They visit a different school each Friday, and EarthView volunteer Natalie Regan said the excitement generated by the globe’s arrival is an indication of the program’s success. Since fall 2008, Bridgewater State College has brought the EarthView program to more than 8,000 students - elementary through high school level - in Southeast Massachusetts. He plans to expose youngsters to more and more in the months to come. Travers added, “To be able to see this gets them enthusiastic about the content they are learning in the classroom.”Ĭallahan, who has used similar alternative teaching styles in the past, hopes to make interactive lessons an integral part of students’ curriculum. “Kids learn so much better when they have hands-on activities,” Callahan said. Wirth added, “It’s like we were in space looking down at the world.”Īccording to Chuck Callahan, a Martin Middle seventh grade social studies teacher, the program not only goes hand-in-hand with the sixth grade curriculum, but it is interactive so as to effectively reinforce classroom lessons. “It was very realistic,” said Auguste, recalling the moment she initially stepped foot inside the strange balloon and marveled at her surroundings. “The program puts what they are learning in the classroom in context, and shows students that it is purposeful.”Īs 11-year-old Ben Wirth and Myesha Auguste recapped their first-ever EarthView experience, it seemed as though the excited pair couldn’t get their words out fast enough. “It brought geography to life for them,” said Erin Travers, fifth grade Martin Middle School teacher and Bridgewater State College alum. The inflatable sphere – hand-painted in detail - gave sixth graders a three-dimensional view of the world from inside Earth’s core, allowing them to learn about topics like plate tectonics, global culture and climate change. The traveling classroom known as EarthView, a Bridgewater State College program, was an awe-inspiring sight that sparked countless smiles from youngsters on its first-ever visit to the city school. The week was filled with lots of exploring in and lots of activities while immersed in the beautiful city of Madrid, Spain.Nearly 200 wide-eyed Martin Middle School students explored the world in a way they never would have imagined Friday, simply by stepping inside a 20-foot EarthView balloon. Classes were also given to learn the Spanish flamenco dance - La Sevillana, and then a flamenco show was performed. For entertainment in the arts, we were treated to a special concert by a famous flamenco singer. Many restaurants were visited to try different authentic cuisines and the students also had a cooking class to learn how to prepare some of the dishes we tasted. Students also visited a local high school and interacted with the Spanish students exchanging information about their town, school, food, and music. The food theme involved going to the market and buying food as well as asking locals about certain items and their costs. The sports theme involved touring the Bernabeu Stadium. The art and history theme involved visiting the Royal Palace. The students attended Spanish classes every morning to practice speaking about the theme of the day. Their itinerary consisted of visiting famous museums in Madrid, and touring Toledo, the first capital of Spain and the birthplace of the Spanish artist Fransisco Goya. Nine students from Plymouth South took part in a language immersion program in Spain over April vacation.
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