Farm School notes.

Method: observing classroom activity at the FaRMSCHOL. Attending 2 hour segments to view the distiniguishing qualities of farm school
Look at connection with studets, dynamic between teachers/students/one another, and all differences in alotted time frames for class/ courses.

Interest. How class room is "different" from standard schooluing and also looking at the qualities that may already be established in other school sysmtems. Extensive observation on how students are learning.

M 1-3 Tu 1-3 Th 1-3

Bell ringing, gather, teacher, pick-up, student bring things ing (need bracelet), teacher sends out, students come back, kidep, "look at how much garbage", "big kids", "ancients, lunch box cart (2 wheel box with no hangle, teacher+luck & little kid, "it is hard", shows through example, flip over, T:"maybe he doesnt know how not to cary it, girls anged sides and heelp finish

Reading time-big kids with little kids, big kids read to younger, 1 book - 1 or 2 kids, pick your own place and book, set up together

research project, topic:gun, differences, gun control, hand gun, single shot, T: which question does that answwer for you", "what are you trying to figure out."

Reading little kids listen, little like stories, learning responsibility. Dialectic reading process-"question and answer" kids accept responsibility.

Insuring mehod: mutliple sources, gender awareness, "your expecting this person to be a man". vlolune set by teacher, social skills, organization, topic of study guns, title of sources:biliography

Books, finished, sit together, little kid gets new book, big kid: "not this again" Little kid:"its about a kid who makes an alphabet after z", little kids read with big kid, alphabet.

ResearchL teacher 1 on 1 time. Student assistent: observe and keep on task

compliment students method of organizing assisting when proximaey appropriate, irecting assignment tasks for home, learning continues at home.

Reading, students reading step and go back and for, reading and commenting. fun together. students have assigned partners

Research: topic guidelines, copying teacvhers document correting gramatical mistakes, s:"i got one more topi to think about", T:"Good job your really thinking about the homeowork." "Does your mom have any questions, I know your mom had questions about your topic." (engages parents), Responsibility and challenge.

Little kids: science: (vocabulary) ponder, measure, mass, gauge heavy

ancient, 1st year, second years, hand raise for asking. What what you know "parener?" "think about that question" (doesnt immediately give the student an answer, but engages the student to think about the question they are asking) "oh : ) ok", Big kids get a special project.

Little kid: kasper, talk about event, recall, different

Explains field trip: student talked about things brought on trip, water, packet, hat (description), (doesnt explain content) "How eoes that help understand  micro/macro, hiking, spider, camp-out, preparation, squirrel/bunny, ", "good job" order, calling raised hand

pictures: picture, place recognition, remember place, slideshow, "I remember that" "thats my hand" "thats me" "can you guys please be more quiet" "what kind of rocks did you find" <litle kids I dont htink you dfound" "metamorphic" distinguishing/differentiating, "insignious" "sedementary rocks"

book behind board. "reads description of rock"

"why did you want to bring out this book"

"Pleanet earth is made of rocks." Micro/macro, 3 types of rock: igneous

embrace student example, melting, rock compressable, sound effect, good demonstration, show class, connecition to other, clau(peiting) I am making connections, getting clay and ice metamorphic, forming of insigneous, compression engough to minerals into new kind.

kids silent, Q:how does limited teacher interacting translate when it is only authority, student orriented some kids dont talk (Kids who talk a lot)

"You may not work with Tessa you two are getting in habit of alwats working together" ~meaning and prevention?

Teachers "that was a good discussion"

Hand bell ringing, everyone stops and listens, "will everyone quiet please down. Im sitting next to simone and I can barely hear"

Ms. Rachaels class, 1.raise your hand to talk, 2. sit correctly in your chair, 3.make good decisions, 4.keep hands and feet to yourself, 5.no phones, psp, ipod, 6. be respectful to all.

Mass project, encourage weighing different objects, hypothesis and practice/action, constant notetaking, group working, measuring something round,

Q:are there any class rules"? Q:what is a succesful science session. Q:what kind of freedoms are students given?

a:ask question: what do you like/ B:describe reason.

Weigh using tools, balance and 1 newton scale. Rule: dont use weight. try and try again (experiment), Teacher and student first name basis.

s:"I might miss some jobs" T:"sometimes what you want to do and what your interest about is more improtant (managing time)

14 little kids, 6 boy/8girls

clean up time: bell-students everyone clean up finish your project and put on your shoes, put away balances.

science jobs : 1.casper wildlife discussion. 2.share what you noticed about the photos in white bin, 3.ponder how you night measure something roud. 4. Ancients: what is the mass of the heaviest rock in our collcetion, 5.look at the imagining earth display. think about what you see. 6, first and second years, find something that has the same mass as a white board eraser.

in-class- how does restrictions of daily schedules impede a students desire to learn something specific? *math during reading time)

moral education, reeactivce triggers (bell), freedom from teachers (time)

10/31/11

Halloween carnival, banananna aladin, scary mask, princess, transformer, storm trooper, soccer player, ninja, superwoman, skater, goblion, fish, cleopatra, death, skeleton rocker, pacman, aviator, race car driver, cat, tron, incredible, (16 custom, 28 total>)

student+parents costumes games, walk of goom, the squirter of terror, balls eye, air dodge, death labrinth, water baloon splash, 9 games, mini golf, water gun

line up, rules remind, walk,. star photo, game -bigkids, prize, little-bag, play, bell clean, review rule, clean up.

