Journal Entry 4

Thursday November 6, 2008

Today right away in the morning years 3-6 went to the main building where the theater is located for an assembly. Every Thursday there is an assembly for grades 3-6, as a form of celebration and time to get together. The teachers of these years put together a “time table” (schedule) for when they are in charge of the assembly. Ms. Lisa is in charge of the assembly in two weeks. I am going to ask if I can help with this assembly. The teachers may plan a lesson, drama, or song to share that relates to the SIS (Sotogrande International School) values. Some of these values include: open-mindedness, considerate, principled, committed etc.

Today one of the year three teachers led the assembly, she asked the student to think of tasks that they could do on their own (walk, raise their hand etc.) then she asked for tasks that the children might need help with. The children responded by saying that sometimes they need help with homework and cooking. To finish the assembly the teacher taught the students a song to a common tune with different lyrics. The song was great. I really like the idea of getting all of the students together for a short lesson with a positive theme as a sort of celebration.

After the assembly the students separated into separate groups for Spanish. Ms. Lisa and Ms. Hartland and I planned for some lessons tomorrow. We will be starting our PIO on conflict. In the past the teachers have made poppy flowers out of tissue paper demonstrate how art is used as a form of symbolism. The poppies symbolize peace. I told Ms Lisa and Ms Hartland about my trip to the Peace Museum in Hiroshima when I was in seventh grade. At this museum there are stings and stings or origami cranes. The cranes symbolize peace. The museum was built in honor of a Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki who was affected by the atomic bomb when she was two years old. When Sadako was ten, she died from effects of radiation. Her classmates wanted to make the memorial in her honor. The students made cranes and drape them all over the memorial. Now classrooms from all over the world fold and send strings of cranes to the museum. Tomorrow I will do a brief lesson on the Museum in Hiroshima. I will tell the story of the girl and then the students will be given the opportunity to create their own origami paper cranes. It should be a lot of fun, I’m very excited! The lesson will also fit specifically into our inquiry on conflict, because we will be specifically studying WWII with a small group of the students.

After planning we had rehearsal for the play. The students are really getting good at their lines; memorization, volume and expression are improving. Towards the end of the period Andrew and Josh (two of the main characters) sang their duet about a bicycle built for two. (Daisy, daisy, give me your answer do. I’m half crazy all for the love of you…) Yesterday it was quite good; however today with the microphone it was not so great. All of the students were laughing, including Ms. Lisa and me. They are great sports and were laughing too. As it got worse Josh and Andrew’s smiles kept growing. It sounded like Andrew lost his voice, and Ms. Sue said, “Andrew it sounds as thought you’ve got laryngitis!” It was hilarious! After singing, Josh nudged Andrew and whispered to him out to the corner of his mouth, “that was terrible…we need to practice.” Hahah, so entertaining. I can’t wait to better get to know these two. =]

After practice we had break and I went to say hi to Kevin and Murray in the PE department. Tomorrow I will play paddle ball with some of the staff. It is kind of like tennis, but you use a wooden paddle with holes in it. The staff plays at a club down by Sotogrande port. I think some of us are going to try and get a ride and then make our way back to the school for the Halloween party and Fireworks party.

Again after break, the students rehearsed for the play, but this time in the actual theater so they could work on getting their correct places on stage. I took some video of the practice. If I have time, maybe I will try and put together a movie with video clips and pictures of my time at the school and show it to the students before I go back home.

For lunch today I had some kind of soup, not sure what it was – maybe cheese, potatoes, and a vegetable? I also had a cold couscous salad and a greens salad. Again, loving the meals and not cooking.

After lunch Katya, who was gone before break, gave her 19th Century presentation. She dressed up as a nursemaid and talked about a typical day. Next was a language lesson on personification. Ms. Lisa shared a poem about a car the slept and yawned. The students came to the conclusion that personification meant when you give inanimate objects lifelike or “person” like qualities. Next the students were asked to write their own poem using personification. Ms. Lisa provided some possible topics such as a pencil case, a washing machine, an item of clothing, a clock, bus or a classroom. The students are usually very excited when they get to create something of their own.

Here is part of Josh’s poem on personification:
The Pencil by Josh Kelly
He is ready long and thin
Ready to be woke, suddenly!
His owner pulls him out of a
Dark and black cave.

He is forced onto the white sky.
He is pushed on…

The day wrapped up with the students passing in their POI folders and introducing the next inquiry on conflict.

I’m excited for paddle and our Halloween party tomorrow! =]

Here is the picture that I drew with the students the other day during art. They think I should become an artist, don’t know if I agree…