Curriculum

December 6, 2022

December Newsletter: We Are the Light, We Are the Hope

Carol Curriculum, Events, Fundraising, Hope Hall, NewsFeed, Newsletter, Success Stories December Newsletter 2022, Hope Hall curriculum, Hope Hall School, Sister Diana

For this month, Sister Diana reflects on the dark days of December, when “the light in our northern hemisphere is very much diminished,” noting that it reflects a certain darkness surrounding us in our city, nation, and our world.

She points out that this makes it so important for each of us to become a point of Light and Hope.

Because we are all connected, we can spread that light and hope, and become a force for good. When we do something purposeful for others, and recognize the things in our own lives for which we are grateful, “We can make a difference. We can make someone else’s world better even in a small way.”

She also shares tips for bringing that sense of connection, light and hope into the lives of our children.

In this issue, you’ll also:

Meet our Student of the Month (Adelina, a.k.a. Addie Hunneyman) and discover how she was chosen for this recognition by the Rochester A.M. Rotary Club.
Discover the achievements of two of our Alumni
Learn about our new and upcoming Celebrate Hope Interactive Open House on February 17.
Check out how our Trailblazing Blackhawks did in the Pumpkins in the Park 5K run.
Read several of “The Animal in Me” poems from the 6th Grade Poetry Project. (To see all of “The Animal in Me” poems, Click here.)
Learn how our 2022 Annual Appeal makes a difference in the lives of our students
See our “Twelve Days of Hope Hall Values” Christmas and Holiday Greetings.

Click on the newsletter below to download and read the issue.

December 1, 2022

The Animal in Me 6th Grade Poetry Project

Carol Curriculum, NewsFeed Hope Hall curriculum, Ms. Mariya Gunda, Poetry

Students act out the animal about which they wrote

Almost all children love animals, so to help her students discover poetry and study figurative language, Middle School ELA Teacher Mrs. Mariya Gunda presented a project, asking her 6th grade students to get in touch with their “inner animal.”

They began by talking about the differences between literal and figurative language, and discovered that in literal language you say exactly what you mean, using no comparisons. Figurative language, on the other hand, is full of comparisons such as similes, metaphors and hyperboles.

Then, using venn diagrams, they explored characteristics of different animals to discover which qualities were shared by multiple animals. The students then associated those qualities with their own personalities, using the animals as a metaphor.

“I really wanted them to be able to link the lesson to themselves. We imagined how the animals would react,” she said, explaining how they talked about the imagery that would go with those reactions, getting to the core of the animal’s being to encourage vivid descriptions.

Following completion of their poems, the students read their poems aloud in class, often using body language to act out their animal.

Below are the Animal in Me Poetry Project poems written by students in Ms. Gunda’s 6th Grade Class. Click on the poem to download a pdf.

Dominic

Aurora

Logan

October 20, 2022

Plein Air Art

Carol Curriculum, Multi-sensory, NewsFeed, Uncategorized

When students are learning to create art, it’s important to give them the opportunity to work with a wide variety of mediums, in order to discover what tools they enjoy working with, and what style best suits them.

Last week, when the weather was beautiful, Art Instructor Mr. Aydin Ture took the students outdoors to paint en plein air (French for outdoors) using acrylic spray paint on canvas.

The difference between acrylic spray paint and traditional oil-based spray paint is that acrylic dries faster and combines some of the same properties as oil paint and watercolor. Fortunately, it also washes off more easily!

May 9, 2022

ASL Classes Experience a Deaf Blind Workshop

Carol American Sign Language, Curriculum, Multi-sensory, NewsFeed Accessibility, American Sign Language, ASL, Deaf Blind Workshop, Ms. Sarah Hauser, multi-sensory learning

The theme for this year’s ASL Classes is “Accessibility,” which led ASL Instructor Sarah Hauser to develop a wide variety of experiences in her curriculum. In multi-part Workshop Ms. Hauser taught over the past few weeks, students got an opportunity to experience a simulation of what it would be like to be DeafBlind, and how they, as students, could help someone they encounter who has these physical challenges.

