Target age: 7-40, but can be adjusted for additional years
Objective: Add to the students’ prior knowledge of the world with hands-on experiences both in the classroom and in the field.
Supplies:
- One house
- Two jobs
- Two schools
- Two cats
- Piano
- Taekwondo Dobak
- Soccer ball and cleats
- Legos
- Geysers
- Books
- Extended family
- Friends
Lesson Plan:
- Ask the class to set goals for the year. This will be used in the final evaluation.
- Take the class outside to sled during a rare Portland snowstorm. Test the design of Parkhill Drive to see if the corner banks are angled properly to transport a sled past nine houses.
- Encourage foreign language training and physical ability with belt testing every other month at the Taekwondo Dojang.
- Support art and literacy training with piano recitals, graphic novel drawing, music composition festivals, and poetry contests. Allow the students to chose their medium to tell their stories.
- Arrange transportation and support at soccer practices, games, and
tournaments. Celebrate the teamwork skills developed over time.
- Arrange travel to San Diego to meet with old and new friends. Explore biodiversity at the zoos and beaches and learn about military life and history as a guest of the Captain of the USS Albuquerque.
- Guide the students through both lost and gain. Allow time to grieve the death of Great Grandma Repasky and KC the cat. Celebrate the wedding of Uncle David and Aunt Julie and addition of new extended family members - Joslin, Meghan, Matt, Lisa, Henry and Theo.
- Introduce animal care activities with two new cats, Horus and Isis. Learn about animal behavior, feeding, comfort, and play.
- Explain time management skills to the students. Practice balancing transportation logistics between two schools, one full-time computational chemistry job, two part-time science education jobs, sport practices, piano lessons, Lego robotics meetings, clubs, and weekend adventures.
- Connect with nature during a week-long outdoor school experience at Yellowstone National Park. Study the balance between geology and biology around the geysers. Practice safety and survival skills on a two day backpacking journey in the park.
- Support school activities for both a 2nd grader and a 6th grader. Make connections with the teachers and parents and lend resources for class photography, science fair demonstrations, and robotics team coaching.
- Schedule down time around the Christmas tree for family games and group end-of-year review.
Standards addressed:
- Literacy - book appreciation, poetry/tall tale writing, graphic novel drawing, oral history
- Math - musical patterns, logic problems, time management, computer programming
- Science - chemistry, animal behavior, botany, biodiversity, geology, engineering design
- Social Studies - history, geography, family trees, community involvement
- Health - nutrition studies, bone structure, dental development, emotional balance
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