Interdisciplinary Project Timeline (This is a work in progress - click arrow to see entire timeline.)

What will we do?

Classroom STEAM Set-Up

There's work to do to update the classroom for STEAM study including reorganizing outdoor investigation tools, making space for our indoor gardens, purchasing a class composting container, and arranging science-related books. I'll devote the back corner of the classroom to this effort.

Guiding Questions

What is STEAM?

What is the TEAM in STEAM? How can we be effective team members? Introduction to Team roles.

What tools will we use to study science and how do we use and care for those tools?

What books can inform our STEAM study?

How can we be a green classroom?

Initial Focus and Projects

What is survival? What is important when it comes to survival?

Introduction to plant science and creating an indoor garden.

Introduction to decomposition and creating effective composting efforts and composters?

Introduction to water cycles, studying our local watershed, and making water filters.

Introduction to solar energy, creating solar ovens.

Introduction to the history of the land, and how studying the land gives us clues about that history.

Long term projects and efforts

Climate change study and related projects

There's lots to do to update our study from last year. We'll begin this week with a meeting with Drumlin Farm naturalists to study and plan for the year ahead. Onward.

Keeping track of project efforts as they occur help with analyses and next steps. I'll track our efforts on this page:

1. Began the "next steps" document to share ideas for project updates
2. Contacted Wayland Resident and Climate Change Advocate, Wen Stephenson, who has agreed to meet with students in the fall to provide information about climate change from his expertise as a climate change advocate. (see his information below). I will make a specific date with Wen later in August.
3. Fifth grade teachers at Happy Hollow applied for and received summer funding to develop an interdisciplinary project based effort related to our shared teaching model. We chose to focus our efforts on this project because it provides a natural connection.
4. June 20th: The website was updated to summarize last year's efforts and provide a projected timeline and other supporting information for next year's efforts. The note below was sent to district leaders and the project team to notify them of the updates and the work to come.
5. June 27th: In the morning, Jaclyn, Alyssa, and I met to review the interdisciplinary aspects of the project, and in the afternoon we met with Drumlin Farm naturalists/educators to review last year's efforts and begin planning for next year.
6. June 22nd and One Week in July - Maureen attended the Wade Science Institute for a week-long field study related to environmental education. This learning led to revision of the life science standards-based lessons to make those lessons deeper and more modern.
7. Summer Study: Jaclyn and Alyssa are attending summer work trainings in social studies and ELA which will also inform the project.
8. We jump started the unit with a focus on teamwork and participation in the Happy Hollow Climate Change March efforts including an introduction to Greta Thunberg and her efforts to mitigate climate change throughout the world, a review of non violent protest over time, an overview of what climate change is and how we can better care for planet Earth.
9. A meeting is planned for Thursday, September 26 with Drumlin Farm Naturalists.
10. Drumlin Farm invited us to their Fall Harvest celebration to celebrate the work in the past year.
11. We were invited to present this project as well at a DESE 11/8 workshop and we were also invited to participate in a DESE evaluation pilot which will give us the opportunity to assess this unit of study with depth.

Note sent to project team and Wayland administrators on 6/20

Next Steps: