Academic Updates from Jen Herdina

The TTS21 family has settled into the routine of days filled with experiential learning and regular conversations in Spanish.  Earth Lodge greeted everyone with lush green mountainsides and a view of 3 volcanoes encircling the city of Antigua.  The girls were smiling ear to ear as el Fuego regularly puffed its ash and smoke into the sky.  By night, the volcanoes feel behind evening clouds and the lights of Antigua slowly lit up the ground far below our cozy home.  The first week of our adventure began with group games and visits to the local elementary school, el Hato.  Every student quickly settled down with the young children, practicing Spanish and communicating with smiles and laughter.  As the week progressed, the girls’ confidence in Spanish grew immensely.  Today, the whole TTS21 family is comfortable exploring Antigua in small groups, completing scavenger hunts and navigating the busy cobblestone streets.  As we leave Antigua, the girls are looking forward to their first big transit experience, and swimming in the calm waters of northeastern Guatemala.

Goodbye Cake for Gennifre

Algebra 2:

The students in Algebra 2 began the semester with a review assessment while appreciating their incredible outdoor classroom and its views.  The class discussed strengths, fears, and areas needing improvement before embarking on polynomial equations.  Already in the second week of the semester, the class has completed several assignments involving multiplication and division of polynomial functions, while simultaneously reviewing concepts from earlier in the year.  As the students leave Antigua later this week, the class looks forward to solving some practice problems while soaking their feet in the beautiful turquoise waters of a Guatemalan river.

Natural Science:

Science in TTS21 began with an exercise in observation as students, working in pairs, were blindfolded and led to a random tree around Earth Lodge where each student had to describe their tree in as much detail as possible.  After an adventurous walk back to our starting place, the girls removed their blindfolds and had to locate their specific tree.  The class quickly learned how using all of your senses and paying close attention to minute details can make all the difference in identification of similar species.  Students are now expected to complete weekly field journal entries, again practicing their observation skills as they actively explore the various biomes we will be visiting this semester.  Students have also completed sense journals, cloud tutorials involving interpretive dance, and are currently working on biome presentations.  Each student brings such immense enthusiasm and curiosity to class discussions, and the ambition of the group has led to a class generated assignment of regularly graded sensory observation reports.  As we leave the cloud forest above Antigua and enter the rainforest, we will continue to explore our surroundings and dive into complex research questions.

Math Concepts:

The math concepts curriculum began with a discussion of the decision-making process and a full analysis of how each student chose to participate in TTS this semester.  Students studied and then acted out the various strategies a person can use while making decisions.  The facial expressions and voice alternations kept everyone laughing as students demonstrated their own methods of chosing to study abroad: spontaneity, agonizing, and critical analysis.  The unit of study continued with a review and discussion of the various influences that affect different people when facing complex decisions.  Following practice scenarios, the students each created their own list and shared them with their peers.  As the class has now begun to visit the local markets of Antigua, the curriculum will be continuing into the world of budgets, savings and checking accounts, and how to track spending throughout the TTS semester.