Loving: The Unbalanced Chronicles: Summer School Shenanigans

Had a blast 'summer schooling' it with these gals!!

This summer has been a 10 out of 10 for me so far!

I'm not sure why because I've did nothing but work and chill but

I've had a great summer. I've actually felt pretty energetic for the first time in a long time.

I signed up for two weeks of summer school, which I always try to have some fun with each year.

I started each day with a current event reading from a nonfiction source, followed by an assessment / writing, and then PROJECT TIME (made up by me).

(See Ahead)

'2018 Eruption of Kilauea Volcano'

This story is told from a 12 year old who attended school within miles of the eruption.

It destroyed so much of the area including Hawaii's largest natural freshwater lake!

We followed with a study on what makes a volcano/ makes a volcano erupt, followed by making our very own.

They did a great job and they were very creative!

Adding a bit of the "scientific reaction".

'The Secret Life of Anne Frank' delves into the history of Anne's Diary and how it remains one of the best sellers of today.

We had a lot of great discussions on this one including how hard it would be to go from your life today to practically living in a large closet (annex) with two other families, dealing with your first crush and breakup in seclusion, and the threat of torture around every corner.

It's just horrifying.

To think it all started with a politician who told people what they wanted to hear while using fear to ensure loyalty.

We worked on the The Butterfly Project after this reading.

Learners each researched a child of the Holocaust and later found if they lived or passed.

We found some surprising links to Anne's family (including her sister's best friend who was able to safely sneak to the states with her boyfriend).

'Searching for The Titanic'

I heard many kids share conspiracy theories from TikTok that the Titanic was all a fraud (you know like landing on the moon).

😖 #ihatetiktok

We did some investigating.

We worked on this foldable detailing the events such as the original itinerary, the differences in the first and third class cabins, and how quickly the Titanic sank.

Homework: Tell a family member all about The Titanic.

We watched a documentary and learned about life for the surviving members.

Another question was posed- Did Captain Edward Smith survive?? Some credible sources swear they saw him after.

I thought a treasure hunt using a coordinate graph would be appropriate.

First I had to organize the treasure....

YUMMM

(just take my summer school earnings please)

Finding treasure in the deep of the library was a lot of fun.

'Escape from Alcatrez'

This is still one of my favorite stories of all times passed down from a former ELA teacher. Not that I condone those who escape prison,

but come on these guys were so crafty!

Even at my house, verdict is divided.

Darren says 'no way could they have survived that swim'. Connor says 'they totally made it and there is proof'.

FYI- the FBI will stop investigating when the men turn 99. I think that is this year, maybe?

Nothing goes with this reading selection like an Alcatraz Escape Room!!

This was a lot of fun! All the kids were issued one ticket to Alcatraz where they got a tip on the escaped convicts.

This must be a smart group because they all cracked the code for a jolly rancher.

'The History of Rock/ Rap'

We had a great discussion on the question, 'has music gone too far'?

I feel it no longer protects children. Today's lyrics don't hold back on the language involving drugs, violence, sex, etc. and there is no such thing as 'radio edit' versions now.

Of course my kids defended their right to listen to what they like. It was interesting to read the same defense kids had to Elvis Presley and movies like "Blackboard Jungle". While I don't agree that kids should be able to listen to what they want at a certain age, I have to remember that they have Cardi B ...

and I had Madonna.

These articles also share the critical role music had in ending segregation and bringing people together.

Music makes the world go round.

I had an 90% pass rate on this assessment piece.

This lesson required another history lesson on:

records, 8 tracks, tapes, and CDs.

A lot of kids never heard of these things.

#boomer

I told them how album covers used to be an art form, and how we couldn't wait to go to the music store to check out our favorite artists and their new album cover(s)!

Everything is so digital now and kids miss out on this experience.

We went over the top 50 Album Covers of all time,

and then designed our own.

'The History of the Sneaker'

Sneakers are BIG in middle school (in case you didn't know).

I know Connor wanted a special pair coming in at a whopping 350.00, where Santa promptly told him 'no way'.

We read this article that took me back to the very first Jordan shoes. I guess I was closer to age 9 or 10 when shoes really became popular.
I showed the kids my favorite shoes (they thought they were cool):

My brother had a pair that when you pumped the basketball it filled the shoe with air!!!

(to play ball better even though he only played Nintendo)

We also watched a video on how advertisements have changed from the radio "soap opera" to NO DVR/ tv commercials ('yes kids we had to sit and watch commercials in my day'), to social media and youtube today.

Times sure have changed.

I had the students create, design, and advertise their own shoe. They had a hard time coming up with an idea and required google to 'get ideas'. Being a "boomer" has benefits. We never had a small computer to 'help us with ideas'.

(Which is how I can come up with all these projects with my own head.)