Zarchive2011Grade7

**__NOTES TO THE FOLKS BACK HOME!__**
Jan. 24, 2011 Dear Folks Back Home of my pd. 4 Action Learning Class,

Hope this note finds you well. Our class has decided to have a Valentine’s party on Monday, Feb. 14. Students have divided themselves into four planning committees of games, food, decorations and gifts. This is how they are grouped:

Games- DA SM DN AV-M

Gifts (just planning how they will go)- JC-S AC-R RG OO MV

Food- EC PF GP OK WW

Decorations- RJ HM YN AS

Would you mind finding your child’s initials and following up with him or her to support their Valentine’s party endeavors? I know they would appreciate it much.

Thank you and hope you have a great week.

Jan. 6, 2011 Dear Folks Back Home of my pd. 4 Grade 7 Action Learning Class:

 Just wanted to update you that our exploration of “Images” has shifted from the images of people to public imagery and its purpose(s) and effect(s). I encourage you to connect in outside of school discussions with your children about this topic. We specifically started with public service announcement types of imagery. Another example that students enjoyed thinking about in class was the purpose and effect of the “Big Blue Bear” downtown.

 Our Aerospace Engineer volunteer made his last presentation with the class the week before break. Now is the perfect time to send him a thank you note, so if anyone wants to send one in, I will be happy to make sure he receives it.

 Happy New Year!

12/06/2010 Dear Folks Back Home of Action Learning,

 This is just a note to let you know, if your child has not already, of the special guest speaker in our class for three consecutive Wednesdays, the first of which was last Wednesday. It is our privilege and pleasure to have secured the expertise of an aerospace engineer specializing in hardware for satellites. I have arranged for this in an effort to allow kids to connect their math and science academia with real and attainable future careers. We should consider our guest’s volunteer hours with appreciation and honor, so I am thereby suggesting that if your child has any free time at home to begin creating a thank you note, card, or letter to Mr. Fisher anytime soon I think that would be great. This is not a requirement, only a suggestion, and a way for you to again approach a conversation about what your child is learning in class.

 Hope you all enjoyed the weekend and that your week ahead is a pleasant one.

11/23/2010 Hello Folks Back Home of Grade 7 Action Learners!

First, I want to extend all the best holiday greetings to you and your family. Your child may already have told you about his or her pd. 4 class – Action Learning. This is a dynamic, highly interactive course that focuses on speaking and listening, debate and discussion, service learning (we are Merrill’s Green Team), and many other fun games/activities. The student-driven curriculum is intellectually rigorous, often fast-paced, and features a strong “real world” flavor.

 The class voted during the first week to first pursue some study on “images.” Please take a moment to touch base with your child on the discussions we have in class as often as possible, because they frequently lead to rich connections and values at home. For example, today we addressed the figurative images associated with different socioeconomics and how or why those images might be perceived as favorable or not. We also discussed stereotypes in depth.

 In sum, please let this e-mail serve as both a welcome and invitation to continue discussions at home about all that is going on in Action Learning this winter trimester!