The Flour City: Following the Life Of a Wheat Berry as it Interacts with Simple Machines
FALL, 2006-2007
The 2nd grade expedition explored the big idea that a combination of wheat, mills, and the Erie Canal caused Rochester to grow.
Second Graders took on the role of wheat berries being planted, harvested, and transported to and within the mill, ground into flour, and transported to and on the Erie Canal. As they moved through this "life experience" of a wheat berry, they analyzed their interaction with the simple machines they met along the way. Students kept a science journal recording their observations, data collection, and conclusions. Fieldwork included farmwork, a tour of the High Falls area, and time on a canal boat.
The class's final products were an artistic representation of the life of the wheat berry, displays of student learning, and a song book about the time period.
