Recently featured in the superintendents Friday message was a shoutout to Rincon teacher creativity.
Dr. Ibarra writes, "Rincon Social Studies teacher Patty Anderson was inspired by a massive pile of dirt lingering in the middle school’s garden area. Principal Steve White confirmed that the dirt was up for grabs, and Patty went to work with her colleagues to transform that pile of dirt into a massive cross-curricular project: excavating an archeological site. Four large excavation sites, similar to planter boxes, were built, complete with carefully measured grids and buried artifacts.
The excavation combined lessons in social studies, science, math, and writing, and called on students to work in pairs and small groups to dig, sift, brush, identify, and document the artifacts they uncovered. This excellent simulation of a dig provided students with exciting hands-on learning.“
Archaeology is a common thread in 6th-grade Social Studies, and we were looking for hands-on activities that crossed subjects,” Patty said. “Our driving questions are, What is culture, and how does archaeology help us learn about the past.” The project was more than just a history assignment. Students learned to use the metric system and to understand geology. They documented their findings – from fossils to jewels to pottery – by taking photos and writing notes. The students were focused, but full of excitement and chatter as they shouted out to share: “Have you found anything cool?” and “We found another bean!” This is sure to be a signature project for years to come at Rincon!"
Thank you, Dr. Ibarra, for recognizing Rincon's amazing teachers and students. We think they are quite splendid too!