1 Project Adventure -- movement-based, community building curriculum that will be modified for elementary level. Brings phys. ed. into the content areas and builds community along the way.
2. Garden Project -- if memory serves, two main ideas still floating here: designing curriculum to help the YMCA use their garden to teach kids or working with a school that has or wants a garden to build one or to connect it to their curriculum
3. Student’s Takes on Testing -- Interviewing students to hear what they think about and how they experience high stakes standardized tests.
4. Literacy Program: Book Distribution --working with Ryan D.'s honor society to plan, publicize and carry out a children's book redistribution project which involves collecting books, figuring out what kind of event to have for a giveaway, getting the books there and holding the event.
Please participate in an online discussion helping us to further develop these ideas by posting a comment. You should feel free to post about any of the projects ideas regardless of whether it's the one you plan to sign on to. You can pose questions, work on existing ideas or even post thoughts on new ideas. I will use your comments to get us started next week. Our goal is to have the projects pretty well set and the students signed on to each group by the middle of class next week.
I really like Ryan's book distribution idea. When I helped out with the feeding program in North side they provided some children's books so that people would have access without having to go to another location. Would it possible to align the book distribution with services people are already receiving to make it more accessible? There is also a thrift shop on Broad Books Bikes and Beyond that is linked to a charity that distributes books and bicycles to area kids. They might be a good resource. They could possibly even want to partner for an event. -Elise
ReplyDeleteElise, this is an amazing idea. :)
DeleteElise this is a great idea. We're trying to get in contact with the Americorps to see if they can help us find an already existing organization that would be willing to help distribute, but we should definitely try your ideas as well!
DeleteRyan D.
In light of the recent negative publicity shone on the RPS P.E. department in STYLE Weekly and on WRIC(I believe) after a Sports Backers study found lackluster conditions, facilities, equipment and effort on the part of the teachers, I feel an equipment drive would be a good project that could have a big impact and be completed by the end of the semester. It is also a project I could hand off to the P.E. majors club at the end of the project. I envision enlisting local sports radio, news outlets and sporting goods stores and take new and used equipment. The collected equipment could be donated all to RPS.
ReplyDeleteI think that would be a great idea. That would be something easy to do and it would really help RPS. I think we would be able to get a lot of donations, especially with the current situation that RPS are in. -Eric
DeleteI think this would be a great idea to add to our list! There is such a strong push now on how to get kids more active. I think a project like this would really benefit these children and would yield a lot of donations as well. Great idea, Rob!
DeleteI think partnering with local businesses would be a great idea allowing them to maintain relationships with the schools. On the Richmond Public Schools website, they have a webpage looking for partnerships with already made partnerships listed including organizations donating stuff and the gardening project.
Deletehttp://web.richmond.k12.va.us/Departments/SchoolCommunityPartnerships/Partners.aspx
I was wondering if VCU SOE has student organizations that already have services set-up or events they do with RPS? or if one of these social service projects could get linked to a student organization in the future.
I really like this idea as well as the student testing one. I'm not sure what Rob means by equipment, but I was thinking this idea could be expanded to include basic school supplies as well. Everyone knows teachers and students are always in need of supplies of some sort. - Rae Clune
ReplyDeleteTo add to my comment - I would love to hear some ideas to enhance the students view on testing. I really like the idea but am kind of stumped on how to continue.
DeleteRae Clune
I agree with Rae, the classroom could always use school supplies and it could benefit many students that can not afford the basic supplies needed. This idea could maybe be combined with handing out books collected. I like Rob's idea about the sports equipment because many students do not participate in sports because they or the school can not afford to.
DeleteLeaving class last week, I had a similar idea of providing school supplies as well. I think Rae's idea is great in that most teachers will be drawn to this AS WELL as parents! Most parents I know are extremely unhappy with the long list of supplies that are to be purchased before their child's school year begins.. so I think it would definitely benefit students, teachers, and parents. -Brittany Maiden
DeleteThe literacy project sounds awesome! I love childrens' books and would be really interested in getting those to some kids who can't get them themselves. I think this project would be really beneficial because as all of us elementary majors know, reading to your kids at night is extremely beneficial! Let's make this happen for parents who can't make it happen themselves!
ReplyDeleteI like Rob’s idea a lot. Will the equipment be given to schools across the school district or does the school have to meet a certain criteria? I think that this touches on the issue of physical education being taken out of student’s day to day life, and I think that is wrong. Having an event like this would hopefully be able to restore some passion for outdoor activities in students.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this will emphasize the need for and less time in physical education class. This is a good way to make a statement AND provide much needed supplies/equipment/etc to teachers in the school system. -Julie Gottfried
DeleteI am kind of in between the middle of the garden project and the literacy project. I am not great at gardening and the idea of getting tips while looking for ways to incorporate that into school curriculum is wonderful. The literacy project also appeals to me because reading and writing are two things that I truly enjoy. Both projects are very doable and the ways to go about it are endless.
ReplyDelete-Maria Martinez
I think the gardening idea would be more beneficial as a project in the spring when more plants are willing to grow outside. Because of the cold weather, if we ever get any the garden projects would probably be limited to indoor gardens, growing plants in pots, or cleaning and re-fertilizing gardens from the spring. Even if we were not able to actually grow or re-plant gardens we could still focus on what grows at what time of the year and have information about nutrition.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point. Seedlings could be started indoors or small indoor herb plants could be started, but that might be more expensive and not as engaging for the kids.
