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This video gives a brief description of place-based learning. It also provides benefits, statistics, and student achievements.

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Place-based education and the importance of bringing our students outside for instruction

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"Place-based education helps students learn a broad range of concepts by connecting them, whenever possible, with the natural and social community in which students live and learn. When students are youngest and most concrete in their thinking, Place-based education strives to delve them deeply into the community allowing them to connect their learning to tangible experiences around them."

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How Do We Define Place-Based Education at Cottonwood School?

Our literacy and math programs support our overall place-based curriculum by giving students the skills they need to complete high-quality, authentic project work. All of our curriculum correlates with state and national standards and student learning is assessed in multiple ways in addition to standardized testing.
Learn More About Our Curriculum

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What is Place-Based Education? - The Cottonwood School of Civics & Science

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How Do We Define Place-Based Education at Cottonwood School? Our literacy and math programs support our overall place-based curriculum by giving students the skills they need to complete high-quality, authentic project work. All of our curriculum correlates with state and national standards and student learning is assessed in multiple ways in addition to standardized testing.

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Kindergarten: Science:

K.L.2A.1 Obtain information to answer questions about different organisms found in the environment (such as plants, animals, or fungi).

K.L.2A.3 Develop and use models to exemplify how animals use their body parts to (1) obtain
food and other resources, (2) protect themselves, and (3) move from place to place.

K.L.2A.6 Obtain and communicate information about the needs of organisms to explain why they live in particular areas.

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The Kindergarten students will go on a field trip to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, SC. The Zoo offers many programs that are aligned with science standards. For example, Feet, Feathers, Fins, and Fur demonstrates each species' "ability to survive and thrive in their natural environments. Students uncover what abilities are learned and inherited through this exploration of physical and behavioral adaptations." (K.L.2A.1 and K.L.2A.3) This program would also allow the students to start a conversation about the needs of organisms and why they live in particular areas.

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In the rare event that Riverbanks Zoo and Garden must cancel the scheduled event, all deposits or money received will be reimbursed or an option to reschedule will be provided. Notifications of cancellation will be provided at least ten days prior to the scheduled event (unless weather-related).

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Although a field trip would be an amazing place-based learning experience, the cost to go on the field trip to the zoo is a little pricey. As an alternative, I would take the students on a nature walk outside on the playground and inside the fenced-in area around the school. While we are outside, I would encourage the students to look for different organisms. We would most likely find squirrels, birds, insects, frogs, possibly deer, and snakes (unfortunately!).

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As a class, we would discuss what we found in our environment. I would make a list of questions that the students are curious to know the answer to. Instead of telling the students the answers, I would write down a few keywords on the board or index cards that the students could type into Epic! on their iPads. Epic! is "an award-winning subscription service, which gives millions of families and classrooms instant, unlimited access to thousands of books, videos and quizzes from leading publishers to help kids everywhere read, learn and grow." Although students in Kindergarten can't read the information they find on the website, Epic! will read books to them. After "researching" the animals we found on our nature walk, the students would communicate with their peers about the information (and/or answered questions) they found on Epic!.

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Free for educators! Give students unlimited in-class access to the best books & videos on Epic