Dear Families,
Each year the GRCDC staff, families and children explore a carefully chosen study topic, one that lends itself to relevant school culture discussions, often identified concerns and always academic connections. For the 2013-14 school year, our study topic will be:
“The Relationship between the Inside and the Outside.” Such a topic affords us opportunities to research relationships, the school environment and culture, behavior and academic standards such as writing, reading and earth science.
A summer provocation or homework was designed (below) to introduce each child to his or her classroom, teachers, peers and the yearlong study topic. Teachers use the summer provocations to build community at the beginning of the school year and jump start a long term project, incorporating social skills and academic standards all year. The summer provocation can be meaningfully constructed in various, creative ways and time allotted is up to the individual. There is no right answer or one way. Be creative!
Please support your child’s start to the school year by making sure the summer provocation below is returned at Orientation on August 28th or no later than the first day of school, September 3rd. Please forward any questions to your child’s teacher. Thank you!
GRCDC Summer Provocation 2013
“The Relationship between the Inside and the Outside,” our study topic for the year, is intended to mean different things to different people. Ms. Amash may think about collecting rocks and sticks for children to build with inside. Mr. Trevor might picture a door connecting the inside and the outside. Ms. Parker may think about how the people outside of her home help her develop new thoughts. Miss Melcher could relate the study to the design of the school’s outdoor space. All of these connections are important and help explain who we are and how we learn in community. To help you connect, please choose one of the following homework options to share with your classroom:
1. Design a poster, painting or 3D sculpture that shows what you love about the outdoors and/or indoors.
2. Write a poem or compose a song that explains how you feel when you are outdoors and/or indoors.
3. Take photographs of the outdoor and indoor spaces that are important to you. Arrange photographs on a poster. Add captions and stories.
4. Draw, write or photograph how you feel when you are indoors in a favorite place and outside in a favorite place. What is the difference?
5. How could you bring your favorite outdoor objects, pictures or feelings into your house or classroom? Draw your design and label important parts.
6. Write a story, comic or draw a series of pictures that shows how you can affect others around you. Or how others affect you.