OG Newsletter (17)
I am sitting at the big table in the OG room with Eli, Graham, Lila and Samiyah. Everyone else has gone to music lessons and Samiyah and I are working through some math problems together – figuring them out – because she really wants to finish before she heads off to play the cello. Lila has her own math work in front of her, just wanting the support of having me close by so she can check in if she runs into something she’s not sure of. Graham is eager to get started on his long division and asks me to help him and Eli, but Samiyah is on a roll, and I want to see her through this problem. Lila quietly shifts her focus to Graham and Eli’s papers. “Long division?” she asks, “I can help you with that.” And she walks them through the problem, step by step, asking them questions to make sure it’s making sense. My attention is “divided” during this special moment, so I can listen in on Lila’s lesson and jump in if I need to. But she’s totally got it! I can trust that she knows what she’s talking about, and Eli and Graham trust that she knows, too. She is being kind and helpful and they know it.
Scenes like this play out every day at school – a teacher close by, ready to step in, but waiting just long enough to witness the children teaching one another. It happened recently at the pool. One of the kindergarten children wanted all the pool toys for a personal game. Things were getting tense between him and his kindergarten peers. It seemed everyone wanted to use the same toys. An older group child floated over, said a few, well-chosen and kind words, and the tension sank away, making space for a new game.
Sometimes children share information with one another because it helps play move forward and grow. Several older group children took up playing soccer during free times. We gathered the pieces of the old soccer goal from the basement and they re-built it out on the golf course. They played every chance they got and started getting better and better. When other interested children wanted to play, they needed to even the playing field by taking the time to teach some skills and explain the rules. The group built a second goal out of sticks and logs. Now they play, holding their positions, running plays, strategizing, taking coaching tips from each other and upping the level of play so that it is challenging and satisfying for everyone who is playing. While soccer is still a favorite, some attention is now shifting to basketball. The children are teaching each other games that, in another setting, might be called drills.
This sharing of information, skills, and interests happens every day at The Antioch School. It is a part of our school culture and one of the ways the fundamental structure of our school plays out every day for the children. We are not a top-down, hierarchical institution. We are a democratic school. Every voice and viewpoint holds value and is shown respect. When Lila teaches, it is to share information that classmates are asking for. When Jack-Henry coaches, it is to up the level of play. When Ayla tells a classmate what an axolotl is and how to pronounce it, it is to clarify communication about something they are both interested in. When Cong Cong shows his friends how to do a yo-yo trick, it’s because he wants them to learn it, too. Sharing what we know and what we are learning brings us closer together and strengthens our connections. It is a way of saying that it’s ok that you don’t know something, or that you are learning something new and might make mistakes while you get better at it. It’s like saying, “I know where you’re coming from because I’ve been there, too. And I’ve got your back!”
Fantasy play is a natural part of childhood. But when we add structure to that play, the fantasy is no longer personal. It becomes a story to share with an audience. The Older Group child, both developmentally and in reaction to experiences and observations, is gaining awareness of how he or she is seen by others. That sense of being judged grows more intense as children move away from middle childhood and into adolescence. Perhaps that is why so many of us are intimidated by the idea of performing. Performing is the product. It is the part of the process that we share and, with that, make ourselves vulnerable to the judgement of others.
As with other areas of our curriculum at The Antioch School, dramatic arts evolves naturally out of play. Older Group children still regularly engage in fantasy play, but they are also drawn to more structured play as well. They enjoy group games and activities that have rules and an identifiable goal. Our first exposure to theater in the Older Group is always through theater games. Some of the games help players observe one another and respond accordingly. Others require quick responses that propel the action forward. All of the games are physical. All of the games are noncompetitive and work successfully when each child understands and contributes individually to the group goal. Theater games help children respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal cues, gain awareness of oneself and others in space, and help children understand the impact they have as individuals on a group process. The theater games the children play help prepare them as they work together to create performance pieces.
For our spring musical, the children select the musical and cast themselves. Children started talking about ideas for our spring musical on the very first day of school, and after Winter Break we brainstormed production ideas. The children chose Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and, before leaving for spring break, the children cast themselves.
