CAUTION: UPPERS AT WORK (6th-8th)
For over 20 years The Center School has had a citrus sale to raise money. But where does the money come from? We pay the farmers, and the truck drivers, but then the money that's left over goes to the school. Much like a bake sale has to pay for the ingredients first, and then do the baking in order to raise the money, there is a lot of work that goes into the citrus sale and that is where the Uppers come in.
How Our Bodies Take In Information With the Adventure Primes (4-5 year-olds)
In recent weeks the Adventure Primes have been thinking about the many ways that our bodies take in information about the world around us.
Teachers often ask students, "What do you notice?" so we began by checking in with the children about their understanding of what it means to notice and how exactly our bodies notice things.
Fiber Arts as a Process of Experimentation, Adaptation, and Problem-Solving in Mups Orange (2nd/3rd)
In the Mups classrooms, we recently delved into the world of fiber arts, providing students with the opportunity to develop both technical skills and creative expression. Over several weeks, we explored three key techniques: needle felting, hand sewing, and weaving.
Making Comics With the Middles (4th/5th)
“We draw before we are taught. We also sing, dance, build things, act, and make up stories long before we are given any deliberate instruction beyond exposure to the people around us doing things. Everything we have come to call “the arts” seems to be in almost every 3-year-old.” ~ Lynda Barry ( American Cartoonist )
Uppers Take Manhattan (8th Grade)
Nothing beats taking students to see live theater!
I have been a theater kid since I was in first grade, when I was cast as Mother Goose in an original play that my teacher wrote called “Mystery in Mother Goose Land”. I remember the thrill of walking on stage in my costume under the bright lights, the fun of building the sets and rehearsing with my friends and the letdown when it was all over.
Impromptu Field Trip #2 - The Uppers Visit the Polls
Last Tuesday, November 5th, Uppers took a trip to Greenfield High School to check out the hustle and bustle at the polls.
Portraits by the Woods Primes (K/1)
The Woods Primes are approaching portraits a little differently this year. Rather than spending time studying our own selves in the mirror, we have opened a “portrait studio” where different children are featured every day and everyone is invited to draw each other.
Building Creatures in Math - Uppers (6th)
One of the best challenges of being a teacher is to find hands-on projects to get students to engage directly with the thinking they have been doing and find ways for them to showcase their understanding.
Supporting Development Through Observation and Documentation in the Wonder Primes
The Wonder Primes have been busy this year developing routines, meeting new people, and learning how to be away from parents and caregivers. We have become a classroom community and we are starting to see where the play in the classroom can go now that we are comfortable with each other and our school environment. Our play is growing richer and we teachers have been carefully observing the play of our students.
Routines and Structures in Mups Green
In the Mups classroom, we believe that creating a classroom environment that fosters security, trust, and independence is essential for young learners. One of the most effective ways to nurture these qualities is by establishing consistent routines and structures in the classroom.
Leaning in to Schematic Play in the Adventure Primes
There are a variety of different lenses that teachers use when we are observing and reflecting on the children's play. Each perspective can help us filter what we are seeing and provides a different layer of information to inform our decisions and responses to the children's needs.
Connection: a fundamental path to engagement and learning in the Middles
Last week I was given the opportunity to attend the AISNE DEI Conference. Every session I went to was fantastic and I’m still processing. On the second morning, I went to a storytelling session. We were given 5 minutes to think of a story to share with another person in the session. This felt like an impossible task to me until I started thinking about pivotal moments in my teaching career.
Uppers as a village
As our world becomes increasingly digital and our lives become increasingly defined by our detachment instead of our closeness, where do we practice connection? My cousin, an elementary school principal in the South Bronx, recently noted that school was one of the last, if not the last place, anyone has to be a connected human being.
Choice Time in the Mups
Choice time in the Mups is a very special time in our daily schedule. After the rigor of academics during the day, choice time provides an outlet for play in a structured environment. Choice time and woods time go hand-in-hand to provide a period of cool down and fun after a day of academics in a cognitively engaging way. The two choices are complementary to the kind of learning we do during class time, but they provide different, yet equally important, experiences.
Mark Making and "Messing About": Exploring the Language of Materials in the Power Primes
In our classroom, inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, we believe that children learn best through active exploration and discovery. "Messing About" is a key phase in the creative process where children freely experiment with materials.
Projects Class in the Uppers
This is my 11th year teaching in the Uppers at the Center School, and during that time, a lot of things have changed. Teachers and students have come and gone, we are in a new building with lots of different spaces, we have rotated through lots of different lit books and even have a new math curriculum!
Mental Health Minutes: Anxiety
An Attitude of Gratitude with the Woods Primes
The forest is a bustle of activity these days and the Woods Primes appreciate any opportunity to slow down and just BE with one another in community. One of our morning meeting rituals is for a child to lead us in a breathing technique. Similar to the bubble breathing that we do in All School, but the Woods Primes know so many more!
The Real World in Real Time
At the Center School, transportation to and from field trips is provided by teachers and families. Some may see this as an obstacle, however it played in our favor recently as we decided to take an impromptu field trip to downtown Greenfield.
Nurturing Classroom Community in the Wonder Primes
The Wonder Primes are now in their sixth week of school and we are proud of how much they have grown as a community over the past weeks. We spent the past few weeks really getting to know each student and their unique needs and interests. We have been present with the students, offering familiar favorite activities and scaffolding play to support them as they learn about each other.