It's not over until the fat lady sings (or the Kindergarten...)

On Friday morning, the LGA community was treated to something extraordinary - the 1st ever Gan Opera. That's right, the Kindergarten at LGA has just completed their unit study of opera. Morah Amy's brother, Ken, who is an opera expert, spent two days studying opera with our Kindergarten students. From there, the opera unit took on a life of its own. The students story boarded, wrote, produced and starred in the "Enchanted Forest." Only one word comes to mind when I saw it - inspiring. It was so amazing to see how much pride the LGA Kindergarten students took in this unit.

This unit signifies so much more than the producing of the opera itself. It represents the best of how we understand how teaching at LGA should be done. Students and faculty delving deep into an area of learning and focusing their attention of every single aspect of a topic. When Morah Amy and Moreh Karl started this opera unit, they were planful in their approach to teaching. They talked about goals. They designed a unit that would teach opera appreciation. What happened was so much more. The students took the idea of an opera and ran with it. Moreh Karl helped them compose the music, and Morah Amy assisted in the writing process, but the students really took the lead.

This unit blended formal and informal learning. It inspired students to get creative, and it made our Gan class (even those too shy to perform) work together to create a stupendous piece of art. Below you will find the link to the show. Enjoy. Make sure you watch until the end, when a real opera aficionado gives us his opinion about the show. Some parts are harder to hear, but you'll get the gist.

Mazal Tov to Kitah Gan and to the Gan staff for turning this unit into a memorable moment for our youngest students. Enjoy the opera!

The Enchanted Forest Opera from hilary Gollis on Vimeo.

Celebrating the BIG moments...

What a privilege I had this morning! I participated in something that I have never had an opportunity to take part in before. I witnessed a family become completely whole. Today, along with a number of other faculty and members of the 1st grade class at LGA, we went to Hadley Juvenile Court to see Alyssa C. officially become Alyssa Z. Every adult in the room shed a joyous tear. The students sat respectfully in awe as their classmate, Alyssa, stood up with her parents, Neil and Amy and her brother, Cory and listened to the judge make the decree. It surely is a moment that these seven and eight year olds are going to remember for a very long time.

Introducing the entire Z-R family!

This moment reminds how important community is in the life of a school and how strongly LGA embraces this as a central tenet of our mission. When we intertwine community with teachable moments, we are stating that these everyday events make up life are an integral part of a child's upbringing. The fact of the matter is that we only decided at the very last moment that the 1st graders would be attending the adoption, making it impossible for the students to attend the 3rd grade biography fair. A few students really wanted to see their siblings and friends and tough choices had to be made. But these are healthy choices about community and ones that families grapple with everyday when it comes to sending your child to a school rooted in community.

The adoption was magical and for a moment I got to peer into this family's life. It was a privilege. Their eye contact with each other, the slight brush of their hands against one another signaling "all is going to be ok" and their genuine understanding that their family is now one. What a precious gift to witness this.

And it couldn't have happened to better people. I've had the privilege of knowing Alyssa since she entered Neil & Amy's life. From the moment I met Alyssa, I knew that this was a special child. She had been through a lot in her four short years on this earth. She was thrust into a new school with a new family and a whole bunch of kids she had never met before. Neil and Amy couldn't have been happier to welcome Alyssa and Cory was elated that his biological sister would be joining his family. Alyssa's entry into the family didn't come without its ups and downs but today was all about the UP!

Alyssa captivates your heart. Alyssa's family and my family attend the Jewish Community of Amherst together. One Friday night, we all attended a family Shabbat service. After the services, the entire kahal was gathered for an oneg shabbat. The place was teeming with kids of all ages. Raviv, then two years old, was struggling to get some challah. I witnessed Alyssa reach out for the challah, grab Raviv's hand, and give him a piece before she took a bite for herself. I watched the whole thing play out. I was blown away by the fact where most six year olds would take the challah and take a piece before it giving it to a younger child, Alyssa was so concerned about making sure Raviv got a piece.

Alyssa is the truest form of a mensch. She is a giver. She sees what people need and understands how to make them feel good. When Raviv walks into school with me in the mornings, Alyssa is often there waiting. Raviv looks up to Alyssa and knows that he can trust her. (He loves Cory as well who has taught him how to play "tennis.") Raviv's life has been enhanced because of children like Cory and Alyssa. They have modeled for him what it means to be a mensch. 

