June 25, 2024 (Oxford Station, ON) - What started as a visit to Saunders Country Critters Zoo and Sanctuary turned into a Real-World Learning project that resulted in students enhancing the site for visitors and leaving a lasting mark on the country attraction.
After a visit to the zoo by the Grade 1 and Grade 2 classes from Centennial ’67 Public School, students along with their teachers, Steve Thompson and Kyla Delaney, brainstormed how they could connect the animals they learned about with the work they were planning on doing in class.
Both classes already planned on writing books during the year and after some collaboration with students and members of the Real-World Learning team, an idea that excited everyone was born: Students would write a short story about an animal they met at the zoo, which would get published into a book.
The students would also create a short informational video about their selected animal, with photos and facts and using their own voices to narrate. The videos would then be shared onsite at the zoo through signage with QR codes.
Last week, students along with their parents, guardians, grandparents, and friends, had the satisfaction of seeing this multi-month project through. During their second and final trip of the year to Saunders Country Critters, students helped affix signs to the animal cages and pens with QR codes that link to the videos they made.
“The students were highly engaged throughout the project and excited that people outside our classroom and our school were going to see the work they are doing,” explained Delaney.
After touring the site and testing out their creations, everyone came together to celebrate the accomplishment. Students received a soft-cover copy of their short story, and it was shared with them that some books will also be donated to Saunders Country Critters, the community partners that helped make this work happen, and the Edwardsburg/Cardinal Library – Spencerville Branch.
When asked about the favourite parts of this project, students said they liked learning about the animals, creating their own stories and getting to see the animals in real life.
“I liked the writing and drawing, and I liked that we got to go to Saunder’s twice!,” said Finley McIntire, who’s animal was the Fennec Fox. “They can hear their prey underground!”
When students saw how their work connected to the zoo and heard their own voices coming from the QR codes, the moment was priceless.
“This was a really good opportunity to engage students in learning for a purpose. Everything they did was something they need to do for the rest of their life – reading, writing, researching, using computer. This is all part of what they do in their daily lives,” explained Thompson.
“It took a village to make this project happen. There were a lot of community partners that pulled together to make this a success and, seeing the kids here with their final projects shows that it was all worth it,” added Delaney.
For media inquiries, please contact:
April Scott-Clarke
Manager of Communications
Upper Canada District School Board
[email protected]