I am so sorry that Elle had such a difficult Monday night due to an allergic reaction that caused her to visit the ER! Elle said she was very tired today from the experience as well as the Benadryl and another medication she said was administered to her as a result of what happened. Even though Elle was not feeling her best, she did express an interest in learning about the impending Mid-Term elections next week. Elle knows that her friends Kate and Bobby are interested and even passionate about some of the issues, so this is motivating her to want to learn about the issues and candidates, as well. We spent time on learning about election amendment 13 today. We have quite a few more amendments to review and discuss. Also, Elle will learn about the gubernatorial and senate candidates this week, too. Elle MUST remember to bring her TX project board back to school so we may resume work on that, too.
Assignment
Please bring TX project board back to school!
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
60
Lesson Comments
We need a parent to also remind Elle to get her TX project board back to school. She took it home for what was supposed to be one night early last week.
Today, Henry and I began planning his World Map Project. Since I will be concentrating on Geography primarily, I wanted to give Henry a hands-on, enrichment style project to engage him in researching and learning about important geographic features around the world, locations of major cities, natural and man-made wonders, and exposure to maps. I introduced the concept of the project and Henry was immediately interested and excited. In the coming weeks/lessons, as we are constructing a replication map of the world, I will have Henry watch interesting videos; research important facts/info about various locations/geographic features of his interest; and, ultimately, Henry will report on his findings and I will engage him in a critical analysis of the challenges and obstacles of various environments; reasons for the locations of major cities; and, a comparison of the humans that live in these various locations/environments. I explained the entire project to Henry, and he seemed genuinely interested in the idea. I'm excited to see this unfold with Henry, as he shows a strong interest in the physical environment, because I know he will explore things that will engage his naturalist essence.
Assignment
Henry should begin looking at images of various maps of the world (physical maps especially) so he can begin constructing his own world map...the project will begin on 10/30
Session Minutes
30
Minutes Student Attended
30
Lesson Comments
FYI the lesson didn't begin until 815 when Henry arrived. I took him outside to shoot some baskets for several reasons: 1) with it being so early I wanted to get his blood moving and energy level up so I could properly access his mind; 2) I wanted to bond/connect with Henry outside of the classroom/instructional space, so he can feel comfortable/secure with me moving forward. I have learned that any sort of outdoors/naturalist/athletics type activity is the ideal way i have learned to connect with students/people most quickly and with most enduring results; and lastly, 3) I simply wanted Henry to have some fun as i believe all students should look forward to school and be excited to meeting with and learn from their teachers. I know Henry have bonded and will continue to work well together. I have not had one second of problems/issues/disconnect with Henry during any of my instructional time; however, i have seen him much different with other teachers, which i belief may stem from personality clashes. I've gotten a read on Henry's reactions, and he seems to be triggered around the 11 o'clock hour. I have my suspicions, but would like to discuss further. Have you noticed a difference in Henry's conduct/mood/behavior when his instructors are male vs when they are female? I could get into the psychology of this with you more in detail, but i think he would benefit from a greater dose of male energy/presence. Let's discuss some of these observations further at your convenience. FYI i am really enjoy my time with Henry. He's a wonderful kid, dynamic, intelligent, and authentic.
Elle is very open to learning about the candidates and issues on the mid-term election ballot for FL. We focused on this today as we are at a bit of an impasse with Elle's Texas project. She has still not brought her project board back to school for us to resume the work we started on it. I reminded Elle again today to bring it back to school tomorrow. It's always a pleasure to discuss issues with Elle in class!
We engaged in more research today. Unfortunately, Elle's project board is still at home. She took it home on Tues. with the best of intentions to work on it, but she has not had the chance. This is OK because I prefer we work on it together. But Elle must bring her project board back to school on Monday. Also, I hope you all get a chance to discuss the interesting issues that came up in our class yesterday. Elle's homework was to engage her family in a discussion of your TX family history. I sure hope you all find time for it this weekend....can't wait to find out what Elle learned from home!
Assignment
Discuss family history with Mom & Dad. Could the Beadles possibly be related to the Texas Hiltons? Also, Elle needs to bring her TX project board back to school on Mon., 10/29!
So glad that Elle is feeling better! She took her TX project board home with her on Tues. and forgot to bring it back to school. But we were fine without it as we spent the period on research and discussion for her project. One of the things we learned about TX today is that Conrad Hilton, the founder of the Hilton hotels is from San Antonio, TX and he is buried in Dallas, TX. Elle revealed to me that her youngest brother goes by the nickname of "H." Naturally, it got us thinking and we couldn't help but wonder if the Beadles family may be distantly related to the Hiltons. As usual, Elle did such a fine job researching a multitude of relevant issues today. Keep up the great work, Elle! I am so proud of you!!!
Elle went home sick today and called her mother just before 2nd period. We did have 30 minutes of class time together to continue to work on her Texas project. Elle wanted to do schoolwork at home today and I am very proud of her for taking her TX project/display board home with her this morning.
Today we discussed the importance of almanacs in early American literature. We also discussed the growth of public education in 16th and 17th century America - but it only existed in the northern colonies and it was only available to white males. Women, slaves and Indians had virtually no access to education. We learned about the establishment of some of the finest universities in America, beginning with Harvard in 1636. The first medical school was founded by Benjamin Franklin in what is now known as the Univ. of PA. By the mid-18th century, colonial Drs. had successfully discovered and implemented an innoculation for smallpox in the colonies. At the dawn of the 18th century, vast differences were apparent between England and its American colony. This will lead to increased tension between them.
Henry and I discussed various types of maps. We began by distinguishing the two most basic types of maps, political and physical. After highlighting the purpose of each as well as types of their variations, we discussed the early map-makers, known as Cartographers. Then, Henry and I analyzed the difficulties early conquistadors and other explorers faced when traveling the world by ship, simply referencing a man-made map they were given. This eventually led to the higher-level evaluation of mental maps, and how we create these in our minds regarding our environments, relationships, and beliefs. Great connections were made between language and imagery, particularly geographic maps and mental maps.
Assignment
I asked Henry to consider his mental maps throughout the day, then as a challenge, for him to share this mental map with another person to see if he could direct that person somewhere according to his mental map of the environment/situation.
Session Minutes
60
Minutes Student Attended
45
Lesson Comments
Henry was perfectly fine during this entire lesson. By the time I was leaving around noon, Henry wasn't doing so well. I'm not sure was transpired for him, but the rapid change in his mood/state would be worth identifying so that Henry or his teachers can be proactive in helping him prevent slipping too far into his mood/state.