The spring musical is the result of countless decisions and compromises. Not only do children choose the play and cast themselves, they also design and build the sets and props, figure out how to create special effects, alter songs (typically written for professional adult singers) to fit young voices, sometimes re-distributing solos into group numbers. Actors make decisions about characterization, costumes, and physicality. Lightboard operators and the running crew determine the smoothest transitions between scenes. During rehearsals, the actors listen to one another’s ideas and try out different blocking. They experiment with character interactions and relationships. These decisions and compromises are what makes our spring musical unique and special. The amount of work can seem daunting, but no one person carries the responsibility; we all do. Together.
We share stories. We take risks. We make mistakes. We trust. Theater is part of our curriculum and the foundation of some of our best-loved school traditions because stories connect us. Risks help us grow. Mistakes lead to learning. Trusting one another and ourselves strengthens our community. How lucky we all are to be part of a school that values the arts!
Fantasy play is a natural part of childhood. But when we add structure to that play, the fantasy is no longer personal. It becomes a story to share with an audience. The Older Group child, both developmentally and in reaction to experiences and observations, is gaining awareness of how he or she is seen by others. That sense of being judged grows more intense as children move away from middle childhood and into adolescence. Perhaps that is why so many of us are intimidated by the idea of performing. Performing is the product. It is the part of the process that we share and, with that, make ourselves vulnerable to the judgement of others.
As with other areas of our curriculum at The Antioch School, dramatic arts evolves naturally out of play. Older Group children still regularly engage in fantasy play, but they are also drawn to more structured play as well. They enjoy group games and activities that have rules and an identifiable goal. Our first exposure to theater in the Older Group is always through theater games. Some of the games help players observe one another and respond accordingly. Others require quick responses that propel the action forward. All of the games are physical. All of the games are noncompetitive and work successfully when each child understands and contributes individually to the group goal. Theater games help children respond appropriately to verbal and nonverbal cues, gain awareness of oneself and others in space, and help children understand the impact they have as individuals on a group process. The theater games the children play help prepare them as they work together to create performance pieces.
For our spring musical, the children select the musical and cast themselves. Children started talking about ideas for our spring musical on the very first day of school, and after Winter Break we brainstormed production ideas. The children chose Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and, before leaving for spring break, the children cast themselves.
The spring musical is the result of countless decisions and compromises. Not only do children choose the play and cast themselves, they also design and build the sets and props, figure out how to create special effects, alter songs (typically written for professional adult singers) to fit young voices, sometimes re-distributing solos into group numbers. Actors make decisions about characterization, costumes, and physicality. Lightboard operators and the running crew determine the smoothest transitions between scenes. During rehearsals, the actors listen to one another’s ideas and try out different blocking. They experiment with character interactions and relationships. These decisions and compromises are what makes our spring musical unique and special. The amount of work can seem daunting, but no one person carries the responsibility; we all do. Together.
We share stories. We take risks. We make mistakes. We trust. Theater is part of our curriculum and the foundation of some of our best-loved school traditions because stories connect us. Risks help us grow. Mistakes lead to learning. Trusting one another and ourselves strengthens our community. How lucky we all are to be part of a school that values the arts!
The OG finished up our hand drumming residency yesterday. We started meeting weekly for hand drumming way back in September and have had the joy of beating out rhythms together almost every week since then. The children have played djembes, congas, and dunduns.
Our instruction started with learning about where these drums originated and how and why they made their way to the United States. Mindful of this terrible history, we also experienced the delight that arises from hearing a drum call us together and the power of playing as a group. Our drumming was free and joyful. A statement of community and togetherness.
After winter break, we focused more on precision. We repeated rhythms until everyone was, mostly, playing in sync. Once we were all locked into the same rhythm, and playing as one, then we could combine rhythms. We could add layers, players could “step to the other side” and our playing filled out and got more complex. The trick is to hold your own part, your own voice, while staying together as a group.
