Throughout the first four months of school, Grade 1 students dove into Atlanta’s robust culture through the lens of past and present.
Through various visible thinking routines, students were able to figure out what exactly they hoped to learn about Atlanta.
To kickoff this Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) Project, Grade 1 headed to the Chattahoochee River and the Sandy Springs Heritage Museum.
Later, throughout the project, students visited Piedmont Park, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth home, and the Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Following each expedition, they learned more and more about different landmarks that are important to Atlanta’s culture. Collectively, the grade came up with six different areas of interest to explore: the Chattahoochee River, Piedmont Park, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth home, Coca-Cola, Chick-Fil-A, and Delta Airlines.
Based on interest, students were split into groups of four to six students to further explore the topic they were most interested in. Each interest group then went on an expedition. Students took a second trip to explore the Chattahoochee River, Piedmont Park, and MLK Jr.’s birth home.
The other groups of students visited Coca-Cola Headquarters, the Chick-Fil-A Dwarf House, and the Delta Flight Museum.
Following each expedition, they researched more information on their respective topics. Then, they were given the task of creating an art piece that displayed what they learned. All of the art pieces were compiled for an Atlanta Then & Now Museum.
The exhibit was created to showcase the Grade 1 learning to the rest of the Lower School community. After all of their hard work, the students were thrilled to present their projects to their parents, teachers, and fellow classmates.