Some members of Kitah Aleph (and Corey) celebrating with Alyssa.

So as we sat in the Hadley Juvenile court saying shecheyanu, it is another moment that makes LGA just such a special place for children and teaches them about life in its simplest form. Mazal Tov to Neil, Amy, Cory, and Alyssa. I know that I'll hear great things about this entire family.

Fielding the one and only elementary Jewish day school ultimate frisbee team

That's right! For the past four years, LGA has proudly fielded a scrappy yet highly skilled ultimate frisbee team and I'll be the first one to say, they are GOOD! If you live in the Pioneer Valley, you know how big ultimate frisbee is here. It's everywhere. From a pretty young age, kids here are taught how to throw a frisbee but more importantly how to catch one.  It's just part of living in the valley. It's part of our culture.

I personally find it important that students take part in some sort of physical activity. It can and should be a choice, but every child should find an active outlet to that is inspiring to them. Teachers and parents know that I've talked about how recess is an important part of the day for our students -  sacrosanct, even. Punishing a child with missing recess is in no one's best interest, because that just leads to more of the behaviors that we don't want to see. At LGA, we encourage students to run around and get their blood pulsing. We all realize that there are days when children need a break, but those should be the exception, not the norm. 

Ultimate frisbee is the kind of sport that allows many different types of kids and athletes to succeed. No pun intended, but it is the "ultimate" team sport. I kvell when I see how the team pulls together to form one cohesive group. Yesterday, I had the privilege of watching a bit of a game at the Eaglebrook tournament. The kids were on fire. They were truly enjoying themselves and each other. Kids who don't profess to be the most athletic, but enjoy playing ultimate frisbee, were smiling. Students who are more comfortable don't boast -- they let keep their egos in check. Our mantra of "learning while learning to care" really was on display yesterday. The sense of good sportsmanship was apparent. 

Now back to that culture piece. How does it get there? Well, some is through osmosis, but a lot of it is handed down by the leader, or in this case, the coach. Morah aka Coach Hilary Gollis is passionate about her team. She teaches our students every day. But she teaches them more than the standard lessons in the classroom or on the field. She has a high moral compass and encourages students to use that compass to guide them as well. It is apparent that Coach Gollis has an effect on her students. Our team includes 7th and 8th grade alumni students. Our students want to play for Hilary and Team LGA because she cares so deeply about her students and players. Watching Hilary coach is magical in its own right -- she is encouraging, direct, compassionate,  a cheerleader, and she makes people feel REALLY good. Coach Gollis has taken a few Sundays away from her own family because she knows how important the team and the program are to the students. Teachers at LGA often go above and beyond; this is just another example of the dedication our faculty has to the school. 

Everyone else has a role as well. We need the rest of the LGA community to come out and support out team by showing up at games. They are truly fun to watch. There is a game this Thursday versus Pioneer Valley Performing Arts at PVPA (4:30) in South Hadley, and a game next Thursday here in Northampton (3:30) versus the Campus School. There is also an all-day tournament at Amherst Regional Middle School this Sunday, May 19. Stop by wearing your blue shirt and cheer our students on. You won't be disappointed. 

Lit circles...Not just book groups!

This blog post is part three (and final post) on different aspects of our language arts program. In this blog post, I will be focusing on literature circles. 

When I was a child, I loved to read. I could easily dive into a book and not surface for air until it was over. After I began to read the first few pages, I magically entered a new world that opened so many doors for me. Each new book allowed me to learn and look into different worlds that I never knew about. But it was a solo endeavor for me. Sadly, the one aspect of reading that was missing for me was the deep exploration that you get from learning with peers.  In my elementary school, the teachers didn't seem willing and/or we were never given the opportunity for interaction of exploring what classmates were thinking about or hearing the opinions of how the "stuff" that certain books made us feel. (My definition of "stuff" is the feelings that certain words or themes bring up when you are reading.) 

That was the 1980s. Maybe we weren't in touch with ourselves as much as we are now. In 2012, language arts programs are much more robust, fluid programs that are child centered by design yet structured to offer many different portals for students to connect to when it comes to language arts. Literature circles is one aspect of a comprehensive language arts program that I have truly come to appreciate for many reasons. 