Group drumming is a metaphor for so much of the work we do at the Antioch School, freedom within structure, process over product, and hands-on, physical, joyful learning. As a teacher, my big take-away from drumming this year is the invaluable need to first establish safety in the community through positive group experiences and scaffolding a common foundation. Children must listen to one another and be confident in themselves to find the rhythm and ease of being together. Then they can listen to one another and be confident in themselves while holding true to their own part, their own voice, even if it differs from the other voices in the group.
The OG Economy
The focus of our history lessons in the OG this year has been Ohio history, which has also included some general history of the United States. We made it to the American Revolution just after winter break. To help demonstrate the frustration the colonists must have experienced, I started “taxing” the OG with chocolate chip payments (or CCs). The taxes seemed reasonable at first, but soon grew rather outrageous. By the time of the big reveal – the lesson about taxes and colonists and revolution – most children were predictably outraged. They boycotted certain supplies, banded together to protest and plan a revolt, defaced the tax sign, and chanted anti-tax slogans! I thought that, after the lesson, the children would be relieved, eat their chocolate chips, and life in the OG would return to normal. What a surprise when the children eagerly discussed ways to continue paying taxes!
We now have, what we call, the OG Economy. As a class, we adjusted what is being taxed and how much each item costs. The children get paid for their daily jobs. Some children opened stores. One child has a bank and loans CCs to others who pay them back with interest. Someone else started an advertising agency and gets paid to promote other businesses. Businesses must be registered, and retail space rented or purchased.
Many children have adjusted their businesses based on demand. We have a small consumer group, so once everyone has purchased a special item, like a “guarder” snake to guard one’s CCs, the demand is gone. Baked goods are always a hit, and Elaina has been accepting payments for baking supplies, kitchen space, and advice. Children keep track of their income and expenditures on a simple form.
The taxes have bled into nearly every part of our school day. Our math naturally focuses on money, decimals, percent, and unit price. We’ve had countless observations and discussions about capitalism and economic privilege - one of our school microwaves is taxed and the other is free. Children who can afford to can skip the line! We are constantly discussing the benefits and draw backs, fairness and unfairness, of our system.
Hand and hand with an economy and the rules and regulations that are part of it, is enforcement of those rules. Thus, a legal system has also been born. We now have a judge and lawyers in the OG. Children file lawsuits and court is in session!
I’m not sure how much longer the children will run with this or where it will go, but, right now, they are fully immersed. They are in a boom of learning!
The OG Welcomed Back Two Traditions Last Week: Harvest Soup Supper and Swim and Gym
Sally DennisThe Antioch School hosted the Harvest Soup Supper last weekend for the first time since 2019! The Kindergarten and YG made soups to share at the event. Families also brought in soups as well as desserts. And the OG made BREAD – lots and lots of bread! We made corn bread, challah, French, monkey, pumpkin, and sourdough. Making enough bread to share with everyone at the supper is a multi-day process. The children first had to decide, as a group, what kinds of bread to make. Then we gathered recipes and Elaina shopped for ingredients. Finally, the children could start making the bread, but following recipes can be tricky since it requires some specialized vocabulary and one needs to read not only the ingredients, but also the step-by-step instructions! Some children made recipes and immediately asked if they could make the same recipe again since they learned so much the first time and wanted to incorporate their experience in making an even better batch the second time! Then the children had to wait again, as the yeast breads needed time to ferment and rise before they could finally be shaped and baked. All in all, it was a long, floury process, but the result was beautiful and delicious. It can be quite satisfying to work hard and to feed other people.
The Older Group also returned to the Antioch College Wellness Center last week to play in the gym and swim in the pool! The children were so excited that most of them ran most of the way across the golf course to the college. The class likes to joke that I “bring up the rear” and am always the last one to get to the Wellness Center. Yes, they were extra speedy last week and I probably would have been last even if I hadn’t tried to be, but I am the last one there intentionally. It gives the children the opportunity to be in a public space without me, necessitating them to take responsibility for their own appropriate conduct. After I finally strolled in, the children played in the gym for about 30 minutes, then changed into their suits and headed to the pool. The Kindergarten stayed back at school last week, so the OG got some extra swim time alone. Normally, though, they swim for 30 minutes and then their Kindergarten partners join them in the pool and they swim with partners for another 30 minutes. After swimming, the OG has another opportunity for independence as they walk back to school with each other but without me, since I stay at the pool to help with the other groups. Last week, Elaina welcomed the children back with warm, salty mashed potatoes!
