Nearly 50 fifth graders at Bowden Academy made a presentation to the community Wednesday that could change the future of their school. They shared the designs they have been working on over the last five weeks for new outdoor learning spaces for the campus.
But it’s really a project that’s been in the works for months, when fifth grade teachers Victoria Martinez, Melissa Rodriguez, and Norma Palomarez decided that their students could benefit from some time outdoors. They planned a trip for the students to Bamberger Ranch Preserve in Johnson City.
The trips happened over two weeks in November. Thirty-nine of the students in the three fifth grade classes were able to attend the three-day, two-night trips that immersed them in outdoor spaces and taught them how to connect with and care for nature.
“When we took them to the ranch, they came back different,” Martinez said. “They came back stronger and ready to work.”
Fifth grade student Adam Martinez was one of the students on the trip.
“When we went to Bamberger Ranch, I got a lot of sunlight and it made me happy,” Adam said. “I had a lot less stress.”
When they returned, they planned how they could replicate such an experience for all students at Bowden via Project-Based Learning.
The project launched just after the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. The students’ driving question was “How can we, fifth grade Bowden Bobcats, design an outdoor learning space that impacts the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals?”
To answer this question, the students were divided into teams responsible for designing three distinct areas: a space focusing on mental health, a space appropriate for primary (Pre-K through second) grades, and a space focused on math and science learning.
From there, each team was divided into roles — landscape architects, conservationists, marketers, and podcasters.
Among other tasks, the students had to figure out which UN Sustainability Goals were impacted in their design process. But they had a team of experts helping them along the way.
They conferenced — via Zoom and in person — with landscape architects, conservationists, marketers and even podcast experts. Students submitted questions and the experts reviewed and gave feedback on their work.
“So many experts have been helping out,” Victoria Martinez said. “It’s been a fantastic experience for students.”
The students have also been working with local nonprofit Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas through the Picture Your World Program, attending grant-funded workshops that focus on nature photography.
The teachers have been aligning the research and writing in their reading blocks and using math blocks to calculate perimeter and area and create budgets. The real-life lessons have been sinking in.
Adam Martinez has been building 3-D models for the math and science learning space.
“We have also been learning about feet and area and how to measure it,” he said. “I learned more and I’m excited to learn new things.”
The entire project has been funded through a grant from Bamberger Ranch and includes funds to build one of the three spaces next year, bringing the students’ visions for their peers to life.
“It will make me feel better because whenever I’m outside it helps me relieve some stress,” fifth grader Autumn King, who has been working on a bridge in the space for primary grades, said. “I think it helps the little ones too.”