Year Nine: Summer Reading Interdisciplinary Event

Joseph Case High School,   Swansea, Mass.

September 24, 2021

Eight years have passed after the success of our pilot 2013 school-wide interdisciplinary day focusing on Thorton Wilder’s Pulitzer prize-winning 1927 classic The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Since 2008, Joseph Case High School has had a school-wide reading title as part of our summer rading program.  Beginning with The Bridge of San Luis Rey, the program has blossomed into an authentic and organic interdisciplinary experience fior staff and students alike.

Here is a look back at more than a decade of summer reading titles:

2021  The Alchemist
2020  The Tattooist of Auschwitz
2019  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
2018  All American Boys
2017  A Man Called Ove
2016  Station Eleven
2015  Zeitoun
2014  The Alchemist
2013  The Bridge of San Luis Rey
2012  The Book Thief
2011  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
2010  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Now in Year 9, Case faculty members volunteered to read the book over the summer in preparation for an interdisciplinary event in September.  Teachers were challenged to come up with an activity linked to an allegorical work translated from the Portuguese. Some classes chose to spend the period focusing on the work; others looked for supplementary or complementary activities to be done in class, ranging from an entire lesson to one question within the given period.

Given last year’s COVID schooling experience, I thought the time was right to begin focusing on our future and to return to one of the most popular titles from the past decade.

The Alchemist reminds us of the power of dreams, whether you are a high school student, a new teacher, or an educator at the sunset of a career.  What is your next adventure?  Are you following your heart? Is the universe providing you with clues on how to navigate your next steps?

By the end of the school day, Joseph Case High school will again provide students with multiple opportunities to participate in and bear witness to a true, varied, collaborative and profound interdisciplinary experience.

Our 2021 activities include, but are not limited to:

English

To support the school-wide summer reading initiative on Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, students in English classes will engage in a variety of class activities that connect to philosophical questions including:

 1.     Fate, or freewill? Which one exists? Or do they both? How much are our efforts worth, if they really do mean something, or is fate already set in place and nothing is really in our control?

 2.     Are we rooted as members of our family and community, or do we desire to take risks and explore the extended world? 

 3.     Does Fatima, Santiago’s love interest, define herself by her resignation to and support of Santiago’s quest or is her role as a woman defined by the society?

Math

The math department will be analyzing revenue, cost and profit functions in the context of the crystal merchant’s shop in The Alchemist. The complexity of the functions will vary depending on grade.

History

For World History II, United States History I, United States History II, Contemporary Issues, Introduction to Law and AP United States History:

• Using the map, students will trace Santiago’s voyage for his Personal Legend using your book or knowledge of geography. For this task, students will label all of the countries that Santiago would have traveled through (for example, Spain and Egypt would be the starting and ending points). Lastly, using contemporary issues, what do students Santiago would have experienced today if he were to take that journey? For Law class, students will also discuss the various legal systems throughout these nations and contrast them with the United States.

Psychology

• Students will be analyzing a recurring dream in an attempt to discover the meaning, and if it connects to their life journey.

Business and Economics classes

• Our class will be discussing how the following key themes of the text tie into the business world and the various business disciplines we are covering, in addition to how it affects them personally. We can look into the economics of some of Santiago’s decisions, the entrepreneurial spirit in the glass shop and how business/careers follow a similar path to the “personal journey”.

Science

• Adaptionary!: Students will become familiar with adaptations of desert plants and animals, then play a Pictionary-style game to showcase adaptations that would help them survive in a desert.
• Personal Legends of Science: Students will explore the history of some major scientists and examine their roles in society during their time and the sacrifices they made.
• Lost in the Desert!: Traveling for days in the desert, Santiago was always at risk for losing his camel and becoming lost in the desert…what could happen to him?!
• Turning Copper into Gold: Students and/or teacher will act as alchemist apprentices and learn how to turn copper into gold!
• Stellar Alchemy-Nucleosynthesis: Students will learn about the process of nuclear fusion within stars, and how it transmutes elements from lighter ones to heavier ones.  When a massive star dies and explodes, the energy unleashed can produce all of the remaining elements on the periodic table – including gold!

