December 7, 2007 (Day 75)
Reflections
In Morning Meeting, we gathered feedback for our hosts at MUSC from our LOTC experience there on Wednesday. This will help them plan our second semester trip, and they will work to tailor it to our interests. We also watched CNN Student news. The main story looked at security precautions at a mall in Jerusalem, Israel. This linked to the negotiations for a separate state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, and we learned about the historical background of this conflict. American law enforcement authorities have ventured here to learn about safety in public spaces, and this is especially true after 9/11 and in the wake of the mall shooting in Omaha, Nebraska this week. We paused and discussed the pros and cons of enhanced security, and the main issues that arise are a balancing act between cost (the costs of rents at malls and their goods will increase to pay for security), liberty (security measures have time and freedom costs), and security (patrons will feel safer in protected areas). The next story examined Mitt Romney’s speech about faith, and the story provided background on religion in American politics, including John F. Kennedy’s statement about his Catholicism in 1960. The final story was a stirring look at the 66th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This event launched America into World War II. In Math, Mr. Longanecker began class by linking to the anniversary of Pearl Harbor that we had just watched. He used Google Earth to help us see the relative distances of Japan, Hawaii, continental United States, and Micronesia. We then explored the website of the US Census to see population comparisons between Micronesia and the South Carolina Lowcountry. We then focused on number characteristic and fractions (numerators and denominators). In Spanish, we talked about our final assessments for this semester. We will have a unit test on Monday, December 17 and a paper about Christmas in Mexico due on Tuesday, December 18 (resources available on Moodle). We took and corrected a quiz, and then we engaged in Spanish-only conversations among the members of the class. At the end of the period, Mrs. Rowland introduced some new adjectives. In Humanities, Mr. Kreutner gave us visual thinking prompts (pictures, cartoons, and text) that linked to The Scarlet Letter. This exercise compelled us to think about the story, the characters, and we saw the value in searching for and understanding visual and textual allusions. By learning and comprehending the skills and ideas that we have encountered this year, we are becoming smarter and more literate in many areas. This allows us to better see and to make connections/patterns among widely disparate areas, and this realization galvanizes us to learn and to be curious about the world around us. Mentor Zach Thames arrived after lunch and spent the rest of the day with us. In Science, the students used their MLA books to reference their articles. MAD proposal objectives were clarified and students spent time looking for professional journal articles to support their project.
Assignments
Leadership & Life Skills
– none
Math
– four triangular numbers assignment
– assessment – numbers and two-step equations
Spanish
– study the new vocabulary on page 66
– complete Acts 28 & 29 on p. 66
Humanities
– Depression-era papers corrected and submitted to Moodle by Tuesday, 12/11
Science
– find one of your family’s homemade cookie recipes (for next week’s LOTC)
– “Making a Difference” (MAD) folder is due Friday, December 14. This includes four articles and one proposal paper.
December 6, 2007 (Day 74)
Reflections
In Morning Meeting, we reflected on yesterday’s experience at MUSC. This included reading and dissecting a Letter to the Editor (“Premature Births”) in today’s Post and Courier from a pediatrician, Dr. W. Michael Southgate, at MUSC. He stated the facts about premature births in America and South Carolina, and he called on the public to support the March of Dimes and their quest to cure/prevent birth defects through education and medical research. The letter was a textbook example of our work in writing in Humanities this week (argumentative / persuasive). We also wrote our thank you cards to the individuals who helped us yesterday at MUSC and on Tuesday with our steel drum performance had here. In Math, we reviewed numbers (classifications and properties), and we began our work with fractions. In Spanish, we reviewed the new vocabulary and practiced saying, “I like …” We also checked our comprehension with a quick assessment, and then we went over it. Mrs. Rowland then guided us through a listening exercise, and this was followed by our engaging in a conversation about what we like in Spanish. In Humanities, Mr. Roger Smith joined us again for a class on poetry, and the works we examined were connected to our studies of Puritan New England by time period and/or by geography. The poems we talked about were “Huswifery” by Edward Taylor (1642-1729); “Upon the Burning of Our House-July 10th, 1666” by Ann Bradstreet (Bradstreet is referred to in The Scarlet letter!); “It Sifts from Leaden Sieves” by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886); and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost (1874-1963). As part of this lesson in poetry, we also engaged in an exercise regarding literal versus figurative language (including identifying some of the types of each). After lunch, Mrs. Amy Frain presented a lesson for us on the Jewish holiday of Hannukah. This included the story that forms the basis for the holiday, and she shared several of the Hannukah traditions with us. We ate potato latkes, she lit and blessed the menorah, and we played a game with dreidel (a symbol on each of the four sides of the top corresponding to a Hebrew letter, and the words starting with these letters form the phrase “a great miracle happened there”).
