November 1, 2000
Undersea studies create country
Central Grade students form United Oceans aqua dome
By JUSTIN CARINCI
Herald staff writer
Fifth graders at Traverse City Central Grade School are discovering what it takes to form a new society, right down to the constitutional convention. Only this convention takes place in a bubble beneath the ocean.
The brainchild of teachers Tracey Westerman and Brian Klauer, the aqua dome consists of a large plastic sheet inflated by a fan. Westerman, a social studies and language arts teacher and Klauer, a science and math teacher, conceived the aqua dome as a way to integrate their subjects and get students more actively involved in their learning.
The students formed an imaginary country, the United Oceans, with a national anthem and a money system. Now the students struggle over the fine points of drafting a constitution. "They're grappling with how many senators there should be and how many representatives - some of the same arguments that were made in Philadelphia," Westerman said.
Though the United States founding fathers could not have imagined working in a plastic bubble with an underwater motif, Westerman noted "it's hot in there, just like it was in Philadelphia 200-some years ago."
By imagining the dome under water, Westerman and Klauer have woven science studies into the aqua dome, teaching students about oceanic ecosystems. "They've done the art work to illustrate the food chains and they're writing arguments as to why their animal should be the national animal," Westerman said.
At least one student sees another reason for starting fresh in the briny deep. "The world is polluted, so we're making a new one under water," fifth-grader Jordan Mohrhardt said.
Klauer has watched the aquadome excite students and make learning more fun and engaging. "What we're seeing is kids who are more self-initiating, more curious, more empowered to control the direction that we're going," Klauer said.
This type of teaching inspires him along with the aqua sphere citizens. "Through thematic instruction we're hoping it's more valid, the kids are getting something out of it. This way they're actually getting into it, creating as we go."