Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 1, 1994 Page: 24
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from other class members enabled them to answer satisfac-
torily. We were funded!! There was no fuss to get students
to put all those plans into action. They soon had purchasing
committees, supply- gathering committees, and transporta-
tion committees. Work assignments were made and
volunteeered for. Camp sites were reserved.
The following Friday morning the classroom filled
with sleeping bags, tents, camp stoves, ice chests, and sacks
of groceries. The "load- the -truck" committee soon had
everything packed on, tied down, and covered. We piled into
cars and headed to - - Possum Kingdom had won as the final
destination. The "navigator" with map in hand set the course,
and we were on our way. By Sunday afternoon we had
experienced driving in tent stakes with large rocks (no one
had thought of a hammer), sunburned faces, a couple of
minor disagreements over who had put the rocks under the
tent floors, near "fatal" encounters with skunks who walked
under our chairs as we sat around the campfire at night, and
one meal with 12 pounds of hamburger patties cooked over
the grill and "wrapped" in only four packages of buns. (The
teacher had delegated all decisions to them; she stuck to that
even after examining their food -supply recommenda tions.
There was on the instructor's part, a temptation to sneak in
some extra provisions and sunscreen. But, the 15 huge bags
of potato chips and left-over hamburger patties helped in
supplementing the "fishless" meal we had on Saturdaynight.) Dishes were washed under the water hydrant and laid
out to dry in the sun. Jeans were rolled tightly for pillows,
shirts were layered to make up for missing jackets, and the
girls survived having no electrical appliances for their hair.
The weekend ended, and we returned to the class-
room Monday morning. That week they wrote and mailed
business letters; persuasive letters were written to other
adventure seekers convincing them to travel to PK. Entries
were chosen from various journals to create a "representa-
tive" account of the adventure. These were closely edited by
the class, and the resulting document was published in the
school newspaper.
Another huge success! The instructor never once
had to make them write in their journals; they noticed the
time themselves and often would write well beyond the
designated number of minutes. Of course, they had a lot to
say about some of their decisions and recommendations for
future travelers into the "vast wilderness" ofPossum Kingdon
State Park.
English combined with business, math, history, art,
and jounalism elements. Proposals researched, developed,
and presented; business letters were written and mailed.
That's authentic assessment and integration - two educa-
tional buzzwords brought to fruition in the campground, or
did you say "in the cemetery?""Hands-on Learning"
Jesse Rublo of East Campus in Keene ISD reports that his class keeps a garden going all year
around. The class planters are boxes 6" on top of the ground. Dirt is collected from underneath the trees
and mixed with manure from the horse barn. There is no money provided for this project. Seeds are
donated by Counts Feed and Seed in Cleburne and the wood is old wood that was collected from the school.
The students eat the produce when it is ready. In the spring, picnic tables are made our of scrap wood that
has been donated. Each student is part of the team and without the whole team, the class cannot function.
If there is a problem, peer pressure usually takes care of it. Students don't consider the class as work
because it is hands on learning.l
L4
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Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 1, 1994, periodical, 1994; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201678/m1/24/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.