dear readers (if there are any!),
I am trying again. this isn't going to be my thesis project anymore. I have a new one, and I think it will be fine. Now all I have to do is to DO IT! I wrote five plays for my classes to perform over the years, and I am putting them together with some production notes, some introductory commentary, and a conclusion. If anyone has experience writing plays for children to perform, please let me know.
Now, that said...
It's the start of a new school year. I am taking a group of my students to see an exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts called "A Mirror of Nature: Nordic Landscape Painting." We'll be in fourth grade this year when we hear the stories of Odin, Thor, Loki, Freya, and the rest of them. I'm pleased that I can get 3/4 of my class together to see these paintings before they leave. This is the only North American stop for this exhibit, and I want them to start to get a feel for the lands and seas the Vikings traveled.
Last time I was teaching grade 4, the Smithsonian traveling exhibit "The VIkings" was at the Science Museum of Minnesota. It was perfect timing, and the children were delighted to see the material vestiges of the culture to which we had built such a connection over the year.
I have grand plans this year. Grand plans. I hope to keep good records, make accurate assessments of the children's skills, and keep from getting too run down. Also, I hope not to give up on lesson preparation after the class play is done!
