Learning Together

MEETING STATE AND LOCAL
STANDARDS OF LEARNING

3rd Grade PILOT: INNER VISIONS, OUTER LIMITS SAMPLES OF ACTIVITIES	ALEXANDRIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS AND OBJECTIVES	COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (as of 1995)
PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES: Cooperative Grouping Create cooperative groups of 4-5 each to work towards the final project. Students are still responsible for individual work.	English EL 11 The student listens to learn and to facilitate one-to-one, small group, and large communications. Health EL 5 Students learn effective interpersonal communications skills.	English SOL 3.1 The student will use effective communication skills in group activities [and] write stories, letters, simple explanations, and short reports across all content areas.
Mental Warm-Up: EXPLORATION Using list of school disciplines, discuss how we explore "inwardly" (what we feel and believe) and "outwardly" (what we influence as far as our knowledge, travel and imaginations can take us), to learn new things in each of these subjects.	English EL 10 The student uses oral language to express ideas clearly. Math EL 9 Students communicate mathematics in oral and written language. Geography EL 10 Students will develop an understanding of the diversity and commonality of human culture...	Science 3.1 The student will plan and conduct investigations in which... data are charted & graphed, predictions and observations are made, inferences are made and conclusions are drawn. History 3.4 The student will identify historical cause-and-effect relationships.
Teacher-Student Brainstorm YOU are the most "interdisciplinary" object we know. So, look at yourself. What do you see? Who are you? Think across the subjects you study in school: how are they a part of you?	Science EL 3.1 The student will plan and conduct investigations... [and] 3.4 investigate and understand that behavioral and physical adaptations allow animals to respond to life needs.	Science 3.10 The student will understand that natural events and human influences can affect survival of the species. Math 3.3 The student will compare two whole numbers using symbols and words.
Follow-Up: Toy Analysis. How can the toys, games, software, books, etc. you brought to school today help us explore all subjects? Discussion: what can be learned with and from them? How is each object made, and where? This discussion is intended to show how school subjects are relevant to the students' lives, what they play with, read, watch, etc.	Science EL 3.3 The student will investigate and understand that objects can be described in terms of materials they are made of and their physical properties. English EL 1 The student understands how print and nonprint materials are organized and read [and] 12... uses a variety of reference materials and information resources.	English 3.2 The student will present brief oral reports. History 3.2 The student will describe the discovery of the Americas... with emphasis on the people (explorers and their sponsors), their motivations, the obstacles they encountered, and the successes they achieved. Science 3.2 The student will investigate and understand simple machines and their uses.

SAMPLE OF 3RD GRADE STUDENT PROJECTS	ALEXANDRIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ESSENTIAL LEARNINGS AND OBJECTIVES	COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (as of 1995)
"FOOD SCIENCE" - Discoveries that have affected our health and sanitation. How we keep food fresh, the development of refrigeration, tests for food poisoning, vitamin additives, how to improve nutrition and taste.	Geography EL 9 Students will acquire knowledge of the ways humans adapt to and modify the natural environment. Health 2B1 Set personal health goals using nutrition and published health information from electronic databases.	Science 3.5 The student will investigate & understand relationships among organisms in aquatic & terrestrial food chains. English 3.10 The student will record information from print and non-print resources.
Students conduct research and design projects with the aid of school & library resources, local business experts, volunteers, parents. Use materials: CD-ROMS, software to access Internet resources, books, toys, games, museum photos, slides, their notebooks, etc.	Social Science 6B1 Through current publications and technology, identify worldwide issues such as hunger. English 8A1 Writes daily, 8A4 Selects writing topics, 4A3 Uses encyclopedia, 1B1 word processing software to produce, save, retrieve, and print text.	Geography 3.6 The student will use maps, tables, graphs, and charts to classify regions with common characteristics. Computer/Technology 5.1 The student will begin to develop basic technology skills, 5.2 process, store, retrieve, & transmit electronic information.
Using a timeline of history illustrated with major events, & show how much progress has been made in the areas of health, disease treatment, food preparation and development throughout the earth's history and prehistory. Discuss how this has affected our life expectancy, quality of life, choice of foods, family life and roles.	History 1A3 Identify characteristics & contributions of ancient Greece and Rome (mode of sanitation, tests for food poisoning, use of spices) 1C1 difference between hunter/gather & farming societies. English EL 13 Gather, analyze, organize and present information to demonstrate learning gained from research activities.	History 3.1 The student will explain the term, "civilization" and describe... geographic features, government, art, agriculture, architecture, music, sports, and roles of men, women, and children. Science 3.6 The student will understand that environments support a diversity of plants & animals sharing limited resources.
Compare diet and nutrition of people from different counties, discussing how climate, financial resources, political stability, and other factors such as level of education, and access to technology can influence food distribution and consumption.	Math 1G3 Determine by counting the value of bills and coins up to $5. Make change. History 3E1 Use historical facts to support a position with evidence 10A1 Compare ancient civilizations in their acquired needs for food, clothing and shelter based on geographic features	Economics 3.7 The student will describe economic specialization & interdependence involved in the production of goods and services, 3.8 [and] how opportunity, cost, scarcity, and price influence economic decision-making.
Look at quantities of food, how much is needed in a daily diet, how vitamins and minerals are added to foods, how much is consumed in different cultures, and how it changes the way people look and feel.	Math 1B4 Write fractions when given pictorial representation of common fractional parts, EL7 Students formulate and solve problems.	Math 3.14 The student will estimate and use actual measuring devices with metric and U.S. customary units to measure length, liquid/volume, and weight/mass.

