How do you provide a child with a round-trip ticket to anywhere in the world—from the highest of mountaintops to the depths of the ocean? Reading offers students not only unlimited travel, but boundless knowledge and exploration that allows a growing mind to thrive. Reading during the summer vacation is especially important for young readers, […]
Striking it Rich: Gold Rush Plays at Berkeley Arts Magnet
How did 30 fourth graders at Berkeley Arts Magnet collaboratively work on writing a script, auditioning and performing a play successfully? With a lot of time, practice and guidance from their teacher, Ms. Madhuvanti Khare. This month, Berkeley Arts Magnet (BAM) fourth graders performed two plays set during the Gold Rush and we were lucky […]
Blackberry Creek Science Program: From Education to Action!
We recently visited Thousand Oaks Elementary School to observe the Creek Science program in action. The lesson took place at the nearby Blackberry Creek located just west of the campus. The hands-on and highly interactive Blackberry Creek Science Program is supported by a Strategic Impact Grant, involving all Thousand Oaks Elementary K-3rd graders in a grade-appropriate […]
Digital Microscopes Unite Science & Art
We visited a 4th and 5th grade science class at Malcolm X to observe students participating in two interactive science grants awarded in the 2017-18 school year, one for digital microscopes, and the other for nature journaling and sketching. Debra Hill, Malcolm X science teacher, was giving a lesson to 4th and 5th graders on protozoans […]
3D Printers: To Creativity and Beyond!
King Middle School computer teacher, Mr. Frank Torrano, has a vision and it involves computer-aided design (CAD), 3D printers and boundless creativity to help students leap into the increasingly digital future. When we visited Mr. Torrano’s Digital Media class to see what impact our Classroom Grant for software and 3D printers was having, we were […]
From Trauma to Peace: Mindfulness Program at Willard Middle School
Once a week at Willard Middle School, there’s an unexpected sight of a classroom full of students sitting still with their eyes closed. With the support of our Strategic Impact Grant, Willard Middle School has implemented a weekly Dynamic Mindfulness program where students engage in mindful ABCs (Actions, Behaviors, and Centering) during their Advisory period. […]
Music and Movement at the King Child Development Center
Before the winter break, we visited another Strategic Impact Grant “in action”, this time at the King Child Development Center (CDC) where transitional kindergarteners are taking a weekly dance class through the “Transitional Kindergarten Dance Collaborative” grant. Prior to the class starting, the children were eager to dance and move their bodies, their faces glowing with […]
Smiling Scientists at the UC Botanical Garden
When the docent at the UC Botanical Garden asked Berkeley Arts Magnet (BAM) kindergarteners, “Why is this season called fall?” the students responded, “Because the leaves fall!” while they made sweeping motions with their hands representing falling leaves. The students brought a lot of energy to the garden on the day we joined Benjamin Wilkins-Malloy’s […]
Building a Makerspace
There was palpable excitement in the former Longfellow Middle School cafeteria, soon to be re-purposed into a Makerspace, as students and their families arrived for a community work day to help build work tables. Tools, measuring tapes, and fasteners were organized in separate bins while the lumber was neatly arranged on one side. Matt Hinckley, a […]
Finding Our Voices: Rosa Parks Mock Trial
You look out into the room and see a sea of strangers looking at you, waiting for you to speak. Your palms start sweating and you feel the rush of adrenaline pumping through your body. For many of us, this is a situation that we’d like to avoid at all costs. Given that public speaking […]
