We started out the week with the Iowa testing! Standardized tests fail to measure what we care the most about: grit, perseverance, warmheartedness, tough-mindedness and the attributes of self-management and self-governance that make our studios hum with energy and learning.
While we aren’t fans of standardized tests, it’s still reassuring to see how well a learner driven community can perform, even when there’s no teaching to the test, because there’s far more important learning afoot.
We want to give a huge thank you to the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Unit for spending the day at our school!
The Eagles had SO much fun learning about fluorescent fingerprints, different types of casts, 3D scanners, etc. The Eagles got a tour of the detective's van to see all of their equipment! As a souvenir, each Eagle got to take home a fingerprint that they dusted and lifted with the detectives!
This week the Eagles are working on building their planter to start planting their seeds! We have so many seeds we want to plant, but where will we grow it?
This year, we are trying out square foot gardening. A square foot garden is, generally, a raised bed garden divided into 1 square foot sections. Seeds and plants of different kinds are planted in each square instead of in rows like a traditional garden. This allows gardeners to maximize their space.
In Writers' Workshop, we read two stories: Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Suess and The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers.The Eagles were asked:Which style of art do you prefer? Why? Which style of writing do you prefer? Why?
Which book demonstrates more skilled artistry? Which demonstrates more skilled writing?After our discussion between the two books, we revisited the sub-skills of word choice:
For our Community Garden Quest, we decided to take the Eagles to the Landry-Poche Strawberry Farm! The Eagles had a blast picking strawberries and eating them, each Eagle got to take a bucket of strawberries home.
The owner of the farm talked about strawberry irrigation, a combination of drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers to improve strawberry production. This combination has become a proven irrigation method for staying on schedule and delivering a high-yield, high-quality crop. The Eagles learned about how the weather had an impact on how the strawberries grow. This experience will help the Eagles on their journey with the garden quest!
After a long day at the farm, we stopped by Kevin's Cajun Seafood where the Eagles all ordered their own food!