In This Issue E Year-Long Investigation: an Expedition in Learning

Expeditions 2013 -

Expeditions in Learning: What a Year!

very year each class in Thornton Creek delves into a In This Issue E year-long investigation: an Expedition in learning. These ad- KINDERGARTEN ventures in begin with our teachers ROOM 1: Seeing Trees ……………...…………………..……………. 2 planning and implementing cross- ROOM 11: The Creatures of Thornton Creek…………………. 3 disciplinary projects. They devote ROOM 4: Tell me a story...……………………………………. 4 significant time and energy to their FIRST GRADE projects involving parents and com- ROOM 5: The Birds of Greenlake ...……...……...…………...….. 6 munity along the way. The spirit of ROOM 9: What is the formula for fun?...... 7 adventure, community service, crea- SECOND GRADE tivity, and character development ROOM 2, 13, & 7: Good Vibrations: are at the heart of these projects Sign language, Sound, and Hearing………………………….. 8 based on the Expeditionary Learn- THIRD GRADE ing Outward Bound (ELOB) model ROOM 8, 14 & : People of the Salish Sea ……….………….. 10 (see page 22). Lighthouse: NW Native Peoples: And what adventures 2013-14 Proving Resources Impact Culture………………………… 12 brought to us! Our scientists ex- FOURTH GRADE plored the trees and the lives of Cabin and Lodge: The Expedition Expedition: creatures living right on our school Multiple Perspectives of Lewis and . Clark Expedition ………………………………………………...…. 14 grounds, learned the art of storytell- FIFTH GRADE ing, became experts on our local Bungalow: Early Seattle & the Klondike Gold Rush……. 16 birds, designed their ideal play Cottage: Human Body ……...……...……...……………………… 17 14 ground, investigated sounds and K–5 SELF-CONTAINED music, studied cultures of the Rooms 3, 6, & 10: Community…………………..……… 18 Northwest, and dove into human bodies beyond any science text- ARTS .……...……...……...……...……...……...……...……….. 20 book. We highlight their efforts GYM ……...……...……...……...……..…...……...……...…….. 12 here. LIBRARY ...……...……...……...……...……...……...……... 5 ABOUT ELOB ……...……...……...……...……...……...…. 22 1

Kindergarten—Room 1

For this year’s expedition, I wanted to Seeing Trees explore something that was accessi- Teacher: Liz Robinson ble, familiar, and offered the opportunity for a variety of investigations. The big ideas for this expedition are: Trees are all around us, and some-  Trees are essential for our surviv- thing that can easily be taken for al. granted (especially here in the Pacific Northwest). My over-arching goal  Trees have a life cycle. was for students to recognize that  Trees provide food, shelter, and trees are essential to our survival! oxygen. We started out the year by digging in of our friends and families. We also Our investigations are guided by the researched how trees help following questions: people, animals, and the earth.  What is a tree?  What makes a tree a tree? Finally, we asked ourselves,  What are the parts of a “How can we help trees?” tree? We took field trips to the Washington Park Arboretum  What are the different and Seward Park to look up- types of trees? close at trees and find out  What is the life cycle of a what they need to survive. tree? We wrote poems about trees,  Why are trees important? and published a book of our illustrated poems as one of  What do trees provide? our culminating projects.  How do trees help people, animals, and the earth? Our other culminating project  How can we help trees? was to publish a book of tree facts. We worked very hard  What do trees need? on multiple drafts of text and  How do trees communicate? to the Wood science kit, which helped illustrations to share some of what we  If trees could talk, what would us answer questions such as: What learned over the course of our expedi- they say? makes a tree a tree? What are the tion. parts of a tree? What are the different types of trees? We enjoyed learning about different kinds of wood, and even making our own plywood and particleboard! We discovered that a great many things we use every day came from trees.

For our second investigation, we dug into the life cycle of a tree. We worked with Whistlestop Dance Com- pany to choreograph a dance that interpreted the seasonal changes ex- perienced by deciduous trees, and we 2 loved performing our dance in front

