Fall 2021
RES Enrichment Program
Filling the buckets of life long learners with enriching opportunities that promote:
Curiosity, Creativity, Connection, Innovation & Collaboration
Hello RES Families,
What a great year we’ve had so far! I want to share with you what has been happening in Enrichment and where we are headed in the weeks and months to come.
I currently enjoy being at RES Wednesday - Friday and seeing each class K-4, one time a week. On Mondays & Tuesdays I help teach and take classes at UVM.
Grades K-3
We started the year with playful, developmentally appropriate centers designed to develop skills such as: time management, problem solving, agenda setting, follow through, flexible thinking, independence, experimentation, executive function, metacognition and community responsibility. These centers harness learners’ unique strengths and differences in learning styles. Examples of centers include: the Creation Station, map making, computer science, river ecology, scientific drawing, engineering, cause & effect and many more. Now that we’ve established expectations and mutual trust in one another, individual grade levels will be diving into different deeper studies.
Kindergarten & 1st Grade just began our Physics and Fiber study. Brush Brook Farm in Huntington donated a wool fleece from one of their sheep as well as a spinning wheel. We will be washing, carding and spinning the wool, observing its natural properties, exploring the uses of wool and learning about energy & physics through the use of drop spindles and the spinning wheel.
2nd Grade has begun our photography study. We had a “museum” of cameras from many different eras. After taking time to inspect them, students put them in order of oldest to newest. When we return from November break we will dissect the cameras, taking them apart to explore the inner workings of them. Finally we will build our own pinhole cameras. Much gratitude to community members in both Richmond and Huntington for donating their old cameras to this project!
3rd Grade has been immersed in learning Tinkercad, a 3D design program, a kid friendly version of AutoCad a design & drafting program used in the construction industry. They have worked on designing houses and cars so far. Mr. Langevin, one of district technology experts, will walk us through designing objects to be printed using a 3D printer. Not only are we developing knowledge and skills relating to design and technology, but learners are developing their skills coaching and seeking out sources of information needed to be independent. They are encouraged to take breaks and walk around to gain ideas and ask each other how they accomplished different techniques, as well as how to effectively use tutorials.
4th Grade - In fourth grade, Library and Enrichment team up each week for a longer block. During our time together we will be working on an interest driven class project. We are piloting a new program, Project Citizen. Through the year, each class will work collaboratively to investigate the strengths of our community and the problems facing it. They will be learning and employing research strategies, communication skills as well as gain knowledge about the systems of government and how change is affected. They will also be examining their role as citizens in the world with a lens on their voice, responsibilities and rights. Project Citizen is a project based curriculum where students learn through relevant, hands-on, minds-on, problem solving, consensus building with the opportunities for real world outcomes. The curriculum focuses on identifying a problem in the community and going through the process of changing policy as a means to fixing it.
K-4 Visiting Musher - Throughout my 3 years so far at RES, I’ve shared some of my interests with my fellow learners, such as dog sledding. We’ve corresponded with my friends back in my home state of Alaska asking kid mushers questions about the sport, having a pilot from the Iditarod Air Force send us photo updates and videos from the race, learning about the different positions and jobs of dogs in the line up of a team etc… This year we are having a local musher, Doug from Cobble Hill Kennels in Middlebury come to do a demonstration with his gear, sled dogs and even some puppies. A huge thank you to the RES PTO for funding this incredible opportunity.
I try to post photos daily of our learning on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/resenrichment/. I am hoping to host another Family S.T.E.A.M. night again in the spring, depending on what Covid protocol requires of us then.
Thank you for sharing your learners with me! It is an honor and a privilege to be on the team with you as part of their learning journey. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas for future learning!
With Great Care,
Harmony Lanen Roll
