Alaska+Meeting+Notes

//**notes by Ryan**//
 * Saturday-Sunday, December 4-5, 2010**

It's been a pleasure to have Sarah Doremus here in Juneau with us this week! I was able to attend the beginning of her professional development workshop Saturday, and we all had a good discussion there. Sunday evening, the "production team" met and we clarified a few more things, which I want to share with you, below. Finally, Dave and I met yesterday and he feels ready to make a revision to the script.

 __UPCOMING DEADLINES:__ Dave completes revised script by 12.17 Ryan completes casting vision (cast size, age breakdown, etc) by 1.1, and shares with producers and teachers for feedback

Ryan completes a design list/visions for Sarah and Sarah by 1.1 Sarah & Sarah complete detailed design objectives by 1.8, and share with Ryan, producers, teachers, and Brice Habeger

__UPDATED PROPS DESIGN PLANS WITH SARAH DOREMUS__ (this note was written by Annie Calkins) At our workshop Sat 12.4 we came up with the following list of PLAY PROPS that will be made by the juneau kids, with the idea they will make twice as many, so that half of them go to maine...the maine kids will do the same. (ryan will be able to take some of this across with him in march...)

- crab suit (2) - to be worn by someone - megan webb's class (TMHS)

- salmon - - king - 12/class - 4 elementary classes - sockeye - 12/class - pink - 12/class - silver - 12/class - chum - 12/class

- herring - 50/class - 4 elementary classes

- halibut - big, fat ones that will be "worn by 3 - 4 small kids crawling underneath each one - 8 - megan's class

__TITLES of production team members: (we did this as an exercise Sunday evening, but it helped us, especially with defining the 2 Sarahs' roles)__

Annie – Juneau producer and coordinator Linda – Deer Isle producer and coordinator Dave – playwright (for both productions) Ryan – director (both) Sarah Conarro – scenic backdrop & projection artist (both) Sarah Doremus – props design & Deer Isle liaison (both) Megan Webb – specialty costumes design (both) Kristin Garot – Juneau stage manager Lorrie Heagy – Juneau music director Jan Neimeyer – Juneau digital arts liaison Brice Habeger – technical projections artist (both) Cristal – Deer Isle music teacher (music director?) Linda, I (Ryan) would like to find an amazing teacher or parent or community member who will be the STAGE MANAGER. (we're very lucky kristin garot agreed to do this in juneau! she works professionally as a stage manager at perseverance.) please let me know who this person might be.

JUNEAU team participants: Nancy Peel, Florence McFarlin, Lorrie Heagy, Jan Niemeyer, Kristin Garot, Megan Webb, Jessi Wilson, Sarah Conarro, Annie Calkins, Dave Hunsaker (playwright), Brice Habeger (videographer)
 * Friday, November 5, 2010**

__Update from Deer Isle__: Annie shared what happened at their last meeting, sent via Email minutes. Juneau team is very interested in the LETTERS from Linda’s class. Dave got the “need to know” list from Tasha’s class, off the WiKi. Waiting for the last interview with Alva Wendell.

__Update from Juneau team members:__ Nancy Peel tried…contacted Linda…is waiting to hear back from her… Jan sent some messages across to Art Teacher /who really needs to correspond wMegan, new to Juneau. Megan may try contacting her to carry on the conversation she did call once but they couldn’t talk at that time.

__Update:__ Rasmusson Foundation grant Kristin and Annie wrote and submitted a grant to fund the residency in Juneau with Ryan (part of our match of the K.C. funds), also Sarah Conarro who will work with high school kids on set components once design is set. Brice will also be funded if we get this grant. Should know in next week or so. Press release on the project went to the district’s PR person, Kristin Bartlett to get to Empire.

DECEMBER 4 TEACHER WORKSHOP with Sarah Doremus, visual artist from Maine. We passed around her resume from her website. All can come except Kristin (in Wrangell with students) and Lorrie ( in rehearsal) It will be in the ART ROOM at TMHS. 9 am – 4 pm. The district will pay stipends to everyone.

SCHEDULE for Week of December 6 - 10. All there will email Annie with best times for in- class teaching/modeling with Sarah D. Dear Fish – the script, the name of the play. Dave briefly told everyone about the outline for the play…and how the interviews will be used. It will be 1 hour long, and may need both high school and elementary students together, given some of the vocab. We talked about using Readers Theater techniques if that makes the most sense and other ideas…more on that when Ryan is here and everyone has read the script.

All will get copy of script after Linda, Judith and Ryan have given comments and Dave has made more changes as necessary. “This NOW feels good. It’s more than just having pen pals. We now have a PURPOSE for exchanging ideas. We will be performing each other’s stories.” Nancy Peel

We will meet again during Sarah’s workshop in terms of next steps and who needs to do what.
 * Dave will prepare a list of things we need for the script and play…like good photos and short bios of each of the people interviewed.
 * Still missing the NELSON interview from Juneau!


 * SWAPPING FISH TALES**

**Things we still need to figure out:**
 * Meeting #3 Glacier Valley: November 12, 2009**
 * In attendence:** Nancy Peel, Florence McFarlin, and Kim Frangos
 * GV met to discuss how best to incorporate Sheridan in our plans.
 * Nancy and Florence’s fifth grade students will take digital photos that will answer or clarify some of Deer Isle’s questions about Alaska.
 * The photos will be put into a short iMovie if possible
 * Hopefully, Sheridan can help train the few students to create iMovie incorporating photos, Garage Band and simple text.
 * The finished product can then be posted for the Maine students to view and comment on.
 * It is hoped that the 5th graders will be trainers for our 4th graders so that we can have all students using the technology. Hopefully, they will all (including us) gain competence when we put the big project together.
 * 1) What computers will we use?
 * 2) How will we share our work with Maine?
 * 3) What would be the most efficient?
 * 4) There is some concern about the ELMO’s in our classrooms. They need to be set up for the success of the project (both the big one and the smaller ones).
 * 5) We want to look closely at scheduling and incorporate the specialists so that we can be more flexible with our time.
 * 6) Kim said she would get Shane (the GV tech) to help us with our ELMO’s


 * Meeting #2 Glacier Valley: November 6, 2009 [[file:Alaska to Maine GV plans 11.doc]]**

It was suggested that each class (there are 3) take a different component of our ecosystem and study it in depth. The suggestions were: These were suggested because they have high interest with students, they see them a lot and studying them will lead to salmon, which is the king pin of our ecosystem, economy and culture.
 * Attending the meeting:** Nancy Peel, Florence McFarlin, Kim Frangos and Linda Frame
 * Sea Otter
 * Killer Whale
 * Stellar Sea Lion
 * Explore:** How do these components interact with their environment?
 * Florence liked the point of view of marine mammals. The students from Maine would be our audience and the reason for the research in the first place.
 * Question:** How do we use the visiting artist, Shannon? Florence suggested she train a few key students in each classroom. The project taught by Shannon would be similar to the big project that will be presented to Deer Isle students. They could learn the process.
 * Question:** How are we going to incorporate this into our daily classroom life? Nancy said to remember that this was about the students even though we needed to achieve professional development from the project.
 * Much talk always seemed to circle around salmon. Alaska Seas and Rivers curriculum supports the background knowledge that students need to have to begin this project. In particular, the unit on Sea Otters is already in place with all resources and lesson plans.
 * Kim added that she has a friend that is an expert on Sea Lions and would be a valuable resource.
 * We would like to include the human component into the process because we all agreed that it is impossible to separate it. It would be implied this year and would be more explicitly addressed next year in the 5th grade curriculum.
 * Question:** What do we see as the end product?
 * We decided to work backwards. How do we involve all kids in the class production of one digital documentary?
 * It was suggested by both Kim and Florence that we follow the precedent set by Tides and the Tempest that many different students can contribute to many different parts.
 * Florence had the idea that we start with the KWL questions that were sent by Maine kids. Could we answer them in photo form? Perhaps a power point show from each class or each class contributes so many slides addressing so many questions?

