EXPOSITION

The Rising Tide Exposition provides a project-based learning experience. During the Exposition, students have the opportunity to explore a topic, ask questions, make findings, solve problems, and create projects in groups comprised of students from all four grade levels. Students have the opportunity to choose from topics connected to Plymouth and the Southeastern Massachusetts region that are of particular interest to them. The investigations culminate in a school-wide exposition in which students share their findings or products with the school community.

_____ Fitness
What does it mean to be fit? You will be provided the opportunity to participate in a variety of fitness activities to figure out which activities you like best and how specific activities benefit your body. We will also look at what other people from different countries do to stay fit. You will reflect on the activities you enjoy as well as those you may not like. You will learn how to diversify your workout beyond team sports. Some of the activities we may do include water aerobics, aerobics, sprinting (running), circuit training, racquetball, ice skating and others.  At the end of our time, you will design your own daily workout and be in great shape!  Be ready to come and work hard, try your best, and have fun.

_____ Local Agriculture: Farming and Food in our Region
Where does your food come from? How has farming changed in our region over the years? How did the Wampanoag Indians and the early English colonists prepare their food? How does food change once it leaves the farm? What is aquaculture? How do you “grow” fish? In this EXPO we will explore these and other questions in hopes of understanding more about what we eat and where it comes from. By visiting a local farm, “playing” with some common farm-raised foods and exploring the challenges and benefits of local agriculture you may learn more than you expected about the food you eat.

_____ Endangered Species
Did you ever wonder why some species become endangered or even become extinct? How is it possible that turtles in our own local area survived the mass extinctions of dinosaurs, yet their existence is endangered today? If you are interested in learning about endangered species, this exposition is for you! We will look into global extinctions, gradually narrowing our focus to endangered flora, fauna, and marine species within the local area. We will investigate human activities and natural traits that cause species to become endangered, and learn about what is being done to protect them. There will be a variety of final project choices to choose from, so that you can teach others about this topic. This expo will have outdoor and indoor activities.

_____ Monuments and Landmarks: If you build it, they will come.
Monuments and Landmarks, are they the same, or different? We live in an area that is rich in both monuments and landmarks. In this expo learn how they tie into our culture, and how our culture impacts their existence. We will investigate both monuments and landmarks in Plymouth and in Boston. We will have the opportunity to either create souvenirs of monuments and landmarks, or make a small scale model of a favorite monument. You may also work with a team to produce a virtual documentary of our historic adventure.

_____ Ancestry
Do you know who your great, great, great grandfather was? Or how many children your great grandmother had? Maybe your ancestors came to Plymouth on the Mayflower, or maybe you are the first in your family to live in Massachusetts. Do your grandparents tell you stories of how they had to walk uphill through deep snow just to get to school? In this Expo, we will be learning how to explore and preserve family history. You will have the opportunity to discover more about your family tree and even start preserving your own stories for generations to come. We will also look at how our own ancestry affects our traditions and daily lives, from what we call our grandparents to our favorite meals.

_____ Art of Giving
What are ways we can give to our community? What support does your community need from you? Come explore how you can make a difference! We will be working together to design and plan projects and events that support the people, places and things from our local community and beyond.

_____ Stones & Bones of Plymouth
“Dead men may tell no tales, but their tombstones do.” Come take a journey to unearth the stories that seep from the ground of Burial Hill. What would these restless spirits tell us? Some gravestones provide faint clues into major or horrendous events. Some provide a glimpse into the persons’ lives through clues that are chiseled into gravestones. Imagine traveling back in time. What can we learn from these spirits of the past? We will awaken these spirits and bring them back to life through the magic of theater.

_____ American Landscapes
In this exposition class, students will survey the works of master painters of landscape. Through a variety of demonstrations, students will be introduced to the classical techniques and mediums used by artists who have chosen the landscape of the natural world as their subject. Students will build on their existing Visual Art skills with a continued exploration of the major concepts of perspective, structure and space, depth and color by composing their own series of paintings. In addition to our classroom work and investigations, students will have the opportunity to work outdoors, in the plein-air style of painting. Finally we will travel to Boston to view and sketch the expansive collection at the Museum of Fine Arts.