As I was doing some research for this blog post, I came across a few different websites that talk about lit circles (as they are affectionally known). There was one website that I especially enjoyed reading about the practice of lit circles (www.litcircles.org). In its simplest form, lit circles are when groups of students get together to discuss a piece of shared literature. Students are directed by a teacher to look at a certain aspect of the book. 

The website that I perused broke literature circles into "are/are not" categories. I thought I'd investigate the "ares" below.

Literature circles are...reading response centered. Walk into a 4th or 5th grade classroom here and you see students engaged with different books of their choosing. Students respond to literature in many different ways, why not allow them to really delve deep with their own feelings and thoughts. Literature circles allow for this type of thinking. 

Literature circles are...part of a balanced literacy program. Lit circles are not meant to replace standard reading groups or grade-wide novels. At LGA, we often have two grades come together allowing for more choices for students and greater interaction between students.

Literature circles are...groups formed by book choice. Students choose from a list of three or four books and teachers divide students up according to interest. At times, I have seen books similar in topic being chosen so that whole class discussions can be generated. Students can also share different aspects of any one topic. This adds an interesting layer to discussions and often sparks interest in reading other books that are based on the same subject. 

Literature circles are...structured for student independence, responsibility and ownership. Now some of you may have deduced that if there are four different groups going on in any one classroom how can one or two teachers monitor and be a part of all of the groups all of the time. The answer is that the teachers aren't there all the time and this is really OK. I have walked into a 5th grade classroom where students were having a lively debate and there wasn't a teacher around them to monitor. There was respect and a lively discussion filled with different opinions. Students have to take ownership of their part. Since we assume that students picked the books because they are interested this usually leads to the type of student behaviors that are looked upon favorably.

Literature circles are...guided primarily by student insights and questions. Teachers at LGA often give conversation starters but then the students take it to the next level. Lit circles often spark an interest  in a student that no one could have anticipated. Students generate good questions about the books. Interesting conversation takes over. 

Literature circles are...intended as a context in which to apply reading and writing skills. So think of the opposite here. It is not intended to do skills work. A child isn't going to necessarily learn new skills because of lit circles. Students need to take what they have learned and apply it to this one specific aspect of our language arts program. We are asking students to articulate feelings, think deeply, and contextualize reasoning when it comes to reading. Not always an easy task especially for a 3rd grader but when we take away the pressure of skill building, we see great results. 

Literature circles are...flexible and fluid; never look the same twice. This speaks for itself. There are so many reasons for this. 

One of the most beneficial aspects of literature circles is that they require our students to go beyond the words in the book. This was a gift that I was never given as a young student. The opportunity to challenge ones thinking is a skill that has to be nurtured from a young age. As students approach middle and high school, they are expected to analyze a piece of text and form an opinion very quickly. Literature circles allow for this to happen. 

In the end, I have highlighted three aspects of our vibrant language arts curriculum that I believe speak to what a 21st century learner needs to succeed in school. When we see how our students respond to text, we know that we are going down the right path. 

Word Work...figuring out more than the meaning

Two blog posts ago, I started talking about different aspects of our language arts curriculum. In that first blog post, I focused on writing. In the final installment, I will be looking at our approach to literature circles. This blog post is dedicated to WORD WORK. What is word work, you might ask? Well, in a nutshell, just as it sounds - work that is focused around the study of words. We are guided by a curriculum called, Words their way. LGA students have been doing a lot of work focused on figuring out patterns of words, looking at their meanings, spelling these words, and truly understanding vowel-consonant constructions.

Weekly, LGA students starting in grade 1, are given odd sheets like the example above. During language arts times throughout each week, students are grouped to work together on all of the tasks that I listed in the last paragraph. When I walk through the hallway during a language arts block, I often see students playing games with these words, quizzing each other on meaning and spelling, and trying to put these words into sentences. Students become word sleuths. They look for patterns that emerge. This year, we are asking students to think deeper about words.

Why is word work so important? Vocabulary building, spelling, understanding how words develop is essential when creating a robust language arts curriculum. Some reasons that schools use word work are to create ways for students to connect with the English language and to build an arsenal of tools that will assist them as they graduate from grade to grade.

This year, I have seen a consistency of practice that I haven't seen before at LGA. Faculty members report that there is rhythm to the work and many students appreciate the regularity of the pace. Next time, you are with an LGA student, ask them about the games they play with their words. Many times you'll see them get excited to explain it to you.