Kindergarten—Room 11 The Creatures of Thornton Creek Teacher: Joan O’Connor larger, often having changed colors too. We enjoyed speakers from, and visits to, both Seattle Tilth and Woodland Park Room 11 Kindergartners spent the year Zoo. learning about the invertebrates that live in the soil, plants, and air around 3. Caterpillars, Chrysalis and Butterflies Thornton Creek School. in the Spring – After spring break we began watching very tiny caterpillars grow to create a natural history museum in Our guiding questions are: and turn themselves into chrysalises. We Room 11 using our paper mache crea- wondered what was happening inside the tures. Ginny taught us how to research What is an invertebrate? chrysalis. We watched crumpled butter- and organize information about our crea- flies emerge only to transform themselves tures. We used the penmanship skills we What invertebrates live around into beautifully formed flying insects. We Thornton Creek School? had developed all year to prepare the might have wondered more about how museum signage. How do invertebrates change over they eat or what might be a host plant for time? their eggs, had we been able to watch Other Activities: Each child built a habitat them. Alas, strong winds and curious for creatures found in the soil at Thornton What makes a good habitat for each hands left gaps in the netting and the Creek. The habitats had to provide every- kind of invertebrate we found? butterflies flew away. We wonder if they thing the creatures needed and could not mix predators and prey. We spent many What is a museum? hours drawing our creatures. The children kept a science journal covering all aspects How can we show what we know to our of their science explorations this year. families? Maria helped us make anatomically cor- Investigations: rect paper mache models. We worked with Morpho Man (Christian Swenson) to 1. Spiders in the Fall - On foggy fall days create a theatre piece using what we we found many glistening webs around learned about how invertebrates move. In the school, particularly in the bird sanctu- the story we created for this piece, we ary. We studied the webs and the spiders. incorporated our Responsive Classroom We wondered about the different web Agreements. We also wrote stories using shapes, how they were made, the behav- invertebrates as characters which were ior of the spider, and fate of the bugs tan- “published” for Expedition Night. gled in the web. We read nonfiction are happy in a new home. Expedition Resources: a fantastic collec- books about spiders and drew accurate 4. What is a museum? – We made a natu- tion of nonfiction and fiction books pictures of spiders. We also made spiders ral history museum to share what we (assembled by Ginny Allemann, our librar- from found objects and used them in know about the creatures around our ian); field trips to Tilth, the Zoo, and the plays. school. We visited the Burke Museum Burke Museum; online resources, used in 2. Arthropods, Mollusks, and Worms in where museum staff showed us how to our school library; wonderful parent vol- Winter and Spring – Beginning in January, sort specimens into categories, create unteers; parent-supplied class funds the children had access to live specimens labels and informational text, and finally, which supported the purchase of live including: bess bugs, millipedes, centi- show our displays. We used that skill set specimens and more; Maria’s patient and pedes, isopods, earth- bold teaching about paper mache; Debbie worms, water snails, and Kosman’s secret life as an entomologist land snails. The children and her cool teaching materials; SPS kin- learned to hold all but the dergarten science unit on insects; the centipedes, which are very classroom teaching kit from Tilth; the lively creatures. After wonderful bird sanctuary maintained by weeks of gentle study, we Liz McCormack and families; the butterfly were ready to use the garden started by Ray; and the endless school trowels to explore wonderings of the children of Room 11. the soils of our school Culminating Project: Room 11 Thornton grounds. We marveled at Creek Invertebrate Natural History Muse- what appeared to be white um for Expedition Night. threads to discover newly hatched millipedes. We wondered about each of the very young creatures and returned repeatedly to 3 dig and find them grown

Kindergarten—Room 4 Tell Me a Story

Teacher: Debbie Kosman through Letter Land. Each day Our world is full of stories. They engage we met inhabitants of Letter us, teach us and entertain us. This year Land. There was Ben who Room 4's expedition focused on storytell- owned Ben's Bike Barn and ing. Storytelling is part of our cultural loaned us bikes for a few history. It is what comes before we com- days, Freddy the Fish who mit the story to paper. It is our chance to longed to go to the fjord, San engage with an audience and make a sto- and Zan, twins who sold story grow. It is a wonderful opportunity to ries from their storymobile, Yakov the Yak analyzed the stories and decided the de- learn about the world around us. whose passion was yodeling, and many fining characteristics: the main character is baked or Over the year we looked at how stories cooked, it runs can be told through pictures, movement, away and gets puppets, drama, and verbal and written chased, it words. We analyzed stories and we comes to an learned about ourselves through stories. obstacle, some- Everything we studied, whether it was one offers to math or science, art or literacy, was con- "help" it across nected to story. Stories played a part in or through the the daily life of the classroom and were obstacle, and the major focus of our work. finally the main We visited the home of letters and character is sounds - Letter Land. Two to three times eaten or es- per week, over the course of several capes. We cho- months, we donned our capes and flew to reographed a Letter Land to join Lily Ann and Dave the dance about Dragon on their continuing adventure The Ginger- bread Man. Then the chil- other interesting characters. To- dren created their own Gingerbread sto- gether we explored Letter Land, ries. Using Kamishibai, an old Japanese watching the raccoons racing on form of story telling with pictures, each roller skates, listening to the acts at child told their story to an audience using the Vaudeville Variety Show, and the Kamishibai that they had created. walking through the maze in the What are the parts of a story? We learned mine. In fact, we are still getting about the main character, setting, and letters from Handsome Harold the problem. We read many stories, search- Hat Seller, who has found that if he ing for the problems in a story. Then we teams up with different letters (such thought about these elements to create as "s", "c" and "t") he can make a our own stories using our stuffies. Once whole new sound! As with any ad- the setting and problem was decided, venture, we kept travel journals each child or pair of children acted out noting each day's adventure their story with their stuffy, photo- through pictures and words. graphed the story, and then wrote and published their story. These stories became the favorite reading material in Did you know that one story can be class. The children in Room 4 can tell a varied to create similar, but differ- great story! ent stories? We studied the story of 4 "The Gingerbread Man" and read every version we could find. We