Today in science we discussed the importance of including data in a science
report. Using the information that Dr. Keys shared yesterday, we talked
about how the graphs were used to summarize pages and pages of data.
Students created graphs using Excel. They were able to graph data obtained
in Lab #3 . We looked at various types of graphs and chose which one was the most appropriate graph for the kinds of data collected in this lab. We will graph Lab #2 data tomorrow and determine the appropriate graph to communicate the results obtained.
Assignments
Leadership & Life Skills
– none
Math
– none
Spanish
– study the new vocabulary and complete Act 27 on page 65 (a conversation with a classmate)
Humanities
– chapters 4 and 5 in The Scarlet Letter
Science
– find one of your family’s homemade cookie recipes (for next week’s LOTC)
– MAD article #4 due on Friday, December 7
– “Making a Difference” (MAD) folder is due Friday, December 14. This includes four articles and one proposal paper
December 5, 2007 (Day 73)
Reflections
Before heading to the Medical University of South Carolina for our Learning Outside the Classroom experience, we reviewed levels of health care in America (federal, state, and local/private) as seen in our Veterans Administration, MUSC, and Roper/St. Francis/East Cooper hospitals, respectively. We then drove to downtown Charleston, and parked on the rooftop level of the Rutledge Office Tower parking garage. This gave us the chance to talk about zoning laws, historic area restrictions, and the waivers the hospitals downtown received from height limits on peninsular Charleston. We then headed over to MUSC Children’s Hospital, and we met Dr. George Johnson, Professor and Director of the Pediatrics Residency program, and Ms. Colleen Thomas, Pediatrics Department Program Manager, in the lobby. They guided us upstairs to a conference room, and they led us through an interactive presentation on all of the major programs at MUSC, educational requirements for each, and an overview of the Pediatrics department. 
We then met with Dr. Andy Atz, Pediatric Cardiologist, and he talked with us about several advances in treating heart problems in young children. This included demonstrating the catheter procedure (inserted through a blood vessel in the leg and then snaked up to the heart) used to implant a metal patch for a hole in a heart, and this advance has resulted in 1-day recovery periods as opposed to 7-10 day recover periods for open-heart surgery. 
Dr. Atz also showed us the use of ultra sound and Doppler technology for diagnosing heart problems in young children. The use of software in this area was reminiscent of the program we saw that was utilized by Mount Pleasant Waterworks for operating MPW’s plants over the internet.
We then went on a walking tour of the campus and learned about the departments and programs contained within each building. Signs and patterns emerged as we walked: anesthesiology members wear green, stripes on the floor indicate the area of the hospital one is in, and one can distinguish medical students from doctors by the length of the their lab coat (longer = doctor). We stopped in the Storm Eye Institute and met with Dr. Jimmy McElligott, Pediatrics Chief Resident. 
He spoke with us and gave us a better understanding of the training involved for specialties in medicine after medical school. The next stop for us was the new Charles P. Darby Children’s Research Institute. We had lunch in a conference room with a beautiful skyline view of Charleston, and we enjoyed a session with Dr. L. Lyndon Key, Pediatrics Chair. His presentation about research being conducted at MUSC on the use of statins for treating multiple sclerosis and diabetes was clear and fascinating. Although the research efforts are only a few years old, they are very promising. 
Dr, Key and his partner doctors/institutions have moved to the trial stage that is overseen by the Food and Drug Administration. His use of PowerPoint and Excel graphs linked strongly to skills and tools we have developed this year as we become more adept at presenting our work to others.
After lunch, we donned scrubs and explored the open-lab space laboratories in the Children’s Research Institute (to foster collaboration and discussion among the scientists) and the Atrium – the central gathering and play place for the Children’s Hospital. We learned about the importance of architecture and design in creating a positive and enjoyable atmosphere for the children who are patients, and these conditions play a valuable role in the treatment and resolution of a child’s medical issues. Dr. Johnson then led us to the outer areas of the Neonatal, Pediatric Surgery, and Pediatric Emergency Room units. Our experience concluded with a recap and discussion of on-going testing and continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. We headed back to campus, and we were joined by mentors Chris Marsh and Zach Thames. We showed them our pictures from the day and explained what we learned. 
December 4, 2007 (Day 72)
Reflections
In Morning Meeting, we prepared to serve as hosts for today’s concert by the steel drum band Pantasia. We also reviewed our Learning Outside the Classroom experience for tomorrow, and this involves tours of facilities and conversations with doctors/nurses/researchers/students at the Medical University of South Carolina. At the end of the period, Adam presented the first of three “mini courses” we have from the Duke University TIP program. These are software-based classes that allow students to individually explore several topics, and the first one we looked at was about forensic science. It allows one to explore several aspects of laboratory work involved in solving crimes, and then one uses these skills to solve several sample scenarios. The other courses are about music in the 20th century and the turbulent decade of 1960s America. In Math, we wrapped up our study of two-step equations. In Spanish, we watched a brief sample conversation between two young Spanish-speakers, and then we practiced using the phrase “I like” in our own conversations.
