December 8, 2006

Dear Lower School Parents,

The Art- and Importance - of Interviewing

One strand that consistently wends its way through the Lower School is that of learning through interviewing. Guided by their teachers, students inquire as to how workers – be they LREI staff members, museum curators, store owners, construction workers, park rangers, or Union Square farmers – learned to do their jobs; how they grow their produce, repair a street, write a play or make the delicious lunches we enjoy each day. Students question both about the person they are interviewing and about that person’s area of expertise. But first, they are schooled in the art of interviewing. Below are two descriptions of recent curricula in the Kindergarten and Fourth Grade, and examples of student questions. As you will see, they are similar in many ways:

Lauren and Laura’s Kindergarten class is immersed in interviews! With the goal of learning more about their classroom community, and eventually about the larger school community, Ks interviewed each of their teachers. Additionally, each student interviewed a classmate, and, after viewing collages of Picasso and Matisse, created collage portraits of this person. Since this process began, teachers have noted richer conversation among the children and an intangible sense that these shared experiences are strengthening our sense of community within the classroom.

Teachers outlined the process and goals…
- We are interviewing to learn more about our classroom community.
- We are learning that when we ask questions, we can learn more about and from someone.
- We prepare for an interview by thinking of questions in advance.
- We are taking notes (drawing and/or words) during the interview as a way to record the information we find out.
- We are using our notes to write and draw about the people we interview.

…while students created the questions for their teachers:
- What are your parents’ names?
- Are your parents still alive?
- Why did you want to grow up to be a teacher?
- What is your job like?
- What do you do on holidays?
- Are you adopted?
- Are you married?

… and for each other:
- What is your favorite worktime choice?
- Where do you live?
- What is your favorite food?
- Do you have pets?

Interviewing in the Fourth Grade is designed to elicit information about an older relative’s Fourth Grade experience. As students learn about that person’s childhood, they also gather information on aspects of the global/immigration context of a past generation. The process began with students generating interview questions based on their own interests and previous knowledge of their relative. Then individual students selected two questions from within each of five categories:

- Background Information (“What was your home like?”)
- Important Things in the World (“Were there immigration issues when you were in Fourth Grade?”)
- Life at School (“What was your favorite subject in school and why?”)
- Life at Home (“What traditions did you observe?”)
- Free Time (“Did you play inside or outside and why?”).

Before students set forth, the class discussed logistics and teachers modeled interviewing techniques, such as the phrasing of questions to elicit open ended responses, strategies for “digging more deeply” and effective note-taking short cuts.

In a carefully sequenced process, Fourth Graders then conducted their interviews, organized their notes, transferred these into outline form, and are currently in the process of creating their biography of a loved one. In addition, each student will create a papier-mache likeness of her or his relative as a Fourth Grader. Student biographies will be shared with parents and, when possible, with interviewees during a publishing celebration.

The skills and comfort students gain from this process enable them to learn directly from others. Children gain a fuller sense of their subjects as they connect the personal with the professional and past with present, creating meaningful contexts for further exploration and study.

Elaine


This Week's Attachments:

Beth and Molly's Fours

Dorothy and Stacey's First Grade

Jamie and Bonnie's First Grade

Gina and Rebecca's First Grade

Suzanne and Caroline's Fourth Grade

Gwen and Thomas' Fourth Grade

A Letter from Sue to Parents of EK and Kindergartners

A Letter from Sue to Parents of Fours

A Letter from Pippa to Parents of Third and Fourth Graders



This Week's Announcements:

A reminder from Phil Kassen as we approach the Winter Break:
Gifts to Teachers: If your child wants to give his or her teacher a gift at winter break, the end of the year, or any other time during the year, a homemade gift or drawing is welcome and appreciated. A group gift from parents and children in the class may be given at the end of the school year. It has been our experience that individual gifts, though thoughtfully intended, may be misinterpreted by the children and, consequently, we discourage this. Thank you for your awareness and cooperation.

Holiday Concert
Please join us for a longstanding LREI tradition:The Glass Menagerie Chorus Holiday Concert. Susan Glass, founder and director (former LREI music teacher, current LREI parent) Friday, December 8th at 8:00PMSt. Joseph's Church in the Village371 Sixth Ave. (2 blocks south of 8th Street.)

Middle School Plays
Just a reminder that tickets are still on sale for the Middle School play, which is scheduled for this Friday (7PM) and Saturday (2Pm and 7PM). Tickets are available in the Sixth Avenue lobby and at the door. The shows promise to be great fun. On the bill are . . .

AFRAID OF THE DARK: A Mystery-Farce by James Reach -- Chauncey and Lillums Stone arrive one night at "Stone Mansion" to spend their two-week honeymoon. "Stone Mansion" is an isolated country estate which has been lent to them by Chauncey’s Aunt Alberta, and is supposed to be unoccupied. Chauncey has a confession to make to Lillums: he owns up that, ever since his childhood he has been "afraid of the dark" and has never been able to overcome this childish phobia. No sooner has he unburdened himself, when the lights go out and they are plunged into darkness! When the lights go on again, the astounded couple find themselves surrounded by fantastic characters in the supposedly deserted house, and they are plunged willy-nilly into the midst of a spy plot…

THE HITCH-HIKER: A radio play originally written for Orson Welles, by Lucille Fletcher -- The Hitch-Hiker was written for Orson Welles in the days when he was one of the master producers and actors in radio. The tale of Ronald Adams, an average motorist, who sets out to drive from Brooklyn to California and who early on his journey begins to encounter a strange and inexplicable hitch-hiker. His efforts to explain, then avoid, and finally destroy the constant appearing figure along the highway carry him through several episodes and many states until the adventure finally culminates in an amazing climax in New Mexico.
Appropriate for all ages.

Tickets $8 in advance, $10 @ the door. Performing Arts Center40 Charlton Street
See you at the theater.

The school store will be open next week at the 6th ave location on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday mornings from 8 to 9 am.


In the Upcoming Weeks...

12/8- Adoption Committee Meeting, 8:45AM

12/8- The Glass Menagerie Holiday Concert, 8PM

12/12- LS POCOC Meeting, 8:45AM

12/14- Lower School Parent Rep Meeting, 8:45AM

12/14- LREI Chorus Concert, 6:30PM, PAC

12/15- Winter Assembly (students only). Early Dismissal for Winter Break, School closes at 12:00 (11:45 Fours through First Grade) No Afterschool.