Monthly Archives: September 2019

Shark Tank Update — Week of 9/30

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Hi Everyone,

Lots happening in Shark Tank this week.  We have our first round of mentor meetings on Thursday, October 2nd.  If — for whatever reason — your student is not going to be at school that day, please let me know.  

On Thursday, students will be sharing their ideas with people from the entrepreneurial community.  Each student will have two 15 minute meetings to brainstorm their product ideas and share their learning to date.

A tentative schedule and agenda for this meeting is available at the conclusion of this email fyi… We’ll be preparing for these meetings as the primary focus for this week.

Due Thursday for the mentor meetings

1) Business Canvas

2) Prototype — if possible

3) List of questions to ask mentors

4) Revisions to Entrepreneur Essay (not required, but encouraged)

5) Question #4 of the LTP (not required, but encouraged).

Due Friday 

Europe Geography Map (available in class)

Thanks so much for your continued support.  -Josh Feiger

Ps.  Congratulations to Mazzy and Joy.  We’ll be making a class micro-loan to Kiva recipients of their choosing.

——

Thursday Mentor Schedule fyi…

Time Kim Huss Joy Tagart Darren Kelly Jenny Slade Robin Foreman Kirsten Boyer
1:45-2:00 Yitz Wendell Jayson &

Kiryu

 Joy & Savannah Soren Giovi & Jackson
2:00-2:15 Maya & Judah Calvin Dale Lilly Alex M. Nadia
2:15-2:30 Mazzy Colson Claire Phoenix Sean F. Anja
2:30-2:45 Jasmine Giovi & Jackson Soren Ria Fynn Wendell
2:45-3:00 Sabriel Dale Nadia Yitz Lilly Joy & Savannah
3:00-3:15 Alex M. Phoenix Anja Maya & Judah Claire Calvin
3:15-3:30 Colson

(3:25)

 Ria Fynn Jasmine Jayson & Kiryu Mazzy

(3:25)
3:25-3:35 Sean F. Sabriel

——

Here’s the agenda for the meetings.

1) Introduction.

2) Students share:

–A Problem Statement.

–A Solution.  (Why it’s unique and differentiated.)

–Entrepreneurial qualities.  Why are you worthy of investment?

–The target demographic and value proposition of their product/service/charity/app.

–Anything else?  (Prototype, Canvas, etc.)

3) Time to discuss, problem-solve, and re-frame with mentor.

–Mentors and entrepreneurs ask each other questions.

4) Brainstorm three clear action-items to move forward.  Students write this down.

5) Big thank you.

 

LA Update — Week of 9/30

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We’ll be introducing the Hero’s Journey story writing project this week. The final draft will be due on November 20th, but there will be lots of intermediate due dates between now and then.  We’ll be thinking about what we want to teach our reader, learning how to write dialogue, and practicing our skills at exploding moments to paint a picture in our reader’s minds.
Friendly reminder — please save the date of Thursday, December 12th for our Coffeehouse Reading at Paul’s Coffeehouse on McCaslin in Louisville.  Block 1 students will be reading excerpts from their stories from 5pm-6pm, and Block 2 students will be reading from 6pm-7pm.
Links:
Upcoming due dates:
  • Every night:  Read 30 minutes
  • Tuesday, 10/9:  All students should have conferenced with me in class about their completed planning document.  (This date may slip)
Have a fantastic week!  -JF

Co-Op Update — Week of 9/30

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Not too much to report in co-op this week.  We’ll debrief our Fall Trip, work on portfolios, continue our read aloud of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, and also (likely) start “council” this coming Thursday as we continue folding in the socio-emotional piece into our curriculum.  No due dates this week — but students should have incorporated any feedback received from goal-setting conferences at this point in time.
Have a great week!  -JF

Shark Tank Update — Week of 9/17 and 9/23

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We are BUSY in the Shark Tank.  Here are a few questions you can ask your student:

  1. What country did you create?  What was the system of government?  Religion?  Laws?  Geography?  What did you learn about making  a country?
  2. How was the ADI?  What did you learn from the business professors at CU?  How was the Geography library? What did you think of the idea forge? What did you learn about scale, projection, latitude and longitude?  Was there really a map made out of a quilt?
  3. Any ideas yet for a business?
  4. What are your greatest entrepreneurial traits?  What makes a good entrepreneur?
Our focus this week will be twofold.  We’ll be working on the first part of our LTP (Entrepreneurial Essay) as well as our Country Kiva Reports.

Upcoming due dates: (tentative)

  1. Thursday:  Entrepreneur Essay should be complete. (Question #1 on business plan).  Contracts due if working w/partners.
  2. Tuesday, 9/24:  Kiva Presentation due.
  3. 10/2:  Mentor Prep Complete
  4. 10/3:  Mentor Meeting #2
  5. 10/6:  Customer Profiles should be written (Question #4 on business plan.)

