FORT BENNING, Ga., (March 16 2016) -- Wilson Elementary Schools students are learning about the environment and taking on real-life experiences as they build and maintain their very own greenhouse.
To boost their learning experience, the Wilson Elementary Schools students, partnered with Infantry Basic Officer Leaders Course students, the Society of American Military Engineers and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Fort Benning and Columbus Waterworks to piece the project together.
Jenna Moore, Science, Technology, Engineering Math teacher at Wilson, said she organized the project with USACE, who furnished the base for the greenhouse; SAME provided the kit and both organizations donated funds to the project. Columbus Waterworks provided the gravel for the 6 foot by 8 foot greenhouse.
"The objective was to have kids focus on their skills and take ownership in building the greenhouse, and to apply what they're learning in class to the real world," Moore said.
Moore said they used the Engineering Design Process, a part of the new math initiative, to build the greenhouse.
"Having them be exposed to planning, designing ... it is part of the new math standards - we have them understand why they are learning the standards and showing their purpose (in real life experiences)," she said.
Hailey Carroll and John Davis, both fifth-graders, said they learned a lot from building the greenhouse.
"We learned how to organize the parts for the greenhouse and we learned how to put the pieces together. We also used new tools," Hailey said. "We learned how to find the volume of the box so we knew how much gravel to use, and we measured how big the greenhouse is going to be before we built it."
"I liked that we used gravel to level the ground to make the greenhouse stable," John said. "I also learned how to use a power drill!"
Moore said Alan Bugg, area engineer for USACE, made the STEM project happen.
"The corps always tries to support engineering education on all levels and we are happy to do this, happy to have the opportunity," Bugg said.
The greenhouse focuses on the indigenous and endangered plant life on Fort Benning, Moore said. The Environmental Management Division on Fort Benning will provide the plant life for the students to maintain in the greenhouse.
Kindergarten through fifth-grade students will participate in the upkeep of the greenhouse.
"Each grade has a different life science standard ... for example, first grade is learning about plant growth ... each one has a different part (in the greenhouse building and maintenance)," Moore said.
The greenhouse will serve other purposes for the school, such as creating an irrigation system, Moore said. Students will build shelves inside the greenhouse; they'll recycle Styrofoam to use for trays and planters.
"We will also be using the area around the greenhouse for building more of a green zone so the kids can use the space for weather vanes, rain gauges," she said. "Integrate it into a living and learning area."
Michelle Allen, Wilson Elementary School principal, said the mission of DODEA is to prepare students for the future, and she appreciates the level of support and engagement they are getting from all the organizations, such as Partners in Education (IBOLC students) talking to them about real-life situations.
"They are using collaboration, creativity and communication skills to work together, to figure out what's right and what's wrong," she said.
Allen said the students will run the greenhouse with little supervision from the adults. They will be encouraged to research and create their own ideas for greenhouse's preservation.
"It's great to get this stuff out of the book, but then you're able to apply what they've been taught in the classroom - that makes for better learning ... and growing up they'll be able to tell their kids they built a greenhouse," she said. "We're building our students up and making sure they're prepared for the future."
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