Scott Jamieson - 6th Grade Team - Science

A short summary of how people/nature learning is included in the 6th grade program is very difficult because these theme are included throughout the year. The following notes touch on some of the highlights.

What is Gained:

(All members of the team commented on the difficulty in accurately assessing what is gained by students. These notes comment on gains that they hope their students make)

An appreciation for the life cycle of living things - particularly the salmon reared and plants in the garden.

An increased ability to be perceptive of what is happening around them.

A sense of pride in creating something.

An ability to identify plants native to this area and basically understand how they function.

A basic sense of how the biotic world functions and the systemic interactions between various parts.

A sense of curiosity about and enthusiasm for understanding the natural world.

A sense of accomplishment from growing food and providing it to others.

An understanding of how processes observed in Thornton Creek happen in many other places and on much larger scales.

An understanding of basic measures of the health a creek system and their relationship to the futures of the salmon being released.

An appreciation of the pleasure of being in wild places - even if they are in the middle of a city.

What is Done:

The year's science work is divided into 5 units - NW plants, Archaeology/technology, metrics and measurement, watershed ecology, and gardening. Each includes people/nature themes.

In the native plants unit students develop a basic familiarity with the plants around them, their form, and functions.

In the second unit, students develop direct skill in working stone and glass into usable tools. The work is connected to a larger exploration of the relationship between technology and culture. The unit concludes with individual reports on various technologies, their origins and influences.

The 4th unit on watershed ecology uses Thornton Creek and its watershed as a way to help students understand water and land on a larger scale. The systemic approach blends biological, chemical, and physical measures of the watershed and includes a study of salmon through the raising and release of fish from eggs.

The final unit on gardening allows students to apply learning from earlier in the year on plant physiology as they grow vegetables in the school's garden. From seeds to eating, students get a close view of where food comes from.