Classrooms were buzzing this week as students put all they had learned during a 6 week study of Towns into action. After taking a closer look into the local history of Montclair, and using the observation data gathered from field trips around Montclair, students began to note some common elements. Students came together to share their findings from their walking field trips and noted that Montclair, and even their home towns, included certain essentials like housing; transportation; places to work and places to gather or have fun. Students were then challenged to design towns of their own in a medium of their choosing. Students were asked to consider the idea of needs vs. wants, before getting too far along in their town planning. Some students even considered sustainable features such as electric vehicles and bike paths for transportation options, recycling receptacles, and green spaces that young and old citizens could use. To share their work students used technology tools to document their town designs and share which elements they included and why those things were important to a town.
|