With Save the Bay, 4th graders learn lessons from Narragansett Bay

By Kelcy Dolan
Posted 5/10/16

Fourth graders across the district are preparing for an adventure on Narragansett Bay thanks to a partnership between the Warwick School District and Save the Bay.

With the backing of the …

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With Save the Bay, 4th graders learn lessons from Narragansett Bay

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Fourth graders across the district are preparing for an adventure on Narragansett Bay thanks to a partnership between the Warwick School District and Save the Bay.

With the backing of the Defenders of Greenwich Bay and the Rocky Point Foundation, Save the Bay began a program with Robertson Elementary students in 2009, first meeting with them in the classroom and then taking them on a boat tour of the bay. In 2011 the program began working with the 4th grade at Warwick Neck Elementary. The program was so successful, teachers, parents and students alike raving about it, that the administration brought it district-wide for all 4th graders this year.

Save the Bay visited the fourth grade classes earlier in the year and throughout May and June students will visit Save the Bay’s Bay Center in Providence to get a first person look at Narragansett Bay. The first groups of students, from Cedar Hill and Greenwood Elementary, went out to explore the bay on Friday, May 6.

Ryan Mullen, math and science coordinator for Warwick Public Schools, said Save the Bay’s educational experience is a great way for students to take what they learn in the classroom and get some “real world perspective.”

“It is one thing to see pictures or read a passage in a book it’s another to go and see it for yourself and to interact with nature,” Mullen said. “Narragansett Bay is right in these kids’ backyards. It’s important they are familiar with it and better understand how it works.”

He hopes to continue offering the program to the 4th grades, and it is already listed in the proposed school budget.

During the day, students headed out onto the water for a “marine science cruise,” where they were able to test water samples, interact with different sea creatures caught off the boat. The students also went on a “discovery walk” along the shoreline to find and identify different species that live in and around the shore.

The Save the Bay experience follows the 4th grade life science curriculum. Bethany Almagno, one of the 4th grade teachers from Greenwood, said the day in the field gets her students “engaged” with hands on learning.

“They are so enthusiastic, they love it,” Almagno said. “It’s a great piece to the educational puzzle.”

For parent volunteer Jen Anderson, having the students interact with the bay at an early age creates a sense of interest and ownership in it. This way they will be invested in the water source as they grow up.

“Narragansett Bay is such an important part of Rhode Island, especially for children that might not have an opportunity like this otherwise it’s a great idea,” she said.

Ryan Mullen hopes the Save the Bay experiences can continue for Warwick students and added that Warwick is trying to expand on students STEM experiences by looking into possible engineering and computer science opportunities.

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