The children started "packets" last week in the OG. I know many of the children were super excited to get started and talked about them at home (we also call it "folderwork")! In addition to regular lessons and the follow-up work associated with those lessons, the children get weekly packets in math, spelling, and handwriting. The packets have the same basic lay-out and structure each week, so the format is familiar even though the work is different. They get their packets on Monday morning and need to finish them by Friday. Approaches to getting the work done vary a lot! Some children complete one packet all the way through before starting the next one. Some children do one page of each packet each day. Some children try to do everything in one day! Many children are working out what approach works best for them and if they work best alone, with me, or with friends. I write out a to-do list on the white board for the children each morning and I have an official work check-in meeting with each child midway through the week to help organize work, adjust plans, and answer questions. It's pretty cool because, as is consistent throughout the school day, the children have freedom, choice and responsibility within a supported and predictable structure!
We have been looking at U.S. geography and talking about the states - the children especially loved learning about Chef MIMAL! Last week we focused in on Ohio, did a failed experiment intended to demonstrate the impact glaciers had on the geography of Ohio (we have some theories about why it didn't work so we will make adjustments and try it again this week), and read about the Adena and the Hopewell people who lived here. We followed that up with a hike to the small Adena burial mound in the Glen. While there are some much larger mounds and earthworks in the area, we are very lucky to have such a mound that we can walk to and visit!
Pi Day and Pie Day in the OG!
The children spent time last week exploring circles. We read a silly book about circles and pi called Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi, figured out different ways to measure circles and found relationships between the measurements, labeled the different parts of circles, and created circle art. The children discovered that the distance around a circle, the circumference, is ALWAYS a little bit more than 3 times the diameter.
On March 14 (3.14), we made two incredible pies - chocolate pudding pie with an Oreo crust, and a truly beautiful and delicious Lemon Meringue pie. The children got extra whipped cream for each digit of pi they memorized beyond 3.14. We went through a lot of whipped cream!
Antioch School legend has it that the late, great OG teacher Bill Mullins bought a couple of used unicycles one weekend, thinking that the OG children might take a liking to them. Now, decades later, the unicycle has become a symbol of the Antioch School and a challenge many children still enthusiastically take to. But, why? Contrary to rumors around town, unicycling is not an Antioch School graduation requirement. And none of the teachers are expert unicyclists who teach the children how to do it.
The teachers give children the opportunity, the time, and the physical structure to learn, but no one can actually teach someone how to ride a unicycle -- one just has to get on and try it. Each rider has to find her balance, figure out the right speed, adjust after failed attempts and be encouraged by small gains. It takes time. No one is great at unicycling right off the bat. It is not something to be mastered after a day of practicing, or a week, or a month. There is always something new to try and more to learn. Even after years of unicycling, the children find new ways to challenge themselves by riding on different terrain or on higher unicycles; they ride on the balance beams or on ramps; they do jumps or learn to air mount. Children are natural learners who will return to tasks, even very challenging ones, over and over again. The opportunities are limitless.
Learning to ride a unicycle is work that only the rider can do. It is challenging, satisfying, and fun. It is internally motivated. It is learning at its best and most natural. It is no wonder it has come to symbolize the Antioch School.
The Case of the Krispie Caper
Items have been going missing from the lunchbox of an OG student. “It’s been happening for a while now,” said the child, needing to speak up to be heard over his rumbling belly. “It just took me awhile to figure it out, since I don’t usually know what’s exactly in my lunch until I open it up to eat it.” The child’s suspicion grew daily, though, in direct correlation to his nagging sweet tooth.
