What’s On Our Plate Expedition…authoring our book!

Authoring a digital book is a gigantic undertaking, but crew has dug in and our room looks like a press room!

  • Chapter authors are finishing their drafts this week so editors and fact checkers can begin to review them.
  • Editors and fact checkers have been brainstorming ideas to expand the chapter information and researching to help their authors. They have also been searching for quotes to begin each chapter.
  • Photo editors have selected the best photos and video clips from fieldwork and begun taking new pictures to suit their chapters. They also began choosing title page photos.
  • Graphics committee chose a book layout.
  • Illustrators are drawing maps, diagrams, and organisms for their chapters.
  • New upcoming tasks will include embedding links to websites, bolding terms for the glossary,and creating the glossary.

We are simultaneously creating two entirely differernt products to share our expedition learning: a soil mandala and a scientific illustration, Audubon-style. Each crew member is creating a mandala that tells the story of one geologic process and how that, in turn, created a specific ecosystem in California. Mandalas are being drawn and today we began making paint for them from the soil samples we collected during fieldwork in Lassen. They are stunning works that will be displayed at Celebration of Learning next Thursday night.

MathDogs…service project!

Applying their learning of fractions, percents, least common multiples and greatest common divosors, crew worked to determine the best combinations of donated items for our Humane Society gift bags. Thanks to our community for donating so many wonderful treats, toys and supplies!

This week we hope to deliver twenty-six bags that can be given as gifts to those who adopt a dog. Each bag contains two items and a unique gift card explaining the service project.

Book Clubs…are running themselves!

Each student has a self-selected comprehension or vocabulary strategy on which to focus during independent reading throughout the week. On club days I hold individual conferences with students. They share evidence of using their strategy, read aloud to me and we discuss who they are as a reader and what steps they will take next toward their goals. Clubs continue to respond to their books in journals and add to their book wikis.

Circle of Power and Respect…now planned and facilitated by crew!

Crew members are grouped in daily teams that plan and run the morning meeting. Daily crew determine the greetings, activities and debriefing questions, and prepare the reading and discussion questions associated with our design principle of the month. Wow.