Erwin Middle School students get real-world experience
Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 1, 2018
Submitted photo Erwin Middle seventh-graders have to choose flooring for a special project they are working on.
Submitted photo Erwin Middle School seventh-graders went to Lowe's to work on a home improvement project using various skills.
Submitted photo Erwin seventh-graders check out items in the lumber area at Lowe's.
Submitted photo Seventh-graders fro Erwin Middle School consider carpets.
Submitted photo Seventh-graders from Erwin Middle School look at pavers at Lowe's as part of a special project.
Erwin Middle School
Erwin Middle School is making use of Rowan-Salisbury Schools’ renewal status to try something new.
According to 2017 Teacher of the Year Jennifer Brink and Bridget Boling, one goal of Erwin’s Academy is to make learning more real-world and relevant.
As part of the final project for the current unit, the teachers took approximately 50 seventh-graders to a local Lowe’s Home Improvement store.
Each group was given a hypothetical home improvement or do-it-yourself project such as installing a kitchen backsplash, painting the exterior of a home, or building a brick paver patio. The students had to work together to collect data and demonstrate skills such as calculating surface area, comparing unit rates, solving real-world proportion problems, and more.
The teachers said this type of learning helps students connect content to life outside school.
“As we toured this local business today, many people commented on how refreshing it was to see our students learning in this hands-on way,” the teachers said. “And so we thought the community at large might like to know the types of opportunities our district can have, like this one, through renewal.”
