Build Week 10: Micro-Farming, Composting, and Vertical Gardens

Over the course of several weeks, many Campfire discussions focused on issues of climate change, with Greta Thunberg helping drive deep interest for many of the learners around the issues, debates, and challenges of climate change. Thus, as Build Week approached, the teaching team knew they needed to plan an experience that would help the learners understand the individual impact they could have on climate change.

The first morning of Build Week finally arrived and began with Ellu Nasser, a climate science planner, teaching us more about the greenhouse effect…

Build WeekLisa ZapalacNovember 4, 2019Long-View Schoolenvironmental studies, vertical gardens

Build Week 9: An Enriching Endeavor

Build Week 9 began with an unusual sight: two yellow school buses parked outside of Long-View. The kids arrived bundled up for the sub-freezing weather and brimming with guesses about where the buses were headed. But the tight-lipped teachers weren’t about to let the cat out of the bag. Instead they ushered the kids inside to find the lanyards designating their team names.

Build Week 8: Improving Ourselves Through Improvisation

As the kids arrived on Monday, they noticed a sign in the window: Long-View Micro School Improv Comedy Festival, 12:30 p.m., October 25th @ Fallout Theater.

Only a few had studied improv before, so the learners had a lot to learn before their Thursday show. The week began with a visit from professional improv comedians Jessica Arjet and Kim Roche, who drew three teachers’ names from a hat…

Build WeekLisa ZapalacOctober 29, 2018Long-View Micro Schoolimprov, fallout theatre

Build Week 6: From Chaos to Constitution

Build Weeks at Long-View are a chance to span and expand our academic blocks; they typically focus on one, rich challenge, involve experts from the larger community, and call for higher levels of reasoning and discourse. Our second Build Week of the year concluded last week and was again a huge success. Ultimately, the children followed in the path of countries around the world by writing a constitution, and they did their work by using a new and pretty amazing platform called Constitute, which provides resources and analysis for constitutional drafters in new democracies....

The Setting: Keecklah Island
Population: 3,856

Build Week 5: Data Science Clandestine Op

Build Weeks are a part of the rhythm of the yearly calendar at Long-View, opening our schedule up to allow us to dive into special activities and challenges. Build Weeks help us grow intellectually, help us make connections between disciplines, give us a chance to break the “routine” of school life, and give us an opportunity to try new things.

Build Week #5 involved an undercover op led by senior CIA agents but executed by Long-View junior CIA agents. We first found out that our math teacher, Mr. Moore, who is (suspiciously) a very private person, actually had a prior career within the CIA. Because of his prior relationship and due to a particularly pressing problem his ex-colleagues were tackling, a CIA unit based in Austin reached out to Agent Ames (aka Mr. Moore) to engage the Long-View students in an effort to leverage their stellar computer science skills....

Build WeekLisa ZapalacOctober 29, 2017Long-View Micro School CIA, coding, python, pandas, data science, pythagorean theorem

Build Week#3: Cold Case #T8523-15 Solved!

An incredibly high-level and high-energy week just concluded at Long-View: Build Week #3 brought together work on chemistry, argument, forensics, logic, collaboration, and critical thinking, with a hint of mystery mixed in.

Build Weeks are a part of the rhythm of the yearly calendar at Long-View, opening our schedule up to allow us to dive into special activities and challenges. Build Weeks help us grow intellectually, help us make connections between disciplines, give us a chance to break the “routine” of school life, and give us an opportunity to try new things.

Build Week #3 also gave us the chance to meet new people. The week began with crime scene tape surrounding one classroom door and Detective Julie Long of the Austin Police Department showing up with a locked briefcase....

Build Week #2: Build A Working Computer

Build Weeks are a part of the rhythm of the yearly schedule at Long-View. Build Weeks periodically bridge academic blocks and open our schedule up to allow us to dive into special activities and challenges. Build Weeks help us grow intellectually, help us make connections between disciplines, give us a chance to reflect and set goals, and give us an opportunity to try new things.

During our first Build Week at the start of the year, our focus was on building our community, as well as developing the mindsets that serve Long-View learners….

Build WeekLisa ZapalacOctober 27, 2016Long-View Micro Schoolcomputer science, making, building, Piper, python

Starting the Year Off With Build Week

We kicked off the year with a Build Week. At Long-View, Build Weeks periodically bridge academic blocks and open our schedule up to allow us to dive into special activities and challenges. Build Weeks help us grow intellectually, help us make connections between disciplines, give us a chance to reflect and set goals, and give us an opportunity to try new things.

During this first Build Week, our focus was on building our community and building the "mindsets" that will help us learn at Long-View. Kids had the chance to try many new things and also get to know our learning environment...