Last Friday, we went to see the new exhibition on Frida Kahlo at the art museum. As this was a special show requiring timed tickets, we were lucky to get admission for our mentors and a dozen students.
The day before, Mary held a special art club meeting devoted to Frida Kahlo. She created two project suggestions for the participants. She also brought a book of Kahlo's paintings, which students pored through that afternoon.
Friday was an early dismissal day, so school ended before noon. Pete, Mary, Steve, and I gathered the students in our room and took them on the subway, transferring at City Hall for the bus to the museum. As we waited at 15th and JFK, we absorbed the urban scene before us: varied and distinctive architecture, pedestrian-filled plazas, public artwork. We got onto an (unnumbered) bus, took a picturesque ride down the Parkway, and were dropped off right at the museum's entrance.
After we picked up our tickets, checked our coats and bags, and greeted our friend at the museum, we entered the Kahlo exhibition. Many of the students took the audiotours, and we took a minute to learn how to press the buttons to get a running commentary on the art. Even on a weekday afternoon, the galleries were filled with fellow art appreciators. Our students walked from photograph to photograph, painting to painting, carefully taking in the details.
The students had many questions about the show. "Why is he [Diego Rivera as a baby] wearing a dress? Is it lucky?" "Why did she draw herself so ugly in her art? She was beautiful in the pictures?" "Did three of her babies really die?" They were captivated by the tragedies in her life: the accident, the miscarriages, her pain. Some of them found her art a little scary. Overall, they found meaning in what they saw.
Later, the students had some free time to explore the other galleries of the museum. Afterwards, we got on a bus to return to Center City, and each went on our own ways. We encourage them all to make another visit to the museum, perhaps on one of the pay-as-you-wish Sundays. It is truly a spot that is worth returning to again and again.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Spring break
All of our students are on spring break right now, so I am back in our downtown office this week. This time away from school has been a good opportunity to catch up on the latest publications.
Because No Child Left Behind requires schools to promote progress in a number of groups, including English language learners, it is not surprising to see an increased concern over how to work with this group of students to increase their academic achievement. Here are two articles from just the past month about strategies that programs like ours can use to address the needs of these youth:
Gaining Ground: Supporting English Learners Through After-School Literacy Programming
Serving Recent Immigrant Students Through School-Community Partnerships
As we develop our programming to improve our effectiveness at helping students build their skills and knowledge, it is very useful to find new ideas and confirmation of our earlier observations in the current research.
Because No Child Left Behind requires schools to promote progress in a number of groups, including English language learners, it is not surprising to see an increased concern over how to work with this group of students to increase their academic achievement. Here are two articles from just the past month about strategies that programs like ours can use to address the needs of these youth:
Gaining Ground: Supporting English Learners Through After-School Literacy Programming
Serving Recent Immigrant Students Through School-Community Partnerships
As we develop our programming to improve our effectiveness at helping students build their skills and knowledge, it is very useful to find new ideas and confirmation of our earlier observations in the current research.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Lost No More stories
A number of stories from our One Book, One Philadelphia event in January are now up on our Web site. Here is a preview of one student's account of coming to the United States:
Read more of the Lost No More stories here.I came to the United States for many things like to work and to earn money to invest in my country. Why do I want to invest in my country? Because I see from afar people who have returned to Senegal from Europe with money but without a plan for investing.
Now I am going to talk a little about my arrival in the United States. Before I took the plane I was a little sad, the night of my departure I left all my best friends there.
But thanks to God I had a good trip. Now I am in America. I miss everyone, particularly my mother and my little brothers.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
New clubs!
Last week, we started two new clubs in our room. I'm excited about the way they have been going.
On Mondays, Mary and Steve have been leading a reading group after school. The first book is Maus, a graphic novel about a family of Holocaust survivors living in New York. Every week, there is a new chapter. Students take turns reading as the mentors explain the vocabulary and context of the plot.
On Wednesdays, Oumar is in charge of the math club. It is an opportunity for students to practice what they have learned and do problems together. Students may also work on puzzles or play math games as the club progresses.
Pete's Tuesday English conversation group will also change into Conversation Corner. Students will have the opportunity to discuss interesting topics in an informal setting during sixth period lunch.
