The Power of Reflection

Today in Journalism and the Media we discussed student self-reflection. This will be an important part of ELA2 and build on the skills covered in sixth grade, as well as prepare students for eighth grade and beyond.

Students were able to respond to this prompt:

On your index card, write down two to three thoughts on the following topic:

Student Self-Reflection

Students responded with thoughts such as:

"It lets people set goals."
"Because it can be fixed and it can be made better."

"In student self- reflection you have to answer truthfully so you know what you can do better."
 

At the end of class, students wrote a journal entry responding to the question:

How are you standing out in a powerful way?

"I want to be viewed as a kind, friendly person and nice to every person around me and I want that impression to stick with me forever."

"I always push myself to be the best I can be and better than the person I was yesterday."

"I stand out by always being positive and always having a smile."

We used this video to help spark ideas:

 I hope this class activity sparks a conversation with your child about his or her powerful impact on this world. Have a great weekend!

September 11, 2001 A Remembrance

On the thirteenth anniversary of September 11, 2001 the Beacon Team spent time learning about and reflecting on the terrible events of that day.  This year, most of our students were born after the tragic events of September 11, 2001.  We invite you to join us in remembering the important moment in the history of our nation.

In Social Studies:

Students reflected upon one of two questions at the start of class.

• Why do we remember tragic events in our history? Explain.
• In your opinion, are there any lessons to be learned from what happened on September 11, 2001? Explain.      

Students then watched a CNN Student News report in which September 11, 2001 was featured heavily as well as other acts of terrorism, past and present.

Following the student news report, we reflected in small groups upon what we already knew about the events of 9/11 and what we learned today in school.

Students finished class by reflecting on the following prompt.

• Choose one of the following images from September 11, 2001 and explain why it is powerful.

In Science:
Students were introduced to the geology of Manhattan, N.Y., its topography, and how Lower Manhattan was reclaimed from the ocean.  Underneath the city and in Central Park there is Manhattan schist which is the bedrock, a type of metamorphic rock capable of withstanding the immense weight of the Twin Towers skyscraper.  

Students discussed how the skyscrapers were built, learned what a slurry wall is and how that was essential to the support of the buildings and bedrock beneath it.

Students compared and contrasted images of Manhattan from 1609 & 2009 and discussed the process of reclaiming land from the ocean.

Arturo Recci Designer of the Slurry Wall

Twin Towers Being Constructed 

In Journalism and Media:
As our Warm Up, students responded to the prompt, "What words  come to mind when they hear "9/11."

Students shared their words and thoughts with the class, as we discussed this touchstone date in America's history. Students shared words such as powerful, crumbling, family, destruction, freedom, and learning.

We then watched the following video about Philippe Petit and his amazing feat of walking a tightrope between the Twin Towers:

The class wrapped up with a reflection on "What is the impact on the world when an event like this occurs?"

Powerful student answers included:

"The world gets wary of things."
"There is sadness in the world."
"The society will never be the same and never forget what happened."
"People become stronger and more alive as a result."

First Day As a Beacon

On behalf of the entire Beacon Team, we would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new Beacon students, parents, and guardians.  We are excited to have the opportunity to work with your children this year.  On our first day, we introduced your children to our team and briefly discussed what we would be doing over the course of this year.  After this initial meeting, we ran a series of breakout sessions during which students discussed the following topics.

• Growth Mindset with Mr. Rothemich: This is our overarching team philosophy, and it is the concept behind everything we do, both as a team and in our individual classrooms.

• Multiple Intelligence with Mrs. Kuhn: This theory which was created by Howard Gardner describes the different ways that people can learn best.

• "Get Your Learn On" with Mrs. Marino: This session focused on encouraging and empowering students to understand what they are capable of and to realize that everyone is both a student and a teacher.

• Being Part of the Team with Mrs. LaPerriere: Students brainstormed and shared ways to create a positive learning environment and why procedures and discipline policies help all students to achieve.  

• Student Survey with Ms. Hudson & Ms. Carter: Students were given the opportunity to respond and reflect upon several prompts related to their learning strengths and challenges.  

After listening to the music video below, students did one final reflection activity using the prompt below.

In a two- to- three paragraph letter to yourself, please answer the following questions.  You will receive this letter back on your last day of school.

• What are you looking forward to this year?
• What are your thoughts on Growth Mindset?
• What is one goal that you hope to achieve this year, and how will you achieve it?