Creating Community
By:  Carrie Johnson

Project at a Glance :

​The class be partnering with Resthaven.  Students will be working with residents to make sure their stories are heard and documented.  Various reading, writing and speaking and listening standards will be woven throughout this unit.
       
Driving Question:

How can we create intergenerational community with the residents of Resthaven?

Standards:

• RL5.2 - Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text. 
• W5.2 -Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• SL5.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• SL5.2 - Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

Team / Culture Building:

• Creative DNA protocol - to make sure various personalities are included in each group.
• Interview a grandparent or family friend, and then share out a story you learned about their childhood (to get a gauge on what students have contact with seniors).

Entry Event:

• Guest Interviews:  Abby Waldo and Libby Moskal came to Lakewood to introduce our students to what Resthaven is, and how that community supports the residents that live there. This provided great background knowledge for all of our students.
• ​Create a Logo:  After digging into the driving question, students were tasked with creating a logo or picture that captures the meaning of the driving question.

​Business Partner:

Resthaven Care Center

Stakeholders:

• Students
• Family members
• Resthaven staff and resident
•  Community members
• Teachers

Empathy Building:

• Create an Empathy Map of their grandparent (or other senior) as a fifth grader.

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• ​Need To Knows​ - Students made a list of things they felt like they "needed to know" before they would feel ready to generate ideas. These questions were specific to a resident's experience living at Resthaven.​​​​

• Research Articles - Students worked in pairs to read a variety of research articles about living in assisted living facilities. Topics included: creating a family like atmosphere, learning about programming/activities available, how loneliness can affect overall health, and the benefits of staying connected.

Visit and Interviews with Resthaven residents:  The class took a field trip to Resthaven to see first hand what life is like. The visit included a tour of the facilities, and then students broke off into groups of 2-3, where they were matched with a resident. Students LOVED hearing stories from their childhoods, and also asked questions about life at Resthaven. At the end, we were able to play "noodle ball" with the residents, which was a highlight for all.

Incubation:

• Interviewing with AI - Using "Magic School" as a child safe AI tool, students were able to practice interviewing senior citizens. Students asked questions about their childhood, their schooling, their favorite things growing up, and how technology has changed over time. This was a powerful tool for students to use and experience.
• Brainstorming Ideas - 1, 2, 4 - Students began by brainstorming individually (1). Instead of using sticky notes, students did it on paper instead - some wrote lists, and some drew pictures. After a set amount of time, students then shared out their ideas with a partner (2), choosing which ideas they felt were the strongest and most unique. Then, students met in small groups (4), and repeated the process. Once done, the group was tasked with coming up with their top five ideas which were shared out with the class.
• Top 5 ideas: - As our groups of 4 shared out, two clear groups of ideas emerged. Students loved the idea of a variety of Intergenerational Clubs, a Talent Show, as well as Reverse Field Trips - experiences that could be brought to the residents.  
• Dot Voting - Students used dots to vote for their favorite ideas. It became clear we would not be able to narrow all the way down to one idea, and this was okay, since we had two classes of students working on this project.
  

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Solution Building:

• ​After narrowing down ideas teams participated in a Pick a Team, Share the Work activity where they voted on their top solution idea/s to develop a pitch.

• Poster Session​ - Students worked in small groups to bring their part of our three-pronged solution to life! This allowed all students to be involved in some component, which was amazing for 44 students! 

•  A small group of students volunteered to lead the pitch. They met with each group as they were working on their posters, and gathered key information to share in their pitch. Once they wrote their own script, they shared it out with the full group, where students provided feedback using the format "I like..., I wonder..." Our pitch team then edited their script incorporating the feedback from their classmates.

Authentic Audience:

• Resthaven residents and staff
• Family members

Final Presentation:

• Our business partner, Resthaven came in and heard our pitch. They loved our ideas, gave great feedback, and are looking for ways to incorporate them into their schedule.

CLUBS: Such as Garden, Game & Be Kind

Hosting a Talent Show

Reverse Field Trip

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:
     "I loved having a chance to be creative." ~ Harper, Student

     "I loved interacting with the residents." ~  Jack, Student

"I never thought they (Resthaven) would be coming to us, but it happened, and maybe our ideas will happen in the future, and that's pretty cool."  ~ Markese, Student

     "Resthaven has always held a special place in my heart, as they cared for my grandpa during his struggle with Alzheimers, and currently care for my precious grandma at Warm Friend.  This partnership exceeded my expectations in every way.  Our students were a bit nervous at first, but as we watched their minds work, their level of empathy rise, and their observations and interview skills impact their thinking, powerful solutions were discovered.  They were extremely proud of what they were able to accomplish in this unit." ~ Carrie Johnson, Educator

     "Just wanted to express my gratitude for our partnership! I loved seeing all the posters yesterday and hearing the excitement in the students’ voices. I can’t wait to see some of these ideas come to life!" ~ Libby Moskal, Resthaven Talent Acquisition Specialist

Click here for the teacher's Journey through PBL on Padlet . . .

Meet the Educator:

Carrie Johnson teaches 5th grade at Lakewood Elementary, West Ottawa Public Schools.

     "PBL allows me to connect learning to real world experiences, and gives students a chance to solve problems that can have long term impact on their community.  I also love how PBL gives every student to opportunity to shine, regardless of their academic abilities."