First Day of Mentoring

The first day of mentoring was a success! Our class was kind, patient, and helpful with our littlest Seabury friends. 

"What is a mentor?" asked a student.

These were some of the answers:

"a role model"

"helpful and kind"

"patient and caring"

We helped our friends discover how many seeds were inside an apple. Our class also helped with writing, counting, coloring, and gluing. 

It was fun to see the hard work by our Pre-K and Kindergarten friends!

Mystery Cemetery: Part 2

After recording all our observations, we shared our thoughts in small groups, discussing different ideas and trying to come up with inferences about the people in the cemetery, supported by the facts we were given and the observations we made. 

We noticed all the tombs with weapons had no pots and were facing south, so we thought those must all be male. We knew all the artifacts in each tomb were things that had been worn by that person in life, so the tombs with more artifacts, we decided, were the tombs of higher social status individuals.

It was not easy (or comfortable) to figure out the meanings of things like which way the skeletons were facing. We made plenty of wild guesses and got some things wrong. Ultimately though, we realized how important it is for archaeologists to look at finds in connection and comparison to the other things found around them. Thinking like an archaeologist, it turns out, is no easy feat. It requires a lot of comfort with uncertainty, as there is ultimately no 100% complete, correct answer.

 

We learned how to recognize inferences or educated guesses supported by fact vs. wild guesses, which were often more interesting to think about. What a fantastic lesson in critical thinking and a great start to a year of "Advancement!"

Team Building

The Supernovas (3/4) and the Olympians (4/5) needed a brain break during those first long days of school, so we headed out to the playground for a little team building exercise. Students on opposing teams jumped a hula-hoop trail toward each other until they met, then did "Rock, Paper, Scissors" to see which team member would advance.

In the end, it didn't really matter who won. It was so much fun, that we all won! We sure know how to solve any decision-making dilemmas that come up in the future!!

Mystery Cemetery: Part 1

Our first inquiry investigation was to think like an archaeologist and examine a “Mystery Cemetery” archaeological excavation. This was some tough thinking for the first day! 

We noticed things like the directions the skeletons were facing, the sizes of the skeletons, and the amount and types of artifacts found in each grave site to make inferences about the ages, genders, and social status of the people buried at the site.

Our class came up with many great ideas, based their opinions on given facts and observations, and generally did a great job of analyzing the given clues.

Though many of our ideas were incorrect and there were some things we did not notice, overall everyone made some great strides in their observation and critical thinking skills, and over the course of only a few days! 

First Day of School

The first day of school was a blast!

The third graders

The fourth graders