On board the ferry, students hear from stakeholders


representing different interests related to the health of Puget Sound. The stakeholder’s interest might be economic, environmental, or cultural/historical. Students have the opportunity to interact with stakeholders who might represent state fisheries, non-profit habitat restoration organizations, Native American tribes, large shellfish corporations, or others. To prepare for the field experience, students research the


stakeholders and their points of view in advance, generating questions in their field journals. On the ferry, students use their field journals to organize information around key thinking skills. Both at the aquarium and on the water, students use their field journals and cameras to capture evidence regarding the economic, environmental, and cultural/historical aspects of Puget Sound. While our community sits right in the Puget Sound’s


watershed, this field experience represents the first time many of our students have ever actually been out on the water. The powerful impact of this opportunity is evident in students’ reflective letters to stakeholders and in the way the field experience continues to influence student thinking well after it has ended. Interacting personally with the Sound’s stakeholders while out on the Sound itself is an experience that can’t be replicated in the school building.


Sounding Off! Project The Sounding Off! Project provides a framework for students


to make their voices heard. Using the structure for projects provided by Ted McCain in his book Teaching for Tomorrow, students work as a member of a team. They design projects for the purpose of raising awareness about the health of the Puget Sound. The projects educate and call their audiences to action. Students choose their message and their target audience. Then they select a medium that will best communicate their message. They manage their team and project in the online learning community. The projects vary widely based on the audience, medium and


message. For example, one project team might create a picture book for kindergartners showing strategies for home water conservation while another team might create a video podcast to highlight the importance of habitat conservation to share with our legislators. Students are encouraged to use their individual talents to make a statement. They present their project to their chosen audience, “sounding off” on the state of the Puget Sound and sharing how people’s actions can make a difference. Choice is at the heart of this project, and students exercise


their creativity and their passions as they communicate with an authentic audience about the state of the Sound. Projects have included a website for learning about the danger of bulkheads, paintings that depict the past, present and future of the Sound, movies to promote stewardship, poetry, and children’s games.


Community Service The unit culminates with the students investigating


community service organizations, exploring answers to these questions: What is community service? Why is it important? How is service a component of citizenship? Students research community organizations that are involved in cleaning up the Puget Sound. They study the mission of the different organizations, and using a decision making model, they select an organization in which to become involved. Students contact the organization of their choice, learn about the organization’s service


CLEARING 2011


projects, and then commit to involvement in one of these projects. Students reflect on their participation by considering how they are making a difference in promoting the sustainability of the Puget Sound . They are doing real work that has value beyond the classroom and can take pride in making contributions to their community. Engagement leads to empowerment. We want to graduate


students who know that they can make a difference and have the tools to act. Learning must be relevant and real. Our students discover how they can take action to have impact. This life lesson will last long beyond the accumulation of content. Students learn problem solving, decision making, persistence, and interdependence. They practice civic involvement through a call to action. Our democracy relies on involved citizens, and our students learn that they have empowered voices through their study of the Puget Sound. They develop the awareness that what we do today does indeed make a difference for the future. How do


we know that these kinds of learning opportunities are more meaningful for our students than traditional approaches? We’re listening to their voices.


For more information about the Sounding Off on the Puget Sound unit, please contact Nancy Skerritt in the Tahoma School District at nskerrit@tahomasd.us


References:


Costa, A. and Kallick, B. (2009) Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind. Alexandria: ASCD


McCain, T. (2005) Teaching For Tomorrow: Teaching Content and Problem Solving Skills.


Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press


Nancy Skerritt, the Director of the Teaching and Learning Department, has been with the Tahoma District for 9 years. She previously worked in the Snoqualmie and Auburn School Districts. One of her most interesting assignments has been the development of the Elementary Core Curriculum in the Tahoma district. She has expertise in thinking skills instruction and she works with the Washington State Commission on Student Learning to assist with the design and implementation of the Washington State assessment system.


Kristin Edlund is a curriculum specialist in the Tahoma School District in Washington State and author of the middle school Habits of Mind curriculum. She has written social studies units that integrate the Habits of Mind and thinking skills, and she supports teachers in implementing this curriculum in the classroom. Edlund teaches classes in integrated curriculum, thinking skills, and Habits of Mind throughout western Washington and has presented at numerous state and national conferences. She worked as a teacher-librarian for 12 years before entering administration. She can be reached at the Tahoma School District office at kedlund@tahomasd.us.


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