See What’s Out There As a public school teacher in Washington, D.C., Matthew Wheelock sought ways to engage even his most challenged students. He found that taking his 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students on academic trips markedly deepened their understanding of concepts and kindled their curiosity about the world. The trips made his students more confident, more motivated, and more successful in the classroom – but he knew that few students around the city, particularly those attending D.C.’s lowest-performing schools, had the opportunity to enjoy such life-changing experiences. Experiential learning nurtures students’ sense of wonder and helps them grow more confident, more motivated, and more successful. By connecting students to the world beyond their classrooms, we show them that learning is a way of life. For each of our 30 programs, Live It Learn It has crafted detailed curricular materials and instructional activities that are interdisciplinary, age-appropriate, and aligned with Common Core standards. Our highly-successful, three-step
model insures that each program is rigorous, engaging, and just plain fun. Live It Learn It partners exclusively with Title I (high-poverty) DC public schools, working with the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students at those schools. Since its inception, Live It Learn It has served thousands of DC students, working with more than 1700 students this year alone.
Each participating class of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders gets to choose three programs to experience during the academic year, one in each content area: Arts & Culture, History & Government, and Science & Nature.
Live It Learn It’s 3-step Model: 1. Extensive preparation: To begin each program, we provide classroom teachers with Teacher Resource Packets full of activities to help introduce key concepts to their students. Then, Live It Learn It staff members conduct a 75-minute pre-trip lesson with students to build the necessary background knowledge and prime them for the academic trip. 2. Intensive experience: Our trips are carefully structured to immerse students in a learning experience – the sites we visit, the activities we offer, and the content we cover are all selected to encourage students to be curious, think critically, and enjoy themselves. 3. Guided reflection: A day or two after the academic trip, LILI returns to the classroom for a 75-minute lesson and assessment to help students process the material, articulate their own interpretations of the experience, and internalize the knowledge that they gained. We leave teachers with post-trip activities and extended learning resources to explore with their students.
Anacostia Pontoon Trip The highlight of this unit is a pontoon trip down the Anacostia River conducted by the Anacostia Watershed Society. On the ride, students search the water, land, and sky for the residents of the river habitat and consider what the presence of various species indicates about the health of the area. Students participate in a trash cleanup to reduce some of the visible pollution. They also conduct a water clarity test. Essential Question: What animals and plants live in the Anacostia Watershed, and what problems do they face?
•
Through hands-on experiments, students observe the process and effects of erosion
•
Similarly, they determine how pollution on the street ends up in the river.
•
Several short role plays introduce students to the native and invasive species that live in the river habitat.
•
Students also analyze a map as they explore the meaning of a watershed.
Ford’s Theater Who shot the President? At Ford’s Theater, student detectives join the manhunt to “capture” the assassin John Wilkes Booth. Using primary source documents, students travel back in time and become detectives investigating the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theater. Through inquiry students also uncover facts related to Lincoln’s upbringing and presidency, as well as the Civil War and its efforts on America. Essential Question:Why is Abraham Lincoln remembered as one of our greatest presidents?
•
Students explore the crime scene and, using analysis, work to collect evidence to track Booth, build a case against him, as well as uncover the possible motivations of his crime.
•
As a culminating activity, students use the evidence that they collected to complete a detailed report of the assassination and subsequent capture of Booth.
•
They also test their knowledge of Lincoln and the Civil War as they compete in a collaborative review game and take written assessments.ing of a watershed.
Kreeger Museum This lesson focuses on how one can learn about a group of people simply by studying their artwork. Students first learn the basics of African geography by identifying the continent on the world map and highlighting specific regions within the continent. Students then learn about African masquerade ceremonies and the motivations behind them as they pertain to two West African cultures. Students also explore connections between patterns in visual art and rhythm in music. Essential Question:What can we learn about Africa and its people by looking at African art?
•
At the Museum, students view two masks they learned about in the classroom.
•
Using their knowledge of African masquerades and the specific events celebrated through masquerades, students discuss the masks as they relate to each culture.
•
Finally, students participate in a drum circle where they connect the patterns on their masks to the rhythms being played on drums.
Washington Youth Garden Using “My Plate” as their guide, students learn about the five food groups and portion sizes. They investigate the specific nutrients that come from each of the five food groups and the health benefits that are associated with each. Students also examine the concept of “empty calories” and learn about the limited role that solid fats and added sugar should play in a healthy diet. Finally, students learn about the important role that gardens can play in producing the foods that our bodies need to be healthy. It also looks at some of the other locations – corner stores, grocery stores, and farmer’s markets – where people can buy food, while also teaching students strategies to identify healthy foods. Essiential Question: How do our food choices affect our health?
•
During the trip, students explore the garden – harvesting and tasting different plants
•
The culminating activity is cooking lesson where students help prepare a healthy snack which they eat together at the end of the trip.
•
As a culminating activity, students create a daily menu that includes well-balanced, healthy meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Live It Learn It is fortunate enough to be located in a city that is rich in history and sightings. Washington D.C. serves as an extension of the traditional classroom for students so that learning would be more active. We guide students into a tangible learning experience that comes to life rather than it being abstract or unfamiliar when learning exclusively from books and classrooms.
liveitlearnit.org