3 minute read
DESTINATIONS begin
In The Classroom
“Ireland is an amazing place to go for an English class because it has a really rich and deep literary legacy,” says Chase Ferree, the school’s eighth-grade language arts teacher. “Irish literature is full of amazing poets, novelists, and playwrights.”
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Revolutionary poetry
It’s late March, and Chase’s desk is crowded with books. There’s a copy of “Ulysses” by James Joyce. There’s a book of Irish legends, and an edition of “The Aran Islands” by J.M. Synge. The topic of today’s eighth-grade class, however, is W.B. Yeats.
something similar at SCDS.” With Dan’s leadership, the Middle School trips now closely link curriculum to trip destinations for grades 6, 7, and 8. In addition, the oldest students began to venture farther afield, to international destinations such as Iceland, Vietnam, and Spain.
This year, SCDS sixth-graders went to Monterey, California. The seventhgraders traveled to Washington, D.C. And the school’s 47 eighth-graders are headed to the Emerald Isle.
So many options
Planning the eighth-grade trip starts at least a year before the plane leaves the tarmac. It begins with brainstorming sessions in the Middle School, where teachers take into account the safety, learning opportunities, and costs of visiting various destinations. When teachers get further along in the planning, they also take the personality of the class into account.
“Sometimes, we say, ‘Gosh, this class would not want tons of museum experiences,’” says Mary. “Or maybe they would.” Last year, for instance, when the sports-loving Class of 2022 visited Germany, teachers arranged a trip to the Allianz Arena outside Munich.
This year, it seems, the students like a little bit of everything. They will be exploring the amazing basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway. They’re taking a tour of Trinity College (where the Book of Kells, a priceless medieval manuscript, resides) as well as the Dublinia, a museum where students can dive into Dublin’s Viking roots. On one day, they’ll visit the Crumlin Road Gaol (which once housed Éamon de Valera, president of Sinn Féin and of Ireland); on another, they’ll commune with nature at Connemara National Park.
They’re also attending an interactive workshop at the famous Abbey Theatre.
Chase sets the context by distributing a handbill, circa April 1916, on the creation of a provisional Irish government in the face of British occupation. Then there’s a short video clip on the Easter Rising, which took place the same month. Students spend several minutes discussing nationalism, oppression, and the failure of the rebellion, then move on to Yeats himself: Anglo-Irish poet, member of the landed gentry, and unlikely supporter of the Irish revolution. Yeats’ poem, “Easter, 1916,” is an elegy for the rebels in his circle.
The students examine the piece, evaluating how Yeats felt about the people he was memorializing. They consider other elements of the poem, such as change, the passage of time, and the presence of a stone, steady and constant, in stanza three.
“What does the stone mean?” asks Chase.
“Grief,” answers Declan.
“I’ve wondered if the stone represents the government structure?” says Chase. “Everything’s changing around it. But I’m not sure.”
Finally, in the back row, Eva raises her hand, with a comment that addresses how Yeats — and artists and historians — balance the personal with the tides of history.
“I noticed there’s a small picture and a big picture in the poem,” Eva says. “In any war or conflict, there’s always a big picture and a small picture.”
The full picture
In planning their curriculum, Chase and the other eighth-grade teachers are keeping the big picture and the small picture in mind. They want to pique the students’ interest and ask bigger questions — sometimes through a very specific lens.
“Oppression and revolution translate across time,” says Mary, who is teaching the students about Celtic culture, English plantations under the reign of Elizabeth I, and The Troubles, among many other topics. “We can focus on individuals, living seemingly normal lives, who turn into revolutionaries and lead struggles. I think that topic resonates well with kids.”
While Mary and Chase’s classes in social studies and language arts, respectively, are the curricular backbone of this voyage to Ireland, other teachers are incorporating the trip into their planning, too. Art teacher Megan Hosch-Schmitt will introduce her classes to pastel artists and drawing techniques in preparation for an excursion to the National Gallery of Ireland, while Jasmine Baker, SCDS’s eighth-grade science teacher, intends to dig into Phytophthora infestans, the pathogen that helped trigger the Irish potato famine.
Then, once they come back from the trip, the students — as a way to express what they’ve learned — will complete one final “showcase” project. This year, students are researching a historical event, a cultural practice, or a piece of art and literature, then choosing a creative way to present their findings: a performance, perhaps, or a piece of writing.
“These class trips allow students to really feel history and culture,” says Chase, “and the showcase helps them to reflect on their learning experiences in unexpected and memorable ways.”
