Here is how the work in progress has come along so far:
Monday Jan 15: MOSP students took Ms. Baird’s Gr.6 class’ market research surveys (and loved doing it)
Mon. Jan 18 & Jan. 25: MOSP Students + iPads did a cursory filming job asking each Gr.6 student only 3 questions:
-What is your name, division and teacher’s name?
-What is your product?
-How did you make it?
Plan for Wed. Jan 27:
Out of the dozens of clips taken by MOSP students, our teams will select nine (9) of the Grade 6 students they wish to interview further. MOSP students should to take about 10 minutes with each YE student. They will ask the following types of questions while filming:
-Can you describe/tell us more about your product so we know why it is special?
-Please describe/tell us more about the stages of making the product:
(idea->prototype->market research?->product->inventory)
-Can you tell us about the cost, price and profit? (How much did it cost to make?) (How did you come up with a fair price?) (How much profit do you expect to make?)
-How are you marketing the product (informing & making it look good to customers)?
-what have you learned so far doing the YE project? (reflection and opinions)
Out of 9 students they will interview during on Wednesday morning, they will eventually choose their top three (3) students/products to refine into the final infomercials. Later in February they will add/re-film any Gr.6 students. They will ask deeper questions (What surprised you about making this product? What would you do differently if you had another opportunity?) Each of the 6 teams will make at least 3 infomercials out of all the Gr. 6 students. IOW, only ~20 students across the 5 Gr.6 classrooms will receive this coveted video publicity. The finished 1 minute video advertisement will play on (if not before) the YE Fair day. More publicity = more profit$ (hopefully!). There are 6 teams of MOSP Gr.7 videographers making infomercials.
There are also 2 more MOSP teams with a more challenging task to document the school wide scope of the YE project. Their work will include filming the YE Fair day (Wed. March 9, 2016). They will also interview Gr.6 students that are NOT in informercials about the YE process. And they will interview you (teachers, EAs, administrative staff at Monterey connected with YE project: Gr.6 teachers; Exploratory teachers, Gr7&8 teachers), asking such questions as:
How did our school make the Y.E. project happen?
Why is it a good learning experience?
What do you think is the most challenging part for the students?
What has been your favorite part of the Y.E. process?
The final product for these 2 teams will be a 10-20 minute video documentary movie. We plan to have students compile their infomercials and documentaries on iPads (and when available MacBook Air laptops with iMovie).
- a title (eg. "Periwinkle Snail's eye view of the beach pebbles")
- at least 3 thought/speech bubbles from the animal's point of view
- artist's name, date and location in lower corner
- completely coloured
- your best work.
Sometimes there will be time to embellish (add details and colour) to sketches after a walk in the field, sometimes not. Therefore, students can assume they will have homework after each sketching hike. In experiential outdoor education, the classroom in the field ALWAYS requires reflection afterwards; out-trips are NOT holidays from the classroom. I will check in on students' progress, and students might stay after school if they have not achieved the following results:
Check-In date completed sketches
Friday Jan. 29 6 sketches.
Wed. Feb. 9 9 sketches
Tues. Feb. 16 11 sketches
Monday Feb. 22 Sketch Kit due: 12 completed works + Introductory paragraph + table of contents due (instruction to follow)
Students will not be assessed on their artistic prowess; rather we are looking for students to deepen their observation skills in wildlife settings, to show positive participation on the out-trips, and to show ecological understanding as expressed through their annotations.
Another field trip: on Friday January 22, 2016, students have the opportunity to join a Monterey school trip for all grade 7 students to Mount Washington for snowboarding/skiing. We meet on Friday pre-dawn at 5:15AM (!!) at the Save-on-Foods parking lot at Fort & Foul Bay roads. Look for a large bus. Students will be back at the school for pick-up by families at 7:00pm. Bring a pack lunch and snacks + ~$15-$20 to buy food/warm drinks during the day. There will be NO supper stop after the buses leave the mountain at ~3:30. And bring all the warm clothes needed (see the yellow sheet in the sign-up package.)
In the previous 3 years we have found that the snow pack, present in November-December, had disappeared by late January. Therefore, we are acting quickly and seeking a 'quick turnaround' on the permission forms/information package, which you should receive tomorrow (also see the Letters to Families section of this website). Payment and forms due next Tuesday Jan. 12 please. This day trip is optional; there will be classroom instruction provided for those students who come to Monterey at the regular time on this day.
Next Monday Jan. 11 = ProD day
Hope everyone had a restful and happy Winter Break. Thanks so much to students and families for the kind Christmas gifts and cards. We are ready for a great Term 2 in Ocean Studies.
Language Arts: We are continuing to read Hatchet together as a class novel. Assignments are in the 'package' handed out before Christmas.
Math: Test on Chapter 2 of Math Power tentatively scheduled for Tues. Jan. 12. Review pages of Chapter 2 will be Page 70 today, all questions, please. Due: tomorrow.