Curriculum Unit: Our Community's Story...

Vermont Rural Partnership
LEARNING IN PLACE UNIT

Our Community's Story
Exploring the Diversity of Habitats and the Interrelationships
Between Humans and Their Environment at Carpenter Park

by Joelle Wheeler, Washington Village School

Our Story In the spring of 2000, students from the Washington Village School (WVS) expressed interest in doing some trail work at a local park. At the time I did not know much about the park and /or the area. At first, the work that we did was separate from the work that we were doing in Science class. It wasn’t until the Fall of 2000 that the students and I started to talk about how we could make members of the community more aware of all that Carpenter Park has to offer. It was also at this time that we began to use Carpenter Park as an integral part of our Science curriculum. We brainstormed a possible list of ideas/ways that we could get this message across through a collaborative project. The class decided on producing a News Show called WVSN – Channel 21 that featured Carpenter Park. The thirty-three minute student produced video highlights the various habitats found at Carpenter Park, and the Vermont Rural Partnership. The video also showcases interviews with Howard Dean, Joseph Kiefer, The Head of the Washington Recreation Department, a school board member, and student specialists. Students researched the various habitats and then conducted interviews. The students in seventh and eighth grade worked tirelessly with the help of VideoVision and Channel 21 on this project and as a result were able to show the video to the community at graduation.

There are many reasons why we decided to develop a place-based unit that was aligned to our local heritage. The history of Washington was at times very lively and active. In the early 1800’s people began to migrate to the “Washington Flats.” The reasons for the move are not known for sure but they probably had something to do with the severity of the winters in the higher areas. Another reason people may have relocated to “Washington Flats,” was that this large track of flat land was uncharacteristic of the rest of the community. From about 1840 through the depression of the late twenties, Washington was an entertainment center of central Vermont. Sometime before 1890 the Washington Fair started. This fair, held at the end of every summer was considered bigger than the Famous Tunbridge World Fair. After the depression the working farms, factories, and small businesses all seemed to fizzle out. We wanted to explore our community’s rich history.

Our community is small and often times the positives that were happening at school were not getting out into the community. We wanted to change that. We also wanted to utilize a park that we felt was overlooked. We wanted to prove that vital learning can occur outside of the regular classroom. As their teacher I wanted the students to have the opportunity to take the concepts that they were learning in the classroom and apply them through active engagement. Carpenter Park has allowed WVS students the opportunity to sustain their rural heritage through community-based curriculum. By engaging in meaningful projects the students were able to utilize valuable community resources. Furthermore, through learning more about the history of Washington they were able to appreciate their local uniqueness.

This year the students have decided on producing a Habitat Guide for the community and even have plans to set up Guided Nature Discovery Walks for the younger students and community. The Habitat Guide explores the diversity of Habitats at Carpenter Park and the interrelationship between humans and their environment. The seventh and eighth grade decided to make separate books. One will be housed at the town library while the other will remain at the Town Clerk’s Office. Students worked collaboratively researching information on specific habitats. Carpenter Park provides the students with a variety of natural habitats and a diversity of life. It is my goal that Carpenter Park and these projects will help the seventh and eighth grade appreciate the diversity of habitats and the interrelationships between humans and their environment.

Unit Description:

Curriculum of Place
Students will be researching and exploring Carpenter Park, a community owned park, as they continue to build onto a student developed nature trail. They will also create a Habitat Guide for the community.

Student Voice
Students will be working cooperatively while researching information on specific habitats. They will be leading guided tours for other students and community members. Students will also reach out and contact specialist to add to their knowledge base.

School-Community Partnerships
A father of a seventh grade student will work with students on tree and leaf identification and help mount specimens in a leaf press in order to create a permanent identification collection to share. The seventh and eighth grade classes will be collaborating with the Recreation Department in terms of important decisions and changes.

Resources and Tools
• Unit Plan: Week to Week
• Sample L esson/Activity Plan
• Student Worksheet: Biodiversity
• Multiple Intellingence Web
• Interdisciplinary Web
• Comprehensive Assessment Matrix

Rationale: Why this unit is worth exploring
• Important for students to respect the environment in all its diversity.
• Promotes compassion for the environment.
• Promotes ecological integrity—protect and restore the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems with special concern for biological diversity and the natural processes that sustain life.
• Take action to avoid the possibility of serious or irreversible environmental harm.
• Promotes the development, adoption, and equitable transfer of environmentally sound technologies.

