Eagle's Nest Middle School Classroom Blog
June 2014
We have made it to the final days of another amazing year. The middle school students have worked very hard on their academics and on the farm right up to the very end. All the while they have been finding the theatrical side of their personalities to prepare for a performance of Cinderella. It has been so much fun to watch each of the students explore his/her character and make the performance a unique blend of our class.
As the class concluded our literature reading for the year, the group eagerly took on the challenge of reading To Kill a Mockingbird. This book addresses many difficult themes about discrimination, love, hate, family, and friendship. The students did a wonderful job opening themselves up to some very serious discussions about the history of civil rights and the connections to issues they still see existing today. As one of the concluding activities for this novel, the class prepared and performed a mock trial. This trial did not focus on the same issues as the trial in the novel but the students worked to understand the court proceedings and draw connections to the frustrations of the characters when our jury also did not vote as expected.
This year the class had a special opportunity to deeply explore the history surrounding the Holocaust and World War II. The experience began this November with our visit to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. The maturity and compassion all the students exhibited during this visit was impressive and allowed them to bring knowledge back to the class for continued study. Earlier this spring the class reached World War II in our curriculum; the students each read a chosen literature book and shared the experiences with each other. They also researched and reported on other aspects of the War around the world. To conclude this study the students were happy to welcome Iska Cole to the school to share her story of survival. Thanks to a connection from the Andrews family, the students heard about Iska’s detention by the Nazis at multiple points during the war while she was 9-15 years old and her multiple escapes. This was a very powerful discussion and the students were inspired by her story and her strength in sharing it.
The spring harvest concluded with a large and successful harvest on Wednesday. We hope all of our customers enjoyed their shares this season. The students have already planned and ordered the seeds for the fall harvest; be on the lookout for some new opportunities to purchase herbs from the CSA. With the conclusion of the harvest, the class was faced with the difficult decision of where to make their charitable donation for the year. As part of the farm’s business plan, the students take 20% of the yearly profit and choose a charity to receive a donation. This year the students could not make a final decision and instead chose two deserving location to receive the money. The Lincoln County Animal Shelter was chosen because of the hard work they do helping all kinds of animals from out community. Because of an inspirational message from our visitor Iska Cole, the students also chose to donate to the Ecumenical Food Pantry in Newcastle in an effort to fight hunger.
As the class concluded our literature reading for the year, the group eagerly took on the challenge of reading To Kill a Mockingbird. This book addresses many difficult themes about discrimination, love, hate, family, and friendship. The students did a wonderful job opening themselves up to some very serious discussions about the history of civil rights and the connections to issues they still see existing today. As one of the concluding activities for this novel, the class prepared and performed a mock trial. This trial did not focus on the same issues as the trial in the novel but the students worked to understand the court proceedings and draw connections to the frustrations of the characters when our jury also did not vote as expected.
This year the class had a special opportunity to deeply explore the history surrounding the Holocaust and World War II. The experience began this November with our visit to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. The maturity and compassion all the students exhibited during this visit was impressive and allowed them to bring knowledge back to the class for continued study. Earlier this spring the class reached World War II in our curriculum; the students each read a chosen literature book and shared the experiences with each other. They also researched and reported on other aspects of the War around the world. To conclude this study the students were happy to welcome Iska Cole to the school to share her story of survival. Thanks to a connection from the Andrews family, the students heard about Iska’s detention by the Nazis at multiple points during the war while she was 9-15 years old and her multiple escapes. This was a very powerful discussion and the students were inspired by her story and her strength in sharing it.
The spring harvest concluded with a large and successful harvest on Wednesday. We hope all of our customers enjoyed their shares this season. The students have already planned and ordered the seeds for the fall harvest; be on the lookout for some new opportunities to purchase herbs from the CSA. With the conclusion of the harvest, the class was faced with the difficult decision of where to make their charitable donation for the year. As part of the farm’s business plan, the students take 20% of the yearly profit and choose a charity to receive a donation. This year the students could not make a final decision and instead chose two deserving location to receive the money. The Lincoln County Animal Shelter was chosen because of the hard work they do helping all kinds of animals from out community. Because of an inspirational message from our visitor Iska Cole, the students also chose to donate to the Ecumenical Food Pantry in Newcastle in an effort to fight hunger.
Mid-May 2014In the Eagle’s Nest the students hosted the mothers for a very nice lunch. The class worked together to plan a menu of sandwiches, pasta salad, fruit salad, green salad, and dessert. Each student brought in a few ingredients and then spent the morning working together on different cooking assignments to create the lunch. As a result of the weekly hot lunch cooking, the students have become very comfortable in the kitchen and are able to follow a recipe with very little assistance or intervention from adults. The students then decorated the classroom and worked together to arrange the tables for all the guests and the food.
Our harvest season is in full swing and the garlic we planted in the fall is all coming up very nicely. The class also had a special visit from George Green who is a lower elementary grandparent and fruit tree expert. George returned again this year to give the students a lesson on pruning and caring for our apple and peach trees. The students learned about leader branches, extra growth, pruning, and bud types. After the initial lesson the students got right to work in the tree. The apple trees will take a few more years before they will produce usable fruit; however, the peach tree gives us some fabulous peaches each year. The only catch being that the fruit is ready the weeks right before school begins in September. We encourage families to come and pick peaches the last couple weeks in August as there are more than anyone can ever hope to use. The 4th – 8th grade students concluded their work in the DEEP program last week with a presentation of findings. Students began by completing some initial experiments to test different conditions in the estuary. From there, students worked on developing a research question and a method by which they would be able to test their hypothesis. The entire group then took a trip to the Darling Marine Center where they were able to put their work to the test. Some groups were quite successful in their planning and experimenting while other groups were faced with the realities scientists often encounter when they realized that they would be unable to complete the work as planned. The wrong tide or a missing creature meant a change in experiment or an analysis of the missing piece. Once the experiments were complete, the students worked together to create a presentation of the final findings. This work was then displayed for all the DMS students as well as parents and guests. |
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Mid-april 2014
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We have had a wonderfully busy couple of weeks in the Eagle’s Nest. Much of our activity has involved work with other classes and the older students have enjoyed the chance to share their knowledge with the younger groups. In addition to the large hoop-house that the middle school runs the Erdkinder Farm from, we also have a smaller hoop-house where the younger classes learn from the middle school students. We use the produce grown to allow the children to try the different varieties of greens we grow. The school also makes multiple donations to the food pantry, bringing fresh produce to the weekly offering at the Ecumenical pantry. This year small groups of middle school students took turns teaching the different classes about preparing the soil, marking beds, planting seeds, and then watering. It was very rewarding to be able to stand back and watch the students teach each other. The older students felt valued for the knowledge they were sharing and the younger students were excited to share in special time with the middle schoolers. It is wonderful to see the bonds between students of all ages grow throughout the year with the different interclass activities.