Back to the ecosystem component perspectives. These are the things we plan to focus on when we study Sea Otters, Killer Whales and Stellar Sea Lions: Key vocabulary: We will work from general vocabulary and then to specific depending on the component studied. Florence emphasized that we teach students to use vocabulary to show understanding of how the component fits into the ecosystem.
 * Question:** How do you take a picture that gives information or tells a story? This will dovetail nicely with the idea of digital documentary which involves pictures and video.
 * Components perspectives
 * Adaptaions
 * Needs
 * Fears
 * Adaptations
 * Habitat
 * Survival
 * Interdependence
 * Food web
 * Predator/Prey
 * Impact/Effect
 * Region
 * How do we manage guest speakers in our classrooms? We all decided that it would be effective if students interviewed them in a fishbowl format. Key students would ask the questions. It seemed unmanageable to have many students going all over town interviewing different groups that impacted the different components of the ecosystem.
 * Ultimately, what we want is for everything to circle around to salmon. We do not want to study salmon directly because it has been done for the two previous years for these students. It has been emphasized that the components we have chosen relate directly to salmon and will help students see interrelationships through high interest and readily observable research subjects.


 * Meeting #1 JUNEAU: August 25, 2009**[[file:FISH mtg #1 8 -09.doc]]

Participating: Lorrie Heagy, Nancy Peel, Florence McFarlin, Kim Frangos, Geri Mcleod, Rod Crist, Jan Neimeyer, Patti Bippus, Kristin Garot, Annie Calkins

Other team members were temporarily lost at sea.

After a quick review of what we said we would do in the grant proposal everyone responded with questions, ideas and thoughts about what this project could be. Annie reminded everyone that this grant is primarily a professional development grant…that the team should remember that and consider what will enrich teachers’ skills, knowledge and experience.

Questions Posed: 1. Is there funding to help high school students and teachers learn more about photography (boats, people etc) to be used in the final products/production? 2. What will we do with students in grade 5 who leave after Year One? What can we produce in Year One? 3. How often do we want to meet as a team?

Issues and Ideas Suggested: • We need to link kids to kids (like Breadloaf did so well…..talk to Tom McKenna, others about that ) • We could use the UAS theater (TMHS theater?) as a venue to have students from this end observe interviews conducted on that end • Let’s establish a Reflective Writing Group online, where we can share how we are feeling about the process and project as we go • Working with GV students on the interviews could be part of TMHS community service requirement and/or senior projects • Match older students with GV students…70-80 students at GV, 36 in Global Expressions…who else to involve? • Get 360 North to air what we produce on statewide TV • Figure out how to have kids writing to, writing with, writing for other kids online, publishing online. • Maybe we could do “ecological mysteries in nature” writing with the 4th graders, tied to the investigation, interviews and research.

Things We Need to Do: 1. Contact/meet with Commissioner Larry LeDoux, to tell him about this project, get him “on board” and see if we can use a quote from him (Annie to start, add others) 2. Give grant abstract to Kristin Bartlett to do a Press Release (Annie) 3. Identify what we want students to learn/walk away with at the end of the project (Team) 4. Create a site to share info/contacts we know (John) 5. Involve/inform: Juneau Economic Council Fisheries Management Council Trout Unlimited Chamber of Commerce First Things First (? Is this correct title?) Keep our heads on the idea this is “place-based education” in action

Reflections on the Project/Process: • We need to frame this for Juneau as “we need to learn what happened to their fisheries and to help prevent it from happening here.” (ie king crab fishing depletion here) • They come from an older place. We are young, Alaska is young. • We could create VIGNETTES from different points of view, asking all the same set of questions to get at the issues “through the eyes of the resource”: - commercial fisherfolk - subsistence fishers (Native and non-Native) - sports fishers (charter and individual sports fishing) - personal use fishers • We want to explore generational perspectives on the issues raised re: fishing • This fits well with the ecological systems emphasis in grade 4 science…about the inter-relationship between dependence and inter-dependence, among other things

Quote of the Meeting: “This is gonna be RICH.” N. Peel


 * Meeting #2 JUNEAU: September 25, 2009** [[file:FISH mtg#2. 9-09]]

Participating: Florence McFarlin, Kim Frangos, Geri Mcleod, Jan Neimeyer, Linda Frame, Kristin Garot, Annie Calkins

Other team members were temporarily lost at sea or busy with surgeries, death in families and previous family commitments.

What We Have Done with Students/Colleagues: From Nancy Peel at GV: Florence and I are beginning to lay the ground work for topic development, with the emphasis being aquatic ecosystems and the interrelationships between the components. For the last 2 weeks and continuing for 2 more, Theater Artist Roblin Davis has been working with both classes, introducing drama techniques that will help our students embody the concepts we are trying to teach. I believe the same is happening in Kim's classroom. At the end of October, we have a field trip scheduled for DIPAC and I plan to share the grant proposal with them. They may have some great ideas for resources. Kim's class has a scheduled trip to the seafood plant in Auke Bay to look at salmon processing. Florence and I are possibly considering a trip to the same place. However, by the time we get there, the salmon will be through and they will be processing crab. I really don't see a problem with that.