GOAL: "sandyu" 2-adult, carnival styles, shows insight, guests feel successful. --level of complication, effiveness, interesiong, creativity, dynamic adjustment, person to person gauge of talent, explaination, # of people cooperation

airport-complexity and preparation, balloons model landing, water balloon-limited resouces, carful explaination and flexible for individual participants, gold0-dynamic, prizes, labrynth-grid, cardboard, cup/ball-point system, prizes:point system. water squirt: changing game layout to be more "stream lined", move water container to front.

clean up: parents -watch/help, kids follow suit of others, takedown methododically and throw away/preserve accordingly.

11/15 and 11/10 oct 23/31, 11/17, 15m 14m 8m 3

teacher explains goal: student learn about self and function in societies respective frameworks.

conflict kids pull table, not moving table, teacher intervene, ask what is wrong, initiates reflection, applogize expressed: articulated clearly.

research initiated, multipage, reading steve jobs interview, focus on words "market share" "profit" - hot dog explaination,

brain robbing, self initiated learning, volcano explaination, explain eruption, lava reacts, chemical, past knowledge presented, baking soda vinegar lab, whoopie cushion, pressing down.

inside a rock experiement, mold analysis (safety precautions), observation and recording, thourough note taking.

conflict resolution:ball game, lier, foster and zander, 2 others, zand, teacher, "called me a lier, and hurt my feelings" came to teacher, talk and explain without disrupting each other, learn appologize with no 'but's, explain and share opinion on own

goaly both want, explain to each other, emotional attachment voice, rational articulation

crying ball throw, share greivance, teacher: encourage other pov, ask to resolve through talking, Bell, "time to clean up personal messes groups help clean up"

11/17 CCC:


objects that are continued and take out of class

time mamnagement, self reflection, value of importance, very directed learning: make stuents concious of their choice, "you chose to do thiat" "be thoughtful of what you do"

CCC-"challenge" to use shapes, to use strings, to make something you cant purchase that you appreciate, music stand, violin, pet rat, farm schoool, difficulty of coming up with idea, not able to make shapes, not sure how to use string

Lnguage arts: 1. group comes together and explains what to do. 2. Delicate work and collaborate. 3. teacher personally meet two students and talk about project. 4. Atlas, globe, maps.

kids able to individiaully take on talks, disiciple, time to wait, take out of acticity area, then talk/ ackknowledge reason (for teacher or student)

FLip through atlas working for countries, learning to read: help voicing out syllabus positive reinforcement.

Remembering, not telling, asking if they know, making them ask others if they need to.

11/22/11: wagon: research method: reading and pausing at certain ideas, "you have to figure that out wont you" -"why is it 20th century for 1900?"

explaining: tax- water botle example: Q:"what do the government do with those taxes", explain business incentives.

computer: do you know hwo to spell check. 'no' "f7" Diogital analog, context->continuity->i dont always agree its best.

teacher is in classroom, all tables directed toward teacher. students can speak and share ideas, teacher encourages silence, teacher asks questions and students respond. teacher rephrases vocally to ask students confirmation, then writes on the boards. provide catagories for student ideas to fit.

doesnt snap at students speaking/contrabuting ideas. "aden is speaking now", teacher encourages different points of view.

unknown words: "who knows what desimated is?" hands up "answer" em[atize "what would you do if you needed to survive on farming. classroom is too noisy, then raise voice to get attention and countinue lesson

inquiryL when was the last ice age, "you are not thinking about the years. slow down." 15,000 years. "i dont want this to be speculation, many of you did resaerch on this..."

asking directed questions to havet hem answer their resaerch in context. encourages using notes. "where are your notes from doing research." "dont speculate" encourages the specific question. "whites" "native americans", makes point/repeasts important point. ideas written on board. "you guys are really making me think hard" teacher identifies when point is rep;eated.



Book-afganisatn explain, act out story, "ask me if you havve anymore questions" dodge ball, reinactmemnt of scenes, carrying imaginary guns and saving friends from "enemy"

clean up routine, kkids know to put away, get trash, lock up toys, sit down

search/history: calling to attention, making student understand what happened, exchange, calling attnetion to individual moments, "aware of body" talk about together, paper towel sisue, ther eperson responsible? people talk about what they saw. person caused mess fixes problem, no longer necessary to talk about it.

unlocked doors, freedom to go in and out, 3 blassrooms, big kid, little kid, art room, asking for teachers attention, hand on shoulder,

using recorder, interview process, interviewer and interviewee, change in teacher behavior based on having a visitor?

write out question inverview, type out by teacher

brain robbing, taking away the opportunity for a student to figure out answer to thier own question, or explore the process of inquiry. adults telling them the "right " thing, allowing children to make their own conclusions.

big kids room, 12 (2 girls/10 boys)

doing two interviews and recording the 2nd time. Picture and ask about the contents. Teacher and zander, "IO dont like the way that makes me feel. Please dont do that to me."

teacher help, one at a time. explaining "king of the underworld" "death noodle" imagine: cloud pool.

reading steve jobs interview. Asking about meaning of word, meaining of setnece.

History-"work in groups, asking who will work along. Allowing students to discuss through the options. 3 some group, conflict with how to resolve. Resolved conflict:

"sometimes I keep ideas in my head."

Sharing: taking notes, sharing notes.



Elective Projects

    The Farm School children constructed a full scale Halloween fair. The fair was a product of many individual students “games” which were an elective assignment for them to attempt. The assignment was for students to design a game that would have different levels of complexity for participants. The game was to be fitting for a carnival style setting in which guests could come away feeling successful. The students were judged based on the games were interesting, effective, creative, and able to dynamically adjust to the participant.

    Not all students made a game, but for those who did created the concepts alone. The games, like the CCC projects, came in a range of complexity and size.