The upper elementary and middle school students have also begun our spring DEEP program. This is an inquiry based science program run by the Damariscotta River Association and the Darling Marine Center. For the past two years we have used this program as a wonderful addition to our science program as it allows the students the opportunity to work in the science labs at the Darling Center, exposes the students to the environment around them, and provides a great structure for some real inquiry based experiments. The other unique twist to this program is that the 6th grade students participate in all aspects of the program with the middle school students. This has become a wonderful bridge between the upper elementary and middle school and a meaningful transition activity for those students moving up. Back in the classroom, we wrapped up our study of the Cold War period with a powerful visit from a Vietnam Veteran. Randy Simonse took time to come speak with the students on a Friday morning. His moving story about his year sin Vietnam had the entire class transfixed as he told of his work as a medic and the tragedies he faced. Along with his story, he shared photographs and memorabilia while answer the students’ questions. The discussion continued on into the afternoon as Randy shared our weekly hot lunch with the group. We are so thankful for the people of our community who are willing to share and give the students these types of experiences. It was clear that each student went home that day having learned something and hopefully having a deeper appreciation for those willing to share their stories. |
end of march 2014
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It’s hard to believe March has come to an end and we are still dealing with frigid temperatures, snow, and ice. Last week’s high winds brought the middle school students out to the hoop-house multiple times in the attempt to fix the plastic sides that were being whipped around. Our young plants have not enjoyed the lack of warm sunny days in these early weeks of spring and the intense wind only added to the problem. The size of the farm is meant to give the students a sense of being needed to keep the system running but to also be small enough to allow the class to manage the work that needs to be done. When a repair such as the loose sides needs to be completed, the group must work together and take time out of work or recess to accomplish the needed tasks. With this particular situation, some major problem solving was also needed because the snow had played a factor in detaching the side from the anchor bar and we were unable to get the bar or clips for reattachment. A system of logs, rocks, hoop-house tape, and engineering led to a temporary fix that worked for a short time. We now have to hope for warm temperatures and low winds to allow for a permanent fix.
The farm also serves as a teaching tool that allows the middle school students to teach and work with the younger students. The smaller hoop-house is divided into sections for each class to work with. Together with the middle school students, some lower elementary students took some time this week to begin preparing the ground for planting. Old plants were removed and the elementary students worked together to maneuver the wheelbarrow. Then the ground was loosened up with rakes. This past couple weeks in the classroom we have been studying the Cold War era. The students have jumped into multiple assignments exploring the ideological tensions between the United States, the Soviet Union, and other Communist countries as well as the hot conflicts of Korea and Vietnam. Last week the class participated in a game I designed to simulate the divisions in Germany and Berlin and the subsequent Berlin blockade and airlift. The activity served as a great illustration of the difficulties the divisions brought to the region and was an opening to a class discussion about the intricacies of the Cold War. We have also begun reading To Kill a Mockingbird as a class. We introduced the book by participating in role-playing some situations that were considered moral dilemmas. The students were given a situation with which they had to decide on a solution and act it out for the class. After all the situations were performed, we discussed the other possible solutions and the moral implications of each solution. This served as a connection to the novel and got the students thinking about the multiple sides to a situation. |
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Mid-March 2015
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This past week the entire community at DMS came together for our winter field day. After a bad weather postponement and a cold weather switch of activities the day finally arrived. In the middle school there was excitement mixed with unsure feelings of whether they were “too old for this”. Days like this show the real importance of younger and older children working together. First thing in the morning the older students were divided into teams to go help the primary students to find their first activity. From that point on the older students did a wonderful job encouraging participation of the younger students, helping them to navigate between the activities, and getting into snow gear for the time outside. It was also wonderful to see the older students take the lead when an outside activity finished up early; the middle school students found a fun activity that could be completed with no equipment and was fun for all ages. The fun is important but we hope that the relationships that are begun on a day such as this will last and continue grow.
In the middle school we have also been working on some community and team building within our group. Just as in the younger classes, we use the class-meeting model as a tool for students to resolve conflicts, learn from each other, and find solutions for larger class problems. A couple weeks ago the issue of communicating frustrations with classmates was voiced. The collective class agreed that many felt the environment in the classroom was not always one where the work time was respected and that communication about the problem was becoming negative between students. Through a class-meeting the students were able to voice their personal concerns and evaluate possible solutions. The group decided they could use some specific practice on communication. They also decided to put together a class constitution where they could outline the jobs/responsibilities of the student and teacher as well as rules and rights that each group had within the classroom. Right away the students took to this idea and began brainstorming what was most important for them to feel safe and productive at school. We are now in the process of brining all those ideas together into one document, which all the students are looking forward to signing. |
End of February 2014In many schools, Dodge Ball has become a “bad word” and a forbidden game. However, at DMS Dodge Ball is a beloved game that draws students from first grade through eighth grade together for a fun, active, and self-directed recess period. The older students take on the leadership role and begin the game by dividing the players into even teams. The goal of picking teams remains on keeping things fair and challenging rather than stacking one team to “win”. When disagreements about who is out or who-hit-who arise the older students again take on a leadership role and mediate the situation. As a teacher observer, we are able to watch the process as students communicate with each other and resolve the issues fairly without teacher intervention. Instead of resulting in fighting, tears, and hurt feelings, when dodge ball is played at DMS the students and teachers leave the field feeling excited about the spirit of the game and the cooperative atmosphere that develops between students of all ages.
In middle school we have been enjoying all the snow, hoping for some warmer temperatures, and escaping to the hoop-house for the planting. The seeds are all in ground and our focus now turns to caring for the crops and preparing for the spring harvests. We have also been working on some in-depth research and writing. During our visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, the students were moved by the stories of the victims and the survivors. Our history curriculum this year covers US history from Reconstruction through the Vietnam War. In February the students began reading books written about the Holocaust. Each student read a different book and the sharing of the stories and experiences became a powerful discussion within the group. As a practice on the research and writing process, the students have chosen a person from World War II to research and then complete a biographical report. This project is accompanied by lessons on writing a web, tracking research through note taking, creating an outline, and then going through the drafting and revising process. Following this project we will turn our focus to a poetry unit. |
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End of January/Beginning of February 2014
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It is amazing how fast the year is flying by and that February vacation is just around the corner. With the bitter cold we have been dealing with, it is hard to believe that the spring growing season on the Erdkinder farm is about to begin. The students harvested the last of the spinach and began prepping the ground for planting. The first seeds will go into the ground on February 26th. On a freezing cold afternoon when the weather station read 12 degrees, the students were sweating it out in the warm hoop-house. It is on days like this that we come to appreciate the oasis that the farm can be. The hoop-house provides the ability to work on the farm even on the coldest days. The students welcome the opportunity to get outside, get some fresh air, and complete some physical activity after being cooped up inside because of cold weather.