World Language

• Spanish I & II: Students will work in groups of three to answer questions about the summer reading. Students will be given a worksheet that contains detailed questions.  Some questions are multiple choice and other questions are open ended.
• Spanish III & IV:  Students will read a cultural point about the Arab influence and historical presence of present day Andalucía from the former Al-Andalus.  Students will explore Arabic terms that are used in the Spanish language because of the Muslim kingdom that occupied the Iberian Peninsula for over 700 years.
• Portuguese I & II:  As a way to learn new vocabulary, the students will be introduced to Portuguese words related to characters and terms from The Alchemist. Their goal will be to identify corresponding elements from the reading. An engaging discussion will follow that will include topics such as dreams, mottos and myths. 
• Portuguese III:  Students will work in groups of two and will draw out their favorite scene from the book. Students will write sentences in Portuguese describing their illustrations.

Technology Education

• Computer Science: Students will use Scratch programming to recreate one of 3 scenes of their choice from “The Alchemist.”
• CAD: Using TinkerCAD www.tinkercad.com, students will select one of the book cover illustrations of “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. They will then re-create a 3D model of the selected cover.
• Instructional Technology: On a journey!:  In class, students will be surveying a variety of hand tools and their appropriate application. Students will have access to a variety of materials to practice their newfound tool skills. Cut that wood!
• Video and New Media: In The Alchemist, Santiago “follows his dream” to search for treasure. Students will be “dreaming up” their first experimental film ideas as well as previewing samples of student experimental films from past years.  We will also discuss the cliche nature of the “it was just a dream” sequence frequented in novice movies and how it can be avoided in student filmmaking.

Phys Ed / Health

• Freshmen Academy:  students will be designing a Tabata workout based on preferences and personal areas of improvement.  
• Child Care: There will be discussion of how personal choices and outlook change based on the different stages of life perspectives. 
• Phys Ed: The students will be taking part in a choose your own destiny type of activity as a way to improve one’s fitness level through a variety of self-determined games of chance and choice. 
  

Fine Arts

• Visual Arts: “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting, he thought, as he looked again at the position of the sun, and hurried his pace.” 
  • Students will have a discussion about one’s Personal Legend and the journey one must take to achieve their dreams or purpose in life. Inspired by the quote above, students will create a visual interpretation in their sketchbooks that illustrates their own Personal Legend or the pursuit to discover what their Personal Legend is. This can be done through pictures and/or text using their choice of art materials.
• Drama: In each class, students will perform I Want Songs and monologues and relate them to each character’s own Personal Legends. The class will respond with valuable feedback to spark conversation. At the end of class, students will write and start to perform their own Personal Legend monologues. 
• Public Speaking: Public Speaking students will present two minute monologues on their own Personal Legends. They will have the first ten minutes of class to compose their speeches and then they will present them for the class. 
• Music: In each class we will be discussing the danger of fear. The main character had to face his fears in order to achieve his Personal Legend. Much like Santiago, today’s students have to take risks to leave their mark and find themselves.
• Stage fright, peer judgment, and lack of confidence are all obstacles to be overcome by students in the performing arts. I will share my story of overcoming these obstacles and encourage students to talk about what it is they fear or feel that blocks them from taking risks.

CACE

• History: (Geography) Students research Andalusia and prepare a slideshow with images, facts, and general information about the cultural aspects of that region.
• English: Students are provided a list of inspirational messages, ideas, themes from The Alchemist and they choose one to write about how it applies/informs their present or future life
• Academic Support: Pyramids- Students will research the Great Pyramids of Egypt and pick a method to demonstrate their knowledge via
  • Art Project
  • Create a Slideshow or other type of computer presentation
  • Fact Sheet/Study
• Physical Education: Students will begin recording distances walked during PE class and develop a class bar graph to illustrate their ongoing progress of walking from Andalusia to Tangier
• Math: Using mathematics, teachers and students will work on accurately predicting another student’s secret number, year, name or month. Students will use Umim and Thummim (black and white stones) to makes their responses with “yes” or “no.” 
• Science: Students will review different types of wind and learn how to convert wind speeds using the metric system. Objective will include how to convert between different wind-speed measurement units (knots, miles per hour, kilometers per hour, meters per hour).

ARCH

The ARCH room will be doing a goal setting activity. Students will set a goal-setting activity to help them achieve “their personal legend.”  Then students (with support as needed) will set up steps to help them achieve their “personal legend.”