ly informational text choices. The Mary Cooper Library Washington Library Media Associa- tion’s inaugural year Towner Award Librarian: Ginny Allemann offers some great choices. Some of these were available in ebook for- At Thornton Creek, our library pro- but promoting reading and infor- mats. Our kids especially loved the gram thrives with incredible support mation literacy could be deemed the Giant Squid ebook and Nic Bishop’s from our community! The Mary “expedition” of the library. We know Snakes with its amazing photo- Cooper Library supports the array of that the best way to become a good graphs. We read narrative non- L expeditions by providing more ex- reader is to read. Promoting literacy fiction in the form of picture book tensive materials for certain topics is at the heart of all of the “special biographies like Vaunda Nelson’s than would be found in a typical events” that Ginny, our teacher- Bad News for Outlaws: The Remark- I elementary school library. Ginny librarian plans. This year we wel- able Story of Bass Reeves. Students Allemann, our librarian, works with comed author and artist Barney were encouraged to read and check each teacher to supply materials on Saltzberg (Beautiful Oops!), Paul out non-fiction; then each student B expeditions that range from 5th Owen Lewis (Storm Boy, Davy’s wrote a non-fiction title recommen- graders studying early Seattle or the Dream, Frog Girl), Book It Theatre dation to share with other students. human body to Kindergarteners performing Norton Juster’s Phantom Look for these poking out of books R studying bugs or trees. Building our Tollbooth, and the Theodore Boone/ in the north area of our library. Stu- extensive collection of print materi- Jon Grisham “Thrill of Rights” tour. dent recommendations are often far als saves the time of our users. Cur- Each time we host an event, a buzz more compelling to kids than one A ricular materials are of high quality of interest in that book or author from a teacher or parent. and are easily available onsite. Col- runs through the school. Kids gain Teaching kids to be self-reliant and lectively purchasing literature group new perspectives on how individuals resourceful information seekers and R sets and housing them in the library write and create their art. The books users…it might not be obvious that means we can differentiate more are circulated more and kids become reading helps with that! But beyond efficiently for each class, rather than more well-read (and better readers). reading, we also do a lot in library to R each teacher or grade level having a In the spring, the school wide Dress understand how to find information. narrower set of titles of their own. as a Book Character Day brings fun Starting with second grade, students We save time and money by pur- to our day as we think and talk learn library organization, use our chasing together for our whole about literature with our families Y online catalog, and find their own school and by using a system that and friends. Poem in Your Pocket books using their knowledge of the keeps track of where the materials Day is a low-key way to remember system. By fifth grade, kids check out are. poetry as an easy-to-love and easy- their own books and access online to-share form of literature. Visits Our library exists to support and resources to find information. A from our local Seattle Public Librari- meet the needs of all of our commu- touchstone of EL is that we are an remind kids to keep reading and K nity—students, staff, and parents-- “crew, not passengers.” This year, using their re- for the first time, all upper grade sources in the students in grades 2-5 did some summertime. to shelving, thus contributing to the This year, promo- smooth operation of our library. tion of non-fiction Interestingly, this task also improved was the spring their skills at independently using 5 “expedition” that the library. As students become Ginny undertook. more competent, they become more Focusing specifi- confident and powerful. Every inter- cally on grades 3, action in our library is an opportuni- 4, and 5, we shift- ty to build that sense of power. ed our read- 5 alouds to primari-

First Grade—Room 5

The Birds of Green Lake (Skills developed: Observation, record- Teacher: Mari Brockhaus ing, and scientific illustration) Resources: Seattle Audubon’s “Birds of The first graders in Room 5 are wrapping Seattle” and “A Symphony of Birds” up our expedition, “The Birds of Green kits Variety of books on birds (Thank you, Lake”. In this expedition we explored the ditionally, we’ve visited Green Lake once Ginny, our Librarian!) big ideas of the basic needs of organisms each season with a master birder. Fami- generally, and then apply this learning to lies have been encouraged to go birding a specific group of organisms – birds. Ad- at Green Lake, as well as other local bird- ditionally, we learned about the variety of ing spots. birds that can be found at Green Lake (Skills developed: Observation, scientific during the year. Finally, we learned what illustration, research - books and internet, a field guide is and how to use them, by multiple drafts, handwriting, basic writing studying them, using them for research, conventions.) and ultimately writing our own field guide. Resources: Master Birder Martin Muller, Green Lake (field trip each season), Vari- Our guiding questions are: ous Bird Field Guides and Books What makes a bird a bird? Other Activities: In Art sessions with Ma- What do birds need to survive? ria, we practiced drawing our birds and we made banners of our birds in order to What birds live at Green Lake? When 2. Birds’ Basic Needs for Survival – The look closely at our bird’s shape rather are they there? district’s science kit, “Organisms” pro- than its color and field markings. We also vides a general overview of the basic What is a field guide? made papier-mâché representations of needs of organisms. Using this kit, small our birds. Investigations: groups composed terrariums and aquarium habitats that were home to tree seed- We studied our birds’ movements and 1. Bird Anatomy/Physiology – We are lings, moss, sow bugs and pill bugs and to feeding behaviors, which we incorporated fortunate that Seattle Audubon Society duck weed, elodea, cloud fish, and pond into our dance, “The Birds of Green Lake”, offers a number of bird related science snails, respectively. All of our observa- during our artist residency with the Whis- kits, including “Birds of Seattle”. This kit tions were recorded in our science note- tlestop Dance Company. This was per- includes actual bird skins (preserved birds books. We sprouted various seeds and formed for the school and for our families that have died), which the children were recorded their growth in a plant journal. at “Family Dance Night”. able to hold, observe closely and draw. We designed and conducted a “fair test” Additionally, it included bird skulls and Culminating Project: Room 5’s Birds of to answer the question, “Do isopods pre- feet. We also enjoyed “A Symphony of Green Lake Field Guide (to be published fer moist or dry soil?” We maintained Birds”, an Audubon kit that helped us in early June) healthy terrarium and aquarium habitats learn to identify birds by their songs and over time. calls. (Skills developed: Applying concept of basic needs to organisms generally, as well as to individual species (our Green Lake birds, recording data and observations) Resources: “Organisms” Science Kit & Variety of books on birds 3. “Birds of Green Lake” Field Guide – We are writing a class field guide called “The Birds of Green Lake”. Each child is researching one bird and drawing a scien- 6 tific illustration of that bird. Each family will receive a copy of our field guide. Ad-

