Our Podcast about Inanimate Objects that LiveAt a certain point near the beginning of the new year I asked the crew to listen to a new podcast called Everything is Alive with me. The intention was to get a few laughs, inspire students to expand their creative thinking and engage them in a new story-telling format. After listening the whole crew wanted to make their own version of Everything is Alive. So anchoring the activity to dialog and character development lessons we set out to create our own version of anthropomorphizing stuff. Next time you toss your water bottle in the dishwasher, beware of the true impact. To listen to what the crew created click on the link to our podcast hangin' below the parking garage meter and the mop. Friendly Anthropomorphism (I can't change the header pic on the podcast; the price of free hosting.) An Amazing Story About Love and VegetablesA couple student's, Jace E and Chloe G, independent of class work created the following short book. Click on the link to read and admire the illustrations. L a s t S O L OOne last day together in the mountains for a bit of personal reflection. I did not make it to the top with the crews so pics I have to share are limited. Dance PartyOur school’s This Is Me dance - 100% choreographed by the kids of Renaissance! Every two weeks, a different group of kids would create the next 15 seconds of the dance and then teach it to the entire school. By the end of the year, the dance was complete. Working together on this dance as a school over the year really helped build a sense of community. It has been quite powerful to see all 400 kids sharing the common goal of learning these dance moves and completing the dance by the end of the year! This song also comes with a strong message that we wanted the students to really embrace - to be themselves and embrace who they are. Thank you AllThank you everyone for an amazing final year at REMS. I appreciate all the support you each gave, as students, as parents, to help me best guide. May you all find whatever it is your hearts desire. May you all smile.
Believe in you, Believe in Awesome. Captain k... A few weeks before we departed REMS for the summer Carlotta Walls, one of the 9, Little Rock Nine visited our school to share her story and her hopes for the future. Her visit really had an impact on our students; much more than I perceived there would be. Our students were prepared to digest the hard content. They ask articulate and intelligent questions, made thoughtful connections and spoke of a healthier future culture. Check out below for a few images, a student letter/poem and my personal letter to Carlotta and G-ma. Dear Carlotta Walls, Thank you for coming to our class room and sharing with us first hand what happened to you. You have had such a bad experience but you went through it so others and yourself could live a happy life. I have made a free verse poem for you and you inspired me to write it. I hope you like it! Division Division, too much division, All around the world, there is only division. Division can only be darkness or is it light So which is it light or darkness? Maybe both. Only division can know who or what it is. Division from race, division from gender, division from… It needs to stop all of this division is too much to handle all of this division is too much to feel. I can’t be me you can’t be you because they decide we aren’t the same, Divide is what they do that’s all they do. Because there is no quality in this so-called community Such a funny word what does it mean? Division that weird funny little simple word that turns into bad. Is it something in math is it something among Us as people People. That’s what they say but if you aren’t what they call human then I’m not because we are the SAME. I think it means all of those things but there will be bad that comes from division there always will We are NOT divided even though they tell us we are. We are not a we there is no community here Because of that one word, Divide. Not now Not anymore. Yes, I say no more Division. Like I said I do hope you liked it! Sincerely, Briana (student from REMS) Dear Carlotta and G-ma,
The day you both visited my classroom my heart was warmed. Inspiring young people to take a more open-minded and hearted perspective of the world is one of the biggest gifts I believe I can give to students. Your visit to Renaissance had a profoundly positive impact on our student's disposition towards the world and an almost heartbreaking revelation that bad things that happened in our world, have indeed happened. I can share with you that my students expressed a fiery proclamation to create a future motivated by equality for all. I’d like to tell you that I heard my students express profound insight gleaned over a period of time yet my experience with them was limited. The school year has come to an end. What I can share is my story. I was born into a racist family and raised in a white-centric world. My father and other neighborhood dads passed their closed-minded beliefs down as knowledge disguised as tarnished wisdom-- ”This is the way of the world children, watch out!” For a while, I harbored and nurtured those adult's ideals as my own. I have memories as a