Thank you for the D… + resolutions

Expecting the best, giving honest and specific feedback, keeping the objective in mind? Or just hurting kids feelings with a bad grade? This is what seemed to work yesterday…

Sticky Facts to Act On!

Use sticky facts as an entree to taking action for us and for our classes!

TAP at Sunday School – Picking a Problem

TAP on the fly, second Sunday School in…

TAP at Sunday School – How are we connected to nature?

The wild ride of running TAP in Sunday school starts today!

17. Poverty, Population and Education at the root?

Teaching “Root Cause Analysis” and how health of the planet is closely tied to our health.

TAP 7: Who’s doing what for TAP?

The big decisions for who to work with and what to study was down to the wire today. A flutter of Post-its at the start of class for us all see who was doing what with whom. Post-its are the bomb. I could quickly group them by big picture stuff like global warming (a few), habitat destruction (deforestation and coral reefs ‘specially popular), extinctions (turtles, polar bears and cats of all kinds, smattering of sea otters), hunger, sanitation, malaria, vaccines and fresh water were pretty popular because they really feel for kids in need. A few chose more Western diseases like cancer and anorexia (an issue in our community). Three or four are doing disaster relief in Haiti.

Trash is always a big one, and confusing because what, exactly is the problem that picking up trash will solve? We push them to land fill issues, the effects on wild life, ocean pollution in general, and the using of resources for packaging and manufacture. But basically, they want to go to creeks and beaches with their friends and pick up a little trash and have a party. Who wouldn’t?

There is huge interest in the oceans and very little realization of the desperate state of our fisheries. One student teased me for suggesting kids go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for research with a friend, and then make their parents take them to lunch at Bubba Gumps. “Like you go there and eat the beautiful creatures you’ve just seen swimming around next door.” Then we considered a trip to the zoo and a steak afterwards. Or maybe a trip to the landfill and McDonald’s after . Having a hard time getting my mind off meatloaf for dinner…

Next year, we need to have more books around sanitation, hunger and trash related issues. Should have checked first, doh. So, so helpful for them to start with an elementary reading level book before moving into the high level text they will find on the internet. Makes the whole start to research seem much more fun too. Thanks to Pat Solkowski for making this all happen, so great to have colleagues to share the ride with.

They recognize the research sheet (Act.7) from the disease report last quarter. Helpful to have that lead-in. Less stress, more kids actually doing what they are supposed to. Well, maybe not ALL. Pyjama day after all, and Friday before the long week end.

Glad to be going home, aaah, Friday.

Sue

TAP Day 6 contd.: Act. 5 – A bit of research, cause-and-effect diagrams, and The Relationship Game.

Inventing the ‘relationship game’ after a dud 1st period activity!

TAP Day 6: 2Qs Assessment, Journals and Animal Farts

Cool stuff kids said on their mini-quiz, including questions they wrote…

TAP Day 5: What’s right with the world?

Posters of the bright spots, a powerpoint of ideas to do about climate change, and more on climate skeptics…

TAP Day 4: Inspiration from the United Nations Millennium Development Goals

Fun to hear what issues are exciting the kids, and to get to the hope and action part of the project…