First Grade—Room 9

What is the Formula for Fun? What makes a good play- Teachers: Julie Clayton ground? Trilby Cohen What elements of play can you find in nature? Room 9 students are engaged in a year- Investigations: long study of fun! Specifically, our Expedi- tion this year is science- based and looks 1. What makes a good deeply into playground design. Through friend? the use of two science units, Weather and Room 9 students are en- Balls and Ramps, we will begin to expand riching their feelings, literacy and prob- are our understanding of what makes a great lem solving skills through work with a snack bars and flying les- special classmate, Tiny Turtle. Tiny comes space for play. But the Formula for Fun is sons, dragons and hot tubs, secret tun- to visit and shares stories from his life nels and unlimited gold! Revision is a so- more complex than having a spectacular that are remarkably like those that hap- phisticated tool for first graders to master place to enjoy your friends. Six and seven pen right here in our room. Tiny teaches and, looking at their own work with a year olds first need to learn what makes a the kids about how to calm down, when critical eye, they improved their designs good friend and how to navigate the to ask for help and how you even know with each attempt. 3. How would you design a real playground? In our final investigation, Room 9 students will design a playground that could be used as a model for our new school building, scheduled to be built in 2016. Using their knowledge of playing with friends, weather resistant materials, elements of play in nature and playground physics, students will draw or build a functional model of a playground. This model will be presented to the actual playground designers themselves as well as other members of our school commu- emotional and social terrain of friend- that you have a problem in the first place. nity. ships. The kids learned how to rate situations and feelings on The Big Deal Scale. Some issues are simply bigger Guiding questions: than others and require What makes a good friend? immediate attention! How can we best play with everyone? 2. How would you create your personal Fantasy How do we need to act at school to build Playground? a community? We brainstormed and How does weather affect our play and dreamed, we drew and playground design? drew and we created What would you put on a fantasy play- amazing places to play. ground? Each Room 9 writer and artist created multiple How do balance, friction and gravity drafts of one playground affect playground design and play oppor- that they wish could exist tunities? 7 in the real world. There

Second Grades— Room 2, 7 and 13 Good Vibrations Room 7 students performed Teachers: Shawn LeValley a dance about the sounds different instruments make Lori Fujimoto and the mood we create Jeanne Gleason with them. Jamtown work- shops helped us understand Good vibrations resonated through how percussion instruments Thornton Creek School as second graders could have different pitches. from Rooms 2, 7 and 13 learned about Our work with Christian sound. These were our guiding questions: Swenson, a.k.a. “Morphoman,” helped us  What is sound? explore the different pitches  How is sound made? we could make with our voices and bodies.  How do we hear sound? We also used our bodies in  How do we react to sound? response to sounds, creating  How do we communicate with and interesting movements. without sound? After learning how to play the ukulele from our teacher  How do other creatures hear and John Leder, we performed in communicate? front of a live audience at the Northwest Folklife Festi- Investigation 1: What is Sound? our environment. Seattle Public Schools val. We investigated the physics of sound by audiologist Kea Swartz-Ireland taught us using the Seattle School District’s science Investigation 2: How do we hear? How about the workings of the cochlea and kit. This led us to explore how sound is do other creatures hear? how cochlear implants work to help people who have lost their hearing. Parent made, how it travels through different Our hearing system is amazing. Sound Alan Chitlik taught us about decibels and matter, and how vibrations cause variable waves upset air molecules, creating vibra- which sounds in our environment pro- pitches and volume. tions that quickly move through the out- duce high and low sound. Room 2 stu- Students made their own instruments er, middle and inner ear, sending signals dents performed a dance with Whis- to the brain. The result is sound! with at least three different pitches. They tlestop Dance Company demonstrating visited the Sound Bridge at Benaroya Hall. We learned how to protect our delicate the hearing system. And they learned to play the ukulele. cilia, located in the cochlea (inner ear) by Wondering how other creatures hear, we being careful about the loud sounds in researched animals by reading nonfiction text, watching videos and ob- serving the animals at the Woodland Park Zoo. First, we researched owls that have an amazing sense of hearing. They can locate their prey from 100 yards away with their just 8 their hearing. A classroom visit

Second Grades— Room 2, 7 and 13

from “Woody,” the owl from the zoo, was a highlight as he asked, “Whooo” had questions for his handler. Then, each student chose an animal, read about it and, by using the writing process, converted their notes into a published report, paying particular attention to how they hear and communicate. Some animals have peculiar ways of hearing and many don’t even have ears. Our projects were displayed during expedition night and some parts were made into books. Investigation 3: How do we communicate without sound? We wondered how people communicate with each other if they are hearing im- paired or deaf. Conducting our own research, we wore ear plugs one day at lunch and noted the differences in behav- ior, emotions and sound. Our new friends, Emily, Brianna and Claire from Roosevelt High School, are studying American Sign Language for their gradua- tion requirement and they helped us learn sign language. They came in to our classes at least once a week, teaching us finger spelling, numbers, signs for family members, directions, and even Halloween creatures. Students in all three classes learned how to sign the song, “Let Us Walk in Peace,” which we signed at a school assembly celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. Room 13 also performed a dance with Whistlestop, entitled “There is a Fine Wind Blowing,” which included signing and interpretation. Vibrations are all around us. We can hear, feel, see and interpret them in many ways. Sound can be amusing, inspiring and essential to all living things. However, be cautious: Loud sounds can damage your hearing. Here are some words of advice from second graders: When around loud, constant noise, wear ear- plugs, move away from its source, and turn down the volume.

Third Grades—Room 8 & 14 People of the Salish Sea Teachers: Elizabeth McCormic Nora Scully This year, the third-grade students ing at how commu- focused their learning on native nities met basic people in Washington State and needs and by com- beyond. We learned about a varie- paring our lives to- ty of topics, from the Western red day with the lives of cedar and salmon to birch bark different tribal trees and buffalo, including how groups long ago. A natural resources and the land- documentary film scape shaped the lives of people featuring interviews long ago. with tribal members from more cepts. Throughout this expedition, stu- than a dozen nations helped us Throughout the winter, we learned dents learned about the diversity understand how people used natu- more about the culture of the of tribes long ago, as well as the ral resources within their commu- Coast Salish people. nities to address basic needs, such rich cultural history of Native At the Burke Museum, Seattle Art Americans today. as food and water, shelter, cloth- ing, and transportation. Museum, Museum of History & We began our expedition by look- Industry (MOHAI), and the Tulalip A local expert in eth- Tribes Hibulb Cultural Center, stu- nobotany and tradi- dents explored exhibits to learn tional ecology visited about the Native American tradi- us to share her tions of fishing and weaving, the knowledge of North- techniques of basket-making and west Coast tribes and carving, and the significance of their use of the West- stories and ceremonies. Our stu- ern red cedar, the dents explored artifacts and made “Tree of Life.” models of fish traps and bentwood A field trip to the Uni- boxes. versity of Washing- In the art studio at school, Maria ton’s arboretum deep- worked with the students to cre- ened our understand- ate artwork using the Coast Salish ing of native plants design elements of circles, cres- and their uses both cents, and trigons. In addition to today and long ago. reading for information, students Hands-on activities read myths, legends, and fictional working with cedar, stories focusing on the traditional cattail, and other plant storytelling and art of people of fibers helped the stu- the Pacific Northwest. dents enrich their knowledge and under- Throughout our study, the stu- 10 standing of these con- dents worked on a variety of pro-

