Innovation in Action News

Elementary school students are venturing in the wilds of the Wargo Nature Center this year to explore nature’s mysteries on real-world, interdisciplinary learning adventures.

Each trimester, Northpoint Elementary students at each grade level are digging into questions from the natural world through classroom activities and field experiences.

“This school-wide learning project is focused on engaging students in learning important skills in ways that are exciting and relevant to them,” says Kevin Koch, Gifted & Talented/STEM specialist and lead for the Wargo learning experiences. “We’re working to engage and bring joy to learning as students also master outcomes across reading, math, science, and social studies.”

Exploring adaptations

Kindergartener’s in Theresa Phillippo’s class were excited to trek through the snow to look at animal tracks. A week prior to their January field trip, students began learning about adaptations. First, they defined the word. Then they asked: How are our winter adaptations the same or different from animals?

They learned about hibernation, migration, changing body parts, how adaptations are related to predator and prey, and human adaptations. 

While at Wargo, a highlight was following coyote tracks out onto the lake to find skat.

“The kids were thrilled we got to look at poop!” laughs Theresa, “and then we realized what it could tell us about the animal. The naturalist pointed out the size, and we made predictions about what kind of animal it came from and the kind of food the animal ate.”

Through a variety of stations, students learned about the different ways animal bodies adapt to their environment and the relationship between predator and prey. Students huddled in the weeds like animals and talked about how they felt protected, both from the wind and natural elements as well as hidden from predators.

Focus on forensics

Maggie Lee’s 3rd grade class is focusing on how observation of animals helps solve human crimes.

In the classroom, they studied key aspects of animals tracks and how each animal moves about. After studying the prints in the classroom, they explored prints in the snow at Wargo to see if they were able to identify what had once been there.

They also learned how animals move through the snow by bounding or hopping across the snow. Then they tried it themselves.  

After observing tracks and understanding animal movements, the students can begin to explore how what is left behind – whether animal or human – can tell them things about a situation.

“This has been a very engaging experience for students,” says Maggie. “What students liked most was learning how animals leave behind their tracks by the way they walk and trying it out firsthand for themselves.” 

Benefits to learning

These learning experiences have had several benefits for all students.

“For our students who are more tactile learners and may struggle more with reading, the use of an anchor inquiry question to give purpose to their reading paired with the hands-on components has enhanced student comprehension,” says Kevin. “There has been a plus for all students in the engagement. It’s real life and it helps the concepts stick.”

The spring trimester will bring the final Wargo experiences for this school year. Each grade level will once again explore an inquiry question that brings together multiple disciplines. Students will learn key concepts while exploring things like animal resilience, engineering, forensics and survival in the wilderness as they take their learning from the classroom to the wild.

Wargo adventures will also be back next year after positive feedback from students, families and teachers.