Unit Timeline: of topics/concepts being covered
I. Getting Started with Ecology – Principles, pre-assessment and checklists, glossary of terms, standards, rubrics, and culminating activity checklist, story of Carpenter Park.
Week 1: 3/11-3/15
II. Exploring the Biodiversity of Carpenter Park’s Habitats
Weeks 2 and 3: 3/18 – 3/29
III. How have Humans Impacted Carpenter Park
Weeks 4 and 5: 4/1-4/12
IV. Student Research and Habitat Guide Completion
Week 6 and 7: 4/15 – 5/3 (Spring break within that time frame)
V. Culminating Unit
Week 8: 5/6 –5/10
Multiple Intelligence Demonstrations Due

May 20th – Presentation

Unit: Exploring the Diversity of Habitats and the Interrelationships Between Humans
and Their Environment at Carpenter Park

8 Week Unit: 7th and 8th Grade

Essential Question
¸ What is the story of Washington, Vermont and how has it been sustained over time?

Focusing Questions
• How has the natural heritage of Carpenter Park impacted the history of Washington?
• What diversity of habitats exists at Carpenter Park?
• What ways can we work to preserve the natural heritage of Carpenter Park for future generations?

Standards
While addressing all 14 standards throughout the unit the following will be the main standards for this unit.
• 1.18 Information Technology
• 3.10 Teamwork
• 4.6 Understanding Place
• 7.2 Investigations
• 7.13 Organisms, Evolution, and Interdependence

Goals
• Students will obtain the above standards.
• Students will learn about the heritage of their community through researching and documenting the various habitats at Carpenter Park..
• Students will develop a greater appreciation of their natural heritage.
• Students will develop a greater appreciation of their surroundings and community.
• Students will share their learning with other students and community members through Habitat Guides and Guided Nature Discovery Walks.

Rationale
• Establishes a sense of place, purpose, identity, and belonging for all students.
• Develops important school – community partnerships.
• Promotes community collaboration.
• Exposes students to their natural heritage.
• Allows for students to learn in a multitude of ways – multiple intelligences.
• Develops an understanding of the relationship between humans and their environment.
• Gives something back to the community.

Culminating Activities
• Students will complete a Habitat Guide (booklet) that features pictures from a digital camera and information.
• Students will develop and organize Guided Discovery Walks for younger students and the community.
• Students will work on improving existing trails and put on signs.

Assessment and Documentation
Assessment is a powerful tool that helps drive instruction. It is important to vary assessment strategies because it enables your community of learners to remain engaged in the learning process. It also allows you to differentiate your instruction to meet the needs of all learners.

• Students will be keeping a portfolio of their work (ongoing assessment plan) and will be entering in different assessment tasks and assessment activities as they move through the unit.
• Students will check in and conference with teachers involved in the unit in an effort to assess the 8 week unit. The results of the check-ins will go into student portfolios.
• Students will conduct self-assessments using checklists, and pre and post assessments (task-specific assessment)
• Students will conduct self-assessments using rubrics (generalized-standard assessment)
• Teachers will conduct assessments using rubrics (generalized-standard assessment)
• Students will compare pre and post assessments for improvements.
• Students will use a digital camera to produce a small booklet detailing the natural heritage of Carpenter Park. This booklet will be free to the community and will be showcased at the Town Clerk’s Office, as well as the Town Library.
• Anecdotal notes (teacher)

Reflections: While learning about important scientific content, the students developed a greater appreciation of their community. Students are now more aware of the decisions that they make and how those decisions impact their community. Students are also more cognizant of the diversity of habitats that is present at a local park. Students learned valuable organization tools in putting together the Habitat Guide. Furthermore, students had to work effectively in groups in terms of setting and achieving goals, solving problems, and creating solutions. Group members had to decide how they would complete all of the necessary criteria on the Habitat Guide Checklist. Some groups did all components together, while others had individuals responsible for different components.

Next Steps: Having completed the Habitat Guides, our next step is to set up our Guided Nature Discovery Walks for younger students and the community and to further develop the existing trail system. Our plan is to spend an afternoon with the first and second graders at Carpenter Park. The seventh and eighth graders will act as guides and specialists.