Sophie Blackall: Author Visit

We brought two time Caledcott winner Sophie Blackall to LCS in November!

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Sophie’s presentation was FANTASTIC. It was multi-varied – speaking to her childhood in Australia, her inspirations, her process. I believe that these visits bring the process of writing and making art to a more real-life place for each student. Here is a person that really makes books for a living. It is valuable for them to see how hard it was, that books don’t just miraculously appear. Students are left with not only a feeling of awe and respect but also a feeling of “if Sophie Blackall struggles, but also accomplishes so much, I can push through those feelings of struggle that I feel.” (LCS teacher)

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“I think Sophie's visit will be the highlight of my 2019 year!! I absolutely loved having her come to our school!!!” (LCS student)

Cultural Study: Mongolia

Each winter, LCS students engage in an intensive study of another culture for 6-12 weeks. This year, students in multi-aged groups will explore various aspects of culture in Mongolia through art, music, games, textiles, cooking, folklore, and geography both in classrooms and in multiage workshops. Following their studies, student will share their learning with the community during a Cultural Festival.

“I thought this was one of our most successful studies to date.  We had incredible human resources:  Sas, Nara, the Reindeer folks, Hannah and her family.  There were lots of relevant videos (couldn’t even watch them all!) The groups were varied, the language, landscape, culture is so new and different. Studying nomadic culture was fascinating.” (teacher)

Flynn Theater: Ladysmith Black Mambazo

"We were bouncing in our seats and clapping!" exclaimed one 1st grader, in response to the school-wide adventure to watch Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform on February 5th, 2019. True - many of the kindergarten and first grade students were full-body bouncing to the rhythm of the music with looks of glee!

All Lincoln Community School students and staff took the trip to the Flynn Theater in Burlington, to see 5-time Grammy winner Ladysmith Black Mambazo, touted as the "most successful singing group to come out of South Africa". Now in their seventh decade, the Ladysmith message is of peace and love, delivered through "soul-soaring harmony". Students and Staff of LCS can certainly attest!

 
The trip was a great cultural infusion, with the added benefit of being a connection to current 5-6 literary studies. Through a shared anticipation, and the resulting common experience, the school community as a whole felt the impact for weeks after. "I enjoyed watching the dances because they were not 'normal' to us - and that's what was so cool about it," said one 4th grader. A 3rd grader commented that "The music made me feel calm, peaceful, relaxed and safe. I could feel their feelings...I could picture where they were singing about, and what they meant."

STARBASE Program at Vermont

National Guard

Funded by the Department of Defense, the STARBASE Program offers 60 locations nationwide, including at the Vermont National Guard facilities in South Burlington. It is a five-day program encompassing 25 hours of hands-on instruction lead by experienced teachers and military personnel. The program augmented the 5th and 6th grades' science unit on flight.

 
With learning units in chemistry and physics, robotics, nanotechnology and navigation, computer aided design, data and graphics, and measurement and geometry, students are immersed in a curriculum based on hands-on, experiential learning. All activities are tied into Science and Math as outlined by the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. Some of the program highlights included experiments about Newton’s Laws, flying flight simulators, creating rockets and hot air balloons, talking to pilots and seeing fighter jets.

"It's a great experience for young scientists," one LCS student wrote, "There are so many great lessons that STARBASE can teach you such as Eggbert, Flight Simulator and Computer Aided Design. STARBASE is a great place to think about careers at such a young age. It is also
an amazing teamwork based environment."

Author Jim Arnosky visits LCS

Jim Arnosky's visit generated excitement with the LCS community; the impact of his visit was positive and multi-faceted. An Author's visit becomes more than a one hour experience – it was weeks in the making and becomes part of the students’ school year. An example would be the all school read and activity the students participated in prior to his visit.

 
The entire LCS community seemed to fall in love with Jim and his wonderful wife, Deanna. They loved his stories of high adventure looking for crocodiles and eagles and the like. They learned of frustrations and the joy of making books. Jim spoke of how you can find a story anywhere you go. I loved this wisdom – and the students really seemed to absorb this “lesson.”

