2007-2008+Curriculum

=2007-2008 Boston Neighborhood Curriculum=
 * Who? || 2nd graders at the Young Achievers Math & Science Pilot School ||
 * Where? || Young Achievers is a Boston Public School located in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts ||
 * What? || Young Achievers is an expeditionary learning school. This means that the school is committed to learning through experience. In the second grade students learn about Boston Neighborhoods. We were able to create an innovative curriculum this past year. The second graders did work that far exceeded the expectations of the staff and other partners who helped make this curriculum possible. From September to June students investigated many of the neighborhoods that make up our city of Boston. Students took inventory walks in the Forest Hills neighborhood and then the Centre Street neighborhood in Jamaica Plain. They compared resources in the areas. After visiting the Boston Redevelopment Authority in City Hall and checking out a bird’s eye view of the city from the of the Prudential building, young city planners came back to the classroom to create their own cities. Students dialogued about wants versus needs. Inspirational speakers like Jose Masso and Councilman Sam Yoon came to talk to students about dreams, the city, and job opportunities. We also had the opportunity to taste some local cuisine during our field work. We had Dominican food at Don Ricardos, Chinese food at Hei La Moon Restaurant, and Chilean food at Chacarero. Students broke into six study groups and investigated the following areas: murals, asthma in urban populations, the history of Young Achievers, settling in Boston, the Villa Victoria, and Chinatown. From their investigations students created a script. With the help of Jose Masso and WBUR students then went to the WBUR studios and recorded their voices. Their program aired on the radio program “¡Con Salsa!” on 90.9 FM. The final product that seven and eight year-olds created was professional, inspirational and ground breaking. Enclosed you will find more information about the students’ success. ||
 * When? || 2007-2008 school year ||
 * Why? || We would like to share this information with you to make this work more public. We would like to improve on this curriculum each year. Perhaps you can help us do so! ||

The DVD Label
//Our finished product was in the form of a DVD. The students' radio program was set to photos from the entire year. Click on the PDF to see the label!//

Our Field Work
To get a more detailed description of some of the field experiences we've had download this PDF. Inside you will find information about Jose Masso's visit, Sam Yoon's visit, our visits to the following places: Chinatown, Villa Victoria, the Black Heritage Trail, and the Boston Black Exhibit at the Children's Museum. Included in this PDF is also information about students studying murals and eventually creating their own, and students conducting interviews with staff to learn more about Young Achievers.



Reflections on the Work
As a first year teacher in general and in the Boston Public School system, I felt very victorious at the close of the school year. Teaching is in my opinion one of the toughest and most rewarding jobs. Follow this link to see the reflection of a first-year teacher working with this curriculum.

Bo Hoppin, Young Achievers Experiential Education Curriculum Coordinator also shared his reflections on the Boston Neighborhood Study curriculum. Follow this link to see what he had to say!