At 10:00 the Pantasia steel band performance began. We were fortunate to have students from Hibben’s Preschool and from Windwood Farm Home for Boys (along with members of Hibben’s staff and family and friends of USL) as our guests. The show was geared to our young audience, and the songs played included “Under the Sea” and “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” The performers explained the musical history of their instruments through instruction about the Caribbean (specifically Trinidad and Tobago), and they showed and played the antecedents to the modern steel drums we know of today. It was a lively performance, and we enjoyed the music and were happy that the younger children had a nice time. In Humanities, we explored methods for crafting more effective arguments and persuasive pieces. In calling for action from the audience, one must clearly state the position (links to the topic sentence used in essays and research writing). One must bolster one’s arguments with ample facts and anecdotes to support the position, and these must be organized logically. To avoid fallacies (errors in logic/thinking), one should avoid using emotion and personal pronouns. Mrs. Logan also led us in a discussion of the presidential nomination campaigns for both major parties, and she noted that the “dark horses” are making some inroads in the Republican field (especially Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee). In Art, we began working on portraits, and this entailed techniques for becoming proficient in this form of drawing.
In Science, Mrs. Ewing taught us about writing a proposal for a technical writing assignment. This is connected to the ultimate goal of our Making a Difference (MAD) project, and that is to achieve a positive outcome in our local environment. This will likely entail garnering support among a number of groups, including community and political entities.
Assignments
Leadership & Life Skills
– for Thursday, active/passive voice and the verb “to be” grammar review and exercise (available on the on-line course website / Moodle)
Math
– for Thursday, p. 168 numbers 17-29
Spanish
– all of the below are due Thursday
– read the conversations on pages 60-61
– review and transcribe the new verbs that you encounter on pages 62-63
– study your new vocabulary words
– if you have a catch-up email for Mrs. Rowland, submit it to her forthwith
Humanities
– *On Thursday, Mr. Roger Smith will again be a guest teacher for another exploration of poetry
– for Friday, chapter 4 of The Scarlet Letter due
Science
– “Making a Difference” (MAD) folder is due Friday, December 14. This includes four articles and one proposal paper.
December 3, 2007 (Day 71)
Reflections
In Morning Meeting, we watched CNN Student News. The main story involved the legal status and appeals path for detainees held as military combatants at the American base in Guantanamo, Cuba. The focus on habeas corpus led to further discussion of the development and refinement of American’s rights over times. For example, an accused person’s right to counsel (government-provided) was guaranteed under the 6th Amendment in the 1963 Gideon v. Wainwright decision. This did lead to one of us asking the perceptive question about the quality of attorney provided to those unwilling or unable to retain private counsel. This is where the current debate rages among civil rights experts and lawyers. For example, should one be provided an attorney with no capital punishment case experience if one is facing the death penalty? The other stories focused on the first winter storm in the nation’s heartland, and we also learned more about World AIDS Day. We also had an opportunity to learn more about the steel band group that is performing tomorrow at school (Pantasia), and we read and made links from an article in this weekend’s The (Columbia) State newspaper (“We can run out”) about water levels in the Edisto River. The piece provided connections to many of our Learning Outside the Classroom experiences and to what we have learned in our classroom studies. We also spent fifteen minutes expanding our vocabulary while providing food for those in need across the globe. This was made possible through a non-profit, advertiser-underwritten website – Free Rice. In Math, we took our assessment. In Spanish, Mrs. Rowland reviewed Friday’s test with us, and then we read several sample conversations in Spanish. To reinforce our understanding, we then watched and listened to the same conversations in a brief video. In Humanities, Mrs. Logan passed back our tests on Of Mice and Men and our Depression-era stories. We then focused our efforts on learning more about elements critical to argument. This was followed by our reading and analyzing two sample arguments. In Science, it was MAD (Making a Difference) Monday. We spent this time narrowing our research focus for this year-long project geared to positively impacting our local environment. Mentor Zach Thames arrived after lunch and spent the rest of the day with us.
Assignments
Leadership & Life Skills
– none
Math
– none
Spanish
– read pages 42-45 about Puerto Rico. Review and take notes after reading.
Humanities
– read and take notes on chapter 16 in your text
– Depression stories were returned today. Make corrections and submit online (copy and paste from your document) at the Moodle page. This is due by Tuesday, December 11.
Science
– “Making a Difference” (MAD) folder is due Friday, December 14. This includes four articles and one proposal paper.