Guidance

The department will post on the guidance website five lessons we learned from reading The Alchemist and display these lessons in the guidance suite.

Part I – #shadowastudent in the midst of a pandemic

When we returned to full school — at least the end of hybrid and remote alternate days that ended in the middle of April — I spoke with junior Ethan Gonsalves with whom I shared a shadow experience when he was a freshman.

Wouldn’t it be insightful to once again shadow a student and see the school through a student’s pandemic lens? And since we already had connected in this capacity before, a pandemic shadow would be easy to build upon.

After contacting his parents, we chose two school days in the same week: one in which I would shadow him early in the week; he would be my shadow as a high school administrator at the end of the week.

We met in the parking lot, traveled to his locker, and began the day in Intro to Law.

The teacher began the class by continuing to build relationships with students, checking in on yesterday’s success in baseball and softball, and debriefed about the recent assessment as to the topics covered on it.

The teacher used Kahoot to poll students about Capstone, school schedule, school WiFi restrictions, and other hot topics.

Students certainly felt free to share their opinions that reflects on the strength of the relationships that were formed this semester in this elective.

First period was a reflection of the power of student voice and the necessity to create forums for students to express their views and adults in the community to listen.

Part VI – ending #shadowastudent day challenge strong

I don’t speak Spanish.  But I wish I did.

My shadow Matt ended this day in a high energy, collaborative, competitive Spanish II class.  Who knew that verb conjugation could be fun?

Senora Catia Pereira does!

Her activator is a good-natured challenge when the class is split into two groups.  I’m glad I was on the two-time winning side, though I contributed nothing to the win.  Heck, I was better in basketball earlier in the day than I was in Spanish.

There is no doubt that there is JOY in studying a world language at Joseph CaSe High School, thanks to passionate educators such as Catia Periera.

The students even seemed happy taking their assessment following the activator.  Perhaps they were proud to be given an opportunity to demonstrate their level of mastery.

She reviews after the quiz so students can gauge their performance.

With 22 minutes left, she changes strategies for the fourth time in the period: students will construct a “diamond poem” that focuses on their current unit on health.  Personalized. Student-centered. Authentic application.

She also has arts and crafts supplies for students to decorate the poem.

And students remain engaged, excited, and highly motivated. Last period.

Why?  Because in this final class on a February 14th school day, there is passion in Room 255.

Which is the greatest Valentine’s gift for this high school principal in his last class of shadowing today.  ¡Gracias, Sra!

WRAP-UP – #shadowastudent in the midst of a pandemic

Thank you Ethan for being so generous to me today. This was a unique opportunity for a school administrator to see the school from not only a student lens, but a lens that has been altered by a pandemic.

I am so grateful for the wonderful teaching and learning I bore witness to. Much thanks to Assistant Principal Chris Costa who helped make this happen.

I found rich perspective. I also now have a few questions to investigate.

Most of all, I look forward to Friday when Ethan joins me in the main office for a #shadowtheprincipal opportunity.

Right now: I’m exhausted and need a nap. Being a student full-time during a pandemic is EXHAUSTING!!

Part VII – #shadowastudent in the midst of a pandemic

The final period of the day was Spanish III. The focus of the class was assessment of the imperfect verb tense. Although this seems like an ordinary curricular demand that would happen in any world language class, this year’s challenges makes this pandemic test more of an event.

The teacher distributes a paper copy of the test to the the class, but has to administer an online, digital exam using a completely different forum for her concurrent remote students.

And this is not isolated to this classroom or this school. Across the world, teachers are instructing AND ASSESSING in real time in multiple venues.

It’s twice the work, twice the preparation, and twice the time to schedule to correct.

Concurrent in-person/remote teaching has necessitated that teachers work harder than ever before, and learn in real time how to instruct and assess in totally new ways.

After the test, the teacher led the class — both in-person and remotely — through an exercise to defend their verb choices in an exercise involving Superman.

The topic of the discussion was no coincidence to me.

Teachers were always heroes in my eyes. Now, they have emerged as super-heroes.

Because they truly TRULY care.

Part VI – #shadowastudent in the midst of a pandemic

The ability to determine statistics and probability is a higher-order function of analysis and application. Given data, the teacher challenges students to determine a conclusion. Given scenarios, the class determine some key factors , then predict an outcome.

