Learning Beyond the Classroom in Middle School

It’s been an exciting start to the year in CBA Middle School! As students settle into routines and grow as confident learners, many classes are taking learning outdoors and connecting it to the world around them.

Math
After comparing fractions, decimals, and percents, students moved into ratios and proportional relationships. They headed outside to spot ratios in their surroundings and collected their own data by timing 20- and 40-meter dashes, then used their results to make predictions. Some students also applied their skills to budgeting activities involving taxes, discounts, markups, and bulk orders.

Language Arts
Students are building reading, writing, and communication skills along with strong learning habits. Their work includes plot development, sentence structure, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. They also used the outdoors as inspiration as they began writing original stories.

Social Studies
Students kicked off their Ancient Civilizations unit by asking what helps a civilization develop and thrive. Working together, they identified the traits of civilizations, wrote their own “recipes” for successful societies, and tackled challenges involving leadership, laws, food, trade, water, and agriculture.

Science
A gummy bear investigation gave students a hands-on look at diffusion and osmosis. They collected and analyzed data, then wrote Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning responses. Outdoors, they observed insects and used evidence to explore how their behaviors help them adapt and survive.

STEAM
Inspired by the bears of Katmai National Park, students became engineers in an outdoor survival challenge. Using tape, twine, rubber bands, and found materials, they designed tools or structures to help them survive a long winter. They then brought the Engineering Design Process to life in comics, creating characters who solve problems one step at a time.

Whether they’re timing a sprint, observing insects, building a survival tool, or imagining their own civilization, our Middle School students are discovering that learning can happen anywhere. We can’t wait to see where it takes them next!

Dinner Table Talk

Ask your Middle Schooler:

• Math: Where did you spot ratios outside? How did your 20-meter dash time help you predict your 40-meter time?
• Language Arts: What’s your original story about so far? How did being outdoors give you ideas?
• Social Studies: What ingredients went into your “recipe” for a successful civilization? Which one matters most?
• Science: What happened to the gummy bears, and why? What did you learn about how insects survive?
• STEAM: What survival tool or structure did your team build for a long winter? What would you change if you built it again?