From a couple weeks ago (I forgot to hit 'Publish'):
It was one of those weeks where we tried to do everything. You know how that usually turns out... ...but on reflection we accomplished quite a bit.
Most importantly, the kids can think. Discussing the Rights of the Child, our techniques for making decisions in groups, and Greta Thurnberg (see previous blog post), the kids blew me away with their insights and questions. There is a movement afoot to allow 16-year-olds to vote in Canada, but I would be fine with 12. If they've done their homework.
We started a unit on storytelling and the elements of narrative, but it was an accident. The kids pestered me to tell 'The Bear Story'*, and I knew that the good version, honed by years of retellings and more than a bit of hyperbole, would take most of the block. So we looked at setting, character, story arc, building tension, connecting with an audience, storytelling as a collaboration... Good review, and a good springboard for writing. If you're thinking about Tim Roth's story from Reservoir Dogs, but without all the swearing, you'd be right. It's about the best stories we share and how we build community. The kids should now be thinking of crafting their own Personal Anecdote, and I can't wait to resume working on them. This will happen after the School Wide Write.
* The Bear Story involves two teachers, 12 kids, Eureka Peak in the Cariboo Mountains, and a very angry and persistant alpine grizzly bear. For the full story, please enroll in Grade 6 or 7. Oddly, the story arc closely traces the story arc of Tim Roth's "Comode Story". This was in no way intentional.
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