My students attend a school in an ethnically diverse area of South Philadelphia. Many of them come from immigrant families and are multilingual. Our diverse classroom and the cultural knowledge of the students and families are a source of strength and enrichment in our learning environment.
My students' young minds are easily fascinated by the wonders of our world.
In our classroom, we discuss the power of having a voice, the significance of individual as well as collective action, and the importance of celebrating differences. We are creating a classroom community that values the joy and the spontaneous sparks that come from authentic learning and fostering the awareness that each child has gifts to share with the world.
My Project
This field trip to Bartram's Garden will be part of a year long effort to foster a sense of awareness and connection to the natural world. At Bartram's, students will participate in workshops on food chains, dissect an owl pellet, and investigate the characteristics of winter habitats. In the field, students will truly see how life cycles and natural processes work. We hope to connect what we learn in the field to what we can do collectively to promote conservation of the urban natural world around us.
Creating experiences which encourage kids to read the natural world around them, notice patterns, make interpretations, and think critically about what they see leads to a view of learning as dynamic, relevant, and meaningful.
Besides stimulating intellectual growth, I hope that these experiences will mold my students into compassionate stewards of the natural world around them.
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