Shannon Moore

Children's Museum Partnership

 

During the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school year, Propel Homestead was selected to create a partnership with the Carnegie Children's Museum.  During this partnership, my fellow second grade teacher and I collaborated with our school's art teacher on projects that related to what the students were learning in the classroom.  

 

During our collaboration, the children were able to get a deeper understanding and real world application of classroom learning.  

 

While working with soils in the classroom, the students were able to work with pottery and learn the history behind pottery making in the art classroom.  The instruction also carried over into the reading class since the students were reading non-fiction texts relating to pottery.  As an extension activity, the students visited the Children's Museum and worked in their outside garden.  The students also helped me to write a grant to get a $2,000 kiln installed at our school.  They had to persuade the principal and others providing the funds of the importance and educational aspects of the kiln on our elementary school.  

 

Another project the students did was working with insects.  The students were able to learn about insects in the science classroom, complete art projects relating to insects in the art classroom, and then have extension activities in math and reading.  The concluding activity was an in-class visitor, an entomologist!  Each student took turns at the end of the presentation to "Stump the Entomolgist"!

 

This is a fantastic program that allowed for my students to take their learning from the classroom and apply it in the world and connect with others in the field.  My students were also able to experience different resources within their community and demonstrate their knowledge for others!