Fourth Grade Learns Wilderness Skills

THIS FALL, the entire fourth grade spent two days on our farm learning wilderness survival skills in preparation for their reading of Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, which is included in the second module of Wit & Wisdom, Lower School’s new literacy program. Wit & Wisdom is a comprehensive K–8 English language arts curriculum crafted to help students build the knowledge and skills they need to be successful readers, exceptional writers, and effective communicators.

“In this unit, the students are asked to craft a fictional adventure story where their character is faced with challenges in an extreme setting,” explains Lacey Ford Hester ’08, fourth-grade lead teacher and grade coordinator.

“What they learned over the two days will be invaluable for this work. On top of that, we all had FUN and learned some survival skills along the way!”

In conjunction with Director of Educational Programming Steve Wall, and Working Farm Manager Ewan

Macaulay, the fourth-grade teachers planned and prepared numerous activities as a way to introduce students to the concepts and build excitement for their literature lessons. Activities included:

• Fire-starting skills in partnership with the fire department

• Shelter building

• Fishing

• Plant identification, with help from Lower School science teacher Tom Fredenberg

• First aid, with help from Middle School nurse Wendy Barber

• Knot tying

• Backpack and trip planning

• Compass navigation, with help from Senior Park Ranger and Country Day parent Lance Wirsing

This is the kind of hands-on learning that cannot be replicated in the classroom, and the lessons will help students comprehend the themes of Hatchet even more deeply.

A diverse landscape, passionate and innovative teachers, and creative and skilled on-site staff all came together for this immersive learning opportunity on the farm. It was just one of many ways our unique farm property provides our students with hands-on lessons in agricultural education, ecology, biology, environmental science, and much more.