How do we build an Eco School of our own?

21st November 2018J Townson

E24’s most recent STEAM Learning Target was “I can evaluate to what extent my school meets the criteria to become an Eco School”. The Guiding Question for this joint HUMAN-STEAM expedition is “How can we build a place of our own?”

They researched what it takes to apply for Eco School Bronze Accreditation and presented their findings to E25 students; consequently they drummed up so much interest we now have 47 nominees for 8 positions on the new Eco Committee!

E24 students then carried out their own Environmental Reviews of the school, identifying what we are doing well and what we could improve on across 10 topic areas. Thank you to all the staff who helped in answering questions ranging from “do school meals use fish from sustainable sources?” to “what steps have XP East taken to reduce energy usage?” All of this builds on the work we have been doing since September on energy usage, sustainability and efficient building design.

Finally the students each created their own Action Plan with suggestions which the final Eco Committee may take forward in the real whole-school Action Plan. Here are photographs of a selection, including Nathan’s, which considered increasing student intake of fruit at sporting events; through live class critique of his work on the board Nathan could share his original ideas as well as gain constructive feedback as to how to improve his answers in the ‘monitoring’ column.


Watch this space to learn more about who is selected by their Crews for positions on the Eco Committee as well as the Committee’s final three focus topics for the school Action Plan…

Propaganda: Gallery Walk

By K Poncia19th November 2018

Today in 7Explorer, we have undertaken a Gallery Walk where we made notices about different propaganda posters used during World War One.

We paid particular attention to the language and images that had been used and we had to think about who the images were aimed at.

The litmus test is Friday afternoon!

By Jamie Portman16th November 2018

Getting into classrooms, talking to students and supporting staff is the single most important aspect of my work at XP East, and one of the biggest litmus tests for looking at the quality of what’s going on is always the end of the week – Friday afternoons!

Yet again, this is what I have seen:

Students redrafting work, students responding to teacher feedback, students using rubrics to support their progress, exceptional levels of productivity, excellent student behaviour, staff working their socks off, students working their socks off, small targeted group work, Padlets being used to support student progress… Oh and did I mention students and staff working their socks off?

Remember, if the litmus test is Friday afternoon – this is working, and its working very well!

Hey, dear everyone else in the world – what does Friday afternoon look like where you work?

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HUMAN Superstars!

By H Hickson16th November 2018

7 Pioneer are just over half way through their first expedition at XP East. Time is flying by, but I would like to take a moment to pause and appreciate the students in 7 Pioneer who have consistently worked hard throughout their time at XP East in Hums.

These pupils show our Habits of Work and Learning (HOWLs) to an excellent level. They always Work Hard, stay focused, and put their best effort into every piece of work they do. They Get Smart by responding to all critique and feedback given to their work, whether that’s from myself or their peers, so they can improve. They are always a pleasure to have in the classroom, they Be Kind to their peers and staff, and are always respectful and compassionate.

The other students in Pioneer are also close to this superstar status – let’s get the whole class there!

Here’s our Hums superstars: Thomas, Charlotte, Junia, Abi, Jess, Ava, Charlie, Alice, Dylan, Torran, Callum and Cerys, with their drafts and final draft of their First World War Letters. I would like to appreciate them for their fantastic conduct in Hums since being at XP East.  Keep it up!

Letters, Peer Critique and Tea!

By H Hickson15th November 2018

This week, 7 Pioneer have been busy drafting and re-drafting their letters from the perspective of soldiers in the trenches of the Great War. Each letter was inspired by a Doncaster soldier who is buried at Hyde Park Cemetery, whose life and death we explored during our fieldwork there.

The pupils have finished draft 2 and gave each other peer critique, making sure they were kind, specific and helpful in their feedback. A particular mention to Dylan S, Ava and Marcus who gave superb feedback that was kind, specific and helpful. Pupils get smart by responding to this feedback and using it to improve their work – it’s great to see the progression between each draft!

Before the final write up, there was one very important job for us to do! Pioneer stained paper with tea, ready for their final draft write up tomorrow. This will create beautiful work and give their letters a more authentic appearance, almost as if they’ve come straight out of the trenches on the Western Front!

Here’s Pioneer in action today:

     

A Letter from the Trenches: Draft 2

By K Poncia15th November 2018

Students in 7Explorer are working hard writing draft two of their letter from the trenches.

After reading teacher critique, listening to Callum read aloud draft one of his letter (which is amazing) and watching clips from Peter Jackson’s moving film ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ to inspire us even more, we are purple polishing to make our letters even better!

What is an Eco-School?

By A Parker14th November 2018

Today in STEAM 8 Pioneer have begun to explore what it means to be an Eco School.  We have done some research to find out what we have to do to gain accreditation, focussing particularly on what an Eco School looks, sounds and feels like.

This afternoon we’ll be carrying out an environmental review of our school, to help us evaluate to what extent we meet the criteria to become an Eco School.

 

Our Rebel Daughters

By A Parker13th November 2018

As E24 continue to explore how we can create a place of our own, 8 Pioneer have been looking at Women’s Suffrage and how it is related to Doncaster.

We have been analysing historical sources, exploring a woman’s place in society during the Victorian Era and examining why some women decided to fight for the right for them to have the vote, just like men!

We were fascinated to learn that Doncaster was actually a very important based for key Suffragettes, such as Lilian Lenton and Violet Key-Jones, due to its location and ease of movement offered by the railways.

This learning target has generated lots of discussion in class, including tackling the key question: “is violence ever justified?”

‘Exceptional Y7 Final Product: Remembrance Day Service’

By Jamie Portman9th November 2018

‘Exceptional!’

That’s how I described today’s Remembrance Day service at our school this morning.

The event acted as the ‘final product’ for the expedition ‘Over the top!’ (for parents who are new to XP East, every expedition has a final product that culminates in a Presentation of Learning in front of a wider audience).

In my closing remarks I emphasised that our Y7s have been with us for just 9 weeks.

That’s. 9. Weeks.

The people who witnessed today’s event (including myself) were staggered by what they saw: 45 minutes of 11 and 12 year olds reading extracts of their creative writing, reciting poetry, explaining military links from WW1 to modern day Science and performing scenes related to their work in Drama – in front of 250 people. The transitions and movements between the 20 plus segments during the service were all conducted by students. There was no one hidden behind the curtain whispering ‘NEXT!’ or ‘GIRLS YOU’RE UP’. They pulled it off due to the hours of preparation that went on throughout the week.

The event embodied the work of expeditionary learning – drawing on disciplines from different subjects and linking them together via a guiding question, combined with developing the character of students.

What I saw today was nothing short of exceptional.

Well done Year 7s and what a start to life at XP East!