Today our grade-level team will meet with naturalist educators and leaders at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary to review, discuss, and create next steps for the generous grant we are forwarding with this team of invested environmentalists. The grant's focus is to synthesize students' standards-based science program with real-world, local environmental study and advocacy. It is our collective hope that not only will students learn the standards and how those standards apply to their local environment, but that they will be moved to deepen their study by creating advocacy projects that help to teach others, solve local environmental problems, and/or enrich their local environment.
Last night I looked over our notes related to student study so far, study which included the following components:
- Visits, teaching, and learning with a naturalist coach
- Learning experiences led by the naturalist coach that focused on watersheds, climate change, and interdependence
- A day-long hike and exploration of Greenways Conservation Area, a local and beautiful public land that winds along the Sudbury River
- Background knowledge and information related to the local habitat, rivers, National Wild and Scenic River System, and environmental education.
- Ongoing standards-based physical, life, and Earth science studies as part of the expected fifth grade program.
Today when we meet we'll likely review the grant goals, the work done, and the study and advocacy to come. I am looking forward to hearing my colleagues, Drumlin Farm environmentalists, and the neighboring school team discuss this focus. As I listen, I will be thinking about the following questions:
- How will we weave student advocacy into our existing teaching schedule and efforts, a schedule that is already full?
- How can I weave this learning better into our daily math and science education?
- How will we share student projects; how will we celebrate their study; and what will be our final field studies related to this work?
- How will we weave the work of the town engineer into this project as he has expressed interest in teaching students more about local water resources and engineering projects via learning experiences as well as student advocacy?
Yesterday we discussed systemwide expectations related to our system's FOSS Fever goal, a goal that in part includes the pedagogical practice of learning outside in the local habitat. The River Studies and Student Advocacy Grant is helping us to make students' standard based science study relevant, meaningful, and helpful to others. I look forward to seeing where this work will bring us in the months ahead.
