this week
What a week! Assessment meetings, community days, portfolios, reflections, starting maps… we’ve had an unusual and busy week here at Brightworks – so busy I didn’t have a moment to write the blog at all! Here are some highlights from the week:
On Wednesday, as students floated on and off the floor for assessment meetings, we did a Community Wednesday with activities and projects scattered throughout the space. The kids ran some of their own workshops as well! Isaac ran a stencil-making workshop to teach kids the basics of what he’s learned during the Fairness arc.
Shawna brought out clay for the kids to explore:
Christie led a group on a geo-caching journey to find buried treasure.
On Thursday, the Coyotes and the Rubber Band went on mapmaking adventures in San Francisco and Burlingame.
Today at Community Lunch, Joey brought in a map that expanded or shrunk different countries according to that country’s wealth. He helped us see the connections between fairness and maps by doing a money experiment – in breaking down $100, he gave out different amounts of coins and dollars according to how much of the population earns how much money. Students received three pennies all the way to $45, showing just how unequal people’s wealth is distributed around the world.
Monday marks the official start of the Maps arc! Here we go!
maps
Although Fairness isn’t quite over – a week of reflections, portfolios, assessment meetings, and deep breaths – the staff is busy getting ready and rearing to go on our third arc of the year: Maps!
We’re really excited to travel the globe and explore small places, then chart everything down with compass roses, legends, and keys. We’re reading books about maps and documenting how people have made maps of the places they discover. We’ll be seeing the world through the help of Google maps – and without it.
Today, while the other bands worked on portfolios, the Rubber Band took a quick peek at maps, did some brainstorming, and made their way to Billy Goat Hill without technology to guide them. They made it!
fair food
Today the Rubber Band and the Coyotes explored fair trade in food by visiting Safeway, Rainbow Grocery, and the farmer’s market at the Ferry Building. They talked to grocers and learned about where their produce comes from. The Coyotes brought back ingredients for tomorrow’s hot lunch, too!
fair trade and fair labor
Where do our clothes come from? Where does our food come from? Who are the people that make that happen? Today, the Rubber Band and the Coyotes explored these ideas through looking at fair labor and fair trade in our everyday clothes and food.
The Rubber Band participated in a sewing workshop making t-shirts with our textile artist Debi that incorporated a discussion of workers’ rights and viewing a documentary about fair labor.
The Coyotes took a field trip to Safeway armed with a map of the world and they explored the origins of the produce using stickers from the fruit and vegetables they found.
symphony
The Brightworks kids spent the day at the Davies Symphony Hall listening to classical music along with hundreds of other San Francisco students for the symphony’s Concerts for Kids series.
When they got back, there was time for lunch, outdoor time at park, literature circles, and closing circle before they all went home for the day! They’ll be back tomorrow for more adventures and a return to the last week of Fairness exploration.
food bank
The Rubber Band journeyed to the San Francisco Food Bank this morning while the Phantoms, Sand Leopards, and Coyotes did capoeira and literature circles. They bagged 200 one-pound bags of pasta and one-pound bags of white beans during their shift.
The school participated in fair commerce for handmade goods during Market Day in the afternoon.
law and dreams
The Rubber Band met yesterday with divorce attorney Charles DeLacey and asked him about his work in the law.
Today, they went to visit Madison’s mom, a second grade teacher, and talked to her about the differences between Brightworks and public schools and the kinds of things that she faces as a teacher there.
Elizabeth came in to practice drawing faces with the kids.
The Sand Leopards used to cork floor to dramatically represent some of the concepts and history they’ve been learning about this week.
The Coyotes watched Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in the morning.
They then wrote and illustrated their own dreams for themselves and the world.
And here is Kaia’s penguin puppet.
