Students at the Theodore Roosevelt School spent the month of June doing project-based learning.
In kindergarten, students learned about habitats, with each class focusing on a particular habitat (ocean, rainforest, savanna, deciduous forest, arctic, farm). Students chose an animal and researched it, writing an All About Book about their animal, creating artwork to represent their animal in its habitat or protection for their animal, preparing a song about the habitat, and sharing their learning with other kindergartners.
First graders focused on how to protect the Earth, with each student choosing their own medium to communicate their message to other first graders: some made videos, some made board games, some made paintings or posters or dioramas, and some made brochures.
Second graders all studied insects. Each student next chose a kind of insect to research in depth. Each student then chose a type of project and switched rooms to work with an adult who could help them with their type of project. Student project choices to teach their peers about their insect included original song lyrics accompanied by instruments, three-dimensional models of the insects, dioramas, videos, informational books, and fairy tales that taught facts through fiction.
Key elements of each project included:
a. Choice (by student)
b. Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Learning
c. Inquiry-Based (rooted in interesting, student-generated questions)
d. Performance/ Exhibition Component
e. Authenticity (authentic audience or action)
The teachers on each grade, as well as the art/music/library/science/technology teachers, collaborated closely to support the interdisciplinary, student-chosen projects.
Date Added: 7/18/2024