DeleteGrowing in Virginia outdoors during the winter is accomplished by greenhouses. The design of a greenhouse is full of mathematical concepts from angles, measurements, maximizing volume, cost analysis of materials to build it, etc.
DeleteThe growing of the actual plants is just a wonderful bi-product of the proposed integrated garden curriculum. There are so many lessons in multiple disciplines that can be taught without anything actually growing.
Of course though, we want successful yields of vegetables and flowers to bring a sense of closure and reward.
Ryan Goulet
Adding to the greenhouse idea, here is a link to a greenhouse project done by PSI CHI organization from VCU at George Washington Carver Elementary with some considerations such as involving the community to maintain the garden during the summer and need for ventilation and irrigation for the greenhouse.
Deletehttp://rvanews.com/news/respecting-the-playground-gardening-projects-in-richmond-public-schools
My mom is recently retired and she has a ton of books! I was thinking about asking her if she would be willing to donate some books. She may even be able to persuade some of her teacher friends to donate books as well. :) I don't know if we'll get a lot of response but it is worth a shot.
ReplyDeleteI really think the gardening project would really help kids learn about responsibility. Keeping a plant healthy and watching it grow would teach them about nature as well as help them learn to care for something other than themselves. I agree that an indoor garden may be necessary but I would hope that the project would inspire kids to create their own gardens, maybe even a community garden at the YMCA.
ReplyDeleteMeagan McGee
I'm not sure how far fetched this idea may be but with the Project Adventure group I know we discussed doing the physical activities in coordination with different subject matters...maybe we could pair up with an after school program and go in and actually do some of those activities we modify with the students one day? We could probably use either our personal resources (like teachers we know who lead after school programs or suggestions from Professor Stemhagen) or branch out and contact places like the YMCA. I know we also discussed the idea of doing a website so this personal experience of us actually doing these activities with students would be great to put on the website/blog as well. The only thing I'm not sure about is the whole "legal" aspect of it.
ReplyDeleteI like this idea because we would actually be able to use what we are coming up with. And by going places like the YMCA, this sense of community is spread further than just the school classroom but the surrounding area. Julie Gottfried
DeleteI like the idea of doing something with an after school program. I still like the thought of presenting the information to pre-service teachers, but going to an after school program would have a more immediate impact for students. Maybe a homework helper club would be interested in it.
DeleteI really like Brittany Strimple's Idea, but if we can't I think we should create a website and post a short story and link combination on the Social Justice website as well. I also had an idea of modifying the ideas of the physical activities into either a test prep game or even some form of alternative assessment. While Im not positive on how to do this, i think once we look at the examples we could probably write a few ourselves in the assessment form. Additionally, I also am a huge fan of the literacy idea and as far as the ideas of collecting from students, campus, businesses etc. I think it would logistically be pretty easy to put collections bins at our places of worship, practicum places, and even our jobs. Again just brainstorming.... Katherine Forbes
ReplyDeleteI think Project Adventure is a great initiative and can create an active environment for children to learn especially in the elementary and middle school levels. My experience in Middle School classrooms shows the difficulty for students to stay on task especially while having to sit without activity for long periods of time. Middle school students have trouble staying on task in a controlled and inactive environment. If we can implement new ways of teaching lessons through Project Adventure then I think students will be able to become more engaged in learning and develop an effective way to grasp new knowledge. Although we are teaching kids to become more mature and preparing them for a high school level atmosphere, it is important to synthesize maturity with childlike enthusiasm. I think Project Adventure can be a beneficial tool at doing that. -- David Vanderford
ReplyDeleteI love the literacy idea and I even think that the event would definitely be possible. Something I was thinking about when we were discussion it was about the authors coming to read their books. Because as someone pointed out in class- this may be difficult or expensive- we could always have people write their own children's books and then share them with a group of people. I don't know exactly how this would all work but I think that if we just found a willing location in a close area to people- they would be able to come. I think accessibility would be key.
ReplyDeleteI really like the Students' Take on Testing. I have been trying to think of a better way to go about it with the same goal or a similar one. It would just be really interesting to hear students' perspectives on testing. Another great idea for a project would be Ryan's literacy book distribution! I love that idea and it could really help a surrounding community!
ReplyDeleteI am excited about the Project Adventure. I have seen that those types activities are truly needed in schools. Teachers might not like the idea of movement activities just for the sake of giving students break time, but I think they would be well received if we showed teachers how beneficial they are academically, socially, and physically. Connecting the activities directly to specific SOLs will really help make them worthwhile in the eyes of teachers and administrators.
ReplyDeleteI am really excited about the idea for finding out students takes on testing, I have been brain storming different ways to go about this, and cant wait to get together with others and figure out where we can go with this. I think if we could some way make it beneficial for the community and teachers, along with students that would be the most beneficial way to go about it!
ReplyDeleteI am very thrilled to possibly work with Project Adventure. I love this idea, and truly believe these techniques can be modified to work in a variety of grade levels. Teaching important life skills such as teamwork and building community are very applicable to this class particularly, and the more we incorporate them into students' daily routines, the more likely they will absorb them. Plus, offering "break times" and movement throughout the day have been shown to increase students' productivity and their attention and engagement. Even more so, applying them to standards teachers must adhere to will make these ideas even more useful to the classroom.
ReplyDelete