Fourth grade students at W.W. Estes Elementary School finished off a Wit and Wisdom module on Gary Paulsen’s “Hatchet,” the story of a young boy lost on an island by himself and his quest to survive the wilderness. Wit and Wisdom is the K-8th grade language arts curriculum followed in Buncombe County Schools.
After finishing the book, students got to participate in Survival Day - a day of survival themed activities. Students learned about buoyancy and physics by creating rafts out of popsicle sticks, water planes from tinfoil, and bow and arrows from string. They also learned about biology and art by creating clay animals that blended into their surroundings, and they learned about survival by playing Minecraft, Education Edition.
For the activities to happen, it took some community effort. Several parents came and volunteered to supervise and facilitate the day of fun, tactile learning.
“These days are super inspiring for the kids, because it brings the book to life,” said mom volunteer Ellen Stone. “It opens their imagination to the world of books and inspires them to read more.”
Survival Day is just one of the many themed “days” across Buncombe County Schools. As students finish Wit and Wisdom curriculum modules, schools often come up with creative and interdisciplinary lessons spread out across a day and across classrooms to bring the concepts all together.