I wanted to relate our thanks and success with the Storypath Elections curriculum.

My groups of students reflect the school-wide population. Eighty percent of our students are from poverty homes, while our transient rate approaches fifty percent. The majority of my learners are from homes with limited structure.

Before starting this election unit, we discussed, embraced, and wrote about a cause on which to focus during the school year. Needless to say, issues of equity, abuse, drugs and alcohol, racism, women’s rights, taxation, elderly health car, and quality education came to the forefront.

From these positions, we, along with a neighboring fifth grade class, launched a Storypath unit. I was thankful that my peer was about 2-3 days ahead of me so that I could benefit from her reflection of daily experiences. Although she closed her unit about two months before I did, we taught the unit at the same time and found lots of opportunities to work together.

My students loved most of the unit, even those areas which called for them to move out of their comfort zone. All students were required to write and present primary speeches.

We utilized our access to a newspaper once per week for each student to have students seek out election issues and, more importantly, social studies topics to discuss and debate. I constantly challenged all students with higher level questions, requiring them to piece together what they knew to create solutions to their platform issues…

Storypath is now being used in two of our third grade classrooms.

              - From a Wisconsin teacher
             
Many of the units suggest that community members participate based on their roles. For example, in Families in Their Neighborhood, a transportation representative from the community can explain to students how traffic issues are handled in the community.

In Communities and Their Decisions, a land use planning expert can help students understand all the factors in the building of a shopping mall in a community.

There are many opportunities for family members to be involved. Often students write letters home to invite families to an event in the Storypath.

Here is an email excerpt that captures an example of the Rain Forest Storypath:

…We had our debate last Tuesday. It went really well. I had my dad play the role of the logging company [executive] and the students prepared arguments to try to convince him not to sell.

Several parents came too. They were very curious about what was going on at school because their children were going home telling them about all that was going on in class about the rain forest.

One boy, who doesn’t get into school things very often and is special ed., came to school in a blazer and slacks as I told them they could dress professional….Well, this boy’s dad also came to watch. I asked the boy…to be one of the presenters. He was glad to accept and did a fantastic job.

They all impressed my dad with their knowledge of things like needing trees for habitats, oxygen, etc.”