Academic Updates from Jen

Global Studies:

The curriculum of Global studies class has provided the girls with a wide variety of new experiences.  From a traditional Maya medicinal plant walk through the gorgeous valley of Semuc Champey, to a bird’s eye view of the ruins of Tikal, Traveling School students have definitely been absorbing their surroundings as much as possible.  Passionate classroom discussions on human rights were held amongst the base of rain forest canopy trees, only to be interrupted by a troop of wild howler monkeys who apparently also wanted to have their opinions heard.  Each week, the students have continued to each write a reflection essay based on a single moment from their week that particularly struck them.  Their Reflection, Reaction and Response essays (RR&R’s) on the historic civilizations of Tikal and Palenque reflected on the fragility of man, and the interconnectedness of the human race to the environment.  For the midterm, students will each create an artistic expression which visually represents their experience so far in Central America.

Algebra 2:

The Algebra 2 students have been working hard, meeting every day for the past few weeks to prepare for midterms.  The students are determined to continue with their studies, even as our travels have literally taken us to the jungle and back again.  As the rest of the TTS21 family was finishing their prep work for the whitewater rafting trip, the class met for a quick half hour before joining the rest of the group.  The students took turns on the whiteboard demonstrating their strategies to various complex problems.  They competently completed their review on matrices, polynomial equations and solving for multiple variables in an equation.  The girls have worked diligently and will soon be completed with logarithmic and exponential equations as well.

Science:

The science class has been busy completing their unit of study on rain forest ecology and population science of ecosystems.  The students toured the ruins of Tikal with notebooks in hand, attentively taking notes on the various adaptations and symbiotic relationships of the different plant and animal species that call the Tikal rain forest home.  Each student then composed a poem depicting what they had learned, including details on the regional human impact as well as the general rain forest biome.  The class continued their studies of ecosystems by discussing and comparing the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, phosphorus, water and nitrogen.  For the upcoming midterm exam, the class will create an illustration that demonstrates the interconnectedness of each nutrient cycle and how human involvement has driven each cycle to different extremes.  Following midterms, the curriculum will continue with discussion on the region's tectonic plates as well as various topics relating to astronomy.

Math Concepts:

The Math Concepts students have progressed through several units of study throughout the past couple of weeks.  Each student reflected on the significance and general benefits of maintaining a current transaction log and budget.  The class also discussed the various advantages and disadvantages relating to the application process and use of credit cards.  The students each shared their experiences working with debit and credit cards within their families, and the different reasons people may choose to apply for all of the different cards currently available to interested buyers.  The class then put their math skills to the test as they computed how much extra money they would spend on interest if they did not pay off a credit card balance efficiently.  As midterms approach next week, the students will each create their own personal financial planning guidebook which will include information on different bank account options, credit card options, and financial goals for the future.  Shortly after midterms, each student will begin the process of creating a resume and preparing for a mock interview which will mimic a potential job opportunity in the future.

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