For the first time in Inter-Island Event history we had an extra-long event for the middle school students! Students (5th-8th grade) were invited to stay on Monhegan an extra night to work on developing some ideas for projects and activities to collaborate on in social studies and science this first trimester of school. We also wanted to give the kids an opportunity to see what it is like to work with a group of students in their own grade levels... which many of these students don't get to do on a regular basis or if they do it is the same one or two kids they always have to work with.
Since we ended up only having six students staying the extra night (and five adults) we all decided to sleep at my house!
Maya was very excited!
We started off our time together doing some engaging games dealing with team work and communication.
This game was called "Fill the Space" where you had to work as a team to fill as much space as possible with only your bodies.
After some warm-ups we had the students break up into groups depending on what "Compass Point" they were. Compass points have to do with one's way of working when they are in groups. Dalton and Meg were both Wests, which meant they pay great attention to details and are often the ones in the group who are depended on to know what the plan is.
These fellows were both Norths, which means that when it comes to working in groups they are the ones who like to get the ball moving and just jump in and start working. (I joined them in this group as well!)
After figuring out our Compass Points we spent the rest of the day doing brainstorm and group activities to come up with ideas of what we wanted to do this trimester in social studies and science that would allow us to work together using technology. The kids came up with a TON of great ideas and it was SO awesome watching them work as a "class" of middle schoolers. It felt like a dream come true for the teachers to have our students working together.
After our work for the day was done the middle schoolers truly acted like middle schoolers and secluded themselves into a little huddle on top of the sliding rock.... wayyyy away from the teachers. They are just too cool for us.
We had pizza at the Novelty for dinner. They all approved.
And we ended the night with a camp fire on Fish Beach.
Thanks Travis and Angela for setting it up!
Smores and songs made the night just perfect.
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