Third Grades—Room 8 & 14

jects including posters and reports they created stories about on plains, intermountain, and geologic formations in- coastal tribes. Students compared spired by Northwest and contrasted how geography myths and legends. The and resources in the area influ- students also built a enced the cultures of people living Northwest Coast village in those regions. Based on what complete with plank hous- they learned, students developed es and artifacts of pre- a Coast Salish character, and then contact Northwest Coast people. In the spring, families participated in a drum- making night led Saan- ich musician and story- teller, Che oke’ ten (Paul Wagner). Each student made an elk-skin hoop drum. For our culminating event, we performed a celebration of songs and dances on Expedition Night.

Gym

Teacher: Sue Doty Physical Education class at Thornton Creek is an opportunity for children to begin the journey of a lifetime experiencing the joy of movement by ac- quiring new skills and knowledge. A broad baseline of physical, cognitive, and social skills are introduced. From basic locomotor skills of run- ning, skipping, and galloping, to Physical Education For Progress (PEP) federally more complex movement patterns funded grant random sample data collection of sending and receiving—for exam- for all schools in the district. We had several ple—throwing/catching; kicking/ children/families participate by documenting trapping; volleying with a partner the number of steps they took with a pedome- are skills that are taught. Many ter over several days during 5 different sample combinations of individual, partner, times. and team activities are introduced to promote physical literacy. Stu- Social Skills—Personal safety and the safety of dents are introduced to activities others is paramount in this dynamic learning such as roller skating/blading and environment. Using the framework from The bicycle safety to encourage a life- First 6 Weeks of School classes set the group long commitment to physical fitness expectations for the year. This includes coop- G while recreating. erating, taking turns, trying ones’ best, problem solving, sportsmanship and teamwork. Cognitive aspects of focus, perse- These skills help to contribute to an environ- verance, awareness of self and oth- ment where students are willing to be risk ers, and goal setting continue to Y takers in a safe way . increase with age and experience to assist in skill acquisition. Fitness A basic introduction of food for energy and exercises and warm ups are taught health teaches about the importance of food M along with the components of fit- choices and nutrient values. Games using food ness. Then, beginning at third cards with the food groups and labels increase grade; children are given fall and awareness of all the choices available. spring fitness assessments. These The PE Central Challenge is a 6 skill series include cardio-respiratory fitness— which 4th and 5th graders participate in to the mile run, muscular endurance— earn a pin for the completion of 4/6,5/6 and one minute curl-ups, muscular 6/6 skills which incorporate many of the afore- strength—push-up test and flexibil- mentioned skills---physical, cognitive, and so- ity—the sit and reach test. These cial. The tasks are Balance Shuffle components along with the 15 me- (cooperation with a partners to complete a ter pacer test, comprise the fitness measurement balance beam challenge, Partner Throw and Catch model for PE in the district. Also, new this year the (consecutive successful throws and catches from 25’), HulaHoop-(20seconds), Jump Rope challenge (continuous jumping without missing for 90 seconds), Volley up (with 3 total people strike a volley- ball up 10 times without missing, and Racket ups (Hit a ball up with a racket for one minute without missing while staying in a 36” diameter). Other opt in extracurricular activities include partici- pation in Athletic Skills and Art Night for anyone interested and for 3rd grade and up National Ar- chery In The Schools Program for those interested in 12 competing in the State Tournament.

Third Grade—Light House NW Native Peoples: Proving Resources Impact Culture

Teacher: LaChrista Borgers Cultural Center. Students then This was an adventurous year of re- applied their understanding of search, discovery and sharing in third natural resources to research grade. Through each avenue of our projects rooted in various as- Northwest Native Peoples expedition pects of Coast Salish life, like fishing, life and ethical priorities. A common we sought to prove the big idea: Nat- shelter or hunting. Once again stu- theme lifted and applied to our own ural characteristics can impact the dents shared research and knowledge classroom tribe is generosity. Stu- development of culture. The students to write informative essays, build dents demonstrated their depth of were beyond successful! models and deliver presentations. Our knowledge by creating original classroom is bursting with longhouse folktales that reflect a melding of cul- In the fall, we began exploring how models, hunting dioramas and a hand tural clues and classroom ethics. It is native peoples across the entire Unit- humbling and fascinating to witness ed States of America their acute understanding of Coast used natural resources Salish life fold into their own moral to thrive by small group priorities. regional studies. Each cohort of researchers What a gorgeous ride, linking ways of tackled a region, using life back to this gracious planet. Stu- video, audio recordings dents have not only proven that natu- and texts to prove natural resources shape culture, but they ral resources shape how discovered how to come together as a people lived. For in- tribe themselves to tell their stories stance, people who lived and share their spiritual wealth. on the plains needed a mobile lifestyle so they could access their roving food/life source (buffalo) while people in the Puget crafted harpoon! Sound area lived in villages because the region provided what they need- As our under- ed. Students collaborated on large standing of scale posters to show off their evi- Coast Salish life dence and presented to their peers. developed we began also to With a sound understanding of the immerse our- interconnectivity between natural selves further by resources and ways of life, we honed reading and lis- our focus on the people of the Salish tening to region- Sea or Puget Sound. We studied the al folktales. As Tree of Life or cedar tree and its tre- rapt readers we mendous bounty. We hosted cedar concluded that tree experts, scoured hundreds of even folktales cedar products and marveled at arti- teach us about fact collections at the UW Arboretum, culture, ways of Burke Museum, MOHAI and Hibulb 13

