Sustainability and Project-Based Learning are Stronger Together:
River Rouge Public School teachers begin the change with curriculum transformation
In a community with limited access to healthy food, calculating the sugar in beverages or mapping local farmers' markets is not just an academic exercise for students- it's a real and vital step towards improving well-being.
We continue our collaboration
with K-8 teaching teams in the River Rouge Public Schools to use food systems and project-based learning as a venue for improving student achievement. We are proud and motivated by the commitment that staff have demonstrated throughout the past year's strategic planning and professional development process with us. Parent night this week will celebrate this K-8 initiative and newly developed units which align English Language Arts, math, science, and social studies standards with food systems and community health.
Students are engaging in exploring food systems and their role in personal and community health. "Students are making a lot of personal connections to the content and are suddenly excited about vocabulary," noted a teacher on the middle school team. Literacy and math activities provide rich academic support for the new school garden. Examples:
* Kindergarten students are learning to set a table and use good manners as they share a meal, build community, and learn vocabulary.
* Third graders are conducting a walking tour of the neighborhood food system (including places where food is grown, prepared or processed), recording the information in bar graphs, and then developing ideas for improvements.
 * Middle school students are finding
out why organic or local foods may
cost more by examining the economic concepts of price, costs, and externalities. In math, these
students compare prices
using ratios and percentages.
This project will yield model
frameworks and assessment tools
which will be featured in our
Curriculum and Resource Center.
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Everyone eats, and while food may nourish our bodies, a sustainable food system can also nourish communities, the environment, and a strong economy. Our portfolio of food programs, "A Taste of Change," explores the food "footprint," global trade, economics, and more.
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