small boy chanting racial slurs and discussing with my young friends how we would grow up and make the world a better place for white Christians; how we would make our dads proud. The strange thing about my father is that I don’t think he is at his core a hater. My father was full of hurtful and closed minded words yet his actions towards others confused me. I witnessed him on so many occasions befriend those that he talked poorly about. He sadly chose to take terrible ideals on as defining attributes of his character instead of aligning himself with his true compassionate nature. I think perhaps this contradiction of his character was just enough of a catalyst for me to start to ask the right questions. I was 14 when I began to see the flaws in arguments for inequality. Today I’m grateful I cherish equality as a human right preserved for all. Yet, I harbor shame because my current default response to people different than I is concern. I’m ashamed and sad that I have to internally dialog to arrive at a place of understanding and equality. I’m mad that as a small boy the adults responsible for my well-being impressed upon me a hateful and hurtful way of seeing the world. On the flip side, I’m pleased that I’ve developed enough awareness to move through fear to arrive at love. My experiences have made me who I am. And though I choose to move through the world with openness for all, I have to work at it more than I’d like. I’d rather my default be trust rather than fear. Yet it is what it is. As I move forward in life the racism that lurks in me will die with me. I am beholden to you both for helping me impress upon the young the absolute value of standing up to injustice and perhaps most importantly, that all people should be awarded the honor of being considered with an open heart and an open mind. With gratitude, Kenny Harris Educator Renaissance ELOB Wildland Fire EcologyThis is a study of a complex, local, ecological topic (wildland fires) used to illustrate our big ideas: Interconnected Systems and Cycles and Scientists Have Specific Ways of Finding Things Out. Students are learning to work as ecologists in the field; they've gained and used background knowledge that helped them understand what experts share, and are now using their gathered data to draw supported conclusions and make recommendations to stakeholders (ie. ski resorts, home, business owners, etc). They are also learning how to look at a complex issue from multiple perspectives and to come to consensus as they try to solve the problem of forest - and land - management. The images below chronicle our wildland fire experience from in class prep to field work to expert speakers. Writing to Develop Character Using Dialog
Raku PotteryOver the past month the kids have been working with Ms. Pam to build, glaze and fire pottery. These pottery pieces were fired twice. Once, in a conventional kiln and secondly, one of the oldest ways to fire, in an oxygen reduced "trash can." If you don't already know about this process, ask your child. Later, the pottery pieces will be woven on using scientific data collected from the Manitou Experimental Forest (lots and lots of numbers) to guide the weaving. I know, kind of confusing. It'll all make since shortly. MathematicsAt this point we are well into our study of fractions. In Let’s Be Rational, students are developing an understanding of the four basic arithmetic operations with fractions, including mixed numbers. They are also describing strategies for using these operations when solving problems involving fractions. Hangin' with First GradeEvery Friday we head to Mr. G's room to read with first grade buddies. A few weeks ago our crew wanted to shift the hang out time to playing outside with 1st. Some truly funny stories have arisen out of the outdoor play. Feel the Love: Valentines DayThank you to Elise, Jillian and Mikaela for organizing, setting up, cleaning up and hanging out. This little shindig wouldn't have happened without these three. Cheers to you! Silver Heights Care CenterThe images below capture two visits. One visit was devoted to making valentines and the second was focused on the creation of super cool balloon-ice-orbs. It's cool to see how the crew's relationships with the residents has grown; more smiles and openness. Smiles and ShenanigansSometimes we just have fun for the simple reason of making ourselves smile and laugh. Life is Art This year, Life is Art is on March 2, 2019 at Cielo in Castle Pines. The evening features live music, dancing, food, drink and auctions. One hundred percent of the proceeds from this event go directly back to REMS. Life Is Art, Renaissance's annual auction fundraiser, is right around the corner. Do you have your tickets yet? The ticket price goes up as of February 20th, so get your tickets now at this link. No one to watch your children the evening of Life is Art? Solution found. Renaissance Secondary School will be offering a Parents Night Out with a fun evening pizza, movies, arts and crafts. Must sign up by February 15th... This is a great way to connect with parents and staff and have a fun night as crew supporting our wonderful school. Attached is a picture of part of our crew art, which will be available at the auction for purchase. I will also be offering for teacher time for the winner where we will go zip-lining at the MAC! Please direct any Life Is Art questions to Courtney Hay and Shannon Andrus at [email protected]. Important Dates:No School: 2/18
