The materials will be used to create three raised displays for student created interpretive trail posters related to learning about the riparian environment. Subjects may include: animal tracts, habitat, erosion, native plants, animals, food webs etc. The wooden structure will have a hi plexiglass cover which allow for changing student created posters.
All Donner Trail students will benefit from this grant. Students will be able to display culminating posters for their specific project based learning. This will provide them with an audience from other classes at Donner Trail. In addition, visitors use Donner Trail as a park. Those visitors can learn about the Yuba River's natural history as they walk along the river edge and visit each interpretive display. Students will utilize these interpretive trail posts for showcasing learning and for culminating projects.
Success of this program will be exemplified by students quality of posters and their relatedness to NGSS standards. It will enhance learning for students, because it will be evident that their learning and efforts are for a purpose. Our responsibility as teachers is to prepare students for college and career readiness. Creating displays to educate others involves research, writing, and organizational skills. All of these skills are necessary to be lifelong learners. These one time supporting purchase will allows students demonstrate content standards and conceptual knowledge for years to come.
The displays will constructed upon funding by Excellence in Education. Students will be engaging in science units starting in the fall of 2022, and the first round of posters will be displayed by October 2022. Each of the three classes (K/1, 2/3 and 4/5) will focus on NGSS science standards that relate to their grade level. Students will engage in hands-on outdoor learning and classroom research, in order to prepare to create their posters for the displays.
This grant will be share with the all of Donner Trail. This is a school wide (even for PE) program that will tie to River Days here, the Nelson Nordic Challenge, and all of our environmental based programming.
As a team we have discussed that we will be able to pay for repairs, new plexiglass, etc in years to come but this funding will get the project up and running by the beginning of the next school year and to be utilized by our first community event in September, River Day.