- May 1, 2024
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Ellen Sperber,surrounded by some of her second grade students, plant a garden outside their OKES classroom. Photo Jacque Estes
Cody Mansell takes a photo of classmate Matilda Gardner and her plant. Photo Jacque Estes
Amya Pipersburgh takes a photo during her group time as photographer. Photo Jacque Estes
Ellen Sperber shows Leah Ruddell and Janina Aue the best way to plant. Photo Jacque Estes
Cody Mansell explains the garden map. Photo Jacque Estes
Derek Claudett studies a leaf under a microscope. Photo Jacque Estes
Before breaking into groups the class watches the iMovie made by last year's class. Photo Jacque Estes
Derek Claudett peers into a microscope. His second grade forehead wrinkles and he lifts his head and asks no one in particular, “what is that?”
He invites a guest to also look in the microscope and the question is repeated.
“I have no idea what it is but it looks pretty cool and I am going to put it in my journal,” he said.
Derek is one of a classroom of kids in Ellen Sperber’s second grade science class at Old Kings Elementary who were using all of their skills to learn about plants.
“They are learning how plants grow and change, and about philanthropy,” Sperber said.
The philanthropy will come at the end when the students will sell their crops to friends, and count the money.
Engaged is the only word to describe these young farmers, scientists and documentarians. Once they were sent into their groups they were focused on their jobs and what they were learning.
Cory Mansell explained how a garden map, taped to the outside of a window by the garden, was being used and how the measurements on the map showed how far apart the plants needed to be planted and how much room was needed to accommodate all of the plantings.
There’s no eyeballing distance in this class. Before the holes were dug for the plants, the children would go over and refer to the garden map and use rulers to verify their plants were deep enough and far enough apart.
Volunteer mom Ariana Butkiewicz helped a group organize magazine photos into solids, liquids and gas as they learn about the different states of matter.
Then there were the photographers with their iPads, documenting the process. Some of the photos will be used in their iMovie to be shown to next year’s class.
The class had begun their day watching a similar iMovie, the one created by last year’s class so they knew what shots they wanted to take.
Parents who ask, ‘what did you do in school today?’ may find themselves planning a vegetable garden. That’s what Jacob Roster has planned for his dad.
