Brookwood School
Global Cardboard Challenge
The Global Cardboard Challenge is an annual challenge that invites kids around the world to design and build creations using cardboard, recycled materials and their imagination. The challenge culminates in a Global Day of Play on October 5th, bringing communities together to celebrate the creativity and imagination of children around the world. Children in Pre-K through third grade participate in this challenge along with more than 10,000 students from six continents. To see the inspiration of this challenge, watch the short film Caine’s Arcade.
Monarch Butterfly Habitat Advocacy
The Kindergarten at Brookwood School has established a partnership with the Jane Edwards Elementary School (JEES) in Edisto Island, SC. Both schools’ curricula at these grade levels include gardening, Monarch butterfly life cycles, and habitat advocacy. As part of their classwork both schools recommend and send seeds for one another’s butterfly gardens. Brookwood kindergartners generate a How-To booklet on milkweed and garden maintenance while JEES sent photos and instructions on how to create a scarecrow. The classes Skype, and both schools post photos and news on their virtual classroom (TakingITGlobal) site. JEES alerted our Kindergartners about first spring monarch sightings, and Brookwood responded by posting our garden news. In addition to the partnership amongst the students, Brookwood teachers plan to visit JEES, and teachers from both schools aim to continue to communicate using their TIG site in the fall and spring seasons.
Marine Science/Coastal Stewardship
The Eco Clubs at both Brookwood and Deep Creek Middle School in Cape Eleuthra, Bahamas monitor and advocate for the wellbeing of ocean and shore. Science teachers at both schools work together to align marine studies units in order to learn from one another about diverse ocean environments and local solutions to global problems. In doing so, students blog, post photos and video, and Skype to compare data. Teachers are working toward building a shared “Call to Action” and related support for coastal and ocean stewardship.
Perspectives of the U.S. North and South
Students from Brookwood School and Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, TN, partner to examine the Tinker Ruling on the use of the Confederate Flag. Through videos of classroom discussion, shared reflections on a joint blog, and Skype conversations, the students carefully examine others perspectives of a controversial subject while also answering the larger questions of Who am I? Who are you? Who are we?
Connecting Cultures through Writing in Spanish
Eighth grade Spanish students at Brookwood and Community Day Charter School in Lawrence, MA work together to learn and practice writing in the target language. Teachers in both schools collaborate to develop common assignments and share student responses by email and Skype. These assignments provide an opportunity for writers to share cultural similarities and differences and common interests.
Global Awareness Projects
In the continuing interest of helping their students to become informed global citizens, each Eighth grade student at Brookwood will be involved in a year-long Global Awareness Project (GAP). The purpose of the GAP is to afford each student the opportunity to collaborate (in real time, contribute to common documents, know names, etc.) with students in other countries (including Rwanda, Uganda, and Brazil) on real-world issues and problems that are relevant to all parties. Students will work on their GAP throughout the year in small groups, documenting their work digitally. In May, each GAP group will deliver a presentation of their work, collaborations, and accomplishments to an authentic audience comprised of fellow students, teachers, experts, and parents. GAP group themes/issues include such topics as solar energy, girls' access to education, efficient biomass stoves, reforestation, bicycle-powered electricity generation, and safe water and will complement work being done in other parts of 8th grade students' academic year. The Global Awareness Project has been developed in partnership with the Youth Outreach wing of MIT's D-Lab, including D-Lab founder Amy Smith.