“It was the day that both the Rice Krispie Treat and the Ritz crackers went missing that really made him want to do something about it,” said his mother. But what to do? The child talked it over with his dad, thinking maybe his dad was simply leaving out his favorite treats. But, no, dad reluctantly admitted that he does not pack only healthy food for his son. I asked the child what he wanted to do and he decided that he should share his woes, rather than his snacks, with the other children. He made a plan to talk with the Younger Group and the Older Group children.
The child addressed the group, stating the facts: “Things have been going missing from my lunchbox. It has been going on for awhile now.”
“What kinds of things?” asked a curious classmate.
“Always the best things,” replied the hungry child.
“Because maybe if we know what’s missing, we might know who’s taking them. You know, if it’s something we know that person really likes,” said the young sleuth.
“Is that what you want,” asked another child, “to know who’s taking things?”
“No,” responded the child, “I want whoever is doing this to stop. I just want to eat my lunch. The lunch my dad packs me.”
Remarkably, that was the whole talk. Short and sweet. The room was quiet for a moment as the children digested the information and the request.
We still don’t know who took the treats. But “who done it” isn’t what is important here. One child does not need to be called out and made to feel bad publicly so that another can have his just desserts. Almost two weeks have passed since this issue was brought to the group and nothing else has been taken. The child who brought the issue to the group said what was bothering him. The other children heard what he said, asked for clarification, and honored his request. That takes the cake!
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The children were excited to be paired up with Kindergarten partners last week. They enjoyed a special playtime and snack with partners on Thursday afternoon, sat with their partners during our All School Meeting on Friday, and read with partners in the Kindergarten room at the end of the day on Friday. This week they will swim with partners for the first time on Thursday!
Older Group-Kindergarten partnering is a long time tradition at the Antioch School. Many of the Older Group children have strong memories of the OG partners they had as Kindergarteners and are excited to now be on the other end, as the older child, of the partnership. Partnerships connect the two ends of our hallway together. The younger children have someone who knows-the-ropes, someone big who can touch the bottom of the pool, a big friend who checks in with them and reads with them. But the benefits to the older child are just as substantial. Older Group children are developing the ability to view situations, events, and information from the perspective of others. Developmentally, Kindergarten children are still quite egocentric. And so, even in the most ordinary of interactions with partners, Older Group children are strengthening their use of perspective; they are becoming more empathetic communicators. Plus, it just feels good sometimes to be the big kid! This is a new hat for many children who do not have siblings, or who only have older siblings. But even children who are the oldest in a family grouping find being the older child in a partnership to be a different and unique experience.
January is always such a good settling in time in the Older Group. The build up and excitement of the fall and winter holidays is behind us, the room feels cozy on chilly days, and it is much easier to stay focused on ideas and tasks.
When we return from vacation, the children are enthusiastic about choosing parts for our spring musical, highlighting their parts, and beginning our read-throughs. This year, choosing parts was a very smooth process. After reading the book, The Phantom Tollbooth, most of the children really knew who they wanted to be, so casting went quite smoothly. Now that the OG has chosen their parts, it is time to bring the thirds in for a read-through so they can figure out which parts they would like to have. Fortunately, there are a lot of juicy roles in the play because there is quite a large group of 3rd grade children joining us for the production.
We have begun working on geometry in math. There is quite a bit of overlap in what we are doing; the younger children are finding the perimeter and area of squares, rectangles, and triangles, while the older children are additionally identifying and measuring angles, naming triangles by sides and angles, and computing the measurements of triangles using 2 given angles. We will soon be moving on to working with circumference and area of circles.
There is nothing like settling in to some good literature during the winter months. We have started some reading/discussion groups so the children can enjoy sharing what they are reading with each other. In addition to their group reading, they have books they are reading independently. I read aloud to the class almost every day. The most recent book they have requested is The Transall Saga, by Gary Paulson. They are entranced.
The class is reading about and reporting on the presidents for social studies. At this point, we are selecting the first 15 presidents to research. Already there have been some great questions about such topics as what the Whig Party might be.
While we started working on cursive writing earlier in the year, it is finally coming together for the children who are new to cursive. I love the way their artistic sense kicks in with cursive; the children want their cursive to look nice and take pride in how their writing looks. This year, I have had quite a few graduates thank me for teaching them cursive. It is great when they can see the value of their time spent learning it.
Dennis has been working with us on some really fun new pieces to perform for the Spring Concert coming up in March. Everyone is pumped!
We have had another eventful week, performing with Jonathan Crocker in his Meet the Wyld Man show on Wednesday. We had to re-make some of our instruments because over the past week, our refrigerator malfunctioned. Sadly, some of our veggie instruments did not survive so we had to remake them. Fortunately, we had the foresight to take measurements of the depth of the holes on our instruments so it didn't take as long to create new ones. The performance was fun, and we had a great time, although it was really hot and sunny for the afternoon performance, leaving us wishing that we had also had the foresight to bring hats and water bottles.
In music, we have begun preparing for our holiday concert that we will have before winter break. It is always refreshing to finish one set of music and begin on fresh new material. The beginning band and orchestra is sounding really great for this early in their learning, and the intermediate/advanced band and orchestra had been making great strides in their musicality. This should be a wonderful concert!
The OG has begun their first research reports. Our general theme for this year is American history, so our first research will be about famous Americans. We found biographies at the library, at home, and in the OG classroom. The children are taking short note as they go, so they can find the information they need when they begin their rough drafts. A couple of children have already completed their reading and notes, and have begun their rough drafts. I am looking forward to having all of the rough drafts completed by the end of next week, and some ideas generated about what kind of related project or projects the children would like to do.
Spelling is well underway. Some children are working on spelling rules and learning new spelling words, others are combining spelling with vocabulary development. Each Monday, the children write their spelling list to take home to study, so spelling lists should be arriving at home on Monday afternoons. Each day, the children have spelling practice to work on on their own, or in small study groups while I am teaching math to other groups.
We have been so fortunate that Amy K. can come in on Fridays to have writers' workshops with the children. She is so wonderful with the children and always has interesting and stimulating approaches to writing to share with them. We will miss meeting with Amy for the next 2 Fridays, since there will be no school on Oct. 9 or Oct. 23.
We have been studying many different math concepts, depending on the groups or individuals. Some children have been reviewing addition and subtraction with regrouping and learning beginning multiplication and division facts. Some are working on long division. Others are working on prime factorization, exponents, and square roots, as well as beginning algebra skills.
As you can see, the various skills we work on are at different levels depending on what skills and concepts individual children are ready to learn. Multiple age groups are wonderful because the younger children get to look ahead to what they will be learning as they progress through the Older Group, by watching and listening as I work with the different groups. The older children can see where they began in the OG, review, and help the younger children out if they get 'stuck'. Sometimes, though, it can be a bit challenging for the younger children who have gone from being the oldest in the YG to the youngest in the OG. When they look ahead to what the older children are working on, it looks really hard. They forgot what it was like to be at the beginning of the YG looking at what the older YG children are working on. Reassurance that they will be able to do the more advanced work once they have mastered the necessary building blocks is something many of the younger children need both at school and at home.
I have the parent conference schedule posted on the OG door, and have attached a copy of the schedule to this newsletter.
We have a field trip to the Dayton Philharmonic Young People's Concert on Wednesday, Oct. 28. We will need to leave school at 8:30 sharp, so children and chaperones should arrive at school but 8:40. We will return before lunch. We do need chaperones, so please let me know if you will be able to help with the driving and how many children can be safely buckled into your car.
The children would like to plan a trip to Peifer Orchards, which I will gladly plan if we have enough drivers to get there.
Our first November field trip will be to The Learning Tree Farm for hands-on history. OG parent, Meredith Florkey, will be our teacher and guide for our American history experience. Both the YG and OG will be attending. I am really excited about this trip! Please let me know if you will be available to help with driving and chaperoning on Monday, November 9. This will be an all-day 9-3 adventure.
Our Enchanted Forest will be held on October 30 ~ in the Enchanted Forest. We will post the time closer to the date of the performance.
Chris