Part 1 of Workshop

Having taken a semester of DeafBlind interpreting, Ms. Hauser decided to provide her students with a DeafBlind Workshop. In the first part of the workshop, the students wore goggles that were treated to simulate aspects of low vision and blindness, including:

- cataracts
- glaucoma
- tunnel vision, associated with Usher’s Syndrome, a very common DeafBlind illness
- low vision

She then set up five work stations around the room so the students could experience what it would be like to try to perform everyday actions with vision loss. The students found it quite challenging to do such activities as unlocking combination locks, sorting buttons by color and size, finding images within another image, measuring water, and determining what was in a box when their vision was obstructed.

I Spy

Button, Button, Who's Got a Button

And the number is....

Little Drops of Water

Part 2 of Workshop

The next phase of the workshop was to experience what it would be like to be a person who was Deaf and Blind, and to be the guide for such an individual.

Before starting the Workshop, they discussed the need to follow COVID protocols. They also talked about how important it was to take the experience seriously so no one got hurt, and to trust and rely on their classmate guide. The classmates then paired up, each taking a blindfold and a pair of ear plugs. The students alternated being the guide.

Becoming the Guide

They learned that the proper etiquette to notify someone who is deaf and blind that they are willing to help is to tap the person gently on the shoulder. Next, they allowed that person to determine whether s/he preferred to put a hand on the guide’s shoulder and follow behind the guide, to hold the guide’s upper arm, or to wrap their arm through the guide’s arm and walk alongside.

When guiding the person, the guide should walk at an even, normal pace, giving the person enough space so they won’t bump into obstacles.

To help a DeafBlind person sit down, the guide puts the person’s hand on the back of the chair, so they can find where the chair is and seat him or herself.

The students alternated guiding each other around the room until they felt comfortable, before they attempted going down the stairs, or out onto the playground.

Going Down the Stairs

Some of the students found relying on another to go down the stairs very challenging.

To help a DeafBlind person descend the stairs, you take them to the edge of the stairs, stop, and take their hand to put it on the railing. Then, the guide descends one step and stops, until the person they are guiding goes down that step. The guide then steps down one more stair, and so on.

If these steps are followed, both the guide and the DeafBlind person can both get down a set of stairs safely.

Every class took their assignment very seriously, and they all felt they got a lot out of the Deaf Blind Workshop.

Excerpts from students’ post-workshop essays:

- “It can also be hard not to hear when people are talking because it makes you feel like they are talking about you.” ~Lexi Gagner
- “A daily problem that DeafBlind people face that I got from this workshop is having to use more of their senses instead of their eyesight. A DeafBlind person would also need a professional guide.” ~ Lamar Bennett
- “The word thing of all was trying to walk outside, trying to step over the barrier. I had Mi’Year as my guide. He was a good guide because he didn’t lead me into a door or fall down the stairs.” ~Derrick Crawford
- “During the water station I had mixed emotions. I was nervous I might spill the water. I was curious to see what would happen. I was proud of myself because I got really close to how much water should be in the container. I was uncomfortable because I got wet. At the end I realized how hard it was to be blind.” ~ Julian
- “The most challenging activity in the workshop was when we had to solve locks while half blind. It was very difficult to do, it was so hard to the point where we didn’t even finish. After doing the activity it make me think, “This is how hard [it is for] DeafBlind people [to] live in the world,” and I was grateful to know the fact that I can hear and see.” ~ Caleb Hall

Ms. Hauser wishes to thank Ms. Eaker, Ms. Fouchie and Ms. Hamilton for pushing into the workshop classes to make sure everyone remained safe throughout the class.

For more about Hope Hall’s ASL Program, CLICK HERE to view a video from the ASL class’ “Around Town” Unit.

April 28, 2022

Making Sustainable Books

Carol Curriculum, Multi-sensory, NewsFeed Coptic Book Binding, Dolce Method for Learning Mastery, Environmental Science, sustainability

Ms. Shelby Dunning tries to focus on real-life applications in her Environmental Science classes. The year began with her classes exploring such topics as ecosystems, carrying capacity, bioms, carnivores vs. herbivores, and other topics pertaining to the environment. They then transitioned to environmental problems such as different forms of pollution. The focus in the second part of the year is on sustainability, where the students work on projects in which humans can positively impact the environment.

