"Is it ... just birds?" An insider's guide to our student-driven Integrated Studies Unit

“But are they really learning?” “Is it … just birds?”

Sometimes people, even families, wonder if the kids are really learning when they hear that our curriculum is student-centered and the kids help choose their focus of study. “How can that work?”

In the case of our trimester-long Integrated Unit: we start with a topic that’s intentionally broad enough to cover a wide range of student interest, like for instance, this trimester’s “Community in Cutchogue.” Within that topic, classes work together to see what interests emerge as the kids engage with initial provocations and materials. So far we’ve seen interests develop around everything from the workings of the downtown business district to post office operations to the founding of the village, and yes, the bird community of Cutchogue.

The learning unfolding in 3rd and 4th grade around birds is not only joyful and authentically engaging because it’s dedicated to genuine student interest, it is real and particularly age-appropriate. 3rd and 4th grades are research grades – kids are developmentally ready to start: diving deep into a topic, holding multiple strands of inquiry, locating relevant and important information and translating research into their own words. They’re ready to take the kinds of writing and illustrations they’ve been creating throughout first and second grade to another level – scientific illustrations emerge; labeled diagrams, graphs and charts, factual citations and multi-paragraph essays begin to tell the story of their learning; and their Chromebooks shift from just an opportunity to engage a screen to a powerful tool.

But to them, because this is what they want to do, it’s true – it’s not work — it’s just birds.