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Martin Luther King, Wailele, and China
Martin Luther King
Mr. Chance came in today to talk with the children about slavery, civil rights, and freedom fighters like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. He also shared some of his personal experiences, and the children were fascinated. Not only was he amazed by the depth of their knowledge and understanding, he was also amazed by the quality of their questions, "Why didn't they just talk it out instead of fighting the Civil War?" and a comment from one student about how parents and grandparents can pass prejudice on and make it spread, "Isn't it like the rotten apple that spoils all the apples in the barrel?" Please, take time to talk with your child about some of the important aspects of Martin Luther King's teachings: non-violence, fighting hatred with love, and the right of every person to be free. Keep the dream alive! Mahalo nui loa, Mr. Chance!!
The 1/2 classes were scheduled to study Medieval Times this semester with an emphasis on how people lived in another place and time. However, because MPI is celebrating 100 years in Manoa, we have decided to focus our Inquiry on Manoa and a very interesting "pond" on campus called Wailele. We call it a pond, for now, because after two visits this week, we are in the process of discussing where its water comes from, whether it's polluted, how it was used in the past, and why there is a fence around it. These are the essential questions that came from your children, along with a number of interesting hypotheses for each. Check out our Mind Maps the next time your are in the room.
On Wednesday, the children drew the valley and pond and wrote their own explanations about the source of the water. These explanations will soon be turned into original legends after we have taken a look at legends and folk tales of Hawaii and other lands. There are, in fact, at least two legends about this pond that we will share with the children next week. The students really enjoyed the experience of visiting the pond with their Learning Logs and writing impressions of the place, drawing what they saw, and coming up with some questions and ideas about it. For them, it is learning about their place--very meaningful, indeed! Be sure to check Ms. Field's Photo Gallery for pictures of our visits. Our classes are collaborating, and Ms. Field is our tech person, recording the experience on video and in photos, while I keep the discussions going. We really enjoy working together!
China
The children and I have brought in personal stories, books, Chinese lanterns, dragons, pictures, maps, stamps, and the Chinese zodiac. Thank you, everyone, who is contributing to our learning! Mrs. Yoshikawa is planning a very special Chinese New Year Celebration on February 7th. Let us know, if you have something you would like to do with us or tell us about. We love having our parents in the classroom.
Homework
I will send homework on Friday this week because of the holiday.
Reminder
Portfolios are due tomorrow. Please call me if you would like to keep them longer.
Posted on January 17, 2008 3:00 PM | Permalink