Party in the Park - Project Abstract
The Party in the Park was the culminating event of a four week project studying the ecology of the San Diego area. Students worked in groups of 3-4 and created 24 different interactive educational games for volunteers participating in the local clean-up effort at the Otay Valley Regional Park. This event was hosted by WiLDCOAST, an international non-profit focused on preserving and restoring the coast of California and Mexico, and the Park Rangers. Over 120 people participated in the clean-up and removed over 1,000 pounds of trash from the River Valley. Raffle tickets were earned by taking part in any of the game booths with prizes donated by REI, WiLDCOAST and HTHCV. Food was provided to all participants by a student's family restaurant.
What did you teach and how did you teach it?
Content covered in the project focused on local ecology. Major concepts taught include; drought, watershed, native and invasive species, water pollution and the impacts of plastic in the environment.
These concepts were communicated through video's, open-ended readings, class discussions as well as short reflective writing pieces which connected the students experience with the concepts being communicated. Differentiation is embedded in my teaching style and is illustrated though assignments where students read an news article of choice, the pose questions that would further their understanding of the material and last they research further to answer their own questions. This allows students to find readings that interest them as well deepen their understanding of the topic studied.
What concepts and skills did the students gain in this class through this project?
Students interacted with people of various backgrounds at the Party in the Park. They spoke with Park Rangers, WiLDCOAST organizers, students from other High Schools, girl scouts as well as general members of the public. The co-operated to clean up a neglected and rough area of the park as well as practiced public speaking, mentoring as well as trying thier hand as instructors. Students also gained a deeper understanding of how what they may leave behind effects them in the future as well as how big of an impact they can have in their communities.
How is the curriculum for this project academically rich and grade-level challenging?
The students were given a pre-assessment of the material to be covered. This allowed me to customize the material and the presentation of the concepts to meet each students needs. Students were challenged to research and defend their own opinion regarding issues such as; the honey bee shortage, water restrictions in San Diego and whether or not humans are the most invasive species. This approach illicited enthusiastic student-student conversations regarding the open ended concepts.
To what extent was there integration across disciplines in your class through this project?
This project was a collaborative effort between the student's Biology teacher and myself. The content standards for Environmental Science are very close to the Biology standards. Jenny Morris, their Biology Teacher, and I divided the topics we wanted to cover between ourselves and taught/introduced the students our respective topics. The real integration that I saw was the service learning component to the project. Getting the students out into the world solving current pertinent issues was the biggest interdisciplinary component. They had the chance to observe, communicate, and reflect on the impacts that people can make (good and bad) when they interact with their environment.
Which Habits of Heart and Mind (HoHM) and Design Principles were utilized in this project?
Perspective - The students had to think like 5th graders to ensure the success of their game.
Perseverance - It was hot and dry on the day of the clean up - they had to push through wanting to go home to complete the event
Mindfulness - They faced the issue of removing homeless encampments (someone else's home) to clean up the park; they were forces to consider someone else's position when deciding whether or not to remove certain items
Co-operation - Working in groups for a common goal
Refinement - Class run-through's of the games to be played allowed for peer critique and thoughtful refinement.
How did you incorporate refinement through this project?
This project was designed with time for refinement in mind. We included peer review of concepts so that the students would have time to refine their game concept before they began creating the components. After the game boards and equipment were created students from other groups and classes visited the booths to practice playing the game. This was the second time student groups received feedback from peers. Even a couple Seniors (who completed the project last year) came by to provide thoughtful critique. The students then refined their projects and we took them to the park.