We had a really interesting first day today, and it was very exciting to start to become familiar with everyone! We did a lot of getting to know each other activities and also worked on learning procedures and expectations.
Another big focus of the day was communication. What makes for good communication, especially when you are working as part of a team? We did one activity where teams of two worked to get a gummy worm through a gummy circle using only paperclips as tools--they could not touch the worm or circle with their hands. Before we started we talked about what makes it easy to talk to someone when you're working on a cooperative task. The students made all the suggestions that went on this list, and then worked to use these skills during their task.
Another big focus of the day was communication. What makes for good communication, especially when you are working as part of a team? We did one activity where teams of two worked to get a gummy worm through a gummy circle using only paperclips as tools--they could not touch the worm or circle with their hands. Before we started we talked about what makes it easy to talk to someone when you're working on a cooperative task. The students made all the suggestions that went on this list, and then worked to use these skills during their task.
I was impressed with the communication that I saw happening during this task, and in our discussion afterward, the kids had a lot of positive things to say about working together. Group work is going to play a big role in the class this year, and we will continue to strengthen these skills.
We also talked about the four Westlake Ways: be responsible, be respectful, do your personal best, and be safe. We talked about what these might look like and sound like, and kids added their own suggestions about what these terms meant to them:
We also talked about the four Westlake Ways: be responsible, be respectful, do your personal best, and be safe. We talked about what these might look like and sound like, and kids added their own suggestions about what these terms meant to them:
I look forward to the day when this blog is updated by the students themselves, and we get to see some firsthand accounts of these activities!