Community Education Night: 2/19 6:30-7:30 Life is Art: 3/2 Care Center: 3/5 Spring Break: 3/18 - 4/1 Care Center: 4/2 Climbing-PE: 5/6 - 5/10 Care Center: 5/7 Somewhat Daily Crew Updates: If haven't yet signed up for Seesaw, please do so. I update the site regularly on things happening in the lab and students post their personal work throughout the week. Check your inbox for specific directions on accessing. Day 1: Snow cavesWe departed school, dug snow caves, got cold, got warm, established base-camp, cooked and ate chicken noodle soup and practice hypo-wraps. Day 2: Montgomery PassBeautiful sunrise, slippin' into snowshoes, bluebird-sky-day, snow science, snow tunnel, snow slides, hot coco, and splinting broken bones. Day 3: Lake AgnesAn early rising, back into our snowshoes, the sharp Nokhu Crags, heavy breathing, shedding layers, avalanche zone crossing, an old cabin, a frozen lake, strong winds, challenge night, and, for some, a night outside. Day 4: SleddingSome of us awoke outside. Some of us awoke in a warm cabin. The story for those that slept outside is far more captivating than for those that slept in shelter. Never-mind where each of us slept, our day begin with a hustle and bustle. We packed our bags, gobbled down some morning grub, loaded the vehicles with pots, pans, stoves and sleds and headed back east in search of a snowy hill to sled on and a space for a closing circle. Important Dates:Care Center: 1/22
Black Forest Visit: 1/24 (?) Castle Rock Middle Visits: 2/7 Mesa Middle School Visits: 2/7 Renaissance Secondary Visits: 2/7 No School: 2/15 No School: 2/18 Life is Art: 3/2 Spring Break: 3/18 - 4/1 Working with Our Good Buddies in FirstA Visit to RSSWe spent a little time at RSS to learn from the high schoolers a bit about Temple Grandin. The Holiday PartyThis was truly a fantastic day. A big shout out to Elise and Jillian for organizing our shindig and for Sandra for settin' us up to work on our Life is Art Project. And, many, many thanks for all the wonderful and thoughtful gifts shared with me. Important Dates:Winter Voyage: 1/14-1/17 Day of Rest: 1/18 No School: 1/18 No School: 1/21 Care Center: 1/22 DrummingDrumming is as fundamental a form of human expression as speaking, and likely emerged long before humans even developed the capability of using the lips, tongue and vocal organs as instruments of clear communication. To understand the transformative power of drumming you really must experience it, which is something I've had the great pleasure of doing now for seven years. The images below highlight the connection and shared joy that arise via communication without words, and instead through rhythm of drumming. Drumming can be a spontaneous and immensely creative thing. Here is an example of a Monday morning jam. A jam is when there is no official leader guiding our drumming and drummers are intently listening to the whole to help direct an individual beat. Civics: Voting on Local IssuesA couple days before the 11/6 vote the crew and I investigated a few of Colorado's proposed amendments and propositions. The crew had been broken into for and against groups, researched a target proposal, prepared to persuade their constituents and shared their reasons and positions. After a short Q n A the crew voted anonymously using Google Forms. Moments later we were able to review the results. Manitou Experimental Forest: Working for the GovernmentApproximately a month ago we spent a few days in the federal forest learning from scientist while collecting data from burned forest and unburned forest. The Manitou Experimental Forest research scientist asked us to organize and to analyze our data and return our conclusions-- essentially we've been asked to support federal government wildland fire research. There are lots and lots of raw data points. For the past week, Ms. Lisa's, Ms. Karen's and our crew have been working collaboratively to develop functional graphs. The process has had many steps: preliminary exploration of how to best organize data, which data to use, lots of data points vs. averages, conversions of measurements and finally an interpretation via analyzation. Below you'll notice a variety of steps that have led to the design of some well organized graphs. The process began frustratingly. Now, nearer to an end, we are focusing in on a bit of eloquence. This journey has been yet another example of how so many process' start with disequilibrium, which make beginning and sustaining progress so difficult. It has become more clearer to me that part of my responsibility is to make a big deal about these rough starts, and connect them to the fruits of thoughtful, creative diligence. Writing Friendly LettersA few weeks ago I received, what I hope to be my last, poorly written late night email note from a student. Since the beginning of the year I had been receiving various informative or clarifying messages from crew that I almost always had to decipher like I would a riddle. Letters were