2018 Spring Global Thread Report

JUNE 4, 2018

TOWARD A GLOBAL PEDAGOGY

AIM ACADEMY

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

MEANINGFUL TRAVEL

FOUR THREADS NEWSLETTER

GLOBAL RESOURCES

THREAD REPORT: Compiled by Amy Holt Cline ~ Edited by Joe Murphy

GLOBAL COMPETENCY AND SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

International Day of Light

May 16, 2018

Developing Global Thinkers Teaching at AIM Academy is an educationally unique and enriching experience for everyone in the community. As educators, we believe that the more hands-on, creative, and critically engaging the material is, the more content students will invest and remember. Every year, teachers cover the walls of AIM with colorful student-made maps, globally-based artifacts, content-enriched art work, and much more. This year, students have invested in projects that range from the ecosystems of Teton Valley, Wyoming to the Far East, as well as Ancient Greece, Iran, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Zambia and Honduras, to name a few. Although it’s not realistic to take students to all of these places in a year, it’s worth explaining the numerous successful off-campus travel experiences AIM Academy students took part in.

This issue of the Four Threads Newsletter is dedicated to the importance of academic travel for students and its positive impact upon students’ learning and enrichment.

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FOUR THREADS NEWSLETTER

GLOBAL EDUCATION AT AIM ACADEMY

This year, AIM Academy has dedicated time and energy to the development of the Center for Global Leadership. During this first year, global initiatives across all grade levels have taken shape. Ranging from international fundraisers, to year long global courses, mini and month long units that focused on a variety of globally-connected topics, teachers and students have explored what it means to develop as global citizens through everyday activities and thoughtful curricula. This Four Threads Newsletter will capture many of those projects, initiatives, courses, and experiences that have taken place during the 2017-2018 school year.

Although the development of the global curriculum is ongoing, the programatic guides we have been using include the OXFAM Global Competencies, the P21 Framework for 21st Century Learning, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, all of which are easy to find online. Each of the featured examples in this newsletter indicate clear connections to these curriculum guide posts. The faculty at AIM are clearly life-long learners and are committed to broadening the perspectives of their students to understand their place in the world and how they can be active and positive members in a diverse and dynamic global society. This newsletter is a sampling of the work that took place this winter and spring.

A Global Citizen is someone who:

- Is aware of the wider world and has a sense of his or

her own role as a world citizen.

- Respects and values diversity.

- Has an understanding of how the world works.

- Is outraged by social injustice.

- Participates in the community at a range of levels,

from the local to the global.

- Is willing to act to make the world a more equitable

and sustainable place.

- Takes responsibility for her or his actions.

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FOUR THREADS NEWSLETTER

GLOBAL CURRICULUM GUIDELINES

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FOUR THREADS NEWSLETTER

ALL SCHOOL GLOBAL INITIATIVES

Liter of Light: Building Handmade Lights out of Recycled Materials

A Hands-on, STEAM based Service Learning

AIM Academy students had the opportunity to build solar powered lights made out of recycled cans and bottles using circuit boards donated by the International Liter of Light team. Middle and Upper school students learned to assemble, solder this handheld light solution which will be delivered to Kenya later this summer. This highly engaging service learning project was featured on local news stations (CBS3 and Fox29) and explained how a hands-on, STEAM based learning project can be used for global good. The project was focused on learning more about UN Global Goal #7 which is focused on trying to find solutions to Clean and Affordable Energy around the world.

Following this successful building day, the AIM Academy school filled the ACC on May 16th, 2018, to celebrate the 2018 International Day of Light which was designated by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). AIM Academy is one of hundreds of international organizations that made an effort to celebrate the advancement of the laser and the many benefits that light has brought to such disciplines as education, art, culture, science, technology.

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CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

LOWER SCHOOL MUSIC This year, the whole Lower School learned the song "Wai Bamba," which is a wedding celebration song from the Shona people of Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The loose translation is "She has him and he has her." We sing it with a thumb piano (mbira) accompaniment and was sung during the Lower School assembly.

