Inside NCS: Building Curiosity and Confidence Through Place-Based Learning

Scientific inquiry begins with noticing what’s around us. For Max’s sixth-grade science class, that meant beginning the year with a closer look at the sense of sight—and taking the lesson outside for a hike up Trouble.

Trouble—named for a donkey who used to escape its enclosure and hang out along the trail—is a short but steep hike with a big reward at its summit: the wooded trail opens onto a broad rockface overlooking campus and the High Peaks beyond.

Using descriptive language to catalogue their observations, students began to pay closer attention to both their surroundings and their own responses to what they saw. Knox noticed repeating patterns in the fronds of ferns along the path, while Luke observed differences in the texture of bark from one tree to another.

As they climbed, students paused to notice and describe what they saw. They examined and discussed what might have caused the unusual patterns on fallen maple leaves, which led to George discovering that the marks were made by tiny insects—a real-life example of Max’s lesson about sight playing out in real time.

At the summit, students took in the view and began asking questions about the landscape: What might cause trees of the same species to grow in uniform lines? How does the landscape change as elevation rises and falls? They then captured their observations through drawings, writings, and textured rubbings of leaves and rocks using pencil and paper.

The exercise is just the beginning of a place-based learning unit designed to engage all five senses while building the foundations of scientific thought. Next, students will refine their drawings and explore the question of whether or not they can create a drawing or map so detailed and accurate that someone could use it to find their way to the place they described.

We’ll find out!

That is part of what it means to learn at NCS. The goal is not simply to know the answer. It is to develop the curiosity, confidence, and persistence to figure out how to get to an answer—and how to bring someone else along with you.

In Joshua’s eighth-grade environmental science classes, students had the opportunity to join a group of scientists from the Ausable Freshwater Center for a seed collection walk around campus. Will, a seed procurement technician; Kiana, a curator who focuses on riparian restoration through native plant species; and Marque, a scientist and community manager at the Center, joined Joshua’s class this week to walk the trails on campus as they identified and collected seeds from native plants and trees that can be used to help restore ecosystems across the Adirondacks. 

Before they set off, students learned about the importance of the work the center does, and how to identify and collect seeds safely. Will shared the concept of an honorable harvest, which advocates for only taking a small amount so that the animals and plants that depend on the seeds can also continue to thrive. 

Coleman eagerly set to work collecting maple seeds, which look like little helicopters and are called samaras. As he walked along the trail, spotting new seeds hanging from maple branches, his sense of awe was palpable.

“You mean this tiny thing can become that?” Coleman asked while holding a samara against the mighty trunk of a maple tree.

It was a place-based lesson in observation, wonder, and conservation that will continue well into the school year, both inside Joshua’s classroom and out.

In Meg’s Upper School Pre-Algebra class, the week began with an engaging lesson on estimating numbers, or “ish-ing” them. This practice at the beginning of the school year helps students shift their focus from simply finding an answer, or approaching a problem from a single direction, to understanding the relationships between numbers and when an approximation can be useful.  

Students eagerly contributed to the discussion, offering time, temperature, and population as numbers that are often “ish-ed.” It was a lesson that quickly revealed just how much fun math can be when you think about learning differently.

“What about Iri-sh?” Kuya asked.

“Or Brit-ish?” Amelia quipped, the whole class laughing before getting back to the ish-ing of time and temperature. 

At NCS, even math class can create opportunities for diverse learners to shine, with plenty of whimsy and light-heartedness amid the foundational work of learning how to learn. If you’re interested in learning more about ish-ing, check out Stanford professor Dr. Jo Boaler’s groundbreaking guide at mathish.org. 

Inside NCS will return on October 9th to showcase our farm & garden signature program as students