Good Morning All,

In Room 210 in the Middle School Wing of Sunnyside Environmental School we are in the middle of writing persuasive letters to someone of our choice with a message on energy. There are a variety of letters being written from advocating for renewable energy and off fossil fuels, reducing carbon footprint, stop hydrolic fracturing, why coal isn't a healthy option to why solar power...Students are learning to use multiple perspectives and form their own opinions, how to source their work and write bibliographies, make strong arguments (I know, they can argue a blue streak already!) and how to speak their opinions eloquently with a positive voice. These persuasive letters also support their action plan of choice. They will also be scored as their work sample for the state. 

Supporting 33 students in big writing projects is a huge job. It very much supports me if you read your child's work and ask clarifying questions, give some ideas of how to make their statements stronger and some editing help. The focus should be about the student's talking through their ideas and making some changes pretty much on their own. Sometimes they just need a little...perspective. An example: "I notice you jump from one big idea to the next right here, what would be a great supporting detail or example that could expand your idea?" Great! Thanks for the help!

The other thing I'd love support on is our READ-A-THON! Last year hardly any middle schoolers participated and it was a bit sad. This year, we want all students participating. Even if they get one sponsor for a flat rate of $10. It's really important to me that our whole class is involved as a community. Our students should be able to recognize the amazing programs they receive at SES by supporting our most important fundraiser! My minimum for them is they read 1 unit (20min) a night, which they should be doing anyway. Please initial their form and send it along daily and if for some reason your child will not be participating, just send me an email so I know and your child can still be recording their units read - no problem.

Oh, one last thing - we are sending a group of 50 students (they applied to go) to the State Capitol this Thursday with a message about what students think about the coal transportation proposal and coal in general. They will deliver their message in the form of Valentines, will hopefully speak with Gov. Kitzhaber and our state reps, tour the capitol and return with the news. It's a really great opportunity to empower our youth to have their voices heard. 

It has been a really intense month, students are excited about creating their own projects with messages they believe in. As well, us teachers are excited to support them in forming educated opinions, thoughtful responses, looking at all sides of an issue and talking about our earth, environment, health, and power & control! Wow!

I hope you all are well and over this flu season - wew! If your child was gone please come in and help me help them get caught up. It can be quite confusing. 

Happy February All
- Did the Groundhog see his shadow or not? I do see little tiny signs of Portland Spring! My daphne is thinking of blooming and I saw a Camilla flower the other day, so it's around the corner.

This week we are focusing on writing Persuasive Essays and Energy Action Plans. Students will have nightly homework on either or both, and they really go hand in hand especially if your child is writing his/her persuasive essay on the energy issue the action plan focuses on. We are also finishing up our conversations around biographies.

I have a huge request...Please check in with your child nightly about homework. If you have questions, please email me. We are having a homework crisis where I am receiving around 50% of each assignment. I am not piling on the homework but am asking students to take their time in doing some meaningful pieces that are needed in class when due so we can do the next piece. For example, the biography homework 1 & 2 directly feed into their final project. I hope to get back into better practice of having homework consistently done.

You may notice your child earned and I - Incomplete on his/her Service. This is because I did not receive their service reflection and/or evidence that service was completed. Please support your child in completing this so I can revise their report card.

I look forward to an interactive and fun week. We go to the Reed Reactor on Thursday which should provide some insights in Nuclear Energy!

Thanks, Cori

OMSI and this week

We are headed to OMSI to see what they have to say about Energy and Sustainability this Thursday. Please, send in permission slip and $6 if you haven't already!

Also, bring in any UNSOLD Applebees tickets! Otherwise I will have to charge you for them. Thanks to all the students who participated in selling and making it a team effort. I hope you went and enjoyed being with community and being served by our 8th graders. And...thanks 8th graders who volunteered! You are great.

This week we are moving into ACTION. Students are working in groups to develop and implement an action they want to take on an energy issue. Please discuss action plans with your child. The idea is to go beyond posters and you tube videos (those things can be part of their plan but are passive actions, you don't really know who you are targeting or if there is any change as a result of it.). I want them to think of specific audiences, action objectives and how they plan on making a change.
Some possible ideas are: creating a product this your message (t-shirt, stickers etc), create a flash mop, write a song and perform it to a new group of people, do a powerpoint presentation to other middle schools, do street theater, create a mural or other art installation, write letters to government...you get the idea!

As part of the energy teach in and unit, students will also be writing persuasive/argumentative essays on  an energy issue of choice (can be the same as their action plan).

We will continue to read biographies from different perspectives. Students should continue reading their biography, 20-30 minutes a night. If they finish, pick out another one! I have many in my class.

And Finally - this Friday is the end of 2nd quarter! Wow! Mon/Tues we will be looking at any missed work and finalizing our service reflections. Please check in with your child to see that they have finished all service for the quarter. Our class got lucky, we had gardening at school and Vinny offered it to us as a late-start option too. So all of my class should have their 2 hours one way or the other.

Thanks for all you do for your children and our school. We are lucky to have such an amazing community.
Cori

ps...I had to restart my entire grading program as my last one crashed and burned. I think my new program will be much better. Once I get all the data entered and kinks worked out, I will be able to email you grades upon request! (This does not mean I will have grades entered every day, or even week, but will do my best to keep up!)

Energy Teach-In

We had a very energy-filled week.  Students finished their last core-class rotation on Friday to learn about different resources we use to generate electricity throughout the United States.  We've shifted our learning and focus from the physics end of things (energy forms, potential/kinetic, law of conservation of energy, etc.) to think and talk about the social and economic ramifications of the uses of various energy resources.  The students are doing an amazing job of talking about the issues and looking at data and evidence that is used to support or oppose them.

 

Our month-long unit on energy finishes next week with the Energy Teach-In!  We have amazing speakers and presenters coming to talk to the students and lead break-out sessions throughout.  Students will participate in role plays, examine how data can be manipulated to support or disprove hypotheses, and we will be watching Gasland at the Baghdad Theater.  If you are interested in attending any aspect of this, please let me know-- I'll send you a schedule and you can choose what you'd like to partricipate in. 

It would be great if you had check ins with your child this week about what they are learning, what's impressing them the most, ideas they have..Some content will be heavy and difficult to digest and make sense of, other sessions will be inspiring and hopeful. Also please support our amazing Sunnyside students to be on their best behavior and to "show up" ready to participate and learn. 

 

Following next week we will be diving head-long into writing persuasive pieces that result from students' passions/concerns/interests about energy.  Students will also be designing and implementing action plans to address an issue related to energy that they care about. 

The other area of study we are focusing on is Biographies. On Thursday students checked out biographies and will be reading them over the next few weeks. If your child doesn't have one yet, please help out! I have some in the class as well. I gave an assignment that is due next Monday, 1/28 that students should be doing at home this week. 

Hope you are all well, I managed to get that darned flu on this very beautiful 3 day weekend! uggg! I hope to be there tomorrow!