel follows Minli, a young, brave girl, who takes off on an adventure to save her family and uses the folklore of traditional Chinese legends to guide her way.
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera - Donna Barba Higuera writes children's stories and YA novels using her Mexican-American heritage as inspiration. She grew up in California and remembers the many stories her Mexican grandmother shared with her. This novel is a science fiction story of Petra, a girl that becomes the last surviving storyteller and only person that knows her peoples’ history, when Earth is destroyed and its human inhabitants start over on a new planet.
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger - Darcie Little Badger is an Earth scientist and writer; she belongs to the Lipan tribe of the Apache Nation and uses her ancestry and science studies as the foundation for her writing. This novel is told in two voices - Nina and Oli. Nina is a human girl that has recorded her family’s legends and searches for the long lost animal spirit humans; Oli is a spirit animal human that lives in the reflecting world of Earth. Nina and Oli’s world’s collide as they both search for a solution to save their people.
We will read these novels in chunks, with most reading completed independently. Our work in class will revolve around reading circles, activities, and Socratic discussion.
In HISTORY:
Students are beginning the study of Early Man, and spent this week learning basic similarities and differences between Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens. The guiding question, which will lead into this coming week, is:
Would a group of remote, newly discovered, living Neanderthals qualify for protection under the UN Declaration for Human Rights?
In order to ponder the question, we read through a small amount of given information and the Articles found in the UN Declaration of Human Rights. We look forward to our (likely lively) discussion this coming week.
In WHOLE GROUP:
Students began exploring places they would like to visit on their Extended Learning Field Trip. This week was for dreaming and planning fundraisers; next week will be for tailoring our ideas to fit the parameters we must use in planning.
Fundraisers being considered are a car wash, babysitting, and bake sales. Please be on the lookout for volunteer opportunities coming soon!
Don’t Forget!!!
Columbia Museum of Art Field Trip
September 20, 2022
***To Bring: Water bottle, pack lunch
Time frame: Depart DGS at 8:15am/ Return to DGS at 4:00pm
Peace,
Patricia
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