Pi Day, Pi-kus

Jason and Sam's classes had a lot of fun with π the last couple of weeks.

We watched videos from Vi Hart and Danica McKellar, baked some pies and wrote π-kus. Gabe spearheaded the pie-baking with help from Ariana and Ben. On Friday, we all sat down for a celebration of π.

Ben made an Apple π. 

A π-ku is a poetry form (made up?) by Sam. It's a three line poem where the letters of the words are the digits of π. Like a traditional haiku it is three lines, but instead of 5-7-5 syllables, it is 5-7-5 words. A few of the classes π-ku are shared with you here:

π-kus

It's a pity, I think

wondering if anyone really can adore homework.

Educators provide boatloads for us.

How I know a thing.

Knowledge of powers great will never foretell

anything's history. Mystery, it's me.

Jason's Documentary elective

As I'm sure you know, we recently started our second round of electives for the year. My (Jason) elective is Documentaries, where we'll be both watching and creating films. We've met a few times so far, and I thought you might like a peek at some of what we've watched together: 

We started off with a viewing of Roger & Me, the film that put Michael Moore on the map. Love him or hate him, he certainly knows how to provoke reaction, and we used his film to talk about the different ways a filmmaker can manipulate an audience to make a point. It's more of an essay than a strict documentary, and we talked a lot about how Moore uses contrasting footage (some would say unfairly) to make his points. You don't necessarily have to agree with Moore's politics to appreciate this film, and for some kids, it was surprising to learn that documentaries could be used to humorously advocate a philosophy. (It's also filtered through the history of Flint, Michigan, which helped illuminate some of the problems Michigan has had in recent decades.) 

(Note: We didn't watch this film completely unedited. I opted to omit some some of the more graphic imagery [if you've seen the film, you might recall the bunny scene. We skipped that, but talked about it.] and some of the sections with particularly strong language or adult content [who knew Bob Eubanks had such a mouth?]. If you revisit this film with your child, be aware.)

Since then, we've screened a number of short form documentaries, most of which are available online as of this writing. Check them out!


Sticky
Frankly, I think the less you know about this one before watching, the better. I will tell you that it's animated, lovely, and about twenty minutes long. 


Sticky from jilli rose on Vimeo.

If you must have more context before diving in, check out this brief article. 


Lost Buildings
This was a collaboration between the popular radio program (and podcast!) This American Life and graphic novelist Chris Ware. It was originally meant to be shown during a live show in an ornate theater. It was projected on a very large screen, so the images would at times tower over the audience, and at others be small windows into the story. It's about twenty minutes long. 


Lost Buildings from Kobey Teef on Vimeo.


Gan-Gan
A very short (about three minutes) documentary memorializing a departed loved one. It's a stop motion piece, lively and bittersweet. 


Gan-Gan from Gemma Green-Hope on Vimeo.


TMB Panyee FCThis short is upbeat and fun, and we talked about how it's a little deceptive. While watching it, it quickly becomes clear that it's a recreation with actors, rather than a pure documentary of actual events as they occurred. We talked about the ethics of this. Two of the earlier documentaries are animated, so they're clearly recreations as well. While those didn't trigger any ethical issues, this one did. Nevertheless, it's a fun, interesting little story about a football club in Thailand. 




We've got plenty more ahead, especially as we shift toward making our own films. We've been talking about ideas, and started making plans to bring them into reality. It's been really fun and engaging so far, and we look forward to sharing our work in the future! 

Mars Out of Time (or "MOOT.")

Belgian cartoonist Hergé has recently joined our class. 

Over the next several weeks, you'll be hearing a lot about the planet Mars, and something we call "MOOT." 

"MOOT" stands for Mars Out of Time, which is a new spin on one of our favorite annual projects. For many years, Summers-Knoll students have had the opportunity to participate in Place Out of Time (or "POOT"), a simulation run by the University of Michigan. The idea behind Place Out of Time is brilliant: What if we could bring the great (and lesser) minds of history to ponder a contemporary issue? 


In order to accomplish this, students select a notable character and learn as much about them as possible. They study primary and secondary sources (and learn what "primary" and "secondary" sources are in the process). They comb through books, magazines, websites, documentaries, and beyond in an attempt to learn as much as possible about their character, as well as the time in which they lived. 

Then, each student "becomes" their character, portraying them in the first person in classroom discussions and activities, and also on a web-based messageboard. 

The discussions cover a wide variety of topics, but they always eventually lead to one large, overarching issue. For example, two years ago, students were asked to explore and debate the French law that bans the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols in public. Last year, we debated the morality and legality of the Italian scientists who were held criminally liable for failing to accurately predict a 2009 earthquake. 

The project requires that students not only examine the intricacies of a contemporary issue, but that they do it from someone else's perspective, which is often radically different from their own. They learn and practice substantial research skills along the way, and by interacting with their classmates, they learn a lot about characters and times other than the ones that they're studying. It's a fantastic project. 

Dame Julie Andrews has also been recently spotted in the halls of Summers-Knoll!  

The University of Michigan masterminds behind the Place Out of Time program have opted to run a simulation about the Italian earthquake trial again this year. Since so many of our students have already examined this case (most of the current 6th graders, and almost all of the 7th and 8th grade class), we have opted to strike out on our own this semester. We'll still be collaborating with the U of M Place Out of Time crew, but our issue this time will be one that ties into our own recent studies: We will be planning and conducting a manned expedition to Mars. 

Kids have already selected their characters, and we've begun the research phase of the project. On Thursday, we took a field trip to the Ann Arbor District Library, where we were given a tour of their collection, with a specific focus on materials that pertain to each student's character. 

A selection of research materials for our cast of characters from a recent trip to the Ann Arbor District Library. 

Place Out of Time/Mars Out of Time is always a fun, highly-rated experience. Excitement runs high!