At this meeting JAN figured out how to involve some of her students in the field trip this week, to document the fish processing operation and the questions students ask.

Questions Posed: 1. What will we do with students in grade 5 who leave after Year One? What can we produce in Year One? – We LIKE the ideas posed by Maine colleagues, that we need to think about small projects en route. Like maybe we produce some video documentaries or photo essays in Year One, since we are focusing on learning about video, communications and media this year. 2. Can we use SKYPE or I CHAT for the dialogue with Maine next Monday? Can we all crowd around one computer with Skype on it? 3. How can we access funding for field trip bussing to happen in the next few weeks? 4. Is there funding to help high school students and teachers learn more about photography (boats, people etc) to be used in the final products/production? Are there resources to get more digital cameras? (we have 6 at TMHS for 20, 25 students in two classes) 5. Do we need anything besides the “standard” permission forms allowing students to be filmed, photographed etc for this project?

Issues and Ideas Suggested: • Working with GV students on the interviews could be part of TMHS community service requirement and/or senior projects • We need a “scope and sequence” with Guiding Questions for this project, so we all know what we want students to know and be able to do as a result of our growth and involvement as teachers… What is the end product, besides a theatrical production? How will students thinking change? Will their conversations about issues change? • LINDA agreed to get substitutes for a HALF DAY planning meeting sometime in October, so that the team can do some of this mapping • Need to involve a high school SCIENCE TEACHER – Kristin will do that. (Kathleen Gallo?) • For us, it doesn’t matter if there are only 6 students in a Science class there (“lucky”) and 25 in a class here, if we are all focused on similar questions and ways of approaching the investigations, writing, and presenting/performing • Match older students with GV students…70-80 students at GV, 36 in Global Expressions…who else to involve? • Focus some of the November Retreat on us learning how to have kids writing to, writing with, writing for other kids online, publishing online. • Maybe we could do “ecological mysteries in nature” writing with the 4th graders, tied to the investigation, interviews and research.

Things We Have Done and NEED TO DO: 1. Contact/meet with Commissioner Larry LeDoux, to tell him about this project, get him “on board” and see if we can use a quote from him (Annie TO DO, add others) 2. Give grant abstract to Kristin Bartlett to do a Press Release (Annie did) 3. Identify what we want students to learn/walk away with at the end of the project (Team) 4. Create a site to share info/contacts we know (Lorrie set up a WiKi. Geri will ask John to train everyone on how to use it) 5. Involve/inform: Juneau Economic Council – Lorrie did, invited Mary Hakala to join our team Fisheries Management Council – Who to do? Trout Unlimited – Who to do? Chamber of Commerce – Who to do? 6. Linda will set up a 1 credit course option for the November Retreat once we get the agenda, for those who want it. ($90/credit) 7. The team gave Annie a series of questions to ask the Maine team and to figure out while she is there.

Reflections on the Project/Process: • We need to frame this for Juneau as “we need to learn what happened to their fisheries and to help prevent it from happening here.” (ie king crab fishing depletion here) • What part does theater play in the lives of our students? • This project may help us change our teaching to include more of the arts as we help students “find/use their voices” in relation to issues • Consider CHANGE OVER TIME as a theme – - Change re: fish and fisheries - Change re: Teachers in Teams - Change re: Students • A Big Benefit of this project is that we are creating connections and forming a community across elementary and high school levels. • Think of this as a ‘partnership with students”, like they mentioned in the Maine team meeting.

Quote of the Meeting: “This is about noticing where you are.” Kim Frangos

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Conversation with Maine Team Monday, October 5@ 11:15 – 11: 50 TBA…how we are going to connect across the 2 sites

Fish Swapping Tales Retreat #1 (10 stipends available for team members) Friday night, November 13 (5 – 8 pm) (Beginning with a PotLuck…serving fish???) Saturday, November 14 (all day)

Guest Artist: Sheridan Kelly University of Maine Asssistant Professor Knife Edge Productions partner

Following the Retreat Sheridan will do embedded professional development in classrooms, so think about what you would like to learn more about and your schedule.