The Erdkinder farm provides more than just outdoor physical activity for the students. Because the students harvest and sell the products they grow, they also must plan and carryout the operations of a small business. Over the past couple weeks the students have taken inventory of the seed stock, planned the spring planting, budgeted and ordered the needed seeds. The students also decided to replace the plastic tent stakes we have been using to mark off the beds in the hoop-house. Each year the group runs across broken spikes, ground that is hard to drive the stakes in, and the costs that come with replacement. The class decided to invest in metal stakes to replace all the plastic stakes and hopefully reduce the need for replacement spending in the future. In the coming weeks our customer service and marketing managers will begin advertising the sale of shares and collecting orders for the spring. The class is looking forward to a fun day at the Cabin Fever Contra Dance and to our school-wide Winter Field Day on February 14th. As the oldest students at the school, I have the pleasure of helping this group to become leaders among their peers and the younger students. It is events such as these that I look forward to seeing my class shine as they work closely with the younger students. |
January 2014
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I hope the New Year is finding everyone happy and healthy. We are happy for the warm temperatures during outside time but disappointed that it has brought so much ice and mud to our campus.
As we come close to the middle of the year that students are beginning to reflect back on their work and prepare portfolios of the work they would like to represent their efforts to date. When creating a portfolio collection, we discuss the different reasons for including a work. Instinctively the students include works that show best effort or appear attractive. However, we also discuss the importance of showcasing a work that he/she might have struggled with or learned a great deal from even if it may not present the best final copy yet. The students work to understand that the process and their efforts while working is just as important to their learning as a work that is easy and looks attractive at the end. Included in the portfolio process is a reflection of the piece included, which allows the students to think more deeply about individual accomplishments. The Montessori classroom is centered around the morning work cycle where students independently choose works and are encouraged to move around the classroom as needed. This does not change as the students enter the middle school. Our morning work period is still a designated time for students to make choices and control their own work. What does change is the level of responsibility a student takes on regarding work completion and focus during the work period. Recently in our classroom we found that students were not using this work time productively and the students became frustrated about their own progress. After some class-meetings discussing strategies for work completion and productivity during the work cycle, there was still a struggle to put those strategies into practice. As a group we began completing daily reflections asking each student to assess his/her own productivity during the morning and then to make a plan of steps to take to make the next day productive. As a result of this time allowed for personal reflection, the students are taking more specific steps to use their time well and also to help each other within the work cycle. |
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December 2013Upon our return from Washington DC the hoop-house was still in full bloom. This allowed the students to complete a bonus harvest and the greens were sold afterschool one afternoon. The Kale and Spinach were fast sellers and the coolers were cleaned out before dismissal was over. After a successful harvest season the class noticed that many of our beds were continuing to grow well. The group decided to complete a harvest to donate to the Ecumenical Food Pantry in Newcastle. The students harvested romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, and other mixed greens. Some students also worked with the lower elementary students to teach them how to harvest wash and prepare the greens from their hoop-house for donation to the food pantry as well.
A few years ago the school decided to build a composting system. Mark Hutchinson, from the University of Maine extension worked to help set up the three-bin system we use today. As a fairly new addition to the staff and brand new to the three-bin system I was feeling unsure of how to support the students in successfully composting the schools’ food waste. We were very happy to welcome Mark back to our classroom last week for a refresher course on how to properly make and use our compost. Mark led the students in an inspiring conversation about the important ingredients in compost, which he then compared to the baking of chocolate chip cookies. After the cookies were eaten, the group headed out to the compost pile for some hands on inspecting of our piles. We learned that we needed to add some more leaves to the pile to balance the amount of fruit and vegetables our school population consumes. We also learned that we should be adding and spreading our compost “like pepper on mashed potatoes”. After Mark’s visit it was exciting to see the students’ new knowledge and excitement about composting. |
Mid November 2013
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The middle school students were excited to welcome so many grandparents to our class. The students had a wonderful time showing their guests around the classroom and the farm. With such a large 7th grade class there were many new things to share with families. As a group, the students illustrated a Socratic Circle discussion for the visiting grandparents. The class read and discussed “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe. After reading the story the students modeled a literary discussion where they addressed the topics of the setting, mood, characters, and message of the story. Although many students agreed that it was a “creepy” story they pulled out the greater messages of guilt and commented on the great detail and description used by the author.
The beginning of November was exceptionally busy for the middle school students. The group traveled to Washington D.C. from November 2nd – November 9th and spent a wonderfully busy eight days exploring many modes of transportation and the various sites of our nation’s capitol. The Odyssey trip takes place at the beginning of the year with the goal that the students will bond together through the shared experience of travel away from home and meeting new challenges together. Throughout the week students live and work together to plan, shop for, and cook meals, navigate through the city, and deal with homesickness. The trip is also a great opportunity for the students to experience first hand some of the many topics we will study in history, science, and Socratic circle throughout the next two years. These key experiences are fundamental in the Montessori education system and give both students and teachers a jumping off point for discussions, research, and projects. If you are interested in hearing more about our trip, please link to the website and read the blogs written by students while traveling. |
Odyssey Trip November 2-9th
DAY 1 - November 3, 2013: By Quinn DeLorenzo and Katherine Tolley
(Quinn) Well, this has been our first full day in Washington DC. This morning, after breakfast, the first thing we did was to head down to the “Hang-Out Room” and some of us played pool. The teams were Liam/Laurel vs. Garrett/Deanna. The winners were Garrett & Deanna. They had only the eight ball left, but we had to go to the store to get stuff for lunch, so we just counted that as a win.
We headed to the super market which was about two blocks from the hostel, but I forgot my bag along with my water bottle, so Annalisa and I ran back to get it. From the supermarket, we started heading toward The American History Museum, and it was a long walk. Once we got there, we had to open up our bags and show them to the security people. It was kind of weird.
(Katherine) The first exhibit that we saw, was the Star Spangled Banner exhibit. It was so cool! In the exhibit, the flag that inspired our National Anthem was right there. It was AMAZING. When we finished we went to the African American exhibit, which was focused on segregation since the Civil War. Then we visited the American Presidency and the First Ladies exhibit (only the girls went to that – it was so cool.) The boys went to the America at War exhibit. When we finished, we met up and some of us went to the gift shop and the others went to go start making the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. We ate in the museum cafeteria. We finished up lunch and then left.
Our next stop was the zoo. Once we got there we all went to the bathroom which all gave us a chance to sit down and it helped us because after all that walking and our feet hurt like crazy! In the bathroom there were “interesting” facts about animals waste. Apparently jellyfish eat and excrete their waste out of the same hole! We spent the afternoon at the zoo, and saw everything we could: elephants, gorillas, tigers, hedgehogs, armadillos and reptiles.
For dinner we had pizza near the hostel, and then returned to relax and go to sleep! It was a long day with a lot of walking.
DAY 2 – November 4, 2013 By Annalisa Paulsen
Hi everyone! We have now finished Day 2 of the Odyssey trip! And, for all of you fans, we're watching Doctor Who as I type! Today, we started off with... a tour of the Pentagon! We went through a MASSIVE security check, and saw a lot of history and time lines about the history of the Air Force,
Navy, and the Army. We also visited the September 11 indoor memorial, which had two large panels of victims that died at the Pentagon.
Next, we went to the park near the Washington Monument and had lunch. Then we went to the Holocaust Museum, which was the most beautiful, sad, depressing, humbling, and very energized place. It positively vibrated with energy.