More importantly, the teacher is establishing a firm foundation for students to be successful in a Statistics course after this junior year math experience. Students are 100 percent engaged in looking into authentic problems and working until the questions are resolved.

The work is not easy. But it is skill-building, challenging, and applicable. Tonight’s homework will run the students through the procedure.

The bigger picture: the importance of PROCESS in discovery and problem-solving. Not everything is a quick fix, a Google search, or rote memorization.

Sometimes you have to build muscle strength through practice that heightens the importance of the journey.

Process is important to recognize. It helps support the WHY by understanding the HOW.

And — like many times in life — please show your work.

Mask Break – #shadowastudent in the midst of a pandemic

The loneliness of lunch was erased by a mask break.

Becuase we had to readjust our schedule back in late summer and add a lunch period in order to feed the school in a six-foot, socially-distanced setting, there was an extra 25 minutes during the lunch period so that classes could provide an extended mask break.

I have never been a part of a class’ mask break before.

We removed our face coverings outside, spaced ourselves accordingly, and walked the track in a small group.

I learned a lot in three laps around the track. I learned of a disconnect I have to address next year in providing a historical base to our Capstone and remind all stakeholders about its roots and origin at Joseph Case High School. I got a chance to learn of some students’ early post-secondary plans. I also discovered three birthdays today.

A group of juniors also advocated that I start to listen to some country music and helped me look at a playlist.

Mask breaks are for physical health reasons — to remove the masks in order to breathe freely while appropriately distanced outside.

Mask breaks also renew your spirit and give you hope for a better time without these facial coverings.

Mask breaks help build relationships — with some limitations, but without restriction.

Lunch – #shadowastudent in the midst of a pandemic

I ate lunch.

In a student-filled room.

Alone.

At a table in front of the Learning Common that was vacant.

We all faced forward. I was six feet from the nearest neighbor.

Most of us ate and looked at our phones.

My shadow was in the rear of the Learning Commons in his assigned seat. There were no open seats.

Lunch is a little lonely. After checking my email, I searched some info on a possible spot I might visit this summer.

But I really spoke to no one, because of proximity.

Lonely lunch made me realize how important the socialization factor is during our noon repast. I hope that the COVID data supports a return to a more normalized lunch room — where small groups can dine and talk and laugh.

And not feel lonely in a room of more than 50 people.

Part V – #shadowastudent in the midst of a pandemic

Last week, the national AP exam was given in U.S. History. From now until the close of school in three weeks time, stduents in this junior class will focus on small group projects that address the state’s new Civics requirement for graduates. Students collaborate, construct and present a plan that addresses one spoke in the giant wheel of civics education.

My shadow’s group is looking at partisanship in social media.

While the regular classroom teacher is out today, the substitute is able to refer to Google Classroom for the class’ small groups to continue to work on this.

On a larger scheme, this project is reflective of the four prior classes I attended today: the importance of student voice, choice, accessibility, and transferable skills. After identify in a profound concern, students gather information to support their plan, collaborate with each other (one student from Ethan’s group is entirely remote), and present their proposal to their peers.

Students are using this period strategically to talk about this project, and working together in preparation for an upcoming assessment later today.

We can safely add time management to the list of skills that were honed today.

Part IV – #shadowastudent in the midst of a pandemic

I haven’t been part of a chemistry class — at least for an entire period — since I had Mr. Lewandowski at Joseph Case Case High School in 1978-79. Today, students were studying MOLES.

Posted on the classroom board: “How many moles of NaBr will be produced when 0.69 mol of bromine reacts according to the following equation: Br2 +2NaL ==> 2 NaBr +I2 ?”

The equation was enough to make me break out in a sweat.

This problem did not present any problem to students in this Chem class. Students had well-rehearsed routines, were provisioned with tools to make them successful, had the technology they needed to be successful.

The teacher posed many complicated, higher-order thinking questions in which the students responded with confidence.

Although I might not have truly understood the minutia, I can recognize well-established patterns, clear expectations, and a classroom where risk-taking is commonplace. These students knew what was expected on them and 100 percent of the class were engaged and contributed to the problem-solving.

Maybe what resonated for me in this class was really less about content and more about the development transferable skills. In the search for solutions — whether in chemistry or in life — practice will make you a better problem-solver.