Take Flight 2013 Takes Off!

 

Image source: http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/airplanes-work-1.jpg

Adios Take Flighters and Buen Viaje!

You can follow the travels of our 7th grade Take Flight travel program to Nicaragua here.  Please feel free to leave a message for our students in the comments section below. Teachers and students will check the blog each day to read comments and post dispatches and photos from their experience.

A Tour of ANS...

7th grade - here's our first dispatch from ANS students! 

Watch the video below and come up with some questions in the comments section below. What would you most like to know about life at ANS and in Nicaragua?  What does this video make you think and wonder?



ANS Meets ICS 2 from Matt Koerner on Vimeo.

Dramatic Tableaux - Fever, 1793

Today the 7th grade performed dramatic tableaux (living photographs, or scenes) from the current core novel we're reading: Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. Each group chose a scene from an assigned chapter and then audience members guessed what the scene might be and discussed the significance.  The goal of this activity was to step into the shoes, and also the hearts and minds, of the characters in our books.

Students, what did you learn from this activity and what questions still remain for you as we continue our reading of Fever, 1793?

 

A Love Letter To Philadelphia and Questions for ANS

Students,

For this week's blog post (which will again be read and commented on by students at ANS in Nicaragua) please write a love letter to your city, using the letters written by Science Leadership Academy students as inspiration.

Steps:

1. Choose a specific place or Philadelphia specific object to write your love letter to.

2. Begin your letter: Dear... and then give specific details about why you love this aspect of Philadelphia.

3.  Address some questions to students at ANS. What would you like to know about life in Managua, Nicaragua?

Share Your Review: Silent Night

Source: philly.com

Last week the 7th grade went to see Mark Campbell and Kevin Puts' Pulitzer Prize winning opera, Silent Night.  The opera centers around the 1914 Christmas Eve truce of World War I and was full of intense battle scenes and soaring music.

Students, for this week's blog post please weigh in on your experience watching this opera for the first time.

Think about including your thoughts on:

• The plot
• Your favorite character(s)
• Your favorite scenes
• Costumes
• Sets
• Your overall impression of opera as an art form and what you learned about it seeing this show!

Reviews can be positive, or negative, but should be backed up with specific thoughts and ideas.  "It was amazing!" or "It was terrible!" is not an adequate review.  Give details to support your opinions.


Please post your reviews on your KidBlog account and also share it on the Philadelphia Opera Company's blog: http://operaphillysol.blogspot.com/2013/02/students-in-opera-philadelphias-sounds.html

 

ICS, meet ANS!

Greetings to both ICS and ANS students!

This week I am very excited to announce the start of a blogging partnership between students in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and students in Managua, Nicaragua.  Our individual blogs this week will be read and commented on by students who attend the American Nicaraguan School in Managua. This is an exciting way that everyone, not just our Take Flight student ambassadors, can participate in this exciting opportunity for cultural exchange and new friendships!

This week's assignment: Use the prompts below to write a post that introduces yourself to students in Nicaragua. You may use one or more of the prompts, but make sure, as always, that your post is thoroughly proofread and is an example of your best writing.

For any of these prompts consider using digital images, or even video, to provide as much information as possible!

 
Image Source: http://www.agent215.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/City-Hall.jpg

Describe a typical day. Take us through a day in your life. Make sure to include lots of details and information. You could include information about your home and family, neighborhood, school, classes, after school activities, etc. You might use the profile we read in class of a Nicaraguan student as a model.

Life in Philadelphia. What is life in Philadelphia like? Provide the students in Nicaragua with a tour of where you live. What places do you think are important to know about in Philadelphia? Tell about your city's (or neighborhood's) history and culture. What are you most proud of about your city? What would you most like to change if you could?

Food and Festivities. What Philadelphia foods do you most enjoy? Are there any traditions in your city or neighborhood that are important to you, your family, or your culture? Consider sharing a recipe and describing the food in detail.

What do you love to do? Discuss your favorite hobby(ies). Describe where you do this activity, how long you've been doing it, etc. Provide lots of details and explanation.

*Make sure to include questions for our friends in Nicaragua. What would you like to know about their lives?

Where in the world is Nicaragua?

This Week's Assignment: Write a Book Review

Students,

For this week's blog assignment, choose a book that you finished recently that you would like to recommend to the entire 7th grade. Then, get started on your review using the tips below from Scholastic. We will peer review these posts next week in class, so be prepared to share your (completed) draft with a peer!  You may choose to hand write or type your draft on the blog.

Click here to learn more about writing a book review and read an example of a book review on To Kill A Mockingbird with Rodman Philbrick.

Due: Wednesday, January 9

Good luck!