After that, we went back to the American History Museum, and split up. Our group visited an exhibit about food in American culture. The other group visited the Presidency exhibit. We actually saw a reproduction of Julia Child's kitchen (we also watched part of an old episode of her show). After the food exhibit we visited an exhibit all about transportation in America. We saw old cars, and an exhibit on sea life and pirates. It was really fun, but we were starting to get tired, so we walked back to the hostel (that was almost on the verge of the blind leading the bewildered). Kenzie, Katherine, and Quinn are cooking quesadillas right now! Oh My Gosh I haven't had quesadillas in such a long time!! I bet they'll be awesome!!
DAY 3 – November 5, 2013 By Mackenzie Bickmore and Thomas Coombs
Today, we walked all the way to the Arlington National Cemetery from our hostel. When we arrived, we got a very interesting tour by a super cool man named Chris. After seeing a number of grave sites from famous people, like Medgar Evers, Thurgood Marshall, and Robert Todd Lincoln, we got to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They show a very high level of respect at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier because they are honoring all of the people that went to war and were killed and ended up not being identified. We also visited the Kennedy's grave sites: John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Jacqueline Kennedy.
After we left Arlington, we walked to the Lincoln Memorial, and went to the park and had lunch. Unfortunately, Katherine got pooped on by a bird because Mr. D was feeding the birds. Afterwords we went to the Lincoln monument and saw the place were Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have A Dream” speech. We also learned there are eighty-seven steps leading up to the Lincoln monument because of the beginning of the Gettysburg Address, which began with “Four score and seven years ago.” (A score is 20 years). We also learned that the back of Lincoln's head, if you look at it from the right angle looks like the profile of Robert E Lee. There is a legend that says that the sculpture carved the profile of Lee so that he was looking back at Arlington, his old home before the war.
When we finished at the Lincoln Memorial, we went to the Korean, World War II, and Vietnam War Memorials. At the Korean War Memorial we learned that there are nineteen actual statues and nineteen statues that are reflected in the wall which stands for the thirty-eighth parallel. We also learned that there is always a statue looking at you if you are at the memorial. When we went to the World War II Memorial there was a piece of graffiti that says “Kilroy Was Here” with a little cartoon. The reason that it was significant is because one of the people that would check the rivets on the naval ships when he was done checking them he would etch into the wall “Kilroy was here.” This saying then became a way for Navy men and women to recognize each other around the world and they began leaving the message in places they visited on and off duty. At the Vietnam War Memorial there was a person on the wall named Michael Tolley. After that we went to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. Finally, after tons of walking (10 miles) we came back to the hostel, and Laurel, Liam, and Garrett made dinner, which was burgers, fries/tater-tots and salad.
DAY 4 – November 6, 2013 Written by: Kayleigh Tolley and Abby Andrews
Today was definitely a day to remember! We had a bunch of fun and made lots of memories. We woke up at 6:00(AM) and got ready for the big day ahead of us. Breakfast was open at 7:30, so to past time we packed our lunches and chilled out. When 7:30 came, we ate a delicious breakfast and headed for the Supreme Court. We probably got there about 8:30 and we got in line for the big case. You may of heard about the case on the news and we were hoping to get into that one that started at 10:00. It was about saying prayers before town meetings in Greece, New York. We waited in line in front of the beautiful, marble court. Once it came time for that case to begin, we found out that we couldn't fit in to that case so we would go to the 11:00 one. I thought it was better because we would only have gotten time to go to the other case for 3-5 minutes, but instead we were able to see the entire second case.. We waited in line for another hour and finally we got to go in.
Inside the Supreme Court building, it was head to toe in gorgeous marble with beautiful, intricate designs on the ceilings. We all had to go through security (we have to everywhere, it's crazy!) and put all of our stuff in to lockers because they were not allowed in court. We were about twenty minutes late because of the lines, but we got in to the back seats. The case was very confusing and none of us (even the Ms. Mehlhorn and Mr. D) quite understood it - and some of us even fell asleep!. But, it was amazing to be in there. There was 9 seats for the Justices (and one of them looked like he was sleeping!) and 2 lawyers (of course) and a large audience. We looked around the court pretty much the whole time. It was interesting to see how much the lawyers knew and learned about what they were arguing about. I am definitely one for not arguing so I didn't like the concept of it really but how else do you do it. The case got out at 12:00 and we collected our stuff and left. It was a very cool experience for us all and we are very lucky we got the opportunity.
Our next plan on the agenda was to go to the Library of Congress. It was right next door so we were all very happy it wasn't a long walk. The Class was all pretty hungry so we took a break at the picnic tables and ate our lunch at the library. We had to go through security (once again) and we waited for everyone else. The Library was a work of art. It was beautiful with many columns and paintings. Mr. D tried to check in for our tour, but there was a mix up with the Senator's office and the Library, and our tour wasn't happening. Our class watched a quick video about the library and we started to explore! We split in to 2 groups and explored the exhibits. Mr. D's group looked through some of the exhibits, but didn't see the one downstairs, and the group decided it was time for the gift shop. We were down there for a long time while Ms. Mehlhorn's group was exploring. Soon after, it was time to gather up and Mr. D said to meet up in the lobby. However, Mr. Delorenzo soon forgot this and thought the plan was to meet on the steps out front so his group waited out there, I (Kayleigh) thought the plan was to meet inside also but I didn't say anything. Bad idea. Ms. Mehlhorn's group was waiting inside for us and we were waiting outside for them. 20 minutes later, Mr. D decided to contact Ms. Mehlhorn to find out what was happening. We all met up outside of the library and got ready for our next adventure. (This is Mr. D writing: I was framed. Ms. Mehlhorn conspired with Kayleigh to concoct this soup of inaccuracies and fabrications:)
Next stop, The Capitol tour! We headed over to Senator Collins office and we met up with her two interns that were going to be our tour guides. Her office was pretty cool! We left all of our stuff in there and started our journey to the Capitol. We took these cool subway cart like things from the office building to under the capitol or the visitor entrance. Our tour guides (Abby and another really nice lady) told us about the history, and we also watched a short film about the Capitol. The tour was amazing and we got to see places like where John Quincy Adams had a heart-attack and died, the old Supreme court and much more! We got to ride on the private subway system that the Senator's ride. We got to ride it a few times because we had to go back to the office, and then back to the Capitol to track down Senator Collins. When we got back to the Capitol, we waited in a super fancy-dancy reception room. We were going to meet Senator Collins and get a picture with her! She even hired a photographer that takes a lot of pictures of famous political people. Senator Collins is a very busy woman and it was awesome that she was coming! Once she came, we talked to her a lot and asked her questions and she did the same back. It was very cool! We got some pictures and she had to leave. We did to so we went back to the office, got our belongings, said goodbyes to our tour guides and left. We had had an amazing day so far and it wasn't even done! There was a beautiful, pink, fluffy sunset and we had to get a picture of the statue Freedom with the magnificent scene.
Our Class walked and walked and walked and it was about 5:10 when they decided we were probably not going to get to the hostel in time to cook so we stopped in China town and went out for Chinese food! The food was so amazing and we were all so hungry after the long day so we definitely ate a lot (Sorry Mr. D!)! We had to keep on moving after so we could get home and rest for the next day ahead of us. Today was definitely a highlight and we are all wiped out now!
