Rochester City School District students in second grade will join Seneca Park Zoo staff at the zoo where they will participate in a multidisciplinary, experiential learning program. The custom program was co-created by RCSD staff and the Seneca Park Zoo Society Education Team for the benefit of RCSD students.
The integrated, inquiry-based program was created in April 2018 with the goal of addressing learning standards in science, math, and English Language Arts. During the two-hour program, students will be assigned one of two different "tracks" that will guide their learning throughout their experience. Each group will complete a field guide-based study of one of four different animals. In each parallel track, students will draw, measure, read, and write about their experience.
The program does not end at the zoo. Once students return to their classrooms, they will participate in additional activities and assignments related to their experiences at the zoo. The program culminates with a final writing assignment.
New this year was the addition of a professional development session on April 26, where 20 teachers participated.
The District expects approximately 1,500 students to participate over the course of the two days. Funding for this program was given, in part, by a grant from the ESL Charitable Foundation.
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