After expressing their dreams and hopes which enabled them to write the rules of the classroom, the students continued to work on the organization of the beginning of the year.
All classes organized delegate elections with very strict protocol on voting procedures: candidates, ballots, voting booth, and announcement of results.
This important event in the life of the class makes it possible to work on civic education but also on language and certain cultural aspects discussed with the children.
Below, some photos of the CE1A and CPA classes.
In 4th Grade the students are learning about the rich history and culture that makes up the city that they reside in; San Diego. They experienced their first virtual field trip to learn more about the tribal nations of San Diego from the director and curator of the Barona Cultural Center & Museum located in Lakeside. The students learned about the culture, history, adaptations of local nations such as the Kumeyaay before colonization and after.
-Cathleen Anderson
In order for class work to run smoothly, it is customary to establish the classroom rules for the school year. Some teachers use to present these rules to the students.
At SDFAS, it is the students themselves who develop these rules under the guidance of the teacher. This is an important aspect of the “Responsive Classroom” program. Students begin with a very simple activity: “Hopes and Dreams”, which they hope for for the coming school year. They work on their writing, review or discover vocabulary and then shape their “Hopes and Dreams”.
The whole is displayed in the classroom and gives rise to another reflection: how to achieve these hopes and dreams? From then on, the whole class reflects on the organization necessary to promote the goals they have set for themselves. This is how the students, little by little, formulate the rules of the class.
All of this work remains posted throughout the year for reminders and the reasons that led to the development of a rule. This is how we promote intrinsic respect for the rules.