In March, Ms. Dunning sent an email to faculty and staff asking for donations of used paper. Ms. Dunning’s 12th Grade Science classes then, literally, ripped the paper to shreds. The ultimate goal was to upcycle the paper into books. In a multicultural crafting class in college, Ms. Dunning had studied the ancient art of Coptic book binding, which is a way of binding books without glue or staples. This style of book binding is attributed to early Christians living in Egypt some 2000 years ago. And it definitely captured her students’ attention and interest!

Each student was asked to create forty pieces of paper in the multi-week sustainability project, using the following process:

Step One: Shred enormous piles of paper in all colors into small pieces. Place the shredded paper into a powerful blender, along with ample amounts of water, and blend, starting on a slow speed.

Step Two: Add several blenders full of the pulp to basins of standing water, then evenly cover the deckle (which is a rectangular frame with mesh screen) with the pulp. If the mix is too thin, it will fall apart; too thick, and the final product becomes inflexible. Hold the deckle over the basin and allow the moisture to drain.

Step Three: Place the mold on what is called a couching cloth that absorbs the moisture. Tamp the mold down with a sponge to force out excess water and smooth the paper pulp. Tip the flattened, wet pulp onto a clean cloth and allow it to dry.

About the Paper Creation:
Different colors in the original paper creates pulp producing variety in the shades and patterns, depending on how the student mixes the pulp and adds it to the basins and the deckle.

Step Four: Iron the paper on both sides with a warm iron, then allow the pages to be flattened for a day or two within a book or compressed between two flat surfaces.

Step Five: Cut front and back covers to size and decorate the covers.

Step Six: Trim the pages to size to match cover size. Use tape to reinforce the inside edge of the paper, then punch evenly-spaced holes through the covers and pages with an awl. Next, use a tapestry needle and waxed thread, to stitch the books so that the pages are exposed on all sides, and so the book will lie flat when opened.

embroidery floss must be waxed before use

assorted book covers created by students

More photos of final books will be posted soon!

April 11, 2022

Underground Railroad Video Story Project

Carol Curriculum, Hope Hall, Multi-sensory, NewsFeed, Reading Carol White Llewellyn, Henry Cole, Hope Hall School, Kayla Swan, multi-media, Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad is a wordless picture book by author Henry Cole that is done in beautiful line drawings showing the story of a young girl who helps a runaway slave.

Ms. Kayla Swan used the book as inspiration to have her 9th Grade ELA students write their own version of the story, sharing what they thought was happening in the book. Each had an opportunity to read his story in front of the class, practicing public speaking skills while sharing his creativity. The stories were well-developed with smooth transitions and rich detail. While all of the stories shared the common thread of a young girl helping a runaway slave, the variety of interpretations was fascinating.

The readings inspired the idea to have the students work on a collaborative version in which the group picked out favorite parts from each student’s story to include, harmonizing certain elements, such as the girl’s and the cat’s name, across all sections.

At that point, Hope Hall’s Marketing Manager Ms. Carol White Llewellyn recorded the story, with each student narrating the section he wrote, to create the video book embedded below entitled The Girl Who Helped the Underground Railroad.

The students enjoyed a viewing party on Monday, April 11, complete with popcorn, while discussing the results and commenting on how different they sound in a recording than when they hear their own voices. They’re looking forward to sharing the story with family and friends.

March 18, 2022

Hope Hall Guides Students’ Career and Academic Success – Part 3

Carol Curriculum, NewsFeed, Success Stories Hope Hall Woodworking, Mr. Adam Jay, Mr. Rick Hopp, Ms. Anne DeMar

Mr. Rick Hopp, Hope Hall’s Career Development and Woodworking Teacher, smiles when he talks about how he first got started in woodworking.

He was about 10 years old when he snuck into his father’s woodworking shop to start building a boat, unbeknownst to his dad. When his father caught drift of what the boy was up to, he took his son and the boat out to Mendon Ponds, where the young Rick Hopp climbed aboard. As swiftly as the boat set sail, it sank.

The elder Mr. Hopp took his son and the boat back home, showed him how to seal the seams of the boat, and the rest—including Rick Hopp’s love for woodworking—is history.

