FieldAR2023OnlineAll11.13 - Magazine - Page 10
impact
impa
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Immersive,
Inquiry-Based
Learning
Science in Action
Upper school chemistry students applied their knowledge of molecular
structure, compound names, and polarity to better understand how
to read ingredient lists on food labels and products. To further apply
these learnings in the lab, the students researched and analyzed the
molecular structure of food, drugs, and cosmetics food dyes. They
then identified which food dyes were present in an unknown flavor of
Kool-Aid using paper chromatography. This also allowed them to
analyze which food dyes were most polar based on their attraction to
the paper and their resultant Rf values.
Students Inform Curriculum
Students learn best when they feel a sense of belonging at their
school—when they are seen and valued by their teachers, peers, and
school community. Field students exemplify this belief when they are called upon to work alongside teachers
to support and enhance curriculum.
Seniors in the Holocaust and Human Behavior elective complete a legacy initiative, a capstone project that
lives beyond the classroom. These inquiry projects are student-driven and designed to impact the School and
community. In the 2022-23 school year, the class chose to research, write, analyze, and develop a curriculum
guide with source materials for teachers to utilize and add depth to teaching the Holocaust, Jewish history,
Jewish culture, and antisemitism. The final product was The Field Curriculum Guide to Teaching about the
Holocaust and Jewish History. The students were invested in the historical and societal dynamics that influence
Holocaust education and how, when, and why we do it.
“Our hope is that by exposing teachers to this curriculum guide they will feel more conÞdent about integrating
topics of Jewish history and culture and more likely to use these materials in the existing curriculum.
The students were clear in our planning sessions that the compartmentalization of student understanding of
Jews into just the Holocaust was part of the issue. By including smaller resources and regular exposure to
reliable information about Jews, they hope to create an environment that combats antisemitism by
Þghting the ‘otherness’ of Jews or only focusing on moments of oppression and genocide.”
~Jaclyn Zarrella,
Upper School Instructional Coach,
History Department Chair and Teacher