Student Learning Experiences

Each learning experience builds on the work of our learning community. When we post a learning experience in our public incubator, we acknowledge the development effort that helped inform the design process that resulted in the birth of a new learning experience. At this stage of development the author participates in a peer review process, and warm and cool feedback are posted in the Comments section of the learning experience. At the author’s discretion, a collegial circle is formed and a rigorous administrative process is initiated, to explore the potential of developing the learning experience into an exemplar, to inform the development of new and existing learning experiences. Our On-line Public Incubator ("Fishbowl") currently includes the learning experience posted below; (To date we do not have a learning experience that has completed our administrative review process.)
Ellen Aquino "Veteran's Day Letters" and Educational Philosophy (ELA - 2004) The purpose for the Veteran's Day holiday and the manner in which it is celebrated form the framework for this lesson, though letter- and writing-practice remain the goals.	Morgan Kinne "SOAR into a New School Year" (ELA - 12/06) The purpose of this learning experience is to help students develop an appreciation for poetry and improve their ability to remember factual information. While doing so, students develop self-monitoring, study and organizational skills.
Jill Gangloff "Aborigine Culture in Australia" (Social Studies - 12/07) The purpose of this learning experience is to inform students about traditions, beliefs, values, accomplishments and contributions of the Aborigine culture in Australia.	Elizabeth Sobieraj "Vertical Dot Addition" (Math - 12/07) The purpose of this learning experience is to assess and instruct students' ability to apply and communicate the basic addition skills and strategies to write and solve vertical addition problems
Melicia Edwards "My Favorite Community Worker" (ELA - 5/08) Level: Kindergarten The purpose of this learning experience is to have the students write a sentence about a community worker and to have the students draw a picture of a community worker to match their sentence.	Leslie Settlecowski "Exploring Friendship" (ELA - 5/08) Level: Kindergarten The purpose of this learning experience is to assess students’ knowledge of friendship, and learn how to make friends and be friends.
Kathleen Coogan "Measuring Sense" (Math - 5/08) Level: Elementary The purpose of this learning experience is to evaluate the students’ understanding of the use of measurement units and tools to measure specified objects.	Larissa Gramza "Mastering Main Idea" (ELA - 5/08) Level: Elementary The purpose of this learning experience is to have students become more fluent and effective readers by gaining a better knowledge and understanding of main idea and supporting details.
Caitlin Marascalchi "Temperature" (Math - 5/08) Level: Elementary, Grade 3/4 The purpose of this learning experience is to teach about temperature and thermometers.	Amy Stewart "Discovering Jane Goodall" (ELA - 5/08) Level: Elementary, Grade 2 The purpose of this learning experience is to assess a student's ability to listen and take notes using a graphic organizer, as information is being read aloud by the teacher. Also, to assess the student's ability to take notes, and create a piece of writing where he/she states the main idea and uses supporting details/facts.
Amy Hambridge "The Wag-O-Meter Study and the Scientific Method" (ELA - 1/09) Level: Grade 4 This lesson serves as a cumulative lesson for students at the conclusion of a science unit targeting animal adaptations. Throughout the unit, students participated in learning regarding animal behavior, adaptations, inherited and adapted traits, stimulus and response, environment, habitat, and scientific inquiry. Students developed their understanding of these terms and processes through the study of classroom crayfish. The purpose of this learning experience is for students to use the knowledge and skills learned throughout the crayfish / animal adaptation unit and apply it to their understanding of the scientific method.	Allison Andrews "Exploring Coins" (Math - 6/09) Level: Kindergarten The purpose of this learning experience is to have students recognize and sort coins into the four coin groups, and to have them find the total value of coins in each group by counting by the specific coin value.
Alison Schwanz "Solving Inequalities" (Math - 6/09) Level: High School Algebra 1A The purpose of this lesson is to ensure students understand the similarities and differences between linear functions and inequalities. Inequalities also enhance a student's problem solving abilities.	Sara Barlow "Crucible Connections" (ELA - 6/09) Level: Grade 11 The purpose of this lesson is to have students understand the connections between McCarthyism and The Crucible and be able to express the connection between their own experiences and those in The Crucible and McCarthyism through structured written response.
Lesley-Anne Kasperczyk "Electricity and Magnetism" (Math - 7/09) Level: Grade 4 The purpose of this lesson is to allow the students to feel confident in identifying the key vocabulary terms and concepts dealing with electricity and magnetism.	Jamie Morawski "Using Feeling Words in Our Writing" (ELA - 7/09) Level: Grade 3 The purpose of this lesson is to assess the students ability to produce a strong, focused writing piece about one moment/event when they felt a specific emotion.
Jennifer Twist "Place Value" (Math - 7/09) Level: Grade 4 This learning experience awards students an opportunity to engage in the instructional review of an unsecured content area (place value up to thousandths-decimals numbers and thousands-whole numbers).	Audra Rehbaum "Compound Inequalities" (Math - 3/10) Level: Advanced Grade 8 The purpose of this lesson is for the students to be able to solve compound inequalities and graph them on a number line. These skills are practical for solving and representing real life problems, for which a general understanding of compound inequalities is necessary. Compound inequalities are used regularly to talk about a range of things such as time, money, temperature, weight, age, etc. The students will be able to interpret a word problem and write a compound inequality that represents the given information.
Ashley R. Williams "Our Community" (Social Studies - 3/10) Level: Grade 1 The purpose of this lesson is to ensure students understand what a community is in relation to their neighborhood, city, state, country. Knowing that they are part of community allows them to enhance their understanding of what role they play in a social context.