UPPER SCHOOL MUSIC On Wednesday, May 23rd, thirteen MS and US music students traveled to Temple University to take part in choral workshop focusing on African American Spirituals and traditional music from South Africa. The workshop was led by Dr. Rollo Dilworth from Temple University and Mr. Steve Fisher from the Keystone State Boychoir. The students learned about the development of spirituals in relation to slavery and the connection and importance of movements to the music of South Africa. Over 250 students from surrounding schools participated in this event. The workshop culminated in a sharing concert during which students performed the five ensemble pieces that were covered in the workshop.

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LOWER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Ongoing Themes and Lenses in Lower School

This year, Lower School dedicated time to teaching, discussing and embracing the similarities and differences among us all.

Some of these topics can be seen with what is posted on the walls throughout the Lower School. With changing lenses each month, teachers and students discuss ways of communicating a variety of topics connected to Social Justice and Equity, all of which can be found within the Oxfam Global Curriculum Matrices.

OXFAM CURRICULUM FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP A. KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING, B. VALUES AND ATTITUDES, C. SKILLS

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LOWER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Speech and Language

Engaging Walls

During speech and language sessions, students learned about Valentine's Day traditions across different cultures. They worked on understanding the main idea and supporting details while discovering unique traditions in Wales, Japan, South Africa, and Denmark. Students then chose a country to complete a compare and contrast paragraph describing what they found.

One of their questions is seen here at the right.

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LOWER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Revolutionaries Poetry

The fourth grade students culminated the unit, Life Lessons Learned from Revolutionaries, by creating a sampling of several poems. After studying Langston Hughes, the students created “Today, Tomorrow” poems that were modeled after his “I, Too, Am America.”

In these poems, they stated their current abilities and predict what they will use these abilities for in the future. Along with these poems, the students created both personal and historical figure bio poems.

Suffragists Unit The fourth grade class researched wellknown suffragists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Ida B. Wells. Students wrote about them, analyzed images and discussed the significance of their work in fighting for the right to vote.

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LOWER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND 
 Aviva Coyne-Green and Shelly Johnston organized a successful collaboration between the 5th and 11th grade physics classes through the book The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind by William Kamkwamba. This story, which takes place in Malawi, features a boy who teaches himself how to build a wind mill so that his community can irrigate their crops and bring electricity to an otherwise dark neighborhood. The 5th grade classes learned about basic circuitry and wind energy by building wind mills taught by the 11th grade students and their teachers.

Building windmills and writing reflections of the 3 week long project.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS On Tuesday January 9th, students traveled to the University of Pennsylvania Museum to participate in The Cultural Diplomacy Conference. This conference introduced students to a world of diverse cultures with tours throughout the historical museum with a knowledgeable guide. In advance, students were asked to complete a onepage Everyone Has a Culture – Everyone is Different worksheet (from their own cultural perspective); this exercise provided students with a richer context for the cultural diplomacy presentation and the broader connections to their own culture.

On Thursday, May 17th, students traveled to Temple University to participate in the Jr. Model United Nations Final Conference on the topic of Protecting Women and Girls' access to Education and Ending Food Insecurity.

Students in the two different groups prepared to present their final resolutions and amendments by writing 3 operative

clauses and 2 clarifying questions per committee. In advance of the conference, students were prepared with the knowledge, understanding, and ability to utilize certain key aspects of the United Nations' professional working language to enhance the professionalism and atmosphere at the conference.

Center for Global Leadership

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FOUR THREADS NEWSLETTER

MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS Students in Mrs. Beth Cope’s Advanced Research Writing classes learned about Hunger around the Globe by researching the United Nations “Goal #2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.” Students wrote essays based on their research and poetry that incorporated the alarming statistics they learned about global hunger. For example, students became aware that “66 million primary schoolage children attend classes hungry across the developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone.” In her poem, Laine M. wrote:

Starvation smothers the planet;

Suffocating India, China, Pakistan, and

Ethiopia,

Exasperation builds as the inability to

grow food persists...”

