the animals that play such a vital role in our environment .
If you are thinking this doesn ’ t sound like a typical unit of study for first grade , then you haven ’ t been to Barnesville School . Barnesville School of Arts & Sciences is a certified Maryland Green School , located on 30 acres in the heart of Montgomery County ’ s Agricultural Reserve , and as the only accredited independent school located in the Reserve , we strive to directly connect students with nature and the agricultural community surrounding us . It was with this in mind that we , the first grade teachers , decided to create an immersive , yearlong study of the Ag Reserve that is integrated into every area of our learning . Embedded through this curriculum is the underlying foundation that we aim to create for our learners : how our local environment is connected to the global community , conservation being at the heart , and the impactful role each one of them has as stewards of the land and earth .
The Ag Reserve content learning kicked off in September with a field trip to the Frederick County Fair . Students engaged in the hands-on exhibitions , discovered the various roles livestock have in farm ecosystems , and took notice of all of the locally produced resources used to create the goods and crafts on display , including the massive , prize-winning pumpkins and gourds grown on nearby farms . In the students ’ written responses following the trip , many included drawings of giant fruits and vegetables decorated with blue ribbons . The overwhelming enthusiasm the students showed for these oversized crops immediately guided us in a new direction for learning . The beauty of Barnesville School is that the mission that guides our instruction is “ Joyful Learning ”, and student-led learning is encouraged and celebrated .
We leaned in to our learners ’ interest and curiosity , and the next week introduced an “ Extreme Gardening ” unit . In granting our students some creative autonomy in choosing a topic of study , we were all rewarded with a rich investigation into one unusual feature of agriculture that integrated all subject areas . Educators tend to appreciate spiralized learning , so as our introduction to the Ag Reserve began at a county fair observing the hard work and dedication of farmers and producers in our community , it will culminate in the spring with our own festive event . Our first graders will host their own marketplace , inviting the entire school and family members , to showcase all the goods , crafts , and learning that we will have dedicated ourselves to during this school year . We suspect it will be better than a day at the fair !
Another aspect of the Reserve we aim to highlight for our students is connection . Drawing from the familiarity of our first graders ’ immediate worlds , we make parallels by comparing the way our classroom is a family of individual learners who work within the larger community of our school . Likewise , a connection exists between the farms , orchards , and markets within our larger community , all dependent on the same local resources , and each one plays an important role in contributing something of value . A beloved tradition at Barnesville School is Apple Wednesday . Kingsbury Orchard , located just up the road from our school , generously provides bushels of apples to our students all through the fall . Students look forward to the electrifying moment during our whole school morning meeting when Susanne Johnson , our Head of School , bounds up to the podium , victoriously holding an apple aloft in the air , and announces the Apple Wednesday variety of the week . It is evident by the way that the students excitedly flock to the apple baskets that this delicious
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