Adventures in After School Learning Blog

-By Mike DeBritz on Monday, May 21, 2012

Here is a sample from our Playing with Percussion DVD where Brian Melick walks teachers and students through the playing techniques for shakers.  This is the first of five home made percussion instruments students make and play throughout the course.  At the end of each activity, kids have fun starting a musical conversation with the Call and Response technique. Enjoy!

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, March 28, 2012

These things really never get old!

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Now that all the evidence has been analyzed, your junior CSI’s will determine which suspect they believe is guilty of smashing Mrs. Johnson’s cookie jar and stealing her cookies.  In this final module, students analyze all the evidence and prepare their case for a mock trial.

            Mrs. Johnson consulted her lesson plan and counted to herself on her fingers, trying to estimate how long it would take to help her students finally bring the case of the Cookie Jar Mystery to a close. It had been a few weeks since she and her students had discovered her broken cookie jar lying on the floor of her classroom.

            She looked out across her class and smiled silently and proudly. Every student’s head was down and every pencil was moving, dutifully completing her “Quick Forensic Review Quiz.” The students had done some amazing work over the past several class periods, and the quiz was designed to help them remember how they had come to think about evidence, crime, investigations, and their classroom experiments.

            After a few moments, the students began to complete their quizzes, and quietly came up to her desk to leave their sheets to be graded. Each student then returned to his or her desk, and waited for their classmates to finish.

            After 15 minutes had passed, everyone had completed the test.

            “Very good, class,” began Mrs. Johnson. “I’ll grade your quizzes tonight.”

            Mark raised his hand and Mrs. Johnson called on him. “Mrs. J, now that we’ve identified the guilty party, how is the criminal going to be punished?”

            Mrs. Johnson knew that moving her students to the next level of understanding was not going to be easy. “Well, Mark, what do you think we should do with the perpetrator?”

            “How about bake cookies once a week for the rest of the year!” suggested Mark.

            “AND buy you a new cookie jar!” Ashley chimed in.

            “So you think we’ve proven that our suspect is guilty, is that it?” asked Mrs. Johnson.

            “Well, wasn’t that the point?” asked Marta, a thoughtful girl from the Chess Club. “We gathered the evidence that—at least from my point of view—makes it almost completely unlikely that anyone else could have committed the crime.”

            “I’m with Marta,” said George. “We found so much evidence, especially with the hair and fiber experiments.”

            “Yeah,” added Jennifer. “We even found the suspect’s blood type at the scene of the crime.”

            “You’re all correct,” continued Mrs. Johnson. “That is the evidence. But in our roles as crime scene technicians, our jobs are to collect, identify, catalog, and process evidence. That is what we have done. . .”

            Mrs. Johnson paused. “In fact, let’s imagine that that’s exactly what we have done. Imagine that we were working for a police department. After we’ve dealt with all of the evidence, we write up our results (just as we would do with any science experiment). In order to make sure that we’ve followed proper procedure, we need to test our conclusion. It sure looks like we have figured out who broke the cookie jar, but we are just technicians. What would happen in a real crime?”

            Ashley’s hand was in the air. “The police would come and arrest the suspect.”

            “Correct.”

            “And the police would put the suspect in jail!” exclaimed Jack. “For a long, long time!”

“Hold on, Jack. You’re right about the suspect going to jail. But the police cannot keep the person in jail forever.”                  

            “But we proved our suspect is guilty!”

            Mrs. Johnson chose her next words carefully. “I think it’s very tempting to think we have solved the crime and proven the suspect guilty. But to be fair, that’s not really our jobs as forensic scientists. Like I said, we had to collect and process the evidence, and we did. But now it’s up to someone else to punish the criminal. And the only people with the power to do that are a judge and jury.”

            “I know where you’re going with this, Mrs. Johnson. The suspect has rights, too,” said Marta suddenly. “The suspect can’t be sent to jail just because we say so. We’re not a judge and jury. The suspect has a right to a trial.”

            “And a lawyer,” added George.

            “But we’re not lawyers!” whined Ashley.

            “Well, a few weeks ago we weren’t forensic scientists, either,” said Jack. “But look at us now.”

            “I believe you can be anything you want to be,” said Mrs. Johnson.

            “I could be a judge!” volunteered Marta.

            “A lawyer for me!” exclaimed Mark.