Today, Mr. Hopp shares his expertise with Hope Hall’s students to help prepare them for life beyond high school. The woodworking program’s project-based learning teaches them a variety of skills including planning, drawing, measuring, creation of mechanical drawings for the project parts, and importantly, the use of portable power tools and woodworking machinery.

While he and his team, which includes Ms. Anne DeMare and Mr. Adam Jay, sometime work with younger students in class and in an after-school program, the woodworking program’s primary focus is on 10th through 12th grade students, for whom the woodworking course is credit-bearing, and required for graduation.

In each grade, the students work on different projects designed to build on the skills of their prior projects, in a systematic, step-by-step manner. So for example, the small shelf they learn to build in 10th grade may lead to a shaker bench, a shaker table, a dressing mirror, or an arch door cabinet in the 11th grade. During their senior year, they graduate to making a curved leg end table, an Adirondack chair, or a rocking chair. Throughout their three-year journey, the students also get an introduction to house construction by building scale-size replica houses.

The program provides great motivation, because each student gets to take his or her creations home. The focus needed to go from measurement to mechanical drawings, and from construction to finalization of the piece helps build focus, increases students’ tolerance for work, and they become accustomed to an environment in which projects often last for extended periods of time. It also teaches students how to deal with constructive criticism.

“The systematic nature of this program really works to help build confidence,” shared Mr. Hopp.

He went on to explain how the woodworking program applies curriculum from other courses, including measurement, and various aspects of math and science. The presentations that are required, in which the students explain how they’ve built their projects, help to build oral presentation skills that contribute to success with interviews.

As students complete one project and move on to the next, their level of self-assurance grows, which is essential in the workplace, as well as in a higher-level academic environment to which many Hope Hall students proceed.

March 2, 2022

Hope Hall Guides Students’ Career and Academic Success – Part 2

Carol College and Career Transition, Curriculum, Multi-sensory, NewsFeed career transition, college transition, employment transition, Mr. Jeff Smith

Mr. Jeff Smith is Hope Hall’s College and Career Transitions Teacher, and he takes a very active role in his students’ preparation for life after Hope Hall. Whether they intend to enter the workforce directly, or plan to go on to college or trade school, it’s important to him that the skills he teaches are practical and useful.

Mr. Smith takes a hands-on approach to helping students from 9th grade through Senior year do a variety of tasks to help them find direction, such as taking career surveys, developing goals, and achieving community service hours.

The Juniors and Seniors who work with him come out with both physical and digital portfolios for use in securing employment, or for acceptance into higher education.

“We try to hit on life skills not taught in other schools,” Mr. Smith noted, explaining that he has the students actually fill out sample job applications, write mock checks, check their credit scores, and explore various aspects of banking and financial management, including financial aid for school, and savings and retirement options.

He focuses on developing important skills that include interviewing, time management and organizational capabilities.

“I also have them work on typing, because I always wish I could do more than hunt and peck,” he laughed.

He went on to say that he tries to make all of the activities he teaches as experiential as possible. When students get out in the real world, they’ll feel more confident, having had actual hands-on experience in many of the tasks they’ll have to undertake to find a job or to be successful in a different academic environment.

For example, in the unit they were discussing on the engineering and manufacturing industries, he had small groups of students collaborate to see who could build the tallest free-standing tower possible out of 20 pieces of spaghetti, three marshmallows and a length of tape. He used the experience of working together on the project to get the students thinking about engineering, but also about team work, and what made the process of working together either rewarding or frustrating.

When possible, he has guests come in and give the students an overview of particular career clusters that are of interest to the students. Because of COVID, in-person visits have been much more difficult to arrange, so Mr. Smith often uses zoom or video footage to bring professionals “into the classroom.”

Following the tower building project, the students “went inside” a company, via video, that manufactures metal buildings, to see an interview with an executive at the company who spoke about career paths within the company, the variety of skillsets needed, and what personal characteristics the company looks for when recruiting employees.

On another day, he had a bridal consultant join via zoom for some of his students who were interested in fashion.

Overall, he wants to expose them to as many real-world experiences as possible to ensure they feel confident entering the career force or their next phase of academic life.

Winners Ricky (l.) and Rafael (r.) build a 22″ tower