_____ Everyday Art
What makes an everyday object beautiful or interesting? What makes it useable? How do artists balance usefulness with style? This Expo will be an exploration of functional art: furniture, pottery, jewelry, clothing, tools, weapons, and any other “art” that we use or wear. We will take a closer look at the artistic qualities of objects we use every day and learn how functional art was viewed and made in the past. You will also get a chance to create your own original piece of functional, everyday art!

_____ Television Production & Local Media History
Throughout history mass media has helped communities stay informed about what is going on in the area and the rest of the world. In this Expo, learn about how mass media has changed over the years and the local media outlets that Plymouth has available. With all of this knowledge it will be up to you to create a short television segment informing the community about Rising Tide’s Exposition Program. You will learn skills to shoot film, edit using Movie Maker, interview subjects, and employ teamwork in order to produce a final project to be aired on Plymouth Access Television Channel.

_____ Going to College
Did you know that there are more than 40 colleges and universities in the Boston area? Can you name them all? How about just naming ten or so? Well, maybe someday you will choose to attend one of these great schools yourself. In this Expo group, we will get to visit several well-known local colleges and universities and see what it’s actually like to be a student, sitting in on a live class lecture, eating lunch in a student dining hall, and walking on a guided tour of the campus. We will also take a look at what it takes to attend the school of your choice, answering some tough questions from a real college application, and even interviewing a few Rising Tide teachers to learn about their college selections and areas of study.

_____ Child Care and Child Development
Have you ever had to take care of your little brother or sister? Or baby-sit for another family? Then you are already on your way to exploring the topics we will examine in this expo. We will question how can we best be responsible for a child, how we can adapt our own behaviors to meet the needs of others, and what differences quality child care make in a child’s life. We’ll find out how ideas about child care have changed since the days of the Pilgrims. You will learn about what babies and children need at different ages. You will figure out what children are and aren’t capable of. You will even earn your babysitter’s certification. With all of your new ideas, you will have the chance to design things like meals, games and lessons for children. Then you will get to try them out on a field trip to South Shore Early Education and Child Care.

_____ Ecology Of Plymouth
What lives in Plymouth? From forests to mud flats to beaches, we’ll leave no stone unturned as we try to figure out who lives in each of these different environments. Why do things live and grow where they do? How do all the things that live in one place depend on each other? Why is it so important to have a healthy environment? How does the environment affect our community? We will explore each of these questions as we prepare for our fieldtrips and outdoor investigations. We’ll even bring lobsters into the classroom as we discuss one of the ways our local economy depends on the natural environment. The best part? We’ll eat them when we’re done! Be prepared to be outside for several class periods, and don't be afraid to get your feet wet!

_____ Music of New England
What do you know about local music and artists? This class will explore and connect with the music and artists of the area, past and present. How is music connected to one’s environment? What role does music play within culture, society, and history? How do artists’ experiences shape their own work? Students will research and explore these topics, as well as create their own music combining those styles, participating in the continuation of these local traditions.

_____ The Sea and Me
We live so close to the ocean and rely on it for resources, research and recreation. There are many ways that each one of us can get involved with the ocean for fun and more. In this Expo, find out about the different relationships people have with the sea. We will explore sailing and power boats, big and small. We will learn about careers on the ocean and basic skills you need to be a sailor. Best of all, you will find out how you can get involved in many different ocean related activities.

_____ Sports: Why Do We Care?
Why do sports mean so much to us? They’re only games, yet normal people spend abnormal amounts of time following their favorite teams. We will explore why certain sports occupy so much of people’s attention, focusing especially on New England’s love of baseball. We will also look at the history of this region to investigate what the contributing factors are. Develop a deeper understanding of statistics, interview current and former baseball players, and imagine what sports will be like hundreds of years from now, all in an attempt to answer the question, “Why do we care?”