25 Sep Fieldwork Coordinator Update September 2018
Title:
Fieldwork Coordinator Update September 2018
Date of Activity / Lesson:
September 2018
Location:
CSCS and More!
Description:
Location:
CSCS and More!
Description:
Description:
It’s true: autumn is officially here and fieldwork is about to go into full swing at the Cottonwood School. Below is an overview of schoolwide curricular units and related fieldwork this fall trimester.
Kindergartens: Families
Portland Art Museum
Northwest Children’s Theater
Classroom speakers
1st and 2nd Grades: Gardens, Plants, and Farms
South Waterfront Community Garden
Jean’s Farm
Sauvie Island Center
CSCS School Garden Beds
3rd Grade: Oregon’s Geologic Past
OMSI labs: Fossils and School of Rocks
Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals
Gorge Tour led by the Audubon Society
4th and 5th Grade: Watersheds and the Water Cycle
Tryon Creek State Park
Bull Run Reservoir
Sandy River Delta
Gorge Tour led by the Audubon Society
Bureau of Environmental Services in-school visit
6th Grade: Human Evolution and the Human Body
Oregon Zoo
OHSU primate center in Beaverton
National University of Natural Medicine
Portland State University Natural History Museum
Willamette Park (niche study)
In-class visits from experts in the medical community
7th and 8th Grade: Storm Stories: Weather and Climate
Fieldwork sessions led by climate professors and students at Lewis and Clark College
Mentoring sessions led by climate graduate student and Portland State University
Plus community and skill building day led by Outward Bound
Several Grants Supporting Fieldwork and Place-Based Studies
CSCS classrooms received funding for three projects this fall:
West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District granted our 1st and 2nd grade classrooms nearly $2000 to purchase rolling, self-watering garden beds, soil, plants, gardening tools and gloves, and indoor grow light stations to support their garden studies this fall. One great thing about this grant is that it can continue for two more years to help “grow” our on-site gardening program.
The US Forest Service, in partnership with 4-H OSU extension, has granted our 4th and 5th grade classrooms transportation funds for all of their fall fieldwork. This means we are able to charter school buses, and take some of the onus off of parent drivers. Funding for six buses over the fall trimester costs approximately $3000.
Confluence, a nonprofit that works to connect schools with Native educators, is funding the 4th/5th grade trip to the Sandy River Delta on October 22nd. In addition to learning about the natural history of the Delta, students will work with two Native educators to learn about the site’s significance to local tribes. We are thrilled to further develop this partnership and work with Confluence across grade levels in the future.
October is one of our busiest months for fieldwork. I will check back in next month to update you on some of the ways our students are getting out and connecting with the world.
– Sarah K. Anderson, Fieldwork Coordinator, The Cottonwood School of Civics and Science