With guidance from Mrs. Amy Cline, the Director of the Global Studies Program, Research Writing students continued to explore Global Issues as the academic year progressed.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS The 7th grade ELA classes read the novel Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. The main character in the story is an extremely bright, 11 year-old girl with cerebral palsy and unfortunately the inability to verbally communicate. For 11 years of her life, she has been trapped inside her own mind, with very limited communication tools and therefore perceived to be unintelligent by others. In fifth grade, she receives a communication device that slowly helps others recognize her brilliance. The ELA classes spent time learning about cerebral palsy and communication devices and recently participated in a discussion around “Ableism."

Mr. Martin collaborated with the ELA team and presented the topic to each of the 7th grade classes where he led the students to develop a definition of the term and reviewed how society shows favor to able-bodied people despite good intentions. The presentation sparked insightful conversations and the students have begun to recognize ableism within the text as a result.

Students in Mrs. Beth Cope’s and Mrs. Sarah Whelan’s Research Writing classes continue to engage in projects related to Global Issues. Most recently, the classes read the article entitled, “OVERLOOKED: Revisiting 167 years of New York Times history to provide obituaries to women who never got them.” In pairs, the 7th graders researched one woman and created interviews based on their research. Students dressed in period costumes and presented these interviews to the class. One student dressed as the “overlooked woman” and the other dressed as the interviewer. Through researching these forgotten women, students learned about the contributions that women, from a variety of races and cultures, have made to the arts, athletics and the Civil Rights movement throughout history.

7th grade students interviewing and role playing characters from the NYTimes Overlooked article.

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UPPER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS This semester course is a survey of the history of the continent of Africa, from Early Humans to modern conflicts. The course is designed to be a broad introduction to African History with a focus on distinguishing characteristics of different African cultures, the importance of geography, the development of culture, and the eventual dismantling of the continent via the institutions of the slave trade and colonialism. A goal of the course is for students to walk away with more in-depth knowledge and awareness of Africa, its people, and the cultural Diaspora that Africans are currently in.

OXFAM CURRICULUM FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP A. KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING, B. VALUES AND ATTITUDES, C. SKILLS

STAY TUNED!!

MORE GLOBAL COURSES AND UNITS COMING NEXT YEAR!

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UPPER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS Students in Mr. Mark Brandon’s 20th Century US History class, recently completed a project about the impact of FDR’s New Deal on women, African Americans, Mexican Americans and Native Americans. The themes explored related to the Global Matrices included Social Justice, Equality, Diversity and Human Rights. The students explored how these groups faced social and economic disadvantages prior to the Great Depression and how relief programs discriminated against them based upon gender, race and ethnicity. Once in pairs, students researched their group (women, African Americans, Mexican Americans and Native Americans) and created a multi-media presentation, which was then presented to the class.

Cuba Project

Dr. Robert Hsu visited Asian Studies classes and presented a lesson about the history of the Chinese written language. Students used calligraphy books and ink to immerse themselves in the rich culture and history of East Asia.

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FOUR THREADS NEWSLETTER

UPPER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS The 9th & 10th graders in the Resiliency in Literature class have been reading Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. They have delved into the history of the Iranian revolution and the ramifications of it. In preparation for the reading, students studied a map of the Middle East and the various Islamic garb as a way to understand that area of the world and Muslim culture. The goal of the unit is to challenge the preconceptions of the Muslim world that permeate media and American culture. As we follow Marji's life in 1980s Iran, students have gained an appreciation for the role of the western world, Marxism and Islam in her life and have begun making connections with current events through arts-based projects and an Instagram-inspired representation of Karl Marx's thoughts on capitalism.  

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UPPER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

AIM ACADEMY GLOBAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM The Global Scholars Program Purpose: The Global Scholars program is designed to encourage Upper School students to become more engaged with and aware of the world around them.

Global Scholars go above and beyond what is typically required on an AIM transcript, as they pursue specific goals, courses, and projects that immerse them in global issues of interest.

Areas of Excellence: A. Communication (COMM) B. Intellectual Pursuit (INT) C. Service toward a Cause (SERV) D. Immersion (IMME) E. Mentorship (MENT) 


First Cohort of AIM Academy Global Scholars Roxy Bobadilla

Isabelle Jolinger

Kiley McGuiness

Shayna Pellen

Brandon Schwartz

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MIDDLE and UPPER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS In April, 13 students (9 from Upper School and 4 from Middle School) traveled to St. Joe's University to hear a historic talk given by Civil Rights Leader and U.S. Representative John Lewis (GA.). The event was the culmination of a year-long commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's own speech on SJU's campus in October, 1967.

