Projects and Themes - Why We Do What We Do

Summers-Knoll is a project-based school that uses themes as a way to integrate content areas in a way that makes sense to children. We have six large rotating ideas, three of which we do in a year. This year, the three themes on deck are Exploration, Mythology, and Sustainability. As usual, we end the year reflecting on all we have learned. Each theme usually lasts a few months, but this is fluid and can go longer if the children are higher invested.

Exploration is a wonderful and natural place to start the year, as first and second graders are always instinctive and joyful explorers. The Fall is the perfect time to be outdoors, so the first/second grade teaching team decided that we would make this theme “Nature Explorers.” We will spend a lot of time at County Farm Park being scientists, artists, writers, poets, herbalists, and more. Team building, goal setting, and relationship building will be natural bi-products of our work and play.

We hope to foster process learning and active involvement for ALL students with diverse learning styles. Thematic units involve activities designed to cross several areas of curriculum and build on students’ prior knowledge and interests. Plus, it is a way for us to build relationships between the classrooms. Last year, we did most of our important project work with Grace’s class, and plan to again this year. There are usually several opportunities throughout the year to gather meaningfully in larger groups, too, when doing project-based work.

Other benefits include:

Addressing individual needs

Promoting group cohesiveness

Motivating children and teachers

Learning in-depth factual information

Becoming physically involved with learning

Learning process skills

Learning “how to learn”

Integrating learning in a holistic way

                    (Kostelnik, M.J., Soderman, A. K., & Whiren, A. P.,)

Here’s to a great year ahead, full of learning and adventure!