Jim Arnosky not only told his stories, but he was curious about the students and what they were learning in school. I think the students were tickled that this visitor, someone who has made over 150 books, wanted to know about them. These visits bring the process of writing and making art to a more real-life place for each student. Here is a person that really makes books for a living. They see how hard it is and continues to be for the person. They may acknowledge, "If I don’t give up and push through the struggle, I can be a creator too."

Trout in the Classroom

As the centerpiece of our half-year-long study of ecology, we implemented a Trout in the Classroom project-based learning experience and designed curriculum around the ecology of these fish. The students raised brook trout (the only trout native to Vermont) from eggs to the fingerling stage of development, at which point students released them under the guidance of Vermont Fish and Wildlife into the New Haven River This project was nothing short of incredible in the number of students who bought in and dove right into the learning. I do not exaggerate when I say each and every student found some way to meaningfully engage in this project. There were so many points of entry that there truly was something for everyone. I was particularly impressed by how raising the trout captured the interests of students who typically struggle with academic work. Having the trout growing and thriving in our classroom made the entire group engage as naturalists and scientists. Throughout any given day, students would huddle around the tank and share their hypotheses and observations. The daily water testing engaged the students in hands-on learning. Having the fish and their habitat right in our learning space drew in the entire school community and also gave us many opportunities to host and educate younger students, sharing our expertise and presenting our knowledge to different ages of kids.

Flynn Theater: Peking Acrobats

For many students, the opportunity to see a live professional performance only happens via a school field trip. Simply driving into Burlington, seeing the lake and the Adirondacks, being a part of a throng of theater-goers and admiring the ornate decor of the historic Flynn Theater opens the students to the world beyond their small home community. Beyond this, the Peking Acrobats were astounding. Students were impacted by the astonishing feats and visual beauty of the performance. After the show they commented on: teamwork, flexibility, perseverance, strength, and bravery as key ingredients for the acrobats.

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The kindergartners were thrilled with the beauty and size of the Flynn Theater. The fact that so many other schools were also attending made the event more special. Also, there were students performing in the VYO. What a great opportunity to open the kindergartners to the possibility that they, too, could perform in an orchestra someday. The performance was educational, teaching us about the elements of musical composition. This was done in an interactive way incorporating video clips presented on a large screen, along with vibrant soloists. The children were engaged for the whole hour. The choice of music was fantastic, also!

Rikert Cross Country Ski Trips

Getting outdoors with the entire class, and spending time together outside of school has a positive impact on the classroom as it promotes healthy connections and physical exercise outdoors. The connections made during these outings allow us to see one another in a different setting. Our day-to-day assumptions about one another are left behind and we have a new appreciation for each one of our individual strengths and challenges. Students and teachers return to school refreshed, invigorated, and with a deep appreciation for the beautiful country that surrounds us here in Vermont.

There is a student who started this year in the beginner group at Rikert. I noticed how balanced she was on her skis, and how easy it was for her to transfer what the instructor was teaching to her own skiing. Her confidence grew and with it, her skiing ability flourished. For the next two visits, she was placed in a more advanced group, which provided further experiences for her to grow as a cross-country skier. At the end of our last day, she announced to me that she loved cross-country skiing, and that she wanted to be a ski racer when she grew up! This student does not have a lot of resources to get her to places like Rikert; this experience has definitely widened her horizons. Thank you, Friends of L.C.S., for providing this opportunity to all children.

5/6 Grade Theater Production

This performance had a unifying effect on our classroom. By taking on something entirely new and tapping into singing, dancing, and playwriting, students had multiple points of entry to shine in new ways. The group was regularly amazed at the hidden talents of its members. Some fairly shy students stepped up for solo singing parts. We discovered some unexpectedly great dancers among kids who would not show these talents without being given this opening. We all came to appreciate one another in deeper, more meaningful ways. The production called on our powers of collaboration, cooperation, and teamwork in completely unique ways. From the individual level on up to the entire class dynamic, the students knew the success of the production depended on their supporting one another all the way along through each rehearsal until the final show.

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Watch the video: Lincoln Community School: Creating the 2018 Student Play