Throughout his talk, Mr. Lewis described his history with Dr. Martin Luther King, including when he met him for the first time, what it was like to learn from him and Rosa Parks, as well as what it was like to be a Freedom Rider, who protested the segregation between blacks and whites. He described what it meant to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, practicing non-violence, courage, patience and the belief that everyone deserves equal rights. He ended his speech with this, "I say to you as students, as young people, as parents and teachers: never give up. Never give in. Never lose faith. We will get there. We will create the beloved community.”

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UPPER SCHOOL CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Last April, five Upper School students, Roxy B. '19, Journey J. '20, Jess L. '20, Eric-Ross M '21. and Gabe S. '20 and AIM faculty members Beau Martin and Emily Pritchard traveled to Grand Rapids, Mich. to attend the White Privilege Conference. The students participated in the Youth Action Project (YAP) of this national annual conference. The Youth Action Project is a national movement preparing youth to "promote youth-led social justice action" by experiencing interactive exercises, the arts, group space and dialogue to "unpack white privilege and white supremacy.” This year's YAP gave student leaders the tools to SNAP (See, Name, Act, Proceed), and help them discover and develop the unique Social Justice Superpower they each bring to collaboration and coalition. Journey J. said that she is looking forward to introducing some of these interactive games and exercises to Lower and Middle School students at AIM. AIM students also had the opportunity to share onstage about their experience during the YAP sessions.

The SDLC class will meet next year during lunch and will continue as a year long course.

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ACADEMIC STUDENT TRAVEL

AIM ACADEMY

SENIOR SEMINAR

FACULTY PERSPECTIVES

FOUR THREADS NEWSLETTER

GLOBAL RESOURCES

THREAD REPORT TRAVEL EDITION:

ACADEMIC STUDENT TRAVEL AT AIM ACADEMY WHY IS STUDENT TRAVEL SO IMPORTANT FOR LEARNING? TEN REASONS

1. Travel is inherently interdisciplinary, and real world concepts can be more easily applied when outside the classroom.

2. Travelers see firsthand the things they have learned from textbooks and in-class lectures.

3. Travel teaches self-sufficiency, resourcefulness, and courage.

4. Students are provided different opportunities to move outside of their comfort zones including trying new foods and talking to new people.

5. Travel abroad is immersive and culturally enriching.

6. Students are often immersed in another language through travel.

7. Investing in travel is investing in a more expansive, life-impacting type of education.

8. Students that study abroad in high school or college are more likely to be interested in internationally related jobs or initiatives as adults.

9. Travel beyond the classroom, allows student to receive valuable benefits that are both tangible and intangible.

10. A powerful and effective way to impact students’ understanding of their place in the world is to take them to a new environment and connect with the people that live there.

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SENIOR SEMINAR - GREECE WHAT IS SENIOR SEMINAR AGAIN? Senior Seminar is a year-long interdisciplinary study of a region that includes learning about a place and a culture through literature, history, science, and the arts. The course is a rigorous, college preparatory block study that enables students to explore themes and topics across multiple disciplines and inspires students to look at learning as a deep endeavor as opposed to a one-dimensional set of correct answers. Senior seminar accounts for more than half of a student’s program oered during senior year. Students are expected to read, write, discuss, present, and collaborate in the classroom and in international learning environments when they travel abroad. In this way, Senior Seminar is a foray into the expectations of a college course-load as well as the work habits and advocacy skills required of a successful college student.

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TETON SCIENCE SCHOOL The Teton Science School has been taking students into the wilderness to learn about the natural ecosystems that surround it since the 1960’s. Nested within the Greater Yellowstone basin, learners of all ages gain a lasting connection to their surroundings by learning from the land while being outside.

