3/22 – Lower Grades Expeditionary Fieldwork ET

In ELA, students have started their study of gentrification. They have begun researching the positives and negatives of gentrification in general and specifically in The Mission neighborhood in San Francisco. On Friday, students had the opportunity to see the effects of gentrification in different Brooklyn neighborhoods, specifically Bedford Stuyvesant, Sunset Park and Red Hook. 6th graders went into the community to gather evidence about gentrification’s harmful and helpful effects. Through observation and conversation, students researched our guiding question for this case study: How does gentrification affect a neighborhood?

In ELA, students are in the middle of their debate unit. Students are familiar with rhetorical appeals, have been introduced to the topic of genetic modification, and have been assigned a side (pro or con). Friday’s fieldwork strengthened team bonds and taught students to become “great debaters.” During each station, one team per cohort earned a gold, silver, or bronze medal. While everyone who completed the station does indeed earn a part of the “great debater,” only one team could walk away with top bragging rights!

Here are some highlights of the day:

• Watch a short video on CRISPR, gene editing and designer babies to further build background information. Afterward, students will engage in a creative writing activity in which they imagine a country full of genetically modified humans. Depending on their side, they will imaging this as a wonderful place (PRO) or a horrible place (CON). If time permits, they will read their pieces to the class.
• Challenge of the Mind: an on-the-spot speed debate with a brand new topic
• Challenge of the Heart: take a personality test about your role in a team, then complete a team-building activity
• Challenge of the Voice: workshop on body language, appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation while speaking
• Challenge of the Eyes: learn to assess the credibility and accuracy of digitally sourced articles

The 8th grade Four Freedoms expedition kick-off was Friday. In the coming month, all core subjects (ELA, math, social studies, and science) will explore an aspect of FDR’s Four Freedoms speech:

• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of worship
• Freedom from want
• Freedom from fear

Students will consider what the American Dream looks like today and how it has changed over the past century.

On Friday, students traveled to the Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island for an educational program about the Four Freedoms speech and its relevance today. Check out a video of our students being interviewed by the Roosevelt Islander!

The second part of the day involved conducting fieldwork interviews with people about their connection to these ideas. Students went to Grand Central and The Oculus at the WTC.