Category: Social Studies
Kids’ Voices Count: JPDS-NC Election Project 2016
September 22, 2016 by
We are excited to launch Kids’ Voices Count: JPDS-NC Election Project 2016. This schoolwide election project will focus on giving life to the rights and responsibilities of children as social and political actors in the public sphere. Students will be creating a voting guide for adults in our community in which they will give voice to their […]
- #JPDSNCElectionProject
- #KidsVoicesCount
- Parent-Child Learning
Fourth Graders Adopt Chicks as Class Pets
June 15, 2016 by
At the beginning of the semester, the fourth grade Explorers class raised the idea of getting a class pet. It was decided that students needed to earn it, so their teacher created a chart where they earned points for doing and acting in ways that showed responsibility. By the end of April, they had earned […]
- Environmental Education
- Student Stories
Comparing Communities: Kindergarteners Engage in In-Depth Study of Social Insects
May 24, 2016 by
This year in Kindergarten, our Project Work curriculum was intentionally designed to use the theme of Community. In the second semester, we focused on comparing our community to those of social insects including ants, bees, and wasps. We specifically chose social insects because they naturally connect to humans as they share common characteristics that include […]
- Environmental Education
- Project Based Learning
- Visual Arts
Making Thinking Visible Through the Use of Materials
May 4, 2016 by
If you walk in the front door of South Campus this week, you might see First Grade students and teachers digging through big boxes and recyclables to be used for prototypes of homes in a polar climate. You also might see Kindergarten students manipulating clay to create their final model of a queen bee. In the sadnah (studio), you might […]
- Design Thinking
- Environmental Education
- Project Based Learning
- STEAM
- Thinking Routines
- Visual Arts
Changemakers: Kindergarten Students Redesign South Campus Library
February 10, 2016 by
The grand re-opening of the South Campus Community Library occurred last week during the Kindergarten Bayit Patuach (Open House). With a flourish and a “one, two, three, cut!” every Kindergarten child used scissors to snip a long ribbon stretched across the library. The ceremony culminated months of hard work by the three Kindergarten classes as […]
- Design Thinking
- Project Based Learning
- STEAM
Rock Creek Park Project Highlights Multi-Faceted Learning
January 28, 2016 by
Walking among towering trees, a fish-filled creek, and a brick-lined Peirce Mill, parents visiting JPDS-NC’s South Campus on January 21st could have thought they were taking a ramble through Rock Creek Park. Instead, they were appreciating first graders’ scaled model of the natural treasure that lies not a mile from our classroom doors, the culmination of […]
- Design Thinking
- Environmental Education
- Project Based Learning
- Washington D.C.
From Tomahawks to Tipis at the Third Grade American Indian Museum
January 12, 2016 by
The third grade classes made an American Indian Museum. All fifty-one students in the grade worked to research and make displays about different Native American tribes. We learned about the Sioux, the Cherokee, the Northwest Coast, and the Iroquois tribes. For our museum, the students made everything from tomahawks to tipis to feather headdresses. Students […]
- Project Based Learning
- Student Stories
Study of Ancient History Reveals Universal Realities: Sixth Grade Students Invest their Own Learning with Meaning
December 17, 2015 by
At our school, we have been exploring a seemingly obvious notion that actually has profound implications. When I first began to explore the concept that “Children are competent/capable,” I thought, “Of course, what’s so new about that insight? I have always believed children are capable, and I support them to see themselves that way….” But […]
- Project Based Learning
Colonial History Comes to Life at JPDS-NC
December 16, 2015 by
The Fifth Graders at the Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital have just finished their Colonial History unit. For a few months, the students learn about the founding of the colonies and about famous figures such as John Winthrop, John Smith, and the Kings of England. Then, each student chooses a colonial profession […]
- Project Based Learning
- Student Stories
Thinking Critically About American History
May 22, 2015 by
“History gives us ideas. Let’s say something good happened. We can use it in the future to help people.” “In American History, there’s been a lot of wars, like the War of 1812 and the American Revolution. We can learn about what happened and say, ‘This was wrong’ and ‘I’ll turn it all around and […]
- Project Based Learning