Students Connect Middle-Earth to Real World Learning
Sixth grade students landed in Middle-Earth to begin an interdisciplinary unit based on "The Hobbit."
During the next four weeks, they'll connect language arts, geography and science to create unique worlds in a faculty-designed curriculum. To kick off the project-based learning unit, students flew drone missions, solved puzzles, practiced the Elvish alphabet and re-enacted Bilbo's Battle for Middle-Earth. The activities led up to the reveal of a question that will drive their learning: "How can we build bridges between worlds?"
"That's the whole overarching theme of the interdisciplinary 'Hobbit' unit that World Studies, English and Writer's Workshop will function under," social studies teacher Carson Ferren explains. Science and STEAM-based projects will be added as students work in groups to create their own nations, inhabitants, forms of government, economies and other necessary elements of society.
The unit begins with reading and analyzing JRR Tolkien's classic novel, "The Hobbit." Students will create journals in the author's unique style, and compare and contrast what Middle-Earth looks like in relation to the real world. They'll also analyze characters and engage in discussions that help them understand the text, then they will apply that understanding in social studies class. Each group will build its own society and engage in dialogue and diplomacy with each other and other nations.
In science class, students will create their own 'elements' that meet the needs of their imagined lands. And in Writer's Workshop, they'll design, write and publish travel magazines that show the readers the places their imaginations have created. All these projects are woven together with STEAM-based activities that could include 3D printing, computer-aided design and other technologies based at IDEA Space.
The unit will culminate with a "World Summit" on Monday, May 12, at IDEA Space. Students will invite families and guests to join them in Model UN-style roundtable discussions, and they will display their nations, societies and magazine projects.
"That's the whole overarching theme of the interdisciplinary 'Hobbit' unit that World Studies, English and Writer's Workshop will function under," social studies teacher Carson Ferren explains. Science and STEAM-based projects will be added as students work in groups to create their own nations, inhabitants, forms of government, economies and other necessary elements of society.
The unit begins with reading and analyzing JRR Tolkien's classic novel, "The Hobbit." Students will create journals in the author's unique style, and compare and contrast what Middle-Earth looks like in relation to the real world. They'll also analyze characters and engage in discussions that help them understand the text, then they will apply that understanding in social studies class. Each group will build its own society and engage in dialogue and diplomacy with each other and other nations.
In science class, students will create their own 'elements' that meet the needs of their imagined lands. And in Writer's Workshop, they'll design, write and publish travel magazines that show the readers the places their imaginations have created. All these projects are woven together with STEAM-based activities that could include 3D printing, computer-aided design and other technologies based at IDEA Space.
The unit will culminate with a "World Summit" on Monday, May 12, at IDEA Space. Students will invite families and guests to join them in Model UN-style roundtable discussions, and they will display their nations, societies and magazine projects.
Ms. Ferren says students were enthusiastic and excited to dive into “The Hobbit.” She says interdisciplinary units that lean into hands-on projects, problem-solving and collaboration are a great fit for Barstow’s innovative and differentiated curriculum. “It’s such a natural way to meet the learner where they are and help them at their own levels to rise and to reach.”
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IDEA Space facilitator Brad Evans teaches sixth grade drone pilots...
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...how to fly their craft across Middle-Earth.
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Working in groups, students will create nations, governments and societies, and combine social studies, language arts and STEAM.
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During kickoff, they decoded the Elvish alphabet...
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...looking for clues to revela the unit's driving question:
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"How de we create bridges between worlds?"
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