Expedition Highlights for 2008/2009
Below is a brief sample of expeditions our students worked on this past school year
Sixth Grade
Every sixth grader participated in a variety of major investigations and projects. Students explored the relationship between honeycomb and geometry while asking: What's the best shape of a honey comb cell? In science, they created butterfly/classification greeting cards that sold by the dozen, and designed Nitrogen and Potassium Cycle diagrams that were on display in an art gallery at the Natick Community Organic Farm. Meanwhile, in Language Arts, sixth graders collaborated as they practiced their Shakespearian verse, preparing for two outstanding performances of Macbeth at the local civic league.
Teams Phoenix and Nexus wrapped up the year by investigating the controversial local beavers and increasingly sparse Eastern Box Turtles. Each team went on field work to dig deeper into the issues surrounding each organism. Then they worked with a local author to learn how to create storyboards and write books. Finally, each team created an illustrated children's book telling the history of the beaver and Eastern Box Turtle in Massachusetts. Their books show a deep understanding of these case studies of interdependence as well as the various perspectives that humans have about these local organisms. The expedition showed a fine example of how to teach students the conventions of a specific medium; in this case, writing children's books.
Seventh Grade
Once again the seventh grade participated in several investigations. They kicked-off the year with a white water rafting trip to better understand stream tables. A camping trip to Western Massachusetts provided an opportunity for students to explore the geography of the area as they literally walked through time traversing exposed rock layers. Their observations resulted in a field guide of the area complete with illustrations. Later in the year the students traveled to New York City to visit the Museum of Natural History where they were able to do an in-depth study of cladograms and further their knowledge of the theory of evolution. In the spring the students read The Giver, by Lois Lowry, a book that explores the notion of Utopia. This text was used to discuss the value of elders in our society and served as an anchor text for a writing project with two local assisted living centers. Students were partnered with elders and recorded their life stories using interview techniques learned in class. Later, the stories were put into a scrapbook and presented to the seniors at the homes. The books now remain in the libraries of each senior center and serve as a way for the seniors to get to know each other a little better.
Eigth Grade
Eighth graders all participated in the Watershed Expedition this year. This is the fourth time we have run this expedition. During this expedition we visited several locations (Beaver Dam Brook, Lake Cochituate, and The Charles River). The Charles River trip involves an overnight and the use of canoes. The students take many soils, water, insect samples and analyze them to help determine the health of our local watershed and environment. In addition, students also learn how to write a cover letter and a resume as well as participate in a job interview. The above allows them to apply for several different projects/jobs that they can choose from: an aquatic field guide, a children's story, a math calendar, a public relation representative, a website, or a presenter/project assistant. In the end, during the exhibition night students presented polished and professional data that discussed the overall health of our local environmental community.