Thank you and we miss you all very much!
DAY 5 – November 7, 2013: By Ivy Laakso and Laurel Gallione
Today was an amazing day for our class trip. This morning we had a good breakfast and then set off for the day. We walked to the National Art Gallery, went through security and waited for Ms. Mehlhorn to get a map. All of us had gotten an assignment from our art teacher Mrs. Proffety, which was to choose two paintings that were before 1850 and write the artist, the date it was painted, then we had to draw a rough sketch of it. Finally, we had to describe how we thought paintings looked before 1850. We also had to find two paintings that were after 1850 and do the same thing.
When we finished the project Garrett and Ivy were very excited about seeing some of Vincent Van Gogh's art. We walked around the museum and finally found the 19th century French paintings - and that means Vincent Van Gogh!!! We saw the art and we were all in awe of how amazing it was. After we went back to the main lobby we all divided into two groups, the ones who wanted to go to the Air and Space museum and those who wanted to go to the Natural History Museum. Eight of us went to the Natural History Museum and five of us went to Air and Space.
When we divided into groups we split up and walked to the separate museums. We had lunch at the museum cafes and then we started going through the exhibits. In the Natural History Museum we went to the fossils and the origins of life exhibit first. As soon as we walked in we saw a massive T-rex fossil. It was really amazing how they could recover the bones of something so old. It's amazing! Next we walked past the fossil and saw a model of how ancient humans would bury the people who died. They would tie up the bodies and put them in the hole that was lined with some sort of animal skin. They would tie them up because that would make it easier for the dead person to fit in the hole. We also went to the ocean exhibit. This exhibit was one of the coolest. We learned about how most water creatures today have evolved from bigger and more fierce versions of themselves. As soon as we finished there we walked into the human evolution room. It showed the time-line of the human species; how primates went from us being monkeys to us being tiny little people. We saw a few more places then we took the elevator upstairs.
When we got upstairs we went into the gem room. When you first walk in if you go to the right, (which we all did) you enter into the room that has the Hope diamond. It was so beautiful! Then we walked over to the left and as soon as we walked in all we saw were the most beautiful gems we had ever seen. They were all so beautiful. Katherine found a whole wall of pink rocks, and she was in heaven! Another part of the exhibit explained how rocks form and shape into crystals. We went to lots of other cool places but those were the best out of all of them.
The Air and Space museum was cool too! When we first walked into the museum we had to go through security. Then we went into the food court and there was a big McDonalds. Abby wanted to get a Big Mac so badly but we talked her out of getting one. So we had to eat our PB&J's. After we ate our lunch we went up stairs to look around. We first went into this big rocket ship, and explored the parts we were allowed to go into. Then we went into some other exhibits, including the story of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, and it was really fun. We also learned about the first African American to command a group of African American Fighter pilots, called the Tusgegee Airman. His name was Benjamin O. Davis. He was a really interesting man, and he became the first African American General in the Air Force (his father was the first African American General in the Army).
We learned a lot about airplanes and rocket ships, including how a jet engine works. After we walked around the whole museum we went into the gift shop and it was soooo big. We had to wait for Mr. D so he could charge his phone, in case Ms. Mehlhorn called, and, that was fun. After Mr. D’s phone was charged we started to walk back to the hostel, but first we had to stop at Starbucks, so Mr. D could get his coffee. Once he got the coffee we were walking back and we saw this big store full of Washington D.C stuff. When we got to the hostel the cooks were all ready cooking us dinner. They made us chicken ,mashed potatoes and some vegetables. It was really good. I liked the mashed potatoes the best out of all the food. After dinner we had a class meeting, then some of us watched T.V, played cards and played pool. Then a 9:00 PM we all had to go to bed. It was a really, really, fun day.
DAY 6 – November 8, 2013 By Liam Bracy & Abigail Roberts
We started out this morning at around 9:30 a.m. and we went to the Bureau of Engraving, where the government prints paper money. Unfortunately, we got in line and we tried to get a tour, but the next tour wasn't until 12:30 p.m. and that would only give us an hour in the museums we wanted to visit. So we skipped the Bureau of Engraving (which most of us were very disappointed about) and went right to the museums. We split into two groups.
The group that went to the Natural History museum yesterday went to the Air and Space museum, where there was a ton of cool stuff about airplanes, pilots and other methods of flying. They also had some stuff about stars, planets and constellations. It was really interesting.
The group that went to the Air and Space museum yesterday went to Natural History museum. (I learned that walrus' are HUGE and I think they're really cool). There was also a gigantic model of an armadillo and mammals of all sizes. One exhibit had the evolution of different animals throughout the ages, and there was an activity where you could see what you would look like as a caveman. The second group also went to the Native American museum. There was a very cool exhibit about the lives that Native Americans live today, including a great video about how the Inuit's use snowmobiles. We also saw a lot of Native American pottery, and a display of the weapons that they used throughout history. One exhibit displayed dolls from different tribes that were made by current artists. When we sat down for a break, we heard some music coming from the first floor. When we looked over the balcony we saw that there were people dancing. They were giving a performance on Native American dance and music.
Later, we met at the National Archives. We saw the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. It was really cool to see the original signatures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin on the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence was very worn, and you could barely see the ink.
The walk back to the hostel (approximately 7 blocks) wasn't too bad in my opinion. I think that after all the walking we've done this week, everybody's kind of used to it. As soon as we got back, the cooks (Ivy, Abby A, Thomas and Kayleigh) got to work and everyone else started packing. We're all so sad that this is our last full day in DC.
Dinner was really amazing. We had Mac 'N Cheese with ham, and a side of fruit salad. Good bye!
(Quinn) Well, this has been our first full day in Washington DC. This morning, after breakfast, the first thing we did was to head down to the “Hang-Out Room” and some of us played pool. The teams were Liam/Laurel vs. Garrett/Deanna. The winners were Garrett & Deanna. They had only the eight ball left, but we had to go to the store to get stuff for lunch, so we just counted that as a win.
We headed to the super market which was about two blocks from the hostel, but I forgot my bag along with my water bottle, so Annalisa and I ran back to get it. From the supermarket, we started heading toward The American History Museum, and it was a long walk. Once we got there, we had to open up our bags and show them to the security people. It was kind of weird.
(Katherine) The first exhibit that we saw, was the Star Spangled Banner exhibit. It was so cool! In the exhibit, the flag that inspired our National Anthem was right there. It was AMAZING. When we finished we went to the African American exhibit, which was focused on segregation since the Civil War. Then we visited the American Presidency and the First Ladies exhibit (only the girls went to that – it was so cool.) The boys went to the America at War exhibit. When we finished, we met up and some of us went to the gift shop and the others went to go start making the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. We ate in the museum cafeteria. We finished up lunch and then left.
Our next stop was the zoo. Once we got there we all went to the bathroom which all gave us a chance to sit down and it helped us because after all that walking and our feet hurt like crazy! In the bathroom there were “interesting” facts about animals waste. Apparently jellyfish eat and excrete their waste out of the same hole! We spent the afternoon at the zoo, and saw everything we could: elephants, gorillas, tigers, hedgehogs, armadillos and reptiles.
