If you are a parent of a CK fourth grader, you may have to start cleaning up your act. Yesterday at the Kitsap Science Connections teachers workshop, teachers reported feedback from parents that tells us that students are bringing what they learn from their new science kit home. Kitsap Science Connections is a science kit containing lessons that teach about our local Kitsap County environment. The fourth and final teacher kit training was held yesterday. Lessons were reviewed and edited by the twelve enthusiastic teachers that are piloting the kit.
The final segment of the year long kit focused on pollution, solid waste and recycling. Resulting from what the students learned, the fourth graders are making sure that parents wash cars on the grass to avoid soap entering storm drains and that dog poop is disposed of properly. Kids are even looking at what mom and dad are using to clean the house. These are examples of the real life connections that are being made between school and home.
This kind of learning is what is being called for by the state learning standards for science. One of the four Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) for science is - Application, which is explained as. . . . "the ability for people to apply what they learn in school to meet challenges in their own lives, to understand and help solve societal problems involving science and technology, and contribute to the prosperity of their community, state, and nation."*
Proudly, the science kit, cooperatively built by Kitsap PUD, Kitsap County Public Works and the CK School district is bringing learning home into the real world.
* from Washington State K-12 Science Learning Standards prepared by Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, June 2009.
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