Winter/Spring 2008 Calendar
January through May
World Class Learning Days Every Month (mark your calendars!):
Every other Wednesday 6:00 to 7:30PM beginning January 23th (every Wednesday without writing emphasis) : Japanese Language and Culture (reading, writing, and conversation for children and adults) at the International Appalachian Academy (390 Tom Bell Odom Rd, Dahlonega, GA 30533 For registration, contact Joseph R Adams 706-265-5502 or learn@internationalappalachianacademy.com
Every other Thursday 6:00 to 7:30PM beginning January 24th (every Thursday with writing emphasis): Exploring World History and Literature (introductory studies for kids as well as preparation for students and adults interested in the College Board Advanced Placement World History test in May) at the International Appalachian Academy (390 Tom Bell Odom Rd, Dahlonega, GA 30533 For registration, contact Joseph R Adams, 706-265-5502, or learn@internationalappalachianacademy.com
Second Saturdays 1-4PM (next one on February 8th) the Creepy-CrawlyCritter Club River Invertebrate Sampling and Gumbo: help local Lumpkin groups in monitoring their Georgia Adopt-a-Stream sites on the Etowah River and Mud Creek, an Etowah tributary. (an exception will be Saturday January 5th, the first Saturday of the Month) and celebrate invertebrates with a Gumbo supper afterwards
Saturdays Calendar:
December 9th 10AM-1PM: Family Farming (Composting theme) and Lunch Revival Gardens
December 9th 1-4PM: River Invertebrate Sampling and Gumbo World Class Learning Alliance site at Mud Creek
December 29th 5:30-9PM: Garden Supper and Japanese Movie (NaasicaA for kids, Tampopo or Akira Kurosawa's Dreams for adults) Suggestions welcome!
January 5th 1-4PM: River Invertebrate Sampling and Gumbo Earth Explorers Club at the International Appalachian Academy Etowah River site
January 12th 5:30-9PM: Garden Supper and Japanese New Year Bon Fire Party Revival Gardens
January 19th 10AM-1PM: Spring Farm Planning and Lunch Revival Gardens
February 2nd 6-8PM Signs of Early Spring Garden Supper (Japanese Setsubun ritual: "out with the evil, in with the good") Revival Gardens
February 9th 10AM-1PM: Family Farming and Lunch (potato planting theme) Revival Gardens
February 9th 1-4PM: River Invertebrate Sampling and Gumbo (Revival Gardens Etowah River site)
March 1st 11AM-1PM: "Girls Day Lunch" (a display and explanation of the Japanese girls festival imperial dolls of which Sayuri has two sets) International Appalachian Academy
March 15th 9:30AM-1PM: Family Farming (Spring Greens and Chickens Theme) Revival Gardens
March 15th 1-4PM: River Invertebrate Sampling and Gumbo Etowah River Critters Club at the International Appalachian Academy Etowah River site
April 5th 6-8:30PM: 4th Annual "Greens Gorge" Supper Revival Gardens
April 12th 1-4PM: River Invertebrate Sampling and Gumbo World Class Learning Alliance site at Mud Creek
April 26th 8AM-1PM: Family Fishing, Farming, and Lunch Revival Gardens
May 3 8AM-1PM: "Boys Day" Family Fishing, Farming, and Lunch (a display and explanation of the carp wind streamers that were once used to celebrate boys, but now represent the whole family in Japan) International Appalachian Academy and Revival Gardens
May 10th 1-4PM: River Invertebrate Sampling and Gumbo Revival Gardens Etowah River Site
May 24th 6-8:30PM: Garden Supper Seasonal Harvest Dishes by Revival Gardens
May 31st 8-10:30 AM: Garden Bugs Club
at Revival Gardens Etowah River site
May 31st 1-4:30: Etowah River Critters Club at Revival Gardens and International Appalachian Academy sites
Japanese Language and Culture: 8 (or 16, for writing option) ninety minute meetings every Wednesday 6-7:30PM, with the purpose of becoming relatively fluent in the Japanese language for travel and home stay enjoyment in rural and urban settings. Conversational topics range from work, history, the environment, education, and economics, depending on students' interests (for example: fishing, farming, hiking, cooking, movies, gardening, tea aesthetics, etc.) Sayuri Aoyagi-Adams, the instructor is a 12 year veteran Japanese primary school teacher who has even taught the family dog to understand Japanese! Our studies will culminate in a 10 day trip to Japan, June 12-22, for those who can make it. back to calendar
Exploring World History and Literature: 8 (or 16 for writing option) ninety minute meetings every Thursday 6-7:30PM to survey the current field of world historical research and related literature as it relates to questions and issues of our time: food, the environment, religion, human rights and war. We will be doing history ourselves rather than memorizing what someone else tells us it is. Take the topical question of women's rights or status in history: Have women always been subject to the whims of men; only recently gaining status and the right to participate in politics? We will review sources that will allow us to draw our own conclusions. "Truths" will change according to the time frames, regions, and documents we analyze. Such a variety of analytic contexts will be useful when we consider the wars of the twentieth century and the current war on terror. The analytic skills we develop amount to doing world history is being able to draw from a wide range of historical and cultural "lenses" and literature (evidence) to begin to piece together more contexts, (local, regional and global) to complex questions. The professor, Joseph R. Adams, has taught English and History at every grade level in Japan (5 years), Hawaii (3 years) and Georgia (4 years); he has a Master of Arts from the University of Hawaii, he has taught Chinese history and World History at North Georgia College and State University (1999/2000; 2005/2006). For the last four years, he has read and scored student essays for the College Board AP World History course, so this course should aid a student in preparing for the exam or anyone interested in improving his or her essay writing skills. Students are also welcome to travel to Japan with Joe's family, June 12-22. back to calendar