Category: Experiential Learning - My City School

Teaching Math - Remotely!

12/15/2020

Like other educational facilities, MCS made a hard turn this year from teaching in person to teaching online. This was a big challenge for all subjects, but Math was particularly challenging, considering our usual hands on approach. However, we quickly found that though switching to a virtual world created some initial challenges in math class, it actually had a lot of potential to make our class even stronger with their math skills!

When we approached remote learning for Math, we knew immediately that we wanted our students to still have a hands-on approach if at all possible. We sent manipulatives home for each student so they could have their own set to work with at home. We also used some online virtual manipulatives to create a more interactive experience between teachers and students. Over the summer, we discovered a treasure trove of activities on Desmos and Geogebra that closely align with our philosophy of inquiry and exploration. In addition, we have been able to create physical packets of work that our students can work directly on, so that they are not losing ground on content, but they are also pushing their technology skills forward and have grown so much.

Rather than flipping back and forth between the physical and virtual worlds, we have created a truly blended model that leverages the best of both worlds and ensures that our students are learning deeply and making connections between the physical, visual, and mathematical worlds.

The History of Zen

12/8/2020

This Time, it's History! We've been working on our Medieval Japan unit in Social Studies, and have been zoning in on the practice of Zen. Here, we have looked at the geography of Japan and the indigenous religion of Shintoism, and how that influenced Zen Buddhism. The students will be constructing their own personal Zen Gardens made out of popsicle sticks and sand. We are excited to see these finished projects, and get a chance to get our hands a little dirty! We're also playing a quick-paced game during class that involves reading, recall, and attention to learn content for this unit. Being able to build at home really helps make this learning come to life!

Making Molecules at Home!

10/6/2020

What makes Science even better? Making it edible! This week, our students learned the intricacies of molecules digging in hands-on, and building their own molecules out of gumdrops and toothpicks. Using an explicit labeling system, we color-coded our candy to match different elements, and took those elements to the next phase to create our molecules. Students even used a variety of toothpicks to represent stronger bonds between elements! Try using edible elements with your child at home to remember chemistry - it's a treat!

Science Matters - Studying Matter and Density at Home

9/8/2020

This week at MCS, we jumped in feet first to study the makeup of all things in our world - Matter! Everything in our world is made of matter, and it takes on many different forms, densities, and weights. Through hands-on experiments at home, students were able to observe how density of some objects can change if subjected to different environments, even if it's matter does not.

Students blew up balloons to help illustrate how even air has density, even though we can't see it. By comparing a blown up balloon in a bucket of water to a flat balloon, we noticed that the air inside changed the buoyancy of the balloon, and therefore its density. Similarly, when we placed a blown up balloon in a freezer, we saw it change shape as the air inside cooled down - again changing its density. Who knew studying air could be such a gas?!

Try doing some science experiments like this at home and see what you discover!

Science Fair Champions Once Again!

2/27/2020

It's happened again! Once again, it's time for Science Fair for our students to dive into the Scientific Process! Our integrated STEAM curriculum lets our students get into detail with collecting data and building graphs in Math, working on our Scientific Writing in Language Arts, and presentation and composition in Art. Through all their hard work and studies, our students were able to place in 2nd and 3rd, out of over 100 entries, in the San Francisco Science Fair this year!

This year, one of our featured students chose to focus her project around the effects of sugar on the human brain. She conducted research by survey, inviting test subjects to participate in the No Sugar Challenge for a week. After analyzing her data and comparing results, she found that out of her sample, most test subjects reported feeling overall less foggy and more focused after not consuming sugar for a week! Congrats to her, and all our students for all their incredible hard work on their projects - You guys are amazing!

The Magic of Cells - Adventures in Science

2/14/2020

The cells in our bodies do amazing things! They run our organs, repair skin, and keep us healthy as we grow. This week, we got to investigate the workings of our own cells and the scientific makeup of human beings at the Exploratorium.

It's not enough to just read about what's going on microscopically inside us; you've got to see it in action to really witness the magic. We saw our skin up close, got to study the differences between our facial structures, and even saw cells in a living heart! Students also noted different skin types and the bacteria found there (gross, yes. Interesting? Definitely!)

Our cells are impressive, but the way our senses help us understand the world around us is also incredible. Students dove into exhibits about perception, sound, and the physics of color and light to discover how our brains make sense of the world! So amazing to see the incredible machine that is the human body at work!

Gardening by the Lake

2/6/2020

It's a beautiful day in San Francisco, so why stay inside?! MCS headed out to our local lake to help the Parks and Rec Department clean up an island. With help from our P&R Rep, students learned which plants were invasive and which ones should be left to flourish. We spent hours removing long plants of ivy and meddlesome grasses to make sure native flowers and plants had room to thrive. Our students had so much fun getting down with the soil, some of them even asked to stay longer!

Everyone can make a difference! Contact your local Parks and Rec Department to volunteer and help make our world a litter greener :)

Genes in Action at Cal Academy!

1/30/2020

Ah, Cal Academy - learning hands-on at it's best! For us at MCS, the California Academy of Sciences is a perfect place for our students to explore scientific concepts first hand, and marvel at our world in an extremely experiential way. This week, our students headed out to the Academy to investigate how genes work, and the different ways animals adapt to their environment to survive. By studying animals that change markings over time, or adjust their colors to warn other predators, students were able to trace the genealogy of these animals and discover which traits were successful enough to pass down to future generations! Students then dove deeper and connected this to dominant and recessive genes, discovering which eye color was passed down in their families, how various physical traits are passed, and which features humans have retained after our first migration across the globe. Way to go to our Genealogists for being so investigative!

Benetech Research - Year 3!

12/17/2019

At MCS, we are not only focused on helping our students find their pathway into learning, but sharing these roadmaps with the educational world as well. This week, MCS got to once again work with one of our partners at Benetech to help develop technology for young learners. As a local non-profit, Benetech works to create software that makes it easier for impacted students to read and learn. MCS students got to test out reading software designed for similar learning types, and aid developers in collecting research for designing programs. Thanks to Benetech and people like them, more students with learning differences will have tools available to make learning more fun and accessible!

We are so happy to be able to connect with other non-profits and help them serve the LD community! This partnership has been ongoing for a few years now, and it's so wonderful to see the progress they've made :) To learn more about Benetech and their work in Education, visit their website here. Happy Learning!

MCS Joins Climate Crisis March

9/24/2019

As our world gets warmer, slowly consumed by trash and negative human impacts, it is more important than ever that we take a stand for our planet. This month, our students wanted to make sure their voices were heard by attending the Climate Crisis March in downtown San Francisco. Together, they joined thousands of passionate students from all over the Bay Area (and the world) to march in a fight for the future of our environment. Calls for action and responsibility were made throughout the streets as students carried so many handmade signs and flyers. It is so important that we work towards a better future, and so dire that students stand up for theirs - we are so proud of them!

With the world in its current state, we are quickly running out of fossil fuels, and are digging a larger and larger whole in our ozone. Our environment needs help, and won't be sustainable without appropriate action from humanity. As our Science class discussed when talking about energy, the current system of fuel is insufficient for producing what humanity needs long (or even short) term. By protesting in solidation with the powerful Greta Thunberg for renewable energy, our students are hoping to bring about action towards saving our world and their home. Visit the Climate Reality Project to learn about what you can do to spread awareness and help protect our planet today!