MAIN MENU

LOCAL BENEFITS

STUDENTS TEACHERS PARENTS COMMUNITY

Discover relationships between ideas Articulate a philosophy of education & develop curricula coherent with it Prepare children for complex tasks and decisions Work closely with children preparing to solve tomorrow's problems

Learn to use technology in all fields Create a more compelling school environment Open family dialogues on new topics Increase the potential for our cities' growth and global ties

Study visionaries of yesterday to become those of tomorrow Bring museum resources and new experiences with science to all students Explore past, present, & future links with local & global community Redefine the term "commuinty" to include more than our geographic back yard

Identify the practical application of theories Renew content and pedagogical knowledge for professional development credit Take "virtual field trips" with family all around the world Improve cultural, social & historical understandings between countries

Use flexible thinking strategies Facilitate teaching with Prismaticum strategies "Meet" other parents around the world Improve educational resources to draw new families into neighborhood schools

Become a problem-definer as well as a problem-solver Cooperate with colleagues and community to build on each others' strengths Take part in the fun: Learning is a lifelong job! Celebrate Alexandria's 250th Anniversary by showcasing the talents of our young citizens

GLOBAL BENEFITS
Enhancing Alexandria's Educational Connections with Caen, Helsingborg, & Our Other Sister Cities

(1) To Promote Cultural and Educational Exchanges For Alexandria's Educators

To renew and enrich the pedagogical knowledge and multicultural experiences of Alexandria's schoolteachers both in person and via the Internet.
To add value to the professional development that teachers already receive on technology in the classroom, by facilitating real-life applications of the training.

(2) To Provide Interdisciplinary Perspectives on School Subjects for Students

To give students the chance to see the big picture, to help them think carefully where little pieces of knowledge, gathered over the years, all fit together.
To infuse the school curriculum with a strong scientific element, yet balanced by Prismaticum© to illustrate the importance of all subjects in understanding concepts.
To better prepare children as complex problem-solvers, able to see the impact of an invention or discovery on a city's economy, political climate, art, literature, music, health, personal rights, individual responsibilities, etc.

(3) To Create International Networking Opportunities for Educators and Students

To give them the chance to construct collegial relationships and better understand each other's values, customs, societies, languages, and visions for the future.
To level the playing field so that all citizens have access to and understanding of the growing knowledge base and technologically interconnected global economy.

(4) To Give Local Businesses National and International Exposure

To encourage community sponsors to support and participate in our schools, knowing that their contributions will, in turn, be encouraging students and their parents to support local businesses and thus raise Alexandria's profile both domestically and overseas.
To open new markets and lines of communication for sponsors both nationally and internationally.

(5) To Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of Alexandria in 1999

To showcase, in the city and on the Internet, Alexandria's influence on foreign as well as domestic issues of educational, historical and social value, especially the importance local government places on academically-challenging school programs.
To demonstrate the importance of building harmony between schools, businesses, and government in preparing today's children to become the leaders of the future.
To contribute the mural, Alexandria's Lifeline, painted to illustrate not merely the city's history and its relationship to the rest of the world, but the visions that today's children have for the future of their communities and global neighbors.

[ Socrates Main Menu] [ Vision Menu ] [ Festival Menu ]

STUDENTS	TEACHERS	PARENTS	COMMUNITY
Discover relationships between ideas	Articulate a philosophy of education & develop curricula coherent with it	Prepare children for complex tasks and decisions	Work closely with children preparing to solve tomorrow's problems
Learn to use technology in all fields	Create a more compelling school environment	Open family dialogues on new topics	Increase the potential for our cities' growth and global ties
Study visionaries of yesterday to become those of tomorrow	Bring museum resources and new experiences with science to all students	Explore past, present, & future links with local & global community	Redefine the term "commuinty" to include more than our geographic back yard
Identify the practical application of theories	Renew content and pedagogical knowledge for professional development credit	Take "virtual field trips" with family all around the world	Improve cultural, social & historical understandings between countries
Use flexible thinking strategies	Facilitate teaching with Prismaticum strategies	"Meet" other parents around the world	Improve educational resources to draw new families into neighborhood schools
Become a problem-definer as well as a problem-solver	Cooperate with colleagues and community to build on each others' strengths	Take part in the fun: Learning is a lifelong job!	Celebrate Alexandria's 250th Anniversary by showcasing the talents of our young citizens