Students at Beaver Technology Center for Math & Science are learning that hands-on lessons can yield real-life results. The entire fifth-grade class will visit the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden April 16, thanks to a Target-sponsored grant stemming from a creative project-based lesson (PBL).
In the fall, students were given the opportunity to pitch a field trip destination. Divided into groups, the fifth-graders worked up comprehensive reports and presentations, complete with educational impacts and financial costs.
“It was pretty exciting just to know that we could get to take the whole fifth grade on a field trip. That would feel kind of awesome,” said student Jude Avery. “It was confusing to work on the PBL because there were a lot of numbers. We had to figure out how far it was, how much gas would cost, and how many buses we needed to take.”
Avery and his fellow group members—Ava Raymond, Angie Nguyen, Sydney Newman and Yoel Yonas—selected the Arboretum as their destination due to its potential of enhancing a future science lesson.
“We were given different topics we would learn further in the year, and we picked one. We chose how plants and animals adapt to their environment,” Newman said. “Ava and I had the idea of the Arboretum because the first-graders had gone in years past.”
After concluding their research and completing their reports, the team and their counterparts presented all PBLs for judging. A panel of Garland ISD staff then selected two finalists, whose proposals were submitted for a $700 Target grant.
“I was very impressed with all of the presentations,” said Campus Technology Facilitator and judge Stacey Payton. “The winning team’s presentation stood out because they were able to answer my questions about how this trip would benefit all of fifth grade. This kind of project gives students the opportunity to defend their findings, teach others about what they have learned and continue their own learning process to improve their products.”
Beaver students and teachers learned that Target chose to sponsor one of the pitches right before Winter Break—which came as a complete surprise to the triumphant quintet.
“I actually thought we were not going to get it,” Newman revealed. “There were so many other schools trying to get the grant, we actually thought someone with more experience would win. But when I found out we got it, I felt so excited that I was going to cry.”
Fifth-grade teachers were also shocked and thrilled.
“I was really excited but kind of surprised because there were thousands of schools across the country that applied for this grant,” said teacher Mary Katherine Marston. “But they really took ownership of their learning because they wanted to get it funded—that was their end goal. And they did it.”
But a field trip was not all the fifth-graders gained from this lesson.
“This PBL unit provided a fantastic opportunity for our kids to have greater control over what and how they learned the math, reading and writing skills involved,” said teacher Angie Ariza. “Our kids felt more invested and responsible for their product. They really learned that they are little, but they can make a difference.”
