Building Picnic Tables...and Community

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Building Picnic Tables...and Community
Language: English
Authors: Burke, Christopher, Lazarowicz, Amy
Source: Science and Children. Mar-Apr 2021 58(4):36-40.
Availability: National Science Teaching Association. 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Tel: 800-722-6782; Fax: 703-243-3924; e-mail: membership@nsta.org; Web site: https://www.nsta.org/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 5
Publication Date: 2021
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education
Grade 4
Intermediate Grades
Descriptors: Culturally Relevant Education, Grade 4, Elementary School Students, Minority Group Students, At Risk Students, Sustainable Development, Neighborhoods, Furniture, Design, Science Instruction, Elementary School Science, Engineering, Problem Solving
ISSN: 0036-8148
Abstract: Creating a culturally responsive (Ladson-Billings 1995) or culturally sustaining (Paris 2012) learning environment requires teachers making connections to students' experiences outside of school, allowing them to draw on what González, Moll, and Amanti (2006) refer to as students' "funds of knowledge," or the values, interests, and discourse patterns they bring from home, as part of the learning process. This asset-based approach centers understanding and valuing students' contributions in the classroom. In this article, the authors describe a five-lesson engineering unit with fourth-grade students to build a picnic table for a local park. The majority of the students at the school speak Spanish as their first language, 14 percent are African American, and 10 percent are White. While 95 percent of the students are eligible for free and reduced lunch, the school's neighborhood is frequently identified as one of the revitalized and growing communities in the city.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2021
Access URL: https://www.nsta.org/science-and-children/science-and-children-marchapril-2021/building-picnic-tables-and-community
Accession Number: EJ1296176
Database: ERIC
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