not addressed to me, even the most basic writing conventions were absent and there was never a sign off. If not for the email address containing the students name I would not have known who had sent me a message. So, began a short genre study in writing friendly letters. We spent a week and a half improving the craft. For most students, holding them accountable for applying what they already know to be good writing, was mostly all that was required. The study began by me writing them a letter, the students responding. The students writing a letter to someone of interest to them and, something we still need to complete, a letter to Manitou Experimental Forest. I ask you to please follow up on the letter your child wrote to someone of interest. Due to the DCSD firewall many students were not able to send their letter. Some decided to print off, fold, stuff in an old fashioned envelope and others had plans to use personal, or parents, email accounts to get their letter to its destination. Please check with your child to make sure their letters are received by those they were intended for. Social ThinkingA Week of Climbing
Hangin' with our First Grade BuddiesAlmost every Friday morning, immediately after our morning meeting, we partner up with Mr. G's first grade crew. The past two Fridays there were very authentic focuses on 6th grade teaching 1st grade to type on an iPad and write well constructed sentences. Important Dates:Care Center: 12/4
Winter Break: 12/24-1/7 Care Center: 1/15 No School: 1/18 No School: 1/21 Winter Voyage: 1/14-1/17 Day of Rest: 1/18 Daily Crew Updates: If haven't yet signed up for Seesaw, please do so. I update the site regularly on things happening in the lab and students post their personal work throughout the week. Check your inbox for specific directions on accessing. We had quite an October ride. We raised a lot of money for Renaissance, studied with some of Colorados finest scientist in the lab and in the forest. Visited our friends at the care center. Completed our first large project focused on the carbon cycle and built background knowledge for all our field work. Made time to read and break apart the elements of a story. We did a little dancing and I'd like to think we smiled a lot. There are many photos below and limited text to support those images. To learn about the stories behind the photos I encourage you to invite you child or your parent to sit near you and peruse the images together. The Colorado School of MinesNational Ice Core LabHalloweenThank you families for donating time, food and supplies. Manitou Experimental ForestWhile at the Experimental Forest I spent time in the field collecting data with only one group. So my perspective was limited to only 7 students. Each of the 3 groups collected similar data at other locations, so their experience was similar to, or the same, as shown in some of the images below. Back in the LabBelow are a few images highlighting building of background knowledge for our trip to Experimental Forest and the Carbon Cycle, and a bit of team building using spaghetti noodles, mini marshmallows, communication and creative problem solving. Silver Heights Care CenterRenaissance Adventure Day (RAD)RAD was a success! We raised a bit more than our goal, ~$42,000. Thank you families and crew for your generosity. Parent Volunteers Make it HappenWithout parent support much of our field work and service would not happen. I thank you from a full heart for all your hard work and positive spirit. Thank you Charley, Jessica, Elise, Lubna, Tim, Gretchen, Abby and Stephanie. Pictured below: Tim, Lubna, Charley (played by daughter Piper), Jillian, Abby and Gretchen. Important Dates:No School :11/6 Care Center: 11/20 Thanksgiving Break: 11/21-11/23 Care Center: 12/4 Winter Break: 12/24-1/7 Care Center: 1/15 No School: 1/18 No School: 1/21 Winter Voyage: 1/14-1/17 Day of Rest: 1/18 Daily Crew Updates:
If haven't yet signed up for Seesaw, please do so. You're missin' out! I update the site daily on what's happening in the lab and students post their personal work throughout the week. Check your inbox for specific directions on accessing. This is How the Scientist do ItIt all starts with a question, such as, "Which will cause dry ice to sublimate more rapidly, electric heat energy or combustion heat energy?" Generate a thoughtful hypothesis, establish a plan and a way to quantify results, gather materials, experiment and then make sense of the experiments outcome. The crew is now in the final leg of completing their official scientific write-ups. Once done, they will each be published in our official Renaissance Journal of Scientific Discovery (Ask your child to share--the doc is in their Drive account). Below are a few photos that capture a bit of the process used to guide groups through their experiments. Students broke into small research teams, generated their own question and created a plan to attempt answering that question. Notice the drafting and redrafting of an investigable question, prep-work for experiment and the clear and concise note-taking and data collection. Ask your student about possible errors that potentially skewed their data--making it a challenge to draw up a clear conclusive answer.
Good Stories have a MoralAs much as I enjoy a mind-bending novel I believe I get greater satisfaction out of short stories that inspire me to ponder my own moral code. Our genre study in fables has come to end, relatively. We explored the classic work of Aesop and modern writers such as Cynthia Rylant and works from the Humanity Project. Identified fable elements, drafted, redrafted, illustrated and finalized an adorable story with a lesson. Last Friday Mr. G's first grade and Mr. Tyler's 4th grade visited our crew for the Fable unveiling. Renaissance Adventure Day (R.A.D)
Math
Being a Human
Gettin' our Andy Goldsworthy onLast week Ms. Jills' 1st grade reached out to the whole school requesting all interested students bring natural stuff from around yards, such as pine cones, sticks, bark..., for the purpose of spreading over the OLE so kids can simply play with raw natural materials. This video. The one sent out by the 1st graders reminded me of the renowned artist, Andy Goldsworthy, and his almost 100% environmental, land based art. I found a trailer capturing Goldsworthy's work, shared with the crew and wa-lah. After recess, this is what I found on the OLE. Important Dates:No School: 9/21
Fall Break: 10/8-10/22 Care Center: 10/23 No School :11/6 Care Center: 11/20 Thanksgiving Break: 11/21-11/23 Care Center: 12/4 Winter Break: 12/24-1/7 Care Center: 1/15 No School: 1/18 No School: 1/21 Fall Voyage: 1/22-1/25 Silver Heights Care Center: Service to Others There are many avenues to provide service for ones community. I believe one of the best ways to serve is share a little time with the generations that have come before me--those that have paved a way for the world I live in now. Keepers of an older American history, manifestations of a long life of being human and their humbling stories that intertwine their history with mine. I wish you all could have been flies on the wall while we were at SHCC. You would have been so incredibly proud and honored to witness how our young crew was so extraordinarily compassionate and friendly--they each just open heartedly stepped up, made a new friend and creatively assisted in helping make a crafty piece needed to brighten up the center. Below you'll notice the kids with filthy old-school glasses, rubber gloves, cotton in the ears and lights out- the purpose was to loosely simulate what it's like to loose our treasured faculties, making living more frustrating. Angela, our SHCC contact, considered putting rocks in each of the crews shoes. Apparently as we age our feet will begin hurting with higher frequency. Each time we visit the care center students will assist in the creation of some seasonal craft. Last Friday we made greeting cards with fresh apple stamps, paint and some creative language. Expedition:
Wednesday Math
Prime Time MathFor students I work with we continue to explore Prime Time. This unit explores relationships among factors, multiples, divisors, and products. This week and last we moved into:
Ask your child to tell you about Least Common Multiples and Greatest Common Factors, and how isolating LCM or GCF from a list of numbers can be used to solve complex problems. LiteracyThis week we finish writing and illustrating our fables. Friday, Mr. G's first grade crew will come visit our room and the 6th graders will present their fables to each of their first grade buddies. It just so happens that Mr. G's crew is studying stories with lessons now. Serendipitous. Hangin' With our First Grade BuddiesThe images below capture 6th grade guiding 1st grade through a Rose, Bud, Thorn debrief focused on helping 1st grade process their fall voyage. Important Dates:COGAT Testing: Week of 9/17
No School: 9/21 Fall Break: 10/8-10/22 Care Center: 10/23 No School :11/6 Care Center 11/20 Thanksgiving Break: 11/21-11/23 I forget so easily how unnerving it can be for many young crew mates to leave the comfort of their routine (family, homes) to disembark on a potentially painful and emotionally raw journey of physical and mental stamina. Yet, every voyage-departure-morning as I organize my last bits and kids shuffle around grabbing their gear and say "hasta luego" to family, I'm struck conscious by students' uncertainty and the overwhelming buzz of their courageous energy mustered to step on. There's not a voyage experienced that I don't return elated by the shear bravery, compassion and just overall grit exuded by the young. All doubts I had on what I believed was a cap on the capability of 11 and 12 year olds, continuelly is being redefined. I'm sure by now you've heard about how soggy our trip into the woods became. Dripping tarps, saturated socks, moist sleeping bags, gray skylines, tree-top tippin' winds, cold fingers and numb toes. The stories are true. Some of natures less tolerable elements converged on the Jefferson Creek Trail system and presented the crew with a maelstrom of undesirable situations. We were forced to dig a bit deeper into our personal toolkits of wellbeing and readjust our mindsets. Everyone was successful to one degree or another. The images below are a bit of a contradiction to our struggle. Yes, they capture some exhaustion, stoicism, and wavering confidence, yet they truly highlight the grand time we did, with certainty, experience. One evening during Last Light we had a conversation around how challenging adventures almost always manifest into positive memories. How can that be true when adversity can pound hard times into an experience? I say, mindset and thoughtful, considerate reflection. One could proclaim our trip a failure because it was hard. Instead, I'd like for us to reflect on those small moments when a friend made you smile or lent their gloves to warm your unbearably cold fingers. Perhaps recall the complex smell of the drenched forest, the way the sun's heat, if only for a moment, elevated our spirits or how the wind rattled the pine needles and brushed against our cheeks. You hiked through the mountains for four days carrying supplies that nurtured and protected each of your crew mates. You walked halfway up Mt. Guyot in the clouds, over talus. We all ate filling food and drank clean water because of you. ...Or, maybe, we simply find solace in acknowledging that for a week our classroom was the Colorado wilderness. We exhausted plan A, B, C and ended up on plan D...elighful. Below are just a few of the 800+ images. At the bottom of this post is a link to the entire collection. Here's a link to our crews Google Photos page.
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