For dinner we had pizza near the hostel, and then returned to relax and go to sleep! It was a long day with a lot of walking.
DAY 2 – November 4, 2013 By Annalisa Paulsen
Hi everyone! We have now finished Day 2 of the Odyssey trip! And, for all of you fans, we're watching Doctor Who as I type! Today, we started off with... a tour of the Pentagon! We went through a MASSIVE security check, and saw a lot of history and time lines about the history of the Air Force,
Navy, and the Army. We also visited the September 11 indoor memorial, which had two large panels of victims that died at the Pentagon.
Next, we went to the park near the Washington Monument and had lunch. Then we went to the Holocaust Museum, which was the most beautiful, sad, depressing, humbling, and very energized place. It positively vibrated with energy.
After that, we went back to the American History Museum, and split up. Our group visited an exhibit about food in American culture. The other group visited the Presidency exhibit. We actually saw a reproduction of Julia Child's kitchen (we also watched part of an old episode of her show). After the food exhibit we visited an exhibit all about transportation in America. We saw old cars, and an exhibit on sea life and pirates. It was really fun, but we were starting to get tired, so we walked back to the hostel (that was almost on the verge of the blind leading the bewildered). Kenzie, Katherine, and Quinn are cooking quesadillas right now! Oh My Gosh I haven't had quesadillas in such a long time!! I bet they'll be awesome!!
DAY 3 – November 5, 2013 By Mackenzie Bickmore and Thomas Coombs
Today, we walked all the way to the Arlington National Cemetery from our hostel. When we arrived, we got a very interesting tour by a super cool man named Chris. After seeing a number of grave sites from famous people, like Medgar Evers, Thurgood Marshall, and Robert Todd Lincoln, we got to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They show a very high level of respect at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier because they are honoring all of the people that went to war and were killed and ended up not being identified. We also visited the Kennedy's grave sites: John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Jacqueline Kennedy.
After we left Arlington, we walked to the Lincoln Memorial, and went to the park and had lunch. Unfortunately, Katherine got pooped on by a bird because Mr. D was feeding the birds. Afterwords we went to the Lincoln monument and saw the place were Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have A Dream” speech. We also learned there are eighty-seven steps leading up to the Lincoln monument because of the beginning of the Gettysburg Address, which began with “Four score and seven years ago.” (A score is 20 years). We also learned that the back of Lincoln's head, if you look at it from the right angle looks like the profile of Robert E Lee. There is a legend that says that the sculpture carved the profile of Lee so that he was looking back at Arlington, his old home before the war.
When we finished at the Lincoln Memorial, we went to the Korean, World War II, and Vietnam War Memorials. At the Korean War Memorial we learned that there are nineteen actual statues and nineteen statues that are reflected in the wall which stands for the thirty-eighth parallel. We also learned that there is always a statue looking at you if you are at the memorial. When we went to the World War II Memorial there was a piece of graffiti that says “Kilroy Was Here” with a little cartoon. The reason that it was significant is because one of the people that would check the rivets on the naval ships when he was done checking them he would etch into the wall “Kilroy was here.” This saying then became a way for Navy men and women to recognize each other around the world and they began leaving the message in places they visited on and off duty. At the Vietnam War Memorial there was a person on the wall named Michael Tolley. After that we went to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. Finally, after tons of walking (10 miles) we came back to the hostel, and Laurel, Liam, and Garrett made dinner, which was burgers, fries/tater-tots and salad.
DAY 4 – November 6, 2013 Written by: Kayleigh Tolley and Abby Andrews
Today was definitely a day to remember! We had a bunch of fun and made lots of memories. We woke up at 6:00(AM) and got ready for the big day ahead of us. Breakfast was open at 7:30, so to past time we packed our lunches and chilled out. When 7:30 came, we ate a delicious breakfast and headed for the Supreme Court. We probably got there about 8:30 and we got in line for the big case. You may of heard about the case on the news and we were hoping to get into that one that started at 10:00. It was about saying prayers before town meetings in Greece, New York. We waited in line in front of the beautiful, marble court. Once it came time for that case to begin, we found out that we couldn't fit in to that case so we would go to the 11:00 one. I thought it was better because we would only have gotten time to go to the other case for 3-5 minutes, but instead we were able to see the entire second case.. We waited in line for another hour and finally we got to go in.
Inside the Supreme Court building, it was head to toe in gorgeous marble with beautiful, intricate designs on the ceilings. We all had to go through security (we have to everywhere, it's crazy!) and put all of our stuff in to lockers because they were not allowed in court. We were about twenty minutes late because of the lines, but we got in to the back seats. The case was very confusing and none of us (even the Ms. Mehlhorn and Mr. D) quite understood it - and some of us even fell asleep!. But, it was amazing to be in there. There was 9 seats for the Justices (and one of them looked like he was sleeping!) and 2 lawyers (of course) and a large audience. We looked around the court pretty much the whole time. It was interesting to see how much the lawyers knew and learned about what they were arguing about. I am definitely one for not arguing so I didn't like the concept of it really but how else do you do it. The case got out at 12:00 and we collected our stuff and left. It was a very cool experience for us all and we are very lucky we got the opportunity.
Our next plan on the agenda was to go to the Library of Congress. It was right next door so we were all very happy it wasn't a long walk. The Class was all pretty hungry so we took a break at the picnic tables and ate our lunch at the library. We had to go through security (once again) and we waited for everyone else. The Library was a work of art. It was beautiful with many columns and paintings. Mr. D tried to check in for our tour, but there was a mix up with the Senator's office and the Library, and our tour wasn't happening. Our class watched a quick video about the library and we started to explore! We split in to 2 groups and explored the exhibits. Mr. D's group looked through some of the exhibits, but didn't see the one downstairs, and the group decided it was time for the gift shop. We were down there for a long time while Ms. Mehlhorn's group was exploring. Soon after, it was time to gather up and Mr. D said to meet up in the lobby. However, Mr. Delorenzo soon forgot this and thought the plan was to meet on the steps out front so his group waited out there, I (Kayleigh) thought the plan was to meet inside also but I didn't say anything. Bad idea. Ms. Mehlhorn's group was waiting inside for us and we were waiting outside for them. 20 minutes later, Mr. D decided to contact Ms. Mehlhorn to find out what was happening. We all met up outside of the library and got ready for our next adventure. (This is Mr. D writing: I was framed. Ms. Mehlhorn conspired with Kayleigh to concoct this soup of inaccuracies and fabrications:)
Next stop, The Capitol tour! We headed over to Senator Collins office and we met up with her two interns that were going to be our tour guides. Her office was pretty cool! We left all of our stuff in there and started our journey to the Capitol. We took these cool subway cart like things from the office building to under the capitol or the visitor entrance. Our tour guides (Abby and another really nice lady) told us about the history, and we also watched a short film about the Capitol. The tour was amazing and we got to see places like where John Quincy Adams had a heart-attack and died, the old Supreme court and much more! We got to ride on the private subway system that the Senator's ride. We got to ride it a few times because we had to go back to the office, and then back to the Capitol to track down Senator Collins. When we got back to the Capitol, we waited in a super fancy-dancy reception room. We were going to meet Senator Collins and get a picture with her! She even hired a photographer that takes a lot of pictures of famous political people. Senator Collins is a very busy woman and it was awesome that she was coming! Once she came, we talked to her a lot and asked her questions and she did the same back. It was very cool! We got some pictures and she had to leave. We did to so we went back to the office, got our belongings, said goodbyes to our tour guides and left. We had had an amazing day so far and it wasn't even done! There was a beautiful, pink, fluffy sunset and we had to get a picture of the statue Freedom with the magnificent scene.
