Teacher Page - Brent Diaz

Mr. Diaz was born in Spain and spent much of his childhood abroad, eventually settling in Albuquerque. He attended La Cueva High School and Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Southwest Studies. An avid sports enthusiast, Mr. Diaz was a member of the 1996 La Cueva High School state champion soccer team and also played collegiate soccer for Fort Lewis College. Go Skyhawks! Mr. Diaz enjoys traveling, history, hiking, snowboarding, gardening, playing cards, and spending time with his wife and two children, ages 15 and 13.

Previous to his employment at Corrales International School, Mr. Diaz provided in-home tutoring services throughout the greater Albuquerque area. While in California he was lead tutor with UROK, a supplemental education service company, and later directed tutors throughout New Mexico. Prior to having children, Mr. Diaz taught social studies and physical education at Sunshine Peak Academy, a KIPP charter school located in Denver, CO. He coached 7^th and 8^th grade volleyball and baseball as well. Mr. Diaz enjoys working with diverse students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.

diazb@corralesis.org

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Important Upcoming Dates

February 20, 2023 Presidents’ Day (No School)

March 20-24 – Spring Break (No School)

April 7 & 10 – Vernal Holiday & Easter (No School)

What We’re Up To

We are now four weeks into our transdisciplinary theme of Where we are in place and time. This unit focuses in our scientific understanding of the environment and the ways new technologies have changed culture. Students have explored various inventions, materials, innovations, and elements. We have learned about the rock cycle, the periodic table of elements, inventors & innovators, and the ways they influence civilization. Students created invention infographic of their choice and now they are working on a project involving a material or element of their choosing. They will present these in about two weeks.

We are only about eight chapters from completing our unit novel, Bound. This book is a “Cinderella” story and touches on our themes of innovation and culture, specifically beauty and how those standards change throughout time and place. The book also helps students understand innovation, as China is probably the oldest Cinderella story, but many cultures have similar stories and they are quite dissimilar from Disney’s version.

At the completion of this unit of inquiry, student should be closing in on their 66% completion goal for Khan Academy mathematics. Each month every student has the opportunity to earn prizes in three different categories: Percent Mastered, Time Spent, and Skills Mastered. These prizes are awarded at the end of every month. The goal for every student is to achieve 100% completion of sixth grade math. If they reach this target, they earn a surprise. If you are wondering what your child should be doing at home, it’s this!

Every six weeks a new social skill will be identified, explored, and practiced throughout the entire unit of inquiry. Our current social skill is COOPERATING. This skill is significant for organisms, both on a micro and macro level. Moreover, students use and this skill in a variety of ways, both at home and school. Here, we evaluate the skill by figuring out what cooperation looks and sounds like. We do this by providing specific examples of cooperation within our own lives. We also make connections to people and characters that we encounter throughout our theme. We also explore this idea through skits, though we have yet to perform this task. These brief dramatizations involve specific criteria and should demonstrate the unit’s social skill. This is a fun way to get everyone involved while reinforcing this important and necessary skill.