Number 23

And so the road has gotten a bit smoothier since the last post; one Sunday spent tweaking the main library (dumping last assortments of junk, overflowing recycle container, rearranging table lamps so they could actually be plugged-in, etc.) had a larger and more positive than expected overall effect on the feel of the room. 6 new iMacs strewn throughout the various rooms of the upstairs of the Castle; the Apartment looking especially nice but the Tower somehow getting two new machines while the apartment is still with only a lowly eMac, attached, however, to our sole working scanner.

Upgraded 5 or 6 older iMacs of which we have about 25 to a significantly higher ram stick and this seemed to improve the performance of these machines enough to justify the expense of about $50.00 per computer. Asked Brian to order 10 more of these 512 mb ram sticks at a new lower price of $40.00 per. Apparently we need to continue to use these old machines for a while yet as we wait for levy funds to become available for student workstation purchase; here's hoping
that the LMS Library computer labs (there are two) will be found worthy of wholesale replacement of our 50 5-plus year old machines.

Zisette asked for an got 32 copies of A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. What a great book to read with a class! I hope other teachers will go this way. We have a one time grant from the state for $1800.00 that I would be happy to use to buy sets of such superb non-fiction titles to read across the curriculum.

English 8 motors on into the world of Johnny Tremain. They have another piece of the puzzle of the American Colonial era in non-fiction book on that time chosen from a set of 50 or so. Students are doing a Life Graph for JT like the one they did for themselves. More activities around graphical/visual representation of information would be good. After reading some primary sources as the final piece of a multi-text approach students will have a chance to create a final project in a variety of formats from movies to constructions in wood. We have been spending quite a lot of time with read aloud/think alouds with JT as well. Students' performance on Moodle site quizzes on that novel have improved in the quiz for chapter 3.

Publications continues to barrel ahead in many directions at once. Although there were spots that could have been tweaked the Friday Show came off pretty good after reviewing it a couple of times. Bloggers did some very competent bits for their first published issue. Their word- for- word rendition of an interview was very well done. Yearbook and Video Yearbook are progressing by fits and starts. The class will visit the high school yearbook class soon.

The Adventure Ed Coast Foray will begin tomorrow at 6 am. The army of north will once again march south from the Lake of Ozette to meet and quickly pass by the army of the south who will be coming north from the Plain of Rialto. Hopefully this time there will be canon.

May there be a little more Sun than not.