Some Module Examples

 

NYC Oyster Restoration

This module, which aligns with NY State Standards for Biology, partnered iSchool students with the Billion Oyster Project. Students became restoration scientists and focused on the ecology and the economy of the NYC marine environment. Students were assigned an oyster cage in the Hudson River and the data that they collected was used by the Billion Oyster Project. Students then used their data to encourage parnerships with local restaurants and businesses whereby they would donate their money, used oyster shells, and/or time to increase the oyster population in the river.

Comics

This module aligns with NY State Standards for Visual Art. Memoir comics have transformed the medium from one dominated by superheroes to one used by journalists and artists to tell their personal stories. In this course, students met with cartoonists and learned how they depict historical, social and personal narratives in sequential art. Students then developed their own comic drawing style and created their own personally meaningful memoir comics which were sold at the Bergen Street Comics store in Brooklyn NY.

iAdvocate: Aging New Yorkers

This module, which aligns with NY State Standards for Government, partnered iSchool students with DOROT (an intergenerational community organization that supports senior citizens). Students learned about their rights and responsibilities as citizens, and used their understanding of their role and the role of the government to address problems that our elderly neighbors in New York City face every day. Students created campaigns to alleviate the problems of this marginalized group and then presented their solutions to city council members, members of the DOROT community, and local reporters.

Pop Up Restaurant

This module aligns with NY State Standards for Economics. In this course, students studied the economics of the restaurant industry and created their own business plans for a one-night-only, pop-up restaurant in our Student Commons space. After presenting their plans to a group of local business leaders, financers, and restauranteurs, the winning, and most profitable, plan was then implemented. Students opened their pop-up restaurant, The Box, to a sold out crowd and raised over $1000 for our schools Parent's Association.