The Rookery

Reflecting on the past week, it feels more like a month.  Was it just last Monday that no one had presented their fourth or fifth grade project?  Amazingly, yes.  And that's not all the Herons were up to, either.

More Questions than Answers

The months of hard work paid off this week as students presented their fourth grade and honors projects.  I was struck by two things as I watched the presentations:

    These students, especially the fifth graders, have developed expertise.  In many cases, they are now the most knowledgeable person in our school regarding their topic.  As a teacher, that is an exciting thing to see.  I am often humbled during honoring week as I watch students share information so fluently and confidently, names and facts flowing from them as though they had been born knowing.  Of course, it was not innate knowledge but hard work that enabled such demonstrations.

   
 The students present for about a half an hour but they are an audience for three days.  By Wednesday, even I can feel tired but these 9,10, and 11 year olds were able to formulate thoughtful, interesting questions the whole time. The ability to learn something and wonder more is so crucial to success in today's world.  The personal project begins with questions and, when done well, ends with more questions whether posed by one's audience or posed to oneself.  In some of the presentations I went to, the time spent answering questions sparked by the presentation exceeded the initial presentation's length.  Both the questions and the presenters' ability to deftly respond made me very proud.

Elise has written a lovely post about personal projects from the K/1 perspective.  It's fun to read and realize how much our 4/5s have learned.

Taking Things Apart

The Herons surprised me by their passion for taking things apart this week.  I had several reminders as they left on Friday to "get better screw drivers" this weekend.  (And so I have.)  So many modern devices work as though by magic.  It's very fun to peek behind the curtain, as it were, and discover the mechanics of common objects.  So far, we've found worm gears, magnets, buttons, motors, and circuit boards.  Many of the motors we can re-animate by attaching them to a battery.

The Herons' curiosity is by no means sated.  If you have any broken electrical devices we welcome them (no screens, please, as they contain lead).  We're also looking for a lamp to add a cord switch to.

Putting Things Together

I am very, very thankful for the gift the Joe Chvala and the Flying Foot Forum gave to the Herons on Saturday night.  Prairie Creek was able to work with Flying Foot last year as part of an arts grant.  This year Flying Foot invited us to perform with them and Joe came back to our school as a volunteer to prepare us.

It was not easy.  I sat in on one of the three days of rehearsals and found myself overwhelmed by everything the students were being asked to do.  The dancing was hard, the language was hard, the singing was hard…and it was all happening in our gym, without the set and without the performers who would be joining the Herons on stage.  I scheduled extra rehearsals and at each, the Herons assured me they had things under control.

Indeed they did.  What a thrill to see them shine on stage this Saturday.  They were so grown up.  Not only did they know their parts, they were filled with energy and stage presence.  And they were performing for a packed house of people they did not know.  Wow.  The night goes down as a highlight of the year, if not my career, at Prairie Creek.

Simon has written a great post, too:  Curioser and Curioser