Our Class walked and walked and walked and it was about 5:10 when they decided we were probably not going to get to the hostel in time to cook so we stopped in China town and went out for Chinese food! The food was so amazing and we were all so hungry after the long day so we definitely ate a lot (Sorry Mr. D!)! We had to keep on moving after so we could get home and rest for the next day ahead of us. Today was definitely a highlight and we are all wiped out now!
Thank you and we miss you all very much!
DAY 5 – November 7, 2013: By Ivy Laakso and Laurel Gallione
Today was an amazing day for our class trip. This morning we had a good breakfast and then set off for the day. We walked to the National Art Gallery, went through security and waited for Ms. Mehlhorn to get a map. All of us had gotten an assignment from our art teacher Mrs. Proffety, which was to choose two paintings that were before 1850 and write the artist, the date it was painted, then we had to draw a rough sketch of it. Finally, we had to describe how we thought paintings looked before 1850. We also had to find two paintings that were after 1850 and do the same thing.
When we finished the project Garrett and Ivy were very excited about seeing some of Vincent Van Gogh's art. We walked around the museum and finally found the 19th century French paintings - and that means Vincent Van Gogh!!! We saw the art and we were all in awe of how amazing it was. After we went back to the main lobby we all divided into two groups, the ones who wanted to go to the Air and Space museum and those who wanted to go to the Natural History Museum. Eight of us went to the Natural History Museum and five of us went to Air and Space.
When we divided into groups we split up and walked to the separate museums. We had lunch at the museum cafes and then we started going through the exhibits. In the Natural History Museum we went to the fossils and the origins of life exhibit first. As soon as we walked in we saw a massive T-rex fossil. It was really amazing how they could recover the bones of something so old. It's amazing! Next we walked past the fossil and saw a model of how ancient humans would bury the people who died. They would tie up the bodies and put them in the hole that was lined with some sort of animal skin. They would tie them up because that would make it easier for the dead person to fit in the hole. We also went to the ocean exhibit. This exhibit was one of the coolest. We learned about how most water creatures today have evolved from bigger and more fierce versions of themselves. As soon as we finished there we walked into the human evolution room. It showed the time-line of the human species; how primates went from us being monkeys to us being tiny little people. We saw a few more places then we took the elevator upstairs.
When we got upstairs we went into the gem room. When you first walk in if you go to the right, (which we all did) you enter into the room that has the Hope diamond. It was so beautiful! Then we walked over to the left and as soon as we walked in all we saw were the most beautiful gems we had ever seen. They were all so beautiful. Katherine found a whole wall of pink rocks, and she was in heaven! Another part of the exhibit explained how rocks form and shape into crystals. We went to lots of other cool places but those were the best out of all of them.
The Air and Space museum was cool too! When we first walked into the museum we had to go through security. Then we went into the food court and there was a big McDonalds. Abby wanted to get a Big Mac so badly but we talked her out of getting one. So we had to eat our PB&J's. After we ate our lunch we went up stairs to look around. We first went into this big rocket ship, and explored the parts we were allowed to go into. Then we went into some other exhibits, including the story of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, and it was really fun. We also learned about the first African American to command a group of African American Fighter pilots, called the Tusgegee Airman. His name was Benjamin O. Davis. He was a really interesting man, and he became the first African American General in the Air Force (his father was the first African American General in the Army).
We learned a lot about airplanes and rocket ships, including how a jet engine works. After we walked around the whole museum we went into the gift shop and it was soooo big. We had to wait for Mr. D so he could charge his phone, in case Ms. Mehlhorn called, and, that was fun. After Mr. D’s phone was charged we started to walk back to the hostel, but first we had to stop at Starbucks, so Mr. D could get his coffee. Once he got the coffee we were walking back and we saw this big store full of Washington D.C stuff. When we got to the hostel the cooks were all ready cooking us dinner. They made us chicken ,mashed potatoes and some vegetables. It was really good. I liked the mashed potatoes the best out of all the food. After dinner we had a class meeting, then some of us watched T.V, played cards and played pool. Then a 9:00 PM we all had to go to bed. It was a really, really, fun day.
DAY 6 – November 8, 2013 By Liam Bracy & Abigail Roberts
We started out this morning at around 9:30 a.m. and we went to the Bureau of Engraving, where the government prints paper money. Unfortunately, we got in line and we tried to get a tour, but the next tour wasn't until 12:30 p.m. and that would only give us an hour in the museums we wanted to visit. So we skipped the Bureau of Engraving (which most of us were very disappointed about) and went right to the museums. We split into two groups.
The group that went to the Natural History museum yesterday went to the Air and Space museum, where there was a ton of cool stuff about airplanes, pilots and other methods of flying. They also had some stuff about stars, planets and constellations. It was really interesting.
The group that went to the Air and Space museum yesterday went to Natural History museum. (I learned that walrus' are HUGE and I think they're really cool). There was also a gigantic model of an armadillo and mammals of all sizes. One exhibit had the evolution of different animals throughout the ages, and there was an activity where you could see what you would look like as a caveman. The second group also went to the Native American museum. There was a very cool exhibit about the lives that Native Americans live today, including a great video about how the Inuit's use snowmobiles. We also saw a lot of Native American pottery, and a display of the weapons that they used throughout history. One exhibit displayed dolls from different tribes that were made by current artists. When we sat down for a break, we heard some music coming from the first floor. When we looked over the balcony we saw that there were people dancing. They were giving a performance on Native American dance and music.
Later, we met at the National Archives. We saw the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. It was really cool to see the original signatures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin on the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence was very worn, and you could barely see the ink.
The walk back to the hostel (approximately 7 blocks) wasn't too bad in my opinion. I think that after all the walking we've done this week, everybody's kind of used to it. As soon as we got back, the cooks (Ivy, Abby A, Thomas and Kayleigh) got to work and everyone else started packing. We're all so sad that this is our last full day in DC.
Dinner was really amazing. We had Mac 'N Cheese with ham, and a side of fruit salad. Good bye!
Mid-October 2013October is a busy month in middle school as we try to fit in a great deal of in-class work and important work on the farm before leaving on our trip to Washington DC in November. This is a time where the students learn a great deal about time management skills. Content lessons rotate on a weekly schedule and students are given a morning work period each day to work through weekly tasks as they choose. As due dates come and work is not complete the students are faced with the reality of time that was mismanaged. Our goal is to teach the students and reinforce skills they have been gaining since the early primary years. As a class we sat down to discuss strategies that can be used to increase work completion in a timely manner while also being mindful of work quality. Building the independence needed to manage time effectively becomes critical as the students get ready to enter high school.
