News and information for staff members and the Madison community
Vol. II No. 3 - December 22, 2006
Through support from the UW Center for East Asian Studies, a team of teachers from Spring Harbor Environmental Middle School joined Chinese language students and teachers from Memorial High School on an 18-day trip to China last summer. Now, with support from the Aristos Foundation, their travels and research are fast becoming an intensive curriculum on the study of China and the environment.
Aristos grant recipient David Ropa, a seventh grade science teacher, along with Nan Youngerman and Midge Hrncirik, both sixth grade teachers, are developing an inter-grade, cross-curricular model for studying China.
"We began by building a culture box—a collection of artifacts, books, tools, instruments, and images—that we can use to show our students the remarkable diversity of life in China" explains Youngerman.
"We have created a collection of over 100 different items that we are using to create an on-line directory of items that students can investigate to better understand life in both modern and ancient China. We hope teachers in other schools and districts will use the on-line directory to study these artifacts."
Also as part of the grant project, the teachers established connections with a variety of research institutions in China so students can assist in on-going projects. The teachers met with the directors of the Wolong Panda Reserve, the leading research and breeding facility in the world for the endangered Giant Panda. The Wolong facility, for the first time ever, released a captive-bred panda into the wild in April, 2006.
"For pandas to survive in the wild, they cannot live in isolation," explains Ropa. "Unfortunately, habitat fragmentation and rural development has split the viable panda habitat and is preventing an exchange of genetic material.
"My students take part in Earthkam, a NASA program whereby the kids take photos of the earth using a satellite camera," he continued. "This year, we'll photograph potential regions in China that can serve as biocorridors and are best suited to protect pandas and increase the genetic diversity of the animals in the wild."
Visit the Spring Harbor website to access video, images and on-line lessons about on-going research projects in China: http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/springharbor/china.htm
Spring Harbor Middle School teachers (r-l) David Ropa, Nan Youngerman, Midge Hrncirik, and new friend "Heping" at the Wolong Panda Reserve and Breeding Center, Wolong, China.
Photo credit: Nick Berigan
Last Updated: Tue Jan 16 10:27:12 2007
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