by Sarah Zbornik, Student Centered Instructional Coach and Carrie Lee Elementary Music Teacher Last week, walking down the hall of the 8th grade wing, I noticed a wall of sticky notes in the restroom. The colorful display peaked my interest. I found myself smiling ear to ear: each of the sticky notes had a kind phrase or was empty for more to be written. Inspired, I wrote my own note. Then my curiosity wanted to know how this started. Mr. Stock pointed me in the direction of an 8th grade student. When I asked her about it, she said, “When I’m having a bad day and I just want to hide from class, I can just read the notes and it helps.” She then explained how it started. Another student had forgotten her sticky notes and pencil on the shelf in the bathroom. When she went back to retrieve them, she noticed that someone had taken a note, written a kind phrase, and posted it on the wall. She decided to leave the sticky notes to see if it would spread. Her instincts were correct. Not only did it overtake the 8th grade bathroom wall, but it has now spread into the 7th grade bathroom. Where else might this kindness spread?
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By Zach Fromm, Student Centered Instructional Coach
In August of this year, the New York Times published a 100-page juggernaut called the “1619 Project” dedicated to the 400 year anniversary of the first slave ships arriving at the shores of what would become the United States of America. Embedded in the work are articles from a myriad of historical writers covering larger macro or umbrella topics surrounding black/white relationships within our culture to the more micro or specific example of stories, laws, policies, etc. and told by people it had a direct impact on. There is additional poetry, imagery, and even a podcast series dedicated to the learning within the project. During some work I’ve done with Mrs. Fox and her students, something I made sure to stress to them was the unit is not an attempt to rewrite history, but rather expose students to voices and stories that have been actively rejected from the telling of our nation's history.
Liz Fox, Karen Stock, and I collaborated in an attempt to shed some light on an important historical event that echoes through to today while utilizing her expertise in regards to best literacy practices and strategies for breaking down the works. Under Mrs. Fox’s direction, we broke down all of the work from the 1619 Project into four categories for the students to explore: laws/policies, economic disparities, health care disparities, and cultural disparities which are still perpetuated in our country today. The students explored additional materials pulled in from multiple sources and were then asked to share out their learning in the form of a presentation. An example, of which, may be found at the end of this post. As a culminating piece of the project, the entire junior class at DHS visited the exhibit currently at Luther College titled "Race: Are We So Different?" Finally, and as an opportunity to extend their comprehension of this topic, some juniors will have the opportunity to create their own version of one of the displays from the race exhibit to share with some 3rd-grade classrooms in an upcoming collaboration. It is paramount to examine and re-examine history over and over again because history, by nature, changes. It changes as new information and sources come to the fore. It changes as new perspectives, voices, and cultures are given voice. Civilizations evolve, and particular events are spotlighted based on new understandings...and this is a good thing. If we don’t teach the next generation about the dark corners of our history as a nation and appreciate the nebulous nature of how we change, adapt, and appreciate the diversity of cultures around us, will we be destined to repeat the same? By Gabe Twedt, First Grade Teacher and JCE Collaborative Teacher Part four in a series on inclusive language and representation in the classroom. |
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These traumas are referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). ACEs are traumatic events occurring before age 18. The greater the number of ACEs a child has experienced, the greater the likelihood of high-risk adult health behaviors (smoking, alcoholism, promiscuity, obesity, etc.) and the greater the likelihood of struggling in school, difficulty making connections, and making unhealthy and troubling decisions as an adolescent.
Review the ACEs quiz. Then, consider how some of your students would score.
Review the ACEs quiz. Then, consider how some of your students would score.
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DCSD Teachers, Instructional Coaches, Learner Advocate, and Collaborative Teachers
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