Community Problem Solving - This Year's 4th Grade Project Citizen Solution Presentations
Each year Ms. Wood (the Librarian) and I (Ms. Roll, the Enrichment teacher) team up for a weekly collaborative block with our 4th grade classes. We utilize this time to facilitate Project Citizen, a social studies take on a class passion project of sorts. Through this year-long endeavor we investigate what it means to be an engaged citizen. Students learned the different levels of government, how decisions are made, and how to use their voices to ask for change.
Through a cyclical process of brainstorming, research and negotiation, each class is tasked with coming to a consensus on a problem all class members feel is important to tackle together. Everything from bathroom stalls being locked to ocean pollution is brought to the table. It is hard work to come to a consensus. Not everyone gets their first choice but everyone learns what tools and avenues are available to them to solve any problem in the future.
Once a community problem is selected, the class researches: reading articles, conducting surveys, doing field work, watching documentaries, identifying experts and interviewing them. After the information gathering process, they come up with a solution to address their concern. They then are tasked with identifying the decision makers they believe might have the power to help make the changes they are hoping for. They create a proposal and share it.
They know there are many possible outcomes from their class proposals: their solutions may not be adopted by the decision makers for a myriad of reasons. They may move the needle on the issue, or their suggestions could be fully enacted. No matter the outcome, they know how to bring informed requests to the table. In years past classes have tackled topics such as food waste at the school, water pollution, created animal welfare PSAs, and pitched ideas for a town recreation center to the select board.
This year's group of 4th grade classes focused more on things that directly affect them. We hypothesize that this is a result of them being the cohort who's elementary experience has been most impacted by Covid, as they were Kindergartners when the world shut down. Mrs. Le Francois's class advocated for more field trips and experiential learning opportunities. Ms. DesRoches' class advocated for longer recess and/or a day of play/interest based all school centers on monthly early release days. Ms. Senning and Ms. Anderson's classes worked towards reducing traffic at school during pick up and drop off times by educating drivers about traffic flow, alternative modes of transportation.
These young citizens were eager to share their work with district decision makers, and we appreciated them taking the time to view these video presentations and responding!
Mrs. Le Francois's Class:
Ms. DesRoches's Class:
