SCHOOLS
WELCOME TO SUMMERTIME AT
21st CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS
In the summer of 2010, three programs were offered for students who participated in the 21st Century Afterschool programs at Cameron, Fuller and Walsh Middle Schools during the 2009-10 school year, and one for students from Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. Two of the three middle school programs supported the college readiness strand of the Framingham 21st Century initiative and were held on college campuses at Framingham State University and Pine Manor College in Newton. The third middle school program was held at the Framingham Public Access Cable TV Station studio in Framingham. The City to Saddle program for eight Woodrow Wilson Elementary students was held at the Dunvegan Farm in Wrentham.
Middle School Programs:
Framingham State University
Framingham Public Access Cable TV (FPAC-TV)
Pine Manor College Girls' Leadership Exploration Program (PMCGLE)
Woodrow Wilson Program:
City to Saddle (clickable link to City to Saddle info below)
Framingham State University
The Framingham State University Spaceworks and Technology Academy was designed to provide a half-day opportunity for youngsters to work together on a college campus doing activities they love – space exploration, hands-on science and Lego Robotics. This program, designed by staff at the Christine McAuliffe Space Center, is in its fourth year. The program provided academic enrichment, positive youth development, parent/family involvement, and college readiness.
Week One: Sun, Earth, and Moon
Students focused on science as they used NASA data to learn about the Sun-Earth connection and Space weather. They tracked shadows, built solar ovens, and learned how to read the wristwatch sundials they created. A tour of the campus had them searching for right angles and sundials, and included a visit to admissions, science labs, and the planetarium. They also thoroughly examined and discussed the full-sized Mars Rover model located in the Planetarium. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, students engaged in activities to explore lunar craters, learned about the Saturn V rocket, and landed "sensitive scientific equipment" on a simulated moon surface via their own air bag design. All of the activities required the employment of a variety of tools including calculators, computers, and meter sticks.
Students used this new knowledge to create animations in two different media: shadow puppets and Claymation. They wrote their own scripts, designed their own scenery, and created their own animated characters to explain a sun and weather-related scientific phenomena, such as auroras. Once the projects were completed, the participants watched their animations projected on the dome of the FSU planetarium; parents, friends and siblings were invited to join them.
Week Two: Space Exploration Design using LEGO Robotics
Students took on the roles of NASA scientists and engineers to build prototypes of tools and robotics that may solve some of the problems humans face in space travel. Students use LEGO Mindstorm technology to design, program, and create robotics to explore the surface of Mars. At the end of the week, parents, siblings, and friends were invited to FSU to see the robotics that the students designed and built complete an obstacle course which simulated obstructions which a robotic device could face exploring the surface of another planet, such as Mars. (link to McAuliffe)
Framingham Public Access Cable TV
A new partner and summer program joined the line-up in summer 2010, the one-week Framingham Public Access Cable TV (FPAC-TV) program. The FPAC-TV program provided activities for cultural and artistic, as well as positive youth development, and project based, youth directed learning. Students had the opportunity to take leadership roles in creating their own TV production from start to finish based on their ideas, experience and imagination. They learned scripting and acting, as well as the basics of TV production, including camerawork, floor managing and technical directing. Students wrote and edited their own scripts, developing and honing their written communication and learning skills. Verbal communication was also an integral part of the week since students needed to act and verbally communicate their scripts. Students who chose to work behind the camera learned to give clear and precise instructions to communicate with their peers. Students needed to come up with individual ideas for the television program and needed to work as a group to design and build an end product which made project based learning a key component of their camp experience. The student-created television program aired on FPAC (Framingham Public Access Television) so students, family and friends could see the results of the students' creativity and hard work.
Pine Manor College Girls' Leadership Exploration Program (PMCGLE)
The Pine Manor Girls' Leadership Exploration is in its sixth year and has been developed in partnership with the Pine Manor Center for Inclusive Leadership and Social Responsibility. It is a full day program that brings together community service, leadership development, college readiness and fun summer activities for up to thirty young women. The Leadership Exploration summer program incorporates initiative, adult relations and peer relations in a two-week girls-only setting.
This year the program included middle school girls from Brookline, as well as Framingham, which allowed more opportunity for students to learn and model socially responsible behavior and take initiative among peers. Before the program began, students received staff biographies to help them build a connection with the adults with whom they would be spending two weeks. The students also turned in autobiography sheets, helping them develop their own "voice", further enhancing their leadership skills. Once the program started, students engaged in team building activities such as Plane Wreck. This hands on game required the girls to research, problem solve, and work as team to come up with a solution to a dilemma. They also discussed issues within their community and through project based learning came up with different solutions. This led way to teachable moments on how to be an effective leader and gave them tools for conflict resolution.
The second week, the girls participated in college exploration activities and also visited the State House and took part in a scavenger hunt. They continued to develop positive relationships with peers and adults and practiced taking initiative through interactive project based activities. One example was the leadership skit workshop, which asked small groups to come up with a skit that showed leadership in action based on the students' original ideas. The last day of the program, students had a celebration and shared positive messages about themselves, each other and the program.
City to Saddle
The City to Saddle program represents a new partnership between Framingham's 21st CCLC and the non-profit City to Saddle, which is dedicated to giving low-income students the opportunity to interact with horses in a rural setting. Eight students from Woodrow Wilson Elementary School were chosen by lottery from the over fifty students who wished to participate. The program ran at Dunvegan Farm in Wrentham on eight Thursdays from 1-5:30pm, beginning on July 1st and ending on August 19th.
The City to Saddle program provided positive youth development as it gave the eight participants the opportunity to learn "vaulting" which is simple gymnastics on horseback. Students also took part in other farm activities, such as collecting eggs, meeting and patting the donkeys, and grooming the horses. Vaulting taught students life skills, while also combining gymnastics and dance on a moving horse. It was a wonderful way for students to develop coordination, balance, strength, and creativity while working in harmony with an equine partner. Students learned teamwork as they worked with both the horse and the coach who led the horse. Students also learned responsibility as they cared for their horse, including brushing, feeding and watering the horse, putting the equipment on the horse, walking the horse to cool it down, and cleaning out the horse's stall. On one particularly hot day, students learned how to give the horses a shower! Finally, students learned to trust their coach and their horse, as they gained self-confidence—for how could one not have self-confidence when you can stand on the back of a moving horse!
For more information about City to Saddle http://www.citytosaddle.org