ImagineIT Timeline January 2016

Looking Back
Looking back on this project, I think that what did not happen was getting the students
outside as much as I would have liked. I think that it is necessary to plan the trips far in
advance in order to get them in the schedule so that when all the distractions of the school
year pile on, the good work of the project is still able to take place.
Areas for Growth
In light of that call for more and better planning, I am happy to start by getting some things
on the calendar. The next concern is how to help students maintain continuity when the trips
are far apart. One thing that has helped is that I was able to secure an additional set of buses
for a field trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo, which will limit the financial burden on my pupils.
In order to help maintain momentum in-between trips, I am expanding the way I use
technology in the classroom in two ways. First, I have obtained some technology through a
partnership with the Lincoln Park Zoo. Now I am able to make a camera trap at the school to
help students understand the diverse animals that frequent our school grounds. Second, I am
using Chicago Wildlife Watch, a citizen science project as a way to help students familiarize
themselves with local wildlife and contribute to a larger project.
Finally, as a goal for this project, I think that it is important for the students to see a tangible
result of their work. Therefore, my goal for this project is to create a field guide to the nature
at our school. Students will write entries and I will publish a guide online as part of the project.
Broad Goals& Benchmarks
I will be conducting field experiences on the following dates:
Field Site: Skokie Lagoons
LP.Z Ethology/Biodiversity
Nature Walk

8th Grade Trip

March 2, 2016

7th Grade Trip

March 3, 2016

8th Grade Trip

April 14, 2016

7th Grade Trip

April1 5, 2016

My goals are to maintain momentum in this project by:

Incorporating a related citizen science project into my regular classroom routine.

To regularly use technology to help students see what is going on on our school
grounds.
Track student reflections and work throughout the project and conduct additional
student focus groups.

I will use this project as an exemplar of effective classroom assessment by:

Incorporating student feedback from previous focus groups to create a portfolio

assessment assignment for this project.
Providing students with multiple pathways to demonstrate understanding.
Tracking development of student attitudes towards the natural world formally by using
technology like Google forms.

Hopes for the Project

In closing, my wildest hope for this project is that I am able to develop a broad outline of a
year-long project that I will use year after year. I hope that my students will be able to
articulate the connections between various grade-level projects: Indiana Dunes National
Lakeshore for the 6th grade to ethology for the 7th grade to ecology for the 8th grade. I hope
that this project, while I am certain that it will evolve over time, will be something that
students look forward to as they enter middle school. Finally, I hope that the project is
ultimately able to reflect student inputs into the course of the project as much as my own
vision for how meaningful a middle school science classroom can be I want my pupils to
own this project as much as me.