            “Me, too!” said Jennifer. “Or maybe I could just be on the witness stand, you know, like an expert!”

            “What do you say, Mrs. Johnson?” asked George. “Do you think we could have a trial?”

            Mrs. Johnson turned on her heel and reached down to floor behind her desk. Suddenly she stood up with a thick pile of envelopes in her hand. She handed one to each student.

            “A trial,” she began mischievously, “...is exactly what I had in mind.”

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The story continues as your junior CSI's delve deeper into the evidence found at the classroom crime scene. 

As usual, the fascinating Mrs. Johnson, a science teacher at Crooked Creek Middle, began her lesson with a story. Because the students had been trying to solve the mystery of who had broken Mrs. Johnson’s cookie jar, they knew her story would be another step toward understanding crime-solving techniques. All of the students leaned forward in their seats and gave Mrs. Johnson their full attention.

            “In 1888, all of Europe was gripped by the grisly murders committed by a mysterious man named Jack the Ripper. Investigators from Scotland Yard (the headquarters of British detectives) did their best to apprehend the criminal, but the terrible killer was never identified.

            At the turn of the century, the interest in solving crimes continued, and the flames of this interest were fanned by the ever increasing popularity of a series of stories about Sherlock Holmes, a fictional detective who used his keen powers of observation to solve mysteries.

            But all investigative techniques were quite simple until about 1910, when a Frenchman named Edmond Locard approached the Lyons, France, police department and set up one of the world’s first forensic laboratories. Locard had an important theory.”

            Mrs. Johnson stopped for a moment and called on George, who had raised his hand.

            “We’re going to talk about Locard’s Principle, aren’t we, Mrs. Johnson.” It was more of a statement than a question.

            Mrs. Johnson was impressed. “You seem to have done your homework, George.”

            George flushed with genuine embarrassment, but he continued, “I guess you could say I’ve been investigating!”

            “What can you tell us about Monsieur Locard, George?”

            “Well, let me demonstrate.” George stood up, and as he did so, he nudged Jennifer, who was seated in front of him, and indicated that Jennifer should stand up. She did. “Locard believed that people who are in contact with each other—even casually—“(and here George shook hands with Jennifer quickly) “exchange something, some kind of evidence. It’s usually something we don’t even see, like skin cells, fibers, hair, or even germs. If I just brush past Jennifer, I might pick up some fibers from her sweater.”

            “And I might exchange some hairs from you!” said Jennifer to George. She sat back down in her seat, and so did George.

            “Exactement! Exactly!” laughed Mrs. Johnson. “Excuse my French!”

            “So that’s Locard’s Principle, Mrs. J.?” asked Mark. “What does that have to do with our mystery? I don’t think two people were involved in breaking your cookie jar!”

            “Maybe not, Mark. But Locard’s Principle isn’t only about people running into each other, it’s also about the contact between people and things.”       

            “So, you mean, whoever broke the cookie jar must have left something behind?” asked Jennifer.

            “Some evidence was collected,” Mrs. Johnson continued. “I put it in an envelope marked ‘crime scene fiber.’ Let’s try an experiment and see what we can learn from applying Locard’s Principle!”

Continue the story in the next module, First Impressions, here!

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, February 15, 2012

In the module two of this version of the "Cookie Jar Mystery" students will begin to examine the evidence discovered at the crime scene discovered in module one.  The focus of this activity is analyzing the note left behind which is really two clues in one: the handwriting and the ink used to write the note.  As in the first module, the students are introduced to the module through a story:

In Mrs. Johnson’s science classroom, an awful crime has taken place: someone has broken her cookie jar! In an effort to solve the mystery of “whodunit,” Mrs. Johnson has decided to involve her students.

            “We’re not detectives,” began Ashley, shaking her ponytail doubtfully. “How can we solve the mystery?”

            “Well, this IS a science class,” said Mrs. Johnson. “We know how to do experiments. Investigating a crime is usually done by a team of technicians who’ve been trained in forensic science. Forensic science uses scientific tools and skills and experiments to solve crime-related puzzles.”

            “You know, just like they do on TV,” interjected Jack. “It’s just like CSI!”

            “You’re right, Jack. Forensic science is very popular right now, in television, books, and in movies. But it’s not entirely new! Some people think forensic science is new, but scientists have been using special techniques to solve crimes for hundreds of years.”