Fourth Grades—Cabin & Lodge The Expedition Expedition: Multiple Perspectives of Lewis and Clark Expedition

Teachers: Sandra Bretler Lisa Calvert ers, Interpreters, and Privates. Tasks included Multiple Perspectives of Lewis and recording latitudes and Clark Expedition and Westward Ex- longitudes, keeping logs, pansion: An investigation of differing writing postcards to Presi- motives, beliefs, interests, hopes, dent Jefferson detailing fears, and experiences of all people the flora, fauna, and Na- during the westward expansion of tive American tribes en- America between 1801 and 1861. countered, and writing detailed accounts of parts of the expedition. Students engaged in individually chosen projects that related to the time The third investigation had each stu- period including making models dent becoming an expert on a Native (e.g. forts, pirogues, flags, maps, American Tribe that Lewis and Clark clay sculptures, timelines, art encountered. They developed inter- pieces, latitude finders, bearing esting questions that they wanted to boards). They studied sign lan- investigate and learned how to take guage and wrote songs and po- effective notes from multiple sources, etry. Students researched key including: primary sources, nonfiction characters including Sacagawea, books, and websites. Students orga- Thomas Jefferson, and even nized their research and engaged in Captain Merriweather’s dog, the entire writing process from outlin- Seaman. ing to drafting, editing, evaluating, Our expedition opened with an explo- ration of life in America during the early 1800s. Students gained back- ground knowledge about Lewis and Clark and the Louisiana Purchase by reading books, studying maps and watching documentaries. Next, students formed corps groups and participated in a simulation of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They encountered dilemmas that the Corps faced, like which fork in the river to take or whether to engage in battle with a local tribe. Students enthusias- tically debated the issues and then researched what really hap- 14 pened. They took on rotating roles of Captains, Journal Writ-

Fourth Grades—Cabin & Lodge

and ultimately publishing. Oregon Trail to deepen their un- To gain further insight and perspec- derstanding of the tive of the time period, students ex- hardships the pio- plored museum artifacts of early ex- neers encoun- plorers and early pioneers. Some stu- tered. Some students made replica Lewis and Clark dents went on an style journals with detailed drawings, optional camping maps, and quotations. Other students trip to the Chi- nook Nation and visited the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. developed 21st century skills of Each student, with a family mem- communication, personal responsi- ber, made a traditional hoop drum bility, planning, effective coopera- under the guidance of a Coastal tion, teamwork, and perseverance. Native American resident artist. Students studied and performed traditional rhythms, songs, and dance, which culminated in an Ex- pedition Night drum and song cir- cle. showcased their research through portfolio presentations. Through the study of these historic Students read historical fiction of the events and perspectives, students

Fifth Grade—Bungalow Early Seattle and the Klondike Gold Rush Teacher: Todd Bohannon

What was Seattle like before it became the early development of our city. In what Seattle? What did it look like and who Through curriculum provided by the Mu- ways did the was here? What was life like for the indig- seum of History & Industry (MOHAI) and gold rush enous tribes who had lived here for thou- HistorLink.org, plus a number of books, change Se- sands of years? What historical events we developed a picture of Seattle from attle? In particular, how did it affect local helped to shape Seattle into the biggest the 1850s through the 1880s, from before businesses, population growth, and over- city in the Northwest? colonists came to shortly thereafter. all city development? These are a few of the questions that Events and influential people we studied Investigation 3-Alaska! The Road to Yu- have inspired this year’s expedition with included Chief Seattle and local tribes, the kon Gold Todd’s class at Thornton Creek School. Denny Party early American settlers, the Our final investigation took us all the way The history of Seattle is relatively brief interactions between tribes and colonists, from Seattle up to Alaska. when compared to other, older cities. treaties such as the Treaty of Point Elliot, However, Seattle is full of intrigue, trage- David Swinson “Doc” Maynard, Henry Students studied the four main routes to dy, larger than life characters, and a dras- Yesler’s mill and “Skid Road,” the devel- the Klondike used by miners. In particular, tic transformation of the physical land- opment of railroads, and the Great Se- students studied the Chilkoot Pass, which scape. attle Fire of 1889. was the most famous and also the great- est in terms of physical challenge. Students will spend this year studying Investigation 2- The Gold Rush Hits Se- historical events of Seattle from the per- attle!!! Students engaged in a classroom simula- spectives of local native tribes, as well as tion, where they worked in small Close to the turn of the century, the Klon- those of the early settlers. “expedition” groups to research the sup- dike Gold Rush began, causing a stam- plies they would need to head up to the Investigation I: From Duwamps to Seattle pede of prospectors to come to Seattle. Klondike. They also considered the pros Perhaps no other event in Seattle’s histo- Our expedition began in the fall with the and cons of each of the four routes head- ry has had a more pronounced effect on story of a place once known as Duwamps, ing north, and the hardships they faced the growth of our city. a name originally given by local tribes after they arrived in the Yukon. such as the Duwamish. To explore this event, we used curriculum Questions students investigated through developed by the National Parks Service In the 1850s, settlers travelled from the the simulation included: to investigate Seattle’s stake in the Klon- eastern states along the Oregon Trail and dike, Yukon event. Ideas we explored in- What role did the physical world play in began establishing settlements in the cluded: shaping this event? Northwest. At this time, there was a clash of cultures between the local Indian tribes How did Seattle become the gateway to What role did the mountains and rivers and the early settlers. Alaska? play? We have looked closely at how people’s Why did people go crazy for the gold What about the gold itself? (What role views about the land, natural resources, rush? (For example, many quit their jobs did it play?) commerce and cultural norms affected and left their homes behind.) What about the climate? How did that affect everyone? What was gold mining actually like? How did the native Alaskan tribes and the gold miners view each other? What kind of work did the native people do? How did all of these relationships change over the course of the gold rush? 16

