Cross Curricular Projects

Build your Wild Self Project

This was I project that I implemented with fifth graders to give them an opportunity to reinforce and advance their knowledge in the subjects of technology, life science, and the visual arts. The students were asked to use a creative web based application Called " Build Your Wild Self" to transform a prototype of his/ herself into a new species of animal. With the help of the interactive program, students were able to combine parts from different animals to improve their chances of survival in a particular biome . Once students were finished creating a new virtual wild self, they were asked to demonstrate an understanding of landscape composition by illustrating the layout and the physical features of the biome that their wild self would thrive in the best. As you can see from the examples, many students took the project in their own creative direction, while fulfilling the goals of the lesson.

Box City With the help of a volunteer architect and a classroom teacher, I and two fourth grade classes were able to design a mock city that would reflect the students' ideas about what makes a good city and how the relationship between the environment and the buildings contribute to a sense of community . The students worked cooperatively through the design process which included mapping out the city on a grid, constructing models of government, commercial, and residential buildings that were built to scale, and then determining a location for each building that would best serve the need of its citizens. The activities within the project required students to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills, all while making curricular connections to subject matter in the Math, Science engineering, Social Studies; and of course, the Visual Arts. Amazingly, the mock city was made from nearly of all recyclable materials, so the project emphasized the importance of going "green". Best of all, the project really fostered a sense of partnership between the school community and local businesses since we were able to keep the cost of the project down thanks to many many munchkin and shoe boxes that were donated.