Learning Takes Place via the Blackboard and the Backyard at Blossom Park Public School
Blossom Park Public School students have Monarch madness. In the classroom, caterpillars and butterflies engage all students regardless of age (JK to grade 8), language and abilities. Journal writing, poetry, art, science, music, and geography all became more fascinating when they involved the winged creature.
David Jackson’s photographs were used to market school dances, promote school athletics, and showcase student programs. Students were observing, listening, communicating, and enhancing their writing proficiency as they watched the creatures develop from an egg to a caterpillar, and to a beautiful butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. The students transformed into parental figures as they named them, fed them, and nurtured them until they were released into their natural environment to begin their migration to Mexico. The goal of the Monarch caterpillars and butterflies in the classroom was to enhance learning; the positive side effect is that it also fostered citizenship amongst the children.