The new clubs have gotten a good response from students so far. Many of the participants had never participated in our clubs or workshops before. They work on important academic skills like reading, speaking, and math in an environment that is markedly different from the ones they encounter elsewhere in school.
With the new clubs, there is now one activity for every day our program is at the school:
Monday after school- Reading
Tuesday during 6th period- Conversation
Wednesday after school- Math
Thursday after school- Art
On Mondays, Mary and Steve have been leading a reading group after school. The first book is Maus, a graphic novel about a family of Holocaust survivors living in New York. Every week, there is a new chapter. Students take turns reading as the mentors explain the vocabulary and context of the plot.
On Wednesdays, Oumar is in charge of the math club. It is an opportunity for students to practice what they have learned and do problems together. Students may also work on puzzles or play math games as the club progresses.
Pete's Tuesday English conversation group will also change into Conversation Corner. Students will have the opportunity to discuss interesting topics in an informal setting during sixth period lunch.
The new clubs have gotten a good response from students so far. Many of the participants had never participated in our clubs or workshops before. They work on important academic skills like reading, speaking, and math in an environment that is markedly different from the ones they encounter elsewhere in school.
With the new clubs, there is now one activity for every day our program is at the school:
Monday after school- Reading
Tuesday during 6th period- Conversation
Wednesday after school- Math
Thursday after school- Art
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Field trip to the zoo
A large and enthusiastic group went on a field trip to the zoo recently. We enjoyed a presentation on endangered species by zoo personnel, and then got to explore the zoo by ourselves.
The presentation featured several live animals, including a rabbit, Northern pine snake, Harris hawk, ferret, and chinchilla. We listened as the zoo staff explained where each animal lives, and told stories about how their numbers have grown and shrunk over time. Many students took pictures using their cell phones or cameras. At the end of the presentation, we were allowed to gently touch the chinchilla. We had to use just one or two fingers to stroke it, because too many hands could make the chinchilla's body overheat.
Later, we spread out around the zoo. Many of us toured the reptile house, where there were many different kinds of snakes. There was also a fake snake, which looked very realistic and startled some students. We also saw turtles, including some very big (and very old!) turtles from the Galapagos Islands. I liked the fact that the zoo put a sign in front of every animal exhibit, explaining where the animal came from. Many areas of the world were represented -- just like our students.
Another popular destination was Big Cat Country. We enjoyed seeing pumas, leopards, jaguars, and other members of the cat family. The tigers were especially exciting to watch, because they are so big and powerful.
One of the last areas we stopped was the river otters. I liked seeing how quickly they can swim. While we were there, two otters were playing (or roughhousing) very actively. They would tussle underwater, come to the surface, zip across the rocks, and then slide back into the water. I could have stayed for an hour to watch them, but it was time to go.
The trip was a good opportunity to see a special resource that is right here in our city. We are already planning more field trips for later this spring, although we will have smaller groups in the future.
The presentation featured several live animals, including a rabbit, Northern pine snake, Harris hawk, ferret, and chinchilla. We listened as the zoo staff explained where each animal lives, and told stories about how their numbers have grown and shrunk over time. Many students took pictures using their cell phones or cameras. At the end of the presentation, we were allowed to gently touch the chinchilla. We had to use just one or two fingers to stroke it, because too many hands could make the chinchilla's body overheat.
Later, we spread out around the zoo. Many of us toured the reptile house, where there were many different kinds of snakes. There was also a fake snake, which looked very realistic and startled some students. We also saw turtles, including some very big (and very old!) turtles from the Galapagos Islands. I liked the fact that the zoo put a sign in front of every animal exhibit, explaining where the animal came from. Many areas of the world were represented -- just like our students.
Another popular destination was Big Cat Country. We enjoyed seeing pumas, leopards, jaguars, and other members of the cat family. The tigers were especially exciting to watch, because they are so big and powerful.
One of the last areas we stopped was the river otters. I liked seeing how quickly they can swim. While we were there, two otters were playing (or roughhousing) very actively. They would tussle underwater, come to the surface, zip across the rocks, and then slide back into the water. I could have stayed for an hour to watch them, but it was time to go.
The trip was a good opportunity to see a special resource that is right here in our city. We are already planning more field trips for later this spring, although we will have smaller groups in the future.
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