And so the Cleveland study begins...

Today marked the start of our Cleveland study which we will continue to study until the end of the year. This is a fun curriculum for the kids because it involves numerous field trips and activities all based on something they are familiar with: Cleveland! We started off the morning with a little endangered species activity: the donut sale. I remember doing this when I was in second grade, and I was every bit as enthusiastic about raising money as the kids were this morning. They learned the value of a dollar (or 75 cents per donut) and I helped them understand how to make change and exchange money. This donut sale will continue every morning this week. After the donut sale the kids had music and Chinese, and then it was off to the Gries center for their very first Cleveland study field trip! The kids were all SO excited to go to the Gries center, so we started out by splitting up into smaller groups and exploring the house a little bit. Finally, the Western Reserve Historical Society came to the Gries Center to explain to the kids what exactly immigration is, and how it most likely applied to their lives. We then split into groups of 4 or 5 and were given suitcases which included kits that would help transform our groups into families immigrating to America. I really enjoyed this activity because a.) we got to fool around a little bit and b.) it was really the first opportunity that I had to be the one in charge (of my group at least) which definitely helped my skills as a teacher and a leader. It's definitely helpful when I have the opportunity to work with kids in small groups, and develop some teaching skills. Finally, after a long day of presenting our "families" stories, we boarded the bus, went back to school, and had a quick recess before it was time to go home.