Now that the weather is turning colder, we have moved our flex time activities inside. This week we spent our Problem-Solving Block tackling two different sets of challenges in the form of digital Break Out boxes. If you are unfamiliar with Break Out challenges, they are a lot like Escape Rooms that you can bring into your home or classroom. Digital Break Out challenges require teams to solve a series of puzzles using clues provided in text, images, videos, and other multimedia on a laptop or other device. Our two challenges ("Zombie Outbreak" and "The Nutty Professor") were really difficult, but some teams were able to solve one in its entirety and almost complete the other as well in only an hour!
After Problem-Solving, we took some time to discuss the changes that are happening in our grading system this year as we transition to proficiency-based learning. Now that we are sending home report cards for the first time, it is critical that students are able to explain to their parents and other family members what their assessment scores mean for them as individual learners. The video below provides a good overview of why we have chosen to move toward proficiency-based learning and grading. If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact any of the middle school teachers!
During Integrated Inquiry, students continued to explore their topics of interest. They are compiling a list of credible sources, along with key details from each source, and we will be organizing that information next time to use for projects in the near future.