Thank you so much!   -JF

Co-op Update — Weeks of 9/16 and 9/23

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Here’s what’s happening in co-op:
1) Goal Setting Conferences.  Here is the finalized schedule.  We did a model conference last week in class so students will know what to expect.  Here is the agenda and the list of items students should have in their portfolio prior to presentation.
2) Fall Trip.   Here is the packing list.  Please make sure to bring a small daypack with items you will need for the 1st day (Wednesday 9/25) — including a sack lunch, sunscreen, rain jacket, water bottle, etc.
3) Friendly reminder that Friday, September 20th is a conference release day.  Students should be picked up at 10:31am on that day.
4) If you are looking for community service hours, there is an opportunity at the Douglass Elementary Talent Showcase on Friday, Sept 20th, 4pm-8pm.  Students who are interested should contact Prudence.
Can’t wait to see you all for conferences!  -JF

LA Update — Week of 9/17 and 9/23

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Here’s what’s happening in Language Arts.
1) Reading.  We’ll revisit our book plans and make sure we are keeping them up to date as our reading plans evolve.  We’ll also create a virtual bookshelf using padlet.
2) Check-in assignment.  I’ll introduce this on Tuesday to students.  This is an opportunity for students to learn how to write a good old-fashioned email!
3) Ongoing sentence structure practice.  We learned about dependent clauses last week — and we’ll build upon that with the introduction of complex sentences later this week.  There will be a “celebration of knowledge” on Tuesday 9/24.  Students will be able to use their notebooks and a copy of the celebration can be found here if stidents wish to study in advance.
4) How do authors use sensory images (sight/smell/sound, etc.) to paint a picture in readers’ minds.  We’ll also talk about “exploding moments” as a tool for our writer’s toolbox.
Upcoming due dates:
Next update will be 9/30 (we only have a few LA classes left in September due to various scheduling quirks and fall trip).
Thank you for all your continued support!  -JF

Shark Tank Update — Week of 9/9

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Class is off to a fantastic start.  News and Notes:

1) We have our first ADI Field Trip on Friday. It is a full-day packed Shark Tank extravaganza.  We’ll be headed to CU School of Business to learn from professors and graduate students as they run us through an entrepreneurial exercise.  We’ll then head to CU’s Maker Space to see some of the innovative engineering projects there.  And finally, we’ll go to CU’s Geography Library to learn about cartography and the different stories that maps can tell.  We’ll have some time between each activity to enjoy the campus — hopefully the weather will cooperate!\  Students should bring the following on Friday:  Shark Tank notebook, writing utensil, lunch, and water-bottle.  I’ll have RTD passes for students who need them.  We’ll be leaving in the middle of first elective and returning to Platt at the end of the school-day.
2) In class, we’ll continue to explore the following ideas:
  • The different types of government (Oligarchy vs. Representative Democracy vs. Theocracy.)
  • What makes a country?  Students have been working in groups to create our own country.
  • What are our passions?  What type of business would we like to start?  What is our cause?  How do entrepreneurs get ideas?
  • How does Kiva.org work?  Why is entrepreneurialism important throughout the world?
  • Exploration of Eastern Hemisphere History through research of specific countries.
3) Due Dates:
  • Create a Country reports presented Wednesday.

Parents — I still have room for one more parent volunteer if you wish to join us on Friday.  Also, if you have start-up experience and you are interested in being a mentor, please email me at joshua.feiger@bvsd.org — I’d love your help!

Have a great week!  -JF

LA Update — Week of 9/9

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In LA this week, we’ll explore alternative versions of Beowulf.  How can stories be manipulated to teach different ideas? We’ll look at the story from Grendel’s point of view, learn about allegory, and peer through a few other lenses to see how stories shift with perspective.   We’ll also be having a conversation cafe on Wednesday (hopefully!)
If you are looking for dinner conversation fodder, here are.a few great questions to ask your student about LA:
1) What is a simple sentence?
2) Explain the “Hero’s Journey” to me.
3) Do you agree with the theory?  Have you seen it in other stories?
4) What’s the difference between (let’s and lets.)  — this one may be hard!
5) What is alliteration?
6) How’s your reading plan going?  What genre are you reading now?
Upcoming due dates:
Every night:  Ongoing reading
        Thursday:  Bring choice novel to class.
Have a fantastic week!  -JF

LA Update — Week of 9/4

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This week we’ll dive right into Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.  We’ll be using this “Hero’s Journey” idea to both better understand story structure and also to write our own “hero’s journey” stories starting in a few weeks.  In class, we’ll be mapping the story of Beowulf to the Hero’s Journey. If they haven’t done so already, I would highly encourage you to ask your student to tell you the story of Beowulf.  It’s great practice as we get more and more familiar with this challenging text.
 
Upcoming due dates:
 
  • Every night (or as much as possible):  Read 30 minutes.
  • Tuesday, September 10th: “Hero’s Journey” assignment.  We’ll be working on this in class.  This assignment needs to be handed in via paper copy — and not electronically.  (I’ll hand out copies in class or students can write electronically and then print.) Students seeking an “advanced extension” should try to additionally chart a book or movie of their choosing.  Disney or superhero movies work especially well for this — but any movie/text will work.
Friendly reminder that students are welcome to revise nearly any project so long as they meet with me and do so within seven days of the due date.  They can talk to me in person, sign up on my list in class, or email me to set up an appointment.  Students should also check in with me if they every miss a class — I can catch them up and give them access to notes from class.
 
Have a fantastic week! 
 
Josh Feiger
 
Ps. Parents — if you want a quick refresher on the monomyth — here’s a quick read about the hero’s journey as well as a four minute video on the hero’s journey that I’ll be showing students on Tuesday or Wednesday.