Learning Tasks for Monday, January 27

I can...
-describe how educational structures work together to help students succeed.
-relate my own learning experiences to those of others.

Essential Question:
How do educational structures help students succeed?

1. Writing into the Day
Consider the following quote:

"Tell me and I forget.  Teach me and I remember.  Involve me and I learn."  -Benjamin Franklin

Thinking of occasions that you have been asked to do something new (at home, work, and/or school), can you personally relate to what Franklin is saying?  How do you learn best?  Write your thoughts for five minutes.

2.  Review: 
What is Common Instructional Framework, Big Ideas/Essential Questions, Understanding by Design, and NC New Schools?  How do they work together to help students succeed?

3.  Watch, Think, and Respond

Compare and contrast Amelia's experience with your own.  How have opportunities at LEC impacted your own life?

4. Conclusions: 
Write a TPEQEA paragraph comparing the four pieces of LEC's educational structure that we've discussed.  How are the pieces interrelated?

Learning Tasks for Thursday, January 23

Writing into the Day:
Respond to the lyrics below. Which would you rather be, a snowflake or a cog in a machine? Start with a short written response, then add poetry, doodles, etc. You have 6 minutes.

"I was raised up believing I was somehow unique / Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see / And now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather be / A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me"

-"Helplessness Blues" by Fleetfoxes

The Great Education Experiment

Get ready for the Great Education Experiment at LEC!  You all are now education researchers who, over the next (approximately) four weeks, will be discovering, documenting, and analyzing the educational structures here at LEC.  There are a variety of structures that are used by LEC to help you learn and succeed.  The Great Education Experiment will help you identify these structures and how they relate to you!

YOUR ESSENTIAL QUESTION:  How is LEC preparing students for college, careers, and life?

As you research, your findings will help you answer this Essential Question, as well as develop Unit Two's BIG IDEA:  Structures have interrelated parts.

So, what are essential questions and big ideas, and why do we use them?  What is this "educational structure" I speak of?  Let's find out!

Directions:
1.  Break into four research groups.
2.  Once you are settled into your groups, Ms. Jones will assign you a piece of the LEC education structure.  Your group's job is to research the topic you are assigned.  
3.  Using online resources (search engines, websites, etc.), research how your piece of the education structure works.  As you find interesting facts and background information, write them down!  
4.  Using markers, colored pencils, and paper, create a poster to present to the class.  The poster should include a definition (what is your structure piece?), purpose (why do we use that structure piece? how does it help students?), and function (what do you think this piece looks like in the classroom?  have you seen it being used at LEC?).
5.  REMEMBER:  Your group is the research expert on your educational structure piece!

Class Discussion:
After presenting your posters to the class, consider the purpose of CIF, UbD, Big Ideas/Essential Questions, and New Schools.  What do they all work together to accomplish?  How do they work together?

Conclusion:
Write a TPEQEA paragraph comparing the four pieces of LEC's educational structure that we have discussed.  How are the pieces related?

Have a Happy Thursday!

Learning Tasks for Tuesday, January 21

1. Writing into the Day: How do you define “success” and “greatness?” What does success look like? (33 points) 2. Create two diary entries of your successful future self. Make sure you include what college you went to and how it helped you succeed, what career you currently have, and personal goals you have accomplished. Each entry should be a half page written. (33 points) 3. Write a TPEQEA paragraph about your biggest goal in life. Include a quote from any resource. Be sure to cite the quote using MLA style. (33 points) 4. Be awesome. (1 point)