One of our goals in middle school is to aid in a smooth transition for students from the Montessori education into high school. Montessori speaks of the importance of a student learning at his/her own pace; although, much more of the curriculum in middle school is based on class work and discussions we still encourage students to work at their own pace and in a way that best uses their strengths. There is a delicate balancing act in play as we encourage the students to find a level at which they are challenged and can work as independently as possible. |
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End of September 2013
Wow, it is hard to believe that September has flown by so quickly. The middle school students have been very busy getting into the routine of our full workload and balancing schoolwork, homework, and the farm. The farm is an important source of science knowledge, teamwork challenges, and problem solving. As the students work to care for the plants and harvest the weekly shares, they run across problems such as under-watered plants, slow-growing plants, fast-growing weeds, and the time crunch of harvesting enough produce in one short afternoon. This Fall we ran into a few beds that were not producing. The students designed and are carrying out experiments to test different variables that may have effected the growing. The students will track and record their results and then hopefully be able to implement changes to the farm that will help the plants grow. To start our year in history we have begun with a study of the Civil War. This week we were happy to welcome David Cheever the Maine state Archivist to our classroom. He talked with the students about Maine’s contributions and connections to the Civil War. He also shared stories of people from Lincoln County. The students and I were interested to hear some unique stories about events leading up to the war and discoveries that were made by Mainers. All the students are in the middle of reading literature books centered on the theme of survival. One group is reading a story of a young boy climbing some of the highest peaks around the world, including Everest. The second group is reading the story of a young girl fighting to survive the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. In conjunction with the upper elementary class we were able to arrange for Don Fendler to visit and speak with the students about his time Lost on a Mountain in Maine. It was fascinating to hear him speak about what happened to him and to see the actual video footage from his rescue. |
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September 2013The Eagle’s Nest is off to a busy busy start. The dedicated middle school students came back to school a couple weeks early to get the hoop-house planted. With a class almost double the size this year the workload felt much lighter and the students came together well. Montessori speaks to the importance of the children’s connection to the outdoor environment; we use the farm as one way to make this connection but also to explore economy, teamwork, and responsibility. This year we were very excited to work with the younger students to plan and plant greens and radishes into their hoop-house. Sharing the skills that the students have learned with younger students was a bright point in the beginning of the year
After a short week of getting to know the classroom, the middle school students were off to Kieve for a week of teambuilding and class bonding. This week is a fabulous and unique opportunity for our students to challenge themselves both at being away from home for an entire week and with the physical/emotional challenges presented to them by the camp staff. Because this group of students has experienced Kieve for so many years, the staff presented them with a unique assignment of creating and facilitating a challenge activity for the rest of the group. We proceeded through “human knot” using tied shoelaces, “poison peanut butter” with a bridge building component, and “stepping stones” with a musical challenge. The students returned to school this week ready to jump into our academic work. |
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June 2013We have made it to the last few days of school and the students have worked hard to prepare for their play. The group performed Hyronomous A. Frog: The Frog Prince; we want to thank all the friends and family who came to see the wonderful performance. After weeks of practicing lines, putting together costumes, and constructing scenery, the group was thrilled to put all the pieces together in the final show.
This week was also our final harvest of the year. Thank you to all those who purchased farm shares this season. As this was my first year undertaking a project like the farm, it is exciting to see so many in our community support the students’ work. We all learned a great deal about farming and produce but also about running a business and all the details that go into getting the product out to the customers. As the year wraps up the class is getting ready to say a final goodbye to our four eighth grade students. As these four enter the world of high school I am excited to see what the future holds for them and sad to see them leave my class. I have had a truly wonderful first year here at DMS and this group was a fabulous introduction to the community. I look forward to my three seventh graders becoming leaders as we welcome the large sixth grade group into the Eagle’s Nest. I wish each and everyone of you a stupendous summer. |
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End of May 2013Our class had a wonderful time with our mothers at our annual Mother’s Day lunch at the beginning of May. The students worked together to plan a fabulous menu of Greek pasta salad, cob salad, fruit salad, finger sandwiches, peach cobbler and of course strawberry shortcake. Once the shopping lists were made and supplies gathered the entire class headed into the kitchen to prepare the meal. I was impressed with all seven students who worked seamlessly together to create the meal with almost no involvement from me. It was wonderful to see how comfortable they are all becoming in the kitchen and in working as a team. The classroom was rearranged, the tables set, and the gifts presented. We hope that each mother felt special as the students enjoyed designing the special day.
Our science inquiry with the Damariscotta River Association concluded in a presentation of the research last week. Parents and interested friends were invited to view the final projects and ask the students questions about their findings. The students were excited to speak with parents as well as representatives from the Damariscotta River Association and the Darling Marine Center. Every group received wonderful feedback from the invited guests on the impressive work they had completed. We were also excited to host the students from the lower elementary and primary classes and are happy to hear they learned some new information about our local estuary. The peach and apple blossoms have popped giving campus a beautiful spring look. The Eagle’s Nest welcomed George Greene (grandfather of a lower el student) to give a lesson about caring for and pruning our fruit trees. We did quite a bit of work on our apple trees to be sure that they will grow strong and produce apples in a few years. Some of you may remember that the peach tree already produces wonderful fruit so our work was just to clean up the branches to allow for better fruit production this summer. The students are working hard on a very fun and family friendly play this year and hope you will all be able to join for an afternoon trip to Spamalot with Hyronomous A. Frog. |
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Early May 2013It has been a whirlwind of activity since we returned from vacation and it is hard to believe it is already May. The middle school was very excited to welcome the incoming 6th grade class on their visit last week. The current middle school students stepped up and showed how the routines in our classroom function. The students also spent some time on the farm educating the 6th graders about their role in Erdkinder as they move into 7th grade. I am very excited to see my group grow but will be sad to see this wonderful class of 8th graders depart for high school.
This spring we have had a great opportunity to work with the Damariscotta River Association on the new DEEP program. This program has given the students the opportunity to design and carry out inquiry-based research on the Damariscotta Estuary. Mrs. Gardiner and I reorganized our classes and grouped the 6th graders with the middle school students. Students created questions they wanted to research; some included questions about the green crab population or the presence of different types of plankton and more. The groups worked together to refine their questions, plan their research, and then carryout the research on our fieldtrip to the Darling Marine Center. The fieldtrip was the highlight of the project; students were able to spend time out on the water collecting samples and driving the boat. We also spent time on the shore researching the animals and plants and in the lab observing the animals in the water samples collected when on the boat. All groups are mixed ages and the students have worked wonderfully together. The project will culminate in a research presentation here at DMS on Monday May 13th where visitors are welcome from 3:15 - 3:45pm. As we head into May the middle school is wrapping up their studies in Latin and Art. Our final project in art is a print of the school to be included in the auction. The group enjoyed their first experience with printing so much this year that it was an easy choice for them. They have worked hard to create a priceless piece for the lucky bidder. |
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