This year, AIM 8th graders were able to continue this tradition, by participating in several environmental education winter outdoor programs that the school has perfected. Students gained numerous during the week ranging from cross country skiing, to collaboration. Snow-shoeing, animal identification and tracking, communication, writing, reflection, observation, and much more! The Teton Science School is an important part of AIMAcademy’s learning experience.

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DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SERVICE LEARNING Students in the Dominican Republic Service Learning Course began their year-long journey of studying geography, language, music, and the environment of the island of Hispaniola.

Using Google Earth, students analyzed images of Haiti and the Dominican Republic noticing environmental differences between the two countries. Students have also been learning about fundraising and how best to offset the cost of their trip through individual and group events. This course encouraged students to develop leadership skills and build content knowledge of the region while also earning 20 hours of service by working with students in a local school and community in the Dominican Republic. This type of course hopes to help AIM students develop a better sense of themselves, what it means to do service and begin to develop their own community translation project within the AIM community. This project will allow them to become change agents at AIM and within their local communities.

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FACULTY PERSPECTIVES ON STUDENT TRAVEL “At the core of "experiential learning" is the idea of learning through reflection or doing. Having been a chaperone on the 8th Grade Teton Trips to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, there is no better feeling for an educator than to see students from our school reach out and touch the connections they have made in the classroom while hiking through Yellowstone National Park, watching or listening to Old Faithful erupt, or recording the temperatures of some of the world's only geothermal pools, or standing a few hundred yards away from one of the 9 wolf packs of Wyoming as they howl into the afternoon.

Being able to "experience" learning through one's senses leaves a lasting impression and memory that is certain to remain with our students for a lifetime.” - Ed Gallagher, Head of Middle School

“Traveling provided the unique opportunities many of our students need. In some ways, they came to life when confronted with the challenges of travel and the rigors of the tour; they found inspiration in the landscape and people, ideas that will sustain them through the remainder of high school and likely beyond.”

- Joe Murphy, Upper School Faculty

“I feel that academic international travel is so key to our students' development as learners and global citizens. It was transformative for so many of them and such a joy to watch them engaging with the world in a new way and learning effortlessly through experience, when learning can be a real challenge for some of them in a traditional classroom.

Traveling broadened their horizons and allowed them to engage with and apply all of the knowledge that they accumulated over the course of the academic year in a practical and hands-on way.”

- Kelly Nichols, Upper School Faculty

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FACULTY RESOURCES WITH A GLOBAL FOCUS 1. Book: Courageous Conversations About Race, by Glenn E. Singleton. Recommended Summer Reading to be discussed next fall.

2. Website: Facing History and Ourselves https:// www.facinghistory.org/Check out this resource! Their mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry.

3. TED Diversity Talks - Check out the list of talks on Diversity Topics within the TED platform. Also, Verna Myers’ talk on “How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them” is a great one to see. (Image below)

4. Website: UN Sustainability Goals http://www.un.org/ sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-developmentgoals/ On September 25th 2015, countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets set for the next 15 years. Consider teaching the concepts of one of these goals.

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JUNE 1, 2018

AIM ACADEMY

FOUR THREADS NEWSLETTER

Global Greeting JAMBO! JAMBO, JAMBO SANA JAMBO HELLO, HELLO MY FRIENDS, HELLO OLA, OLA MIS AMIGOS, OLA BONJOUR, BONJOUR MES AMIS, BONJOUR SHALOM, SHALOM CHAVERIM, SHALOM

AIM Academy is committed to helping students broaden their perspectives through content, communication, and inclusion while preparing them for college and the world beyond.

The AIM Academy Center for Global Leadership works to support students and faculty to integrate global concepts, values, skills, and attitudes throughout each dynamic learning experience. Through resources, partnerships, units, and activities, students across grades 1 12 can learn about what it means to be global citizens on both local and global scales.

Students at AIM have options to:

- Travel internationally,

- Learn a new language (Spanish coming soon),

- Build solar power lights and hand made windmills while learning about other cultures,

- Read books by international authors from differing perspectives,

- Discuss new and challenging ideas with skill and empathy and much more.

"I say to you as students, as young people, as parents and teachers: never give up.

Never give in. Never lose faith. We will get there. We will create the beloved community.”

Center for Global Leadership

- John Lewis 25