As we prepare to have our students take standardized tests, we will be evaluating if we see any early results from the work that we have done. Stay tuned to find out more...

At LGA, we assess our students constantly when they are doing word work. It is individualized. It is independent. It is working with small groups or in a pair. It is asking students to think differently about words. It is not a spelling program.

Chag Kasher v'Sameach

I am interrupting my blog posts about our language arts curriculum to share with you some Pesach well wishes. Chag Kasher v'Sameach!


Today is the last day of school before Passover vacation starts. The building is buzzing. But more importantly, the place smells like Pesach. Today, every student brought a vegetable so that we can have a giant pot of vegetable soup for our school-wide Passover meal. Everyone is busily getting ready for the all-school seder. Sixth grade is debuting their giant seder plate display that they worked on in art class. 

Members of Kitah Vav along with art teacher, Morah Kitty, designed a giant seder plate for the entire school to see during our seder.

Gan students are cleaning their classrooms and cubbies. Some of the members of Kitah Bet are getting ready for their Hebrew play which retells the exodus.

Members of Kitah Bet getting into their parts as they take the stage to tell the Passover story.

Throughout our curriculum, students are interacting with Pesach in real ways. If we were to focus on one big central question that we want to have our students ponder at Passover, it would be, "How and why do we remember important moments in history that have impacted who the Jewish people are today?"

These moments are significant and many in the school. They are woven into all aspects of our curriculum. They are transmitted in all different ways. Students are given a rich landscape to explore this question. At LGA, we fully believe in integrating the arts in all aspects that we do. We also believe that this looks different for all ages. 

Look at how Gan has been introduced to the seder. They created a hagadah. They made matzah. As soon as you walk in the doors of the school, you are greeted with instructions on how to make matzah. Take a look at Morah Amy's blog about how she creatively introduces Passover to her class. 

Then take a peek at how Kitah Vav (6th grade) delves deeper, creating a piece of art work that will hopefully last for future generations of LGA students to use and study from. They research in-depth the individual parts of the seder plate. 

This surely isn't the way that I learned about Passover. The LGA students are excited to share with their families all that they have studied. I will leave you with two things to look at. One is the Gan hagadah and second are these students singing "The Four Questions." 

So on behalf of the entire LGA community, Chag Sameach!

The budding authors of Grade 3...

One initiative that has taken shape over the last few years that I am most proud of is our outstanding language arts program. The direction this curricular strand has taken over the last few years has been incredible and eye-opening for the entire faculty. We have done a lot of self-assessment and research to understand what best practice looks like in other excellent schools. Our faculty has worked to create a  program that prepares students with a comprehensive language arts experience. The next several posts are going to focus on three different strands of the language arts curriculum - writing, word work, and literature circles, with examples of each and discussion of why we focus on them.

Let's start with the why. I can give you all of the normal reasons, but the fact of the matter is that in a dual-curriculum school, finding time to really write can be challenging. I mean, our students do plenty of writing, but the kind of writing I am talking about is the sort that gets our students to think and explore, where the students show teachers their deeper understanding. The kind where students become passionate about who they are as writers. As educator and curriculum developer Lucy Calkins wrote, "When your writing is lousy, you throw it out.  When your writing is alive and beautiful and full of potential, you revise it.  Revision is a compliment to good writing!" I am proud to say this type of writing is now an important focus of our language arts work. The difference is in the caliber of the writing being produced in our classrooms. 

Julie Kearns's grade 3 students have become authors, with the end product being a bound book that will become a part of their personal library. The process of writing has become fully embraced by this class, but it's more than that. For the past two Monday mornings, students in her class have stood up at Monday Morning Meeting, in front of the entire school, and read us their works of literature. Each work was different and alive with emotion. They are not only learning the art of writing, they are becoming public speakers, they are becoming illustrators. They are beginning to understand what a multifaceted writing assignment looks like, and that being an author is more than just writing the words on a piece of paper. It is delving deep and truly find meaning in the words that you choose.  

I am sharing with you a few examples of pages from one of the books. I perused through all of them -- each great. They are truly models in differentiation. The works are at all different levels, but they all have the same goal in common, which is to teach the skills of writing. Kol hakavod, Kitah Gimel!