Class trip to Pt. Reyes, and the creation of our Dioramas
- We often begin with a field trip to the California Academy of Sciences, sometimes with directed lab, to let students see how to use text and graphics to share information based on research…
- …and observation.
- Many years ago, the Academy had a series of dioramas with explanatory posters based on habitats of California.
- Hence the name: Wild California.
- After a workshop where teachers created their own model and poster in an afternoon, creating dioramas in the classroom became a real goal.
- Some of the models still exist at the Point Reyes National Seashore Visitor Center.
- 7. Students observe, sketch, take notes on animals in their habitat.
- A prime opportunity to spend 3 or 4 days and have school outside exists at the Point Reyes Education Center. Parents and teachers work together to keep students safe, well fed, and active.
- We often engage in habitat restoration or beach clean-up.
- Ice plant leftover from projected residential development prior to National Seashore designation must be removed to allow native plants to flourish
- Students are given group challenges that can only be accomplished through cooperation.
- Students are given group challenges that can only be accomplished through cooperation.
- Invented games.
- We entertain each other with campfire stories written by students specifically for this occasion. All students participate.
- The experience at Point Reyes is the most referenced memory of former students over a twenty-four year period of teaching.
- When we return to school, we take about a month to research animals and plants in the habitats we just visited. We work with the district art teacher to create models (mostly papier-mâché) of animals and plants, habitat backgrounds, and explanatory posters.
- Other classrooms are invited to hear students give docent presentations of their research.
- Dioramas take up considerable space, but also demonstrate a classroom commitment to a common enterprise.
- Moving to a new building meant much less space in the classroom. We lost our ability to construct 3-D dioramas. We moved to a large common space, the lobby of the building, and pivoted to a mural presentation.
- A view without the furniture.
- Including the globe repainted each year by another class.
- We again worked with the district art teacher to create 2-D animal and plant models.
- Some models also found permanent homes in the classroom.
- In addition to docent tours, the mural and posters existed as an art/science exhibition for an extended period of time, and was refreshed with each new class of students.