Fifth Grade—Cottage

Another highlight was a creative project The Human Body in which the students had to “advertise an organelle.” In other words, they need- Teacher: Steve Chavez ed to create an awareness campaign to highlight the important aspects of a par- The human body is an incredibly complex ticular cell organelle (e.g., ribosome, nu- and engaging topic for a learning expedi- cleus, mitochondrion, etc.). The students tion. This challenging subject provided produced brochures, comic strips, and nosing simulated patients. A parent vol- limitless opportunities to engage the even songs and dances to get the word unteer who works as a physician came in mind and to express our creativity. The out about their particular organelle. regularly to help the students learn about fifth graders in the Cottage took on these asking the right questions to lead to a The second investigation was on body opportunities and exceeded expectations. diagnosis. This was a fascinating exercise systems. The first part of this investiga- in reasoning and problem-solving. The Guiding questions included: tion was a simulation in which the stu- students really enjoyed the challenge. dents trained as “medical specialists” (for  What goes on in our bodies every day example, cardiologists, gastroenterolo- A highlight of the year had to be the field that we don’t have to think about? gists, or orthopedists) and they needed to trip to an actual working operating room  What goes on in our bodies when we research and learn about a specific body to dissect real hearts—pigs’ hearts, that get sick? system. Next, they took a board exam to is. After donning their surgical scrubs, the  How do cells work? be “certified.” The students prepared students were lead by a team of physi- intensely, using multiple resources, in- cians through the dissection process. The  What’s inside a cell? cluding books, videos, and the Internet to medical staff was truly amazed at how  How do our organ systems work? research for and ultimately pass their much these fifth graders already know  What have been some of the most board exams. about the heart. What a special opportunity that provided. beneficial medical discoveries and The next piece was to teach other stu- how did those discoveries come dents about their specialty, so they Another high point of the year was about? worked in specialty groups (for example, writing our original play, “It All Started The first investigation focused on one of cardiologists or neurologists) to create a with a Sneeze.” The students partnered the smallest and, arguably, most im- display and model of their specific body with playwright/director Kristina Suther- portant parts of the human body: cells. system. The groups presented a 5-10 mi- land from the theater company Macha Highlights of this investigation included nute “lecture” on their specialty to their Monkey to write an original play about learning about analogies and creating an colleagues. These presentations were the battle that rages within the body analogous cell model encompassing all shared with the families at a stimulating when someone catches a virus. It proved the major cell organelles. The students and educational evening event this past to be a great learning tool about a com- showed exceptional creativity, coming up winter. plex subject, and the final product was entertaining and fun for the audience. with models that clearly explained various After their “MD” training, the students cell function. spent a month or so researching and diag- As the year came to a close, the expedition culminated with a biography research project. The subject was any person who has made significant contribu- tions to medicine or public health. The students were exceptionally creative with this project, because the format required students to create various materials as part of the subject’s personal scrapbook. Included in the scrapbooks were timelines, professional awards, personal journal entries, news articles, and so on—all created by the student and written in the first-person voice of the biography subject. It has been a year to remember! 17

Rooms 3, 10 & 6: Grades K-2, 2-3, and 4-5 Community Teachers: Katie Zisserman David Swanson Carissa Bryant

Students in self-contained special education classrooms at Thornton Creek spent the year studying about living in our community. The year-long expedition was broken up into monthly “themes,” covering topics that related to living in our community during different parts of the year. Topics included our school, as well as the local grocery store, the fire station, a res- Room 10 community topics of: start of taurant, and the post office. school, October fun and fall, gro- We participated in a joint expedi- cery store, library and winter, fire tion with Rooms 3 and 6 on living station, post office, restaurant, in our community. We split up the and spring. In addition to the com- expedition by month covering munity expedition, we tied in the seasons to help the students understand how weather and the seasons change. Pictures captured the excitement of this spring’s kite -making and flying, grass caterpillars, and a visit from the firemen. We have had a great year learning!

Rooms 3, 10 & 6: Grades K-2, 2-3, and 4-5

Room 6 The students in Room 6 learned about the people and places that play an important role in our community. Each month, we explored a different place in the community. These places included the community here at Thornton Creek, grocery stores, libraries, fire sta- tions, the post office, hospitals, restaurants, the zoo, and the beach. Students explored the people and places in our communities Room 3 through literature, group discus- sions and presentations, art pro- For the Room 3 expedition this jects, and field trips. year, we learned about our community. Each month, we explored a different place in the community, the people who work there, and why they are important. The places we learned about included school, buses, the grocery store, library, fire station, post office, hospital, restaurant, the zoo, and the beach. We delved into literature, created art projects, and lis- tened to music related to each theme. As a culminating activity, we went on a field trip to several of the places, including a restaurant, the grocery store, and the post office. A highlight was when 2 firefighters came to school to talk about fire safety and they let the kids try on all of their gear. 19

VISUAL ARTS

Visual Arts Teacher: create a newspaper armature in the correct shape of the creature. Maria Callahan We covered them with paper ma- The art studio is a place where che and finally painted them with most of our projects are driven by the specific markings unique to the students’ expedition learning. each arthropod. Legs, wings and Whatever the project, we focus on markings were added. These were the Elements of Art (shape, line, shown in their classroom during color, texture, form and space) expedition night. Many, many par- and Principles of Design (balance, ents helped to make these arthro- emphasis, proportion, variety, pods possible. rhythm & unity) to guide us in sharing our knowledge about each First grade classes also worked on of the expedition topics.

