“I knew a little about the American Revolution before this project, but I was surprised to learn about women who played such a big part,” said Eli, a fourth-grader at Pagosa Peak Open School.
His class was hosting a “Listening Party” for families and staff; and stations with signs, headphones and computers were set up around Mrs. Rue’s mixed fourth-and-fifth grade classroom. Each station shared a unique perspective of the American Revolution: women, Native Americans, slaves, Loyalists, Patriots.
After reading about and researching the revolution, students learned to create a podcast and were assigned jobs in small groups. Together they worked toward this project’s target:
“Through analysis of multiple perspectives of the American Revolution, I will collaborate with a group to record a podcast to share our understanding that a perspective influences opinion.”
“I was at first surprised to learn that slaves were fighting with the Loyalists in the war,” Arya said. “But then, the more I learned, the more it made sense, because the British were telling them they could be free.”
After creating and sharing their learning, students reflected on their work. They considered factors that included what it means to be a part of a group, what content was memorable, and what feedback students had for their teacher.
Students also reflected with Mrs. Rue using a project rubric, giving them opportunity to assess their work against standards and reflect on their end products. Students not only considered how they met grade level expectations in content areas, but also the successes and struggles of working cooperatively in a group.
“I am incredibly proud of the collaboration, creativity and willingness to learn new skills,” Mrs. Rue said. “They all had successes in this project.”
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Pagosa Peak Open School is a small, tuition-free public school authorized by the Archuleta School District, built around a ‘Project-Based Learning’ education model and open to all families in Archuleta County. It serves grades K-8. You can learn more about the school at their website, https://pagosapeakopenschool.org/]
Emily Murphy is School Director at Pagosa Peak Open School, the first District-authorized charter school in Archuleta County. Prior to her appointment as School Director, Emily filled various roles at PPOS including Project-Based Learning advisor, instructional coach, and assistant director.