Fourth Graders Learn from Their Local Community

by Julie Dolan

A couple of years ago I published an article in Community Works Journal about the fourth grade community projects at Townshend Elementary School here in Vermont. Joe Brooks asked me to write a follow-up piece that laid out the steps for getting started on such a project. He thought this would be of help to other teachers.

Deciding on Purpose, Theme and Format My first step, which I usually do in the summer, is to decide on the purpose, the theme and the format. Will it be an oral history project or a work experience? Will we be recording interviews and transcribing them? How much importance will be placed on the writing? What are the special abilities and interest of the class? I have a tendency to not do the same thing two years in a row. I’m always looking for new ways to tie our class studies in to a community project and vice versa. Last year we did a very successful job shadow program. Even though it was a very positive experience for everyone involved, this year we’ll be doing a local history/science inquiry of the West River, a very different kind of project.

No matter what theme I have chosen (job shadow, archaeology investigation, apprenticeship, oral history) there are two main components I need to set up. The first part is arranging and then carrying out the community contacts and field work. The second component is the publishing of our class journal. I find I have to take a deep breath before I start the contacting but once it gets going, things tend to fall into place. I can then focus on the students’ experiences and their documentation of their work. At that point I am thinking ahead to our class publication.

Before I map out how I did the Job Shadowing unit last spring and how I plan to do this year’s local history/science inquiry project, I want to talk a little about making contact.

Plunging In I mention “taking a deep breath” because it is a lot like plunging into a cold pond in the spring. You just have to jump in and make the first contact. I have found that most people love to talk about their experiences and about the past and if not, then they know someone who does. I usually start by listing the people I know personally who might be able to help us, then I have a conversation with our former school secretary, Marcia Dewitt. Marcia has been our greatest resource. She knows so many people. There is at least one person in every school who is strongly connected to the community and would be glad to help out. One year our focus was on the history of various businesses around the community. Each student was going to interview someone who had a good deal of history with their subject. One child chose the school. I was glad to be able to honor Marcia by having her become the subject of one of the pieces. Marcia has been our greatest supporter, not only providing leads but driving students to sites and even joining us on our dig.



You definitely want to get to know your Town Clerk. Cynthia Davis has not only supported record searches, she has allowed us to display our work at town meetings and served as a site mentor for one of our projects. Local historical societies encourage student projects and are great resources as well. Follow the leads. In the seven years that I have been doing the community projects we have probably worked with close to 100 people in our community and I think we have barely touched the surface.

The Job Shadow Project
I was lucky last year. I was able to use a grant from Alliance for Lifelong Learning to pay a parent of one of my students to arrange the site visits and coordinate transportation. The job involves a lot of phone calling!


Site Visits Student participation varied from site to site, but most students got hands-on experience each visit. How much they will be allowed to do can be established when making contact with the person and also included in the introductory letter. We went over social skills that the students would need to use and did some rehearsing.
1st VISIT Students got acquainted and mostly observed.
2nd VISIT They conducted a brief interview which we had designed as a class. Each student added a few questions of their own.
Last VISIT Each student delivered a basket of cookies or muffins along with a thank-you note and a follow-up survey to help assess the program.


COORDINATION:
1. I surveyed each student to find out what jobs he/she was interested in.
2. The coordinator and I brain-stormed local employees who might welcome a job shadow.
3. Initial contacts were made. Matches were fine- tuned. A couple of students were asked to make adjustments.
4. Three one-hour visits were set up with the employers on consecutive Wednesday afternoons.
5. I drafted a letter explaining the project and the expectations for students and employers. This would be delivered on first visit.
6. Transportation was arranged. Four parent volunteers, the school secretary and I walked and drove students to and from their sites.


Publication Work: What We Learned From Job Shadowing
After each visit, students wrote in journals. I asked them to reflect on their experiences, sometimes with a guided question. Their notes would be used for their final essay. I managed to visit most sites and take photographs. Each student drew several small pictures to go with their article. Interviews were transcribed or summarized. The class wrote an essay together about work that would serve as the introduction to the book. We would use the picture collage from our thank- you card as the cover. These would all serve as the components to our book.
Most years the book has been completed during the school year. Last year we started later than usual and so during the summer I assembled all the components of the book on my home computer, wrote an introduction, laid it out, and took it to a local printer to make copies. I have found that the modern machines do a fine enough job on the photos. Scanning is best, but expensive. Forty copies costs about $70 which I pay for using a materials stipend I get from our local parent school club. I bind the books myself on our school plastic binder machine. It is a time- consuming project but a lot of fun and very satisfying. The kids love seeing their words printed and published. We give copies to the people we worked with, to the school and local public library, some years to the Town Clerk. We have sent the more historically oriented books up to Montpelier to the State Historical Society and to Governor Dean. One year our book was a site report for the State Archeologist so we sent her a copy. A couple of times we did coordinated art projects to document our work as well. An oral history quilt was given to the Town Hall and a paper quilt is hanging in the school library.



Local History/Science Inquiry Project
This year we will be doing a different kind of project. We will be investigating the West River as it runs through Townshend. This will be a joint history/science project. We will be studying the ecology as well as the history of the river. Our science work will be an inquiry project that will involve doing local research in the community. All inquiries will require making historical connections, which will be gained through interviewing residents, local scientists and historians. This project will be similar to the archaeology project the fourth grade did four years ago.


Planning My first step will be to map out the project and all the components. I will need to think about the aspects of the river I want to be sure to touch on, find the links for connecting this study to the Vermont History study I do each year and then brainstorm local resources so I can begin making initial contacts. For example, I was already given the name of a local resident who has been studying the West River for 50 years. I have never met the man but he will be the first person I call. I have been doing River Watch work with the local environmental education center and have briefly mentioned my plans to the river coordinator. These contacts will go a long way as I piece together the project.


With the basic outline in place I will then set up the calendar for the project, arrange for field site trips and visits with guest speakers. I will set aside a three-week period when we will be doing field research and interviewing community members. I am planning for seven weeks, though more would be much better!



We will begin the project with a study of river ecology so that students can identify their inquiry projects. I can then weave these into our history study and begin finding and contacting resources in the community. After our Vermont History study we will return to the inquiry projects. This is the “community project” part of the study. It will involve site visits, interviews and research. I will have the students work in pairs for this project.


Beyond this, the details will unfold as we begin working on the project, as they always have; it is a process that I trust. The kids like what they do and enjoy working towards a publication. Looking at past models is inspiring and knowing that their work will be in the library, the historical society, or the Governor’s office definitely helps. The students love getting out into the community and their enthusiasm inspires them. Their conversations and informal reflections assure me that important learning is taking place and their writing documents this.


When I first began I was looking for a way to link the school with the community. I was also looking for a meaningful reason for the students to work on their writing and a way to make the study of history less abstract. What I hadn’t planned on was the impact it would have on the students as they interacted with and learned from their neighbors. They have learned about work and the acquisition of skills.

They have experienced history as a living and ongoing process. They have picked up words of wisdom and role models for lifelong learning. I also have discovered that I enjoy the role of publisher.
Figuring out what excites you most about a community based project is important because that is what will help drive it. I have found the creation of the class journal to be especially satisfying. Acting as editor and publisher, it gives me a chance to work with my own skills as writer and designer. Perhaps this process can be the topic of a future article!