7th & 8th Graders Attend The Teton Science School
In early March, Long-View 7th and 8th graders had the opportunity to spend five days at the Teton Science School in Grand Teton National Park. They were treated to immersive learning about the park’s ecosystem and the organisms living there. Learners and guides traversed the park on snowshoes and cross-country skis, a test of humor and humility for young people and adults alike. Skilled instructors from the Teton Science School guided the learners through experiments and observations in snow science, animal identification, geology and other facets of the natural systems….
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Student-Initiated, Student-Run Newspaper Publishes Second Edition
As printed newspapers throughout the country struggle and even die out, one newspaper at Long-View Micro School is thriving. Founded and entirely run by a group of learners, The Long-View Gazette published its first edition in early January of 2020. Many of us were excited, eagerly diving into the paper and reading it in one sitting; we were not only impressed with the excellent writing, but we also got caught up in the flurry of something new. But would it last? Indeed, it would. Last week, on February 17, 2020, The Long-View Gazette published its second edition, which was as popular as its first….
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Writing for Change: Jade Band Learners Tackle Complex Social Issues in Investigative Journalism Unit
It’s not exactly news: nonfiction writing can be less than thrilling for many learners. But in Jade Band’s recent investigative journalism unit, these middle-school learners discovered new ways to deeply invest in finding and telling the true stories lying hidden all around them.
Long-form journalistic writing, a type of narrative nonfiction, is a tricky genre. To pull off an article of the sort one might read in The Atlantic, learners had to draw on and synthesize skills from many genres they’d practiced previously…
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Jade Band Learners Create Documentaries
At the end of October, Jade Band embarked on a historical research unit in Literacy Block. In this rich unit the learners completed in-depth research on historical periods and trends — with a focus on comparative analysis and the understanding of patterns rather than the acquisition of facts. For many of the learners, their substantial research was in the form of print sources, online sources, and interviews. The kids also got to practice the archival detective-work that professional historians conduct…
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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…
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Cobalt Band Scientists Explore Electricity and Magnetism
Scientists in Cobalt Band are currently engaged in authentic sense-making activities meant to deepen their understanding of magnetic and electric forces, including how these two types of forces relate to each other, and how they are used in everyday devices such as electronic circuits, electromagnets, and motors. The learners are practicing thinking abstractly about the mechanisms that they cannot see that lead to observations such as a light bulb lighting or a magnet repelling the like pole of another magnet. They are starting to build a more robust mental model of the nature of matter, especially around the concepts of atoms and electrons…
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Tips for Supporting Young Writers
When it comes to literacy development, parents often have a better idea of how to help their child grow as a reader than as a writer. Many parents know the importance of providing access to high-interest books, reading to their child daily, keeping an eye on reading volume, and offering a variety of texts. However, encouraging writing development can be a bit trickier, especially if you don’t have the child who already has three journals going, a plan for a story he/she wants to write, and a special stash of writing pens. Thus, we wanted to offer five suggestions for how you can help your growing writer…
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Help the Long-View Team Be in the SXSW EDU Lineup
In addition to our work with students at our micro school, we work with educators from around the nation to catalyze innovation in education. Help us spread that reach by ensuring the Long-VIew Teaching Team is part of the SXSW EDU 2020 lineup. Public voting contributes to the selection of sessions, so we ask you to help us out by casting your vote by Friday, August 23. Voting is easy….
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2019 Long-View Cardboard Boat Regatta
It’s a quirky and fun annual tradition for us…the Long-View Cardboard Regatta. This tradition started as a Build Week but moved to a community activity that is jointly run by the kids and staff of Long-View. The challenge? Design and build a human-powered boat that can carry one crew member (“the captain”) to the middle of Lake Austin and back, navigating the regatta course along the way. The boat may only be made of cardboard and duct tape…
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Field Experience: Art Interpretation
Tomorrow will be a busy morning, as all learners will be going out on field experiences focused on art interpretation. Teal & Indigo learners are headed to The Blanton, while Auburn & Navy learners are taking a walking tour of a handful of sculptures from UT’s Landmarks Collection. All bands have been preparing for these trips through a series of Campfire conversations over the last weeks….
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