iOPAL Selected for the Target Field Trip Grant!!

We're excited to report that....we've won the Target Field Trip grant for our Grade 4 iOPAL field trip!

The culminating project for our Grade 4 'History's Mysteries!' module will consist of visiting the sites of original primary source photographs that we've analyzed and taking a new photograph (to juxtapose with the old photo).  This which will be shared online in the global “Looking Into the Past” project in Flickr.com (http://www.flickr.com/groups/lookingintothepast/).  The students will also annotate their photo with the other results of their research.  The students can also post the photos and annotations to Google Earth as a follow-up project.

Grade 4 iOPAL students from each elementary school will be able to attend the field trip as a result of the grant.

How Do I Learn? (Module 2 - Guided Inquiry)

We are just beginning the next module, in which students are guided through the inquiry process to explore thematic units, reflect upon what they've learned and share their findings with others.


Grade 3 - Sound
Sound is all around us all the time.  What is it, and how does it effect us?  Students will learn about vibrations, soundscapes, sonar and sonic booms!  They will take what they already know about sound and expand upon it in a direction of their choice becoming an 'expert' in that sub-area.   They'll create a final product that will reflect the journey from initial curiosity to knowledge acquisition. 

Grade 4 - Community Connections:  History’s Mysteries! 

Students will learn that history is created through investigation and interpretation of clues and other evidence.  History as we know it is fluid:  it changes based upon new evidence and new interpretations.  Historians are detectives--they search for evidence among primary sources! Which is exactly what we will do.

Through the analysis of primary sources (photographs) we will strive to answer some essential questions - What social/cultural, political, environmental and/or economic factors helped to shape our community in and around Scotia, NY? What changes occurred over time?  What factors caused those changes? What might our future community look like?  What would have to occur now for future changes to happen? 

Grade 5 - Survival
It's the name of the game!  Students will explore various angles of survival...from diseases to forensics, to endangered animals and extreme weather.   Students will choose a specific topic of interest and generate essential questions to research and create a final product to share what they have learned.

Who Am I As a Learner? (Module 1)

We have just finished the first module!


Students learned about their own brains...from physiology to multiple intelligences.  We learned how our brains are constructed, how they work (and under which conditions they work best), and how we all have different types of 'smarts.'  Each human brain learns in preferred ways that are unique to an individual.  We created everything from Jello molds of our brains to Rube Goldberg machines that demonstrate a neural process!

Check out some of our resources (posted over there on the right)!  Test your memory, do some brain-teasers, and see what kinds of 'smart' you are!