The kindergartners begin by learning about the art room expecta- base coat of paint and then field tions and agreements. They learn markings. Students worked hard to where materials are in the studio get the shape, color and marking and what they can do inde- accurately depicted on their sculp- pendently within the space. Our tures. time usually begins with a picture book related to the project. This Second grade classes, studying year the kindergarten classes stud- three dimensional pieces this year. sound this year, worked to visually ied things underground, trees and Julie and Trilby's class learned depict sound in various ways. We stories. A culminating project for techniques to build with card- learned how to draw a singer in Joan O'Connor's kindergartners board. As their study of play- profile, how to show a line de- was creating paper mache arthro- grounds deepened, the children picting sounds to be sung and how pods. Each student got to choose were able to use the building tech- to make wind chimes. For each of which arthropod they wished to niques to design playground struc- these projects, we focused on the make. Since the students had tures. We began the building in art elements and principles such as learned so much about these crea- class over several weeks. Julie and texture, line, shape and emphasis tures, it was a choice based on Trilby took over and expanded the and color. their knowledge and interest in building to create the final play- that particular animal. We worked grounds displayed on Ex- to pedition Night.

Mari's first grade created paper mache birds of Green Lake. Each student had a specific bird which they researched and studied. After making the armature and applying the 20 mache, students added a

VISUAL ARTS

fashion a solidly built animal in an interesting pose. The students were asked to show the texture and color of the creature. To finish, we glazed these pieces and displayed them at Art Night.

Fifth graders in Todd's class made a similar animal sculptures in several layers of plaster ture of creatures found along the gauze. We painted them in simple Klondike. Their work included blocks of color to enhance the mo- habitat and some predators and tion of each figure. prey. The students also created posters enticing people to join the Expeditionary learning gives us Third grade classes studied cul- gold rush. These posters used au- such a great springboard for all the tures native to the Northwest. As thentic slogans and images from learning that happens in the art part of our art studio work, we the time period. studio. It is exciting for students to studied the cedar tree outside of explore, expand and explain what the art room. We looked at its Steve's class studied the human they know about these topics in- shape, the texture of the bark and body this year. In the art studio, depth. It is exciting for me, as their foliage, and the qualities of the we looked at how to draw from teacher, to watch the enthusiasm limbs. Students drew a small pencil the human figure. Students posed and creativity flourish around such drawing and finished with a large for each other in a quick sketch rich topics. painting using oil pastels and tem- format to capture images of peo- pera. ple in motion. We then chose a figure to create in a three dimen- Fourth graders learned about the sional format. The students began Lewis and Clark expedition. One of with a newspaper armature. This our projects was a small clay sculp- required them to think about ture of an animal encountered on scale, proportion and the trail. Students choose their an- shape. The class worked imal, found images and worked to to show each figure moving in an interesting way. We had horse- back riders, fencers, gym- nasts and sky divers -- to name just a few. The students covered the arma- 21

ABOUT ELOB: Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound

xpeditionary Learning Out- meeting others’ needs through ward Bound (ELOB) empha- service projects in the commu- ELOB Design Principles E sizes learning by doing. It nity. Cooperation and collabo- particularly focuses on character ration are strongly emphasized growth, teamwork, reflection and in this culture of support, risk- 1. The primacy of self-discovery literacy. Each year at Thornton taking, and service with com- 2. The having of wonderful ideas Creek, our teachers integrate high passion. Their service and quality academic learning with ad- compassion begins to grow in 3. The responsibility for learning venture, service and character de- each classroom and spreads 4. Empathy and caring velopment through a series of stu- throughout the school. Visual dent experiences each focused on and performing arts allow stu- 5. Success and failure an interdisciplinary, project-based dents to express themselves learning expedition. working on their projects. 6. Collaboration and competition In their expeditions students often Expeditionary learning thus 7. Diversity and inclusion leave the physical class room and emphasizes the importance of 8. The natural world do research in the field conducting learning as a process. Teachers interviews, making observations, create an environment where 9. Solitude and reflection and carrying out a range of other students are challenged to fieldwork assignments. Our com- think deeply about and evalu- 10. Service and compassion munity resources, some borrowed ate their own work over time. See the appendix of the school hand- tools, members with special exper- Students truly take ownership book for a more complete explanation tise, and others, come into the of their own learning. of ELOB and these principles. classrooms and support expedition At the end of each year, each Learn more online: www.elschools.org work. Parents provide critical sup- student amasses a portfolio of port to students and teachers. accomplishments they can They also become involved with cherish. Evidence for this process daily work, culminating projects, es, students’ written reflections on appears in our peer critique and their learning, as well as the multi- displays of expedition work and collaborative assessment process- travel for fieldwork. ple drafts that are made before a final written product. At the end, Through the expedi- Thornton Creek Elementary our students are proud of not only tions students develop what they have learned but also of teamwork skills and PRINCIPAL: John Miner how they arrived there. learn to think critically. They gather infor- EXPEDITION NEWSLETTER TEAM: We hope you have a chance to share in their feelings accomplish- mation by seeking a Content: Thornton Creek Teachers diversity of thoughts, ments. listening and valuing Editing/Production: Ken Hammer, Maia London, Lisa Skylynd ideas. They put forth their best effort and Layout and Formatting: Shahin Hakimian reflect upon their work. 22 SCHOOL WEB SITE: They think about http://thorntoncreek.org/