Jeanne McDermott

I.J. Holton Principal

With temperatures dipping well below 0 degrees and students still enjoying winter break, I.J. Holton teachers explored the outdoor elements on Friday, Jan. 3, as they learned about “Team Teaching with Mother Nature,” compliments of the Jeffers Foundation. The Jeffers Foundation was established in March 2005 for the following purpose: “…to provide for direct primary education and the development of primary education principles, models, and curricula aimed at teaching young persons the value of wise stewardship of natural resources … and insuring the conservation and preservation of natural resources for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.” Much of this is done through free workshops and materials provided to staff and students across the state.

Bundled up in winter overalls and long underwear, teachers observed, measured and mapped, using the wildlife area on the south side of the school campus. All of these activities incorporated state education standards and related directly to the vision and mission of I.J. Holton Intermediate School: Our mission is to create a challenging learning community where students will be engaged in science, technology, engineering, fine arts and mathematics through an inquiry-based curriculum. Our vision is to build student leaders who will be successful in the 21st century. We will do this by facilitating student learning opportunities that utilize the engineering design process, integrate curriculum that is inquiry based, and expose students to the variety of technologies that exists today.

Why teach outdoors? Education research (Lieberman & Hoddy, 1998) shows when the natural and cultural environment is a focus for experiential learning in school, wonderful things happen: 1. Increased enthusiasm for learning, 2. Greater pride in accomplishments, 3. Fewer discipline problems, 4. Better attendance, and 5. Better scores on standardized tests. One of the objectives of the workshop was to use multidisciplinary journaling activities that provide “focus” for outdoor teaching. Jeffers provided a journal for each Holton student at the beginning of the school year, which they use in each of their classes to journal for a variety of purposes. By using the journals in all curricular areas, students begin to see and understand the connectedness between the learning in each of their classes. They also put their writing skills to work.

Students in Grade 5 and 6 completed the first of their engineering units in November. Grade 5 students completed a unit on Environmental Engineering called “Water, Water, Everywhere: Designing Water Filters.” The unit revolved around a story set in India called “Saving Salila’s Turtle.” Teams of students designed and built a water filter and then tested and modified their design. Grade 6 students completed a unit on mechanical engineering called “Catching the Wind; Designing Windmills.” This unit was based on a story set in Denmark called “Leif Catches the Wind.” These teams of students designed and constructed sails and windmills and then tested the effectiveness of each. The Jeffers workshop pulled in ideas of water and wind that are naturally occurring in the areas around our school which will be integrated into our engineering projects with next year’s students.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit the new I.J. Holton school yet, put Wednesday, Jan. 29 on your calendar. Holton students will be participating in the first annual STEAM Expo. There will be a competitive science fair, non-competitive science fair and engineering challenges. The public is invited to visit the school between 1 and 3 p.m. on Jan. 29 to view the exhibits and visit with students about their projects. We would be delighted if you can join us.