The SA 1st graders kicked off the school year studying mapping and learning about their O.N.E community. As we learned, there is A LOT to decode in maps – from keys, to the compass rose, and scale. Interpreting map symbols and decoding is a great early literacy skill and one they practiced each step of the way.
We started out by observing, creating symbols for, and mapping our classroom. Next, first grade took walking trips out in our local community, made sketches, wrote observations, and asked important questions to our community helpers. Learning out in the community as a field researcher is a critical skill that we practice at an early age. For many students, being outside comes with a strong association to recess. That is simply not true at SA. Even at the park, students sat down to focus on observing, drawing, recording and identifying key features before experiencing and playing at Pomeroy.
Back at school, Ms. Perez, Mr. Limtiaco and Ms. Sara tailored the strong foundation set out in the ARC curriculum to showcase this hyper-local focus. With the support of the Project Based Learning coordinator and EFS (Education for Sustainability) Coach, students developed a deeper understanding of their community and made connections to the EFS mission at SA.
At nearby locations – the fire station, Brian’s Auto, Momo’s food market, and Burlington City Hall – students interviewed key helpers about the important work that happens in our city and how all these systems are connected. Maps became more than a record of places, they became a living web of important connections and supports that help our city thrive.
During their afternoon residency block, students worked with Mr. PK to compile their research into collaborative maps; build 3D models of community systems; and write stories about the classroom, school, city, state, and world. We capped off our inquiry by writing postcards to countries around the world asking questions derived from our growing curiosity of places and communities.
coauthored by Kestrel Plump and David Paarlberg-Kvam
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