            “In our last class we examined the scene of the crime and took some statements from some of our suspects, but we weren’t able to determine who broke the cookie jar,” said Mark to his classmates. “What else can we do?”

            “Well, there was a note!” exclaimed Ashley. “That must be a clue!”

            Mrs. Johnson motioned for her students to take their seats. She crossed her arms in front of her and thought for a moment. “Ashley suggested that the note might be a clue, a kind of evidence. But evidence of what?”

            George, a normally quiet boy, spoke up. “Well, the note is evidence if it helps us figure out the truth.”

            “What do you think the note can tell us, George?” asked Mrs. Johnson.

            “Yeah,” said Mark. “It’s not like the criminal signed it!”      

             “If the paper was a special paper, too, like a certain color paper or graph paper, we might be able to connect it to a particular person.”

            “But this paper’s not special,” offered Jack glumly. “The note’s just on regular school paper, the same kind we all use.”

            “Well, maybe there’s something in the handwriting,” said George. “We don’t all write alike, so maybe we can figure out who the author is.”

            “Good, good thinking,” nodded Mrs. Johnson. “You’re on the right track. I’ve got two experiments for us today. First—as George suggested--we’ll tackle handwriting analysis. Then, we’ll use a special process called ink chromatography to see if we can match the ink on the paper to a particular pen.”

            Jack rubbed his hands together. “We’re hot on the criminal’s trail, Mrs. J!”

            Ms. Johnson laughed. “Let’s get started.”

Continue the story in the next module, Without a Trace, here!

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Have your students take a shot at a $30,000 scholarship in Google's Doodle contest, where students compete to create a logo based on "If I could travel in time, I'd visit…" theme. 

This could be great fun as an after school project that everyone could try. Here's the kicker the school would also benefit by receiving $50,000 technology grant!! 

 Take a look at the video below or click here to get all the details.  Good luck!

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Google Science Fair is back and from the looks of the world-class prizes at stake they've really taken it up a notch!

Take a look at this quick introductory video to learn more or click here to enter.

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Crowdfunding has picked up speed over the last couple of years with small businesses learning the finer points of promoting their projects and financial needs to large groups of people. 

So how can this trend benefit after school programs and other social enterprises?

The concept of getting buy-in from strangers to get behind a worthy project is closely tied to an individual’s social network.  How well a person can leverage their family and friends with the first wave of donations is critical.  Once a campaign picks up speed with friends telling their friends, others are likely to jump in and upward the dollars go!

Many programs have large numbers of former students and families who’ve greatly benefited from your services, which is a huge advantage. This is your social currency and built in fan base that would most likely help spread the word!

A little research may be well worth your time seeing how others have positioned their campaigns and how successful they were in reaching their goal.  Think about culminating events around one of your focus areas, such as bringing in a STEM related presenter or a visiting artist. 

Here are three projects I found with an after school angle that may provide inspiration:

• Think College Now After School Program
• After School Arts Program
• Children’s After School Music Program

With the large number of potential services to help your effort, it’s probably a good idea to narrow the field by beginning with sites such as Causes, Crowdrise, Network for Good, and FirstGiving.  Many of them have how-to articles and solid advice on planning a campaign.

Overall this is a interesting phenomenon worth exploring for after school programs.

Do you have a dream project that needs a financial jump start? This could be your big opportunity!

-By Mike DeBritz on Thursday, December 29, 2011

Along the same lines as the new versions of the  “Cookie Jar Mystery” and “Missing Money Mystery” we’re developing a smaller version of “Playing with Percussion” to be released in March.

We’ve heard from a number of sites interested in introducing students to world music but in a shorter format.  Our new version will focus on eight core lessons that can be delivered sequentially or standalone. They include step-by-step instructions on instrument construction and playing techniques. But now sites will be able to purchase just the Instructor’s Guide and DVD with student activity sheets provided on CD (similar to photo).

This new kit will allow sites to involve more students by building the activities and supplies (we’ll provide the shopping list) around the targeted population of kids. Also, site leaders can utilize the kit to productively fill any gaps in their instructors' schedules.

In addition, bonus material will be included on the Resource CD with plans on how to make other interesting “found object” instruments from recycled materials. Once students understand the core rhythms they can apply these techniques to any of the newly built instruments. 

