This was a whole 8th grade level project that was led by Mr. Jacob, our Makerspace teacher who wanted to build new reading spaces for HTMNC students to enjoy. On the Humanities side, we learned about the causes and effects of illiteracy in the United States. We discussed the various reasons why Americans end up illiterate and learned how we could remedy that issue. We found out that access to books was a major game changer in people's lives so part of our Exhibition was a Book Fair where attendees could select a book to take with them. Students also learned that another major shift that can change people's lives as readers was choosing books they're interested in. We had Lit Circles where students got to choose their book and discuss their books in weekly Lit Circle Discussions.
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This project was done in collaboration with Mrs. Jacob (Humanities), Mr. Olivas (Math/Science), Mr. Mazzetti (Math/Science), Mr. Spirnak (Digital Arts) and Dr. Bateman (Linguistics Professor at CSUSM). Students explored the history and cosmology of the Kumeyaay Native Americans. Students learned how to take astrophotography pictures and learned about the connection between language and culture. Students wrote compelling essays that explored any topic within the project. Students researched 1 of 12 sacred sites in San Diego County that was a prominent place for the Kumeyaay people. For our exhibition, students gave presentations about an element of this project to a Native American Studies class at CSUSM.
This was an interdisciplinary project where 6th grade students explored questions of identity and empathy. In Humanities, we learned about the history of Early Man and did research about various topics including discrimination, gender and racial stereotypes, and privilege.
Here is their culminating piece - The Who Do You Think You Are? Newspaper! The Ancient Egypt Timeline Project was an opportunity for students to practice their research skills and learn about primary and secondary sources. Students worked with a partner and chose an Egyptian Dynasty to study the Egyptian history during that time. Students used online resources as well as text-based resources. Students wrote a text overview about their dynasty and selected an image that represents their dynasty. Students then painted a water color of that image to present with their text overview. Students then presented their knowledge to the rest of the class to practice their presentation skills for our class exhibition.
During the Fall of 2016, with the guidance and support of Mrs. French, students completed the Dia De Los Muertos Project. Students were able to interview their family members about an ancestor and write a biography about their ancestor. Students brought in photographs of their ancestors and we compiled their biographies and pictures into class books. We explored the cultural implications and traditions of the Dia De Los Muertos festival and how other cultures celebrate the lives of their loved ones. For the exhibition, students set up Dia De Los Muertos altar at the school and at the Dia De Los Muertos festival at Mission San Luis Rey to honor their ancestors. It was beautiful to see our community honor our ancestors together. I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to get my feet wet at HTMNC by doing a week-long mini-project! This was definitely an awesome summer bridge program to begin to immerse myself into the culture and community of HTMNC. I worked with wonderful high school students and asked them to think about the various components of their identities. We shared aspects about ourselves that we wished people understood about us and brainstormed various symbols that represent the United States. The immigrant experience is a major tenant of America. The agamographs represent the duality of their personal experiences, which is uniquely American. Although the week passed quickly, I was very impressed with the each of the students. I love learning about their interests and what they value in their young lives. Enjoy the video and pictures below! ~Mrs. Schafer |