Community Field Trips and Guest Speakers
/This week we continued our exploration of community. For the last couple of weeks we’ve been learning about our classroom community. We’ve been sharing stories and experiences centered around our own family cultures, recipes, languages, and traditions. This week we broadened our focus and began exploring our larger Pacific and Forest Grove community. Emersyn’s dad and Jace’s dad took us on tours of the Pacific campus. We got to learn about Pacific’s mascot and about several of Pacific’s traditions. We learned about how our Pacific community values diversity and strives to find ways to honor each individual’s abilities and needs, just like our classroom does. We discussed how important universities are in the larger community. Students were especially excited to get to see inside a dorm room and get to visit some familiar places around campus. On Friday half the class went on a field trip to Pac Thai to learn more about the restaurant industry and how small businesses help our local community.
Several guest speakers visited our classroom to share about how their jobs help our community. Wren’s mom talked to us about laws and how they keep the community safe. She described how senators have the important job of representing their constituents when laws are being made in Washington DC. She described how part of the job of a senator’s staff is to think about ways to meet the needs of the individuals and groups in their communities, such as veterans. Several Otters personally knew a veteran and were deeply engrossed in this conversation. Luke Z.’s mom came in to share about the important role of NICU nurses in the community. She showed us photos and let us examine equipment that she uses to help babies who need extra support. Ms. Sam’s dad came in to teach us some American Sign Language and discussed ways we can be welcoming to individuals in the deaf community.
Students spent time reflecting and brainstorming about what community means to them. They recorded their ideas using words and pictures and then shared their ideas during a community gathering. After everyone had a chance to share their ideas, we discussed how we could incorporate all of our ideas into one class mural that represents our community. On Friday we began painting the background for our community mural. This week students also had the opportunity to watercolor their name art. We can’t wait to show you our art at our Celebration of Learning in a couple of weeks!
As we reflected on what community means to us, several Otters mentioned how nature is an important aspect of community. This week we examined the seed pod from one of the Showy Milkweed plants in our outdoor classroom. Students also discovered remnants of a bird nest and a bright green caterpillar in our meadow garden.
Students continued to deepen their connections with classmates as we celebrated the first birthday of the school year and spent time reading, building, playing, and exploring together.