With all the emphasis on STEM this year these hands-on projects will help sites knock off another requirement that can categorized nicely under the “Science of Sound” heading. 

Have a Happy New Year!

-By Mike DeBritz on Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Because school filters are getting tougher and tougher these days, I want to re-post some key information and links on our newest kit, "Screenwriting for Short Video: An Introduction for Teens."

Student Introduction:

Have you got the chops? The hook? The imagination? Before your video can collect “millions of hits” or connect with your social network on YouTube, Photobucket, Flickr or Vimeo, it’s got to be conceived, written and developed. Putting together the idea— “scripting” your film—that’s screenwriting!

Welcome to Screenwriting for Short Video: An Introduction for Teens, a 10-lesson introduction to writing the script for your own video. In this course, you’ll learn all the fundamentals of screenwriting, from coming up with a story idea, to developing your characters, working on dialogue, and exploring the basics of set design, action, and even publicity!

Each lesson is focused on a singular goal: providing you with the tools you need to write your own screenplay. It doesn’t matter if your film is a comedy or a tragedy, an animation or a horror film—it needs a screenplay.

By studying each lesson, playing games and participating in exercises with your friends, you’ll have the opportunity in every lesson to sharpen a new dimension of your screenwriting talent. You’ll also be given time to write, and learn how to format your screenplay just like the professionals.

In each lesson, you’ll also put on your film critic’s hat and watch a series of short videos that were produced by teens just like you! After you watch a film, you’ll score each one and then compare your reviews with your classmates. By watching films, you’ll study the details of filmmaking, and learn “what to look for” when you’re watching TV, video, movies or even commercials. Exercises like “conversational pairs” provide plenty of comic relief—screenwriting is fun!

In the end, you’ll be charmed with all you know and strut your own stuff during “Premiere Night” –when your classmates act out your screenplay (you’ll be the Director!) and our own unique awards, the Frannies, are awarded.

Screenwriters are Hollywood’s unsung heroes. And they are Hollywood’s best storytellers. Behind the dizzying rip of Jack Black’s guitar riffs in The School of Rock, Juno’s goofy infatuation, and Jon Heder’s awkward dance in Napoleon Dynamite, a screenwriter crafted the dialogue, helped pitch the film to studio executives, and communicated a vision of how characters should behave and move.

Everyone knows that JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series. But a screenwriter named Steve Kloves adapted her novels for 7 of the 8 films, translating Rowling’s hefty cast of characters and intricate plotting into one of the world’s most-loved story sensations.

What kind of sensation are you going to create?

Grab your pen and crack open that journal! Your “millions of hits” might be just a few pages away!

Structure of each weeks meetings and activities:

To make this course easy to teach in an after school setting, we designed a format that promotes active learning, discussions and clear goals for high school students.

Every lesson in Screenwriting for Short Video begins with an overview of the goals for the day and the timeline in which students should accomplish these tasks:

Activity 1 – Notes to the Student
This section included in both Facilitator's guide and Student Production Book is a hybrid of activities, including a brief review of material covered in the previous lesson, a “lecturette” or shared reading that covers new material in the lesson, and time for questions and answers. Occasionally, a brief activity supports the reading.

Activity 2 - Film Forum
Brings students together to watch a brief student-made short film, and to explore how new material covered in their notes may or may not be a factor in the screenwriter’s or filmmaker’s process. A discussion question set follows. Students will practice their higher order cognitive skills in evaluation by completing the Film Critic’s Scorecard for each film.

Activity 3 – Hands-On Activity
Innovative activities in every lesson engage students in fun, challenging tasks, such as deconstructing movie posters, experimenting with dialogue, inventing taglines, creating publicity strategies, writing film “treatments,” and many others.

Activity 4 – Unleash the WriteGeist
These 10-15 minute blocks in every lesson are set aside for students to write/work on their individual screenplays. These writing blocks immediately follow activities to help students quickly capitalize on what they’ve learned and encourage them to apply new information and techniques to their final products.

Activity 5 – Journal Jumpstart
Designed primarily to extend writing time, the “jumpstart” specifically directs students to attend to a fine point of screenwriting covered in the day’s lesson.

YouTube link to award winning teen videos

Sample Lesson

Pricing

I hope this is informative and accessible to all!