Bring the Real World into the Classroom

Blurring the boundaries between the classroom and the real world doesn’t only mean physically bringing learners outside the classroom walls. Equally important is bringing the real world into the classroom by connecting students with content experts, community members, or governmental organizations, or by using technology to go on virtual field trips.

Bright Spots

Gain inspiration from authentic examples of this strategy shared by teachers who have used them with their learners.

Creating your own Bright Spots? Let’s get them out into the world! Share yours here.

Students Interview Experts

Students in 4th grade at High Tech Elementary in San DIego conducted interviews over zoom with park rangers as they wrote and illustrated their national parks guide as a class. Read more about the project here: “A Walk in the Parks”

Know Your Neighborhood

Students in Santa Ana Unified created a visual representation of all of the assets in their local neighborhood.

Learners Interview Grandparents to Learn About the Past

Martha Preciado, a kindergarten teacher in Alamogordo Public Schools designed a research inquiry project for learners to explore how life was different in the past. After learning about how cars and phones have changed by reading books about the past, learners interviewed older relatives and asked them what, where, and with whom they played when they were kids and what else they did for fun. Learners practiced the interview steps and questions and how to take notes. After the interviews, they wrote a short paragraph about their older relatives and presented it with their picture to an authentic audience of family members, including the people they interviewed. See more about the project here.

Career Path Interviews

Kindergarteners at Design39 in San Diego interviewed family and community members about their jobs and created a visual representation of their learning about different vocations and career paths.