Arlington School & Family Magazine April 2017 | Page 22

Moore
Elementary
Virtual Reality Field Trips
By Kenneth Perkins
Who knew when a group of Moore Elementary fifth
graders arrived at school recently that by 9 a.m. they
would tour Independence Hall, some 1,500 miles away
in Philadelphia. But that’s exactly what they did.
Sort of.
Sitting at their desks with virtual reality goggles
plastered to their faces, the students saw firsthand the
room where the U.S. Constitution took shape, a statue
of George Washington and the original draft of the U.S.
Constitution.
It felt so close and so real, it’s as though they could reach out and touch it, which explained why many of the students
were trying to do just that.
Moore, along with Berry, Hill and Peach elementaries, were awarded VR goggles and software as part of the new
Google Expeditions equipment won from a Technology Through Innovation grant last fall.
Goggle viewers can be led on an expedition into fascinating places by their teacher – in this case, Cindy Upchurch
– who controls what they see via a tablet. Upchurch guides the students, asking them questions and tossing out
intriguing facts along the way. These are 360-degree images so real it really does feel like you are there.
Students can explore museums, take trips back in time to learn about fossils, dive underwater in the deepest of
oceans and even go into space. Each trip can be peppered with factoids while concentrating on science and social
studies curriculums. The Moore fifth graders, for instance, talked about how the Liberty Bell got its crack, and how
Independence Hall is, for the most part, the birthplace of the United States.
Patrick
Elementary
Literary Multitasking
By Kenneth Perkins
Talk about multitasking.
Those who attended an evening of
literary games at Patrick Elementary
figured they were merely doing that.
Then they caught a rousing
performance from the newly-formed
Patrick Step Team. Then everyone
made their way into classrooms down
the hall and up the stairs where they
began activities dealing with literacy.
Teachers and/or parents read stories
and then discussed them with
students, who were asked to pinpoint
the who, what, where and even how
of the stories.
“This is the season of celebrating
Black history, so we decided to have
our reading night compliment our
Black History Program,” said Patrick
Assistant Principal Tonna Brooks.
Each student at Patrick had the opportunity to write about a famous African-American or do a poster.
“This has been a wonderful extension to our science curriculum,” Upchurch said. “What it does is allow the students
to take a closer look at things they only read about; landforms in Yosemite National Park and see the landforms we
have studied in a virtual setting, for instance.” “The main thing we were doing was teaching a strategy to kids based on what they are doing in their classrooms,”
Principal Matt Brown said. “It’s really a fun, relaxed way of learning that’s different from a standard curriculum that
might be used during the day.”
For students, it’s simply a blast. On this day, excited fifth graders wait outside Upchurch’s classroom for one group to
exit so they could start their own excursion. Brooks said most of the activities are designed for parents to actually emulate at home.
“We are very much enjoying the new opportunity this technology is providing for the students’ increased engagement
and understanding,” Upchurch said.
“It really is a good learning opportunity for the parents as well,” Brooks said. “They can take the activities home and
engage their kids right there. It’s all about the love of learning.”
Up next? A trip to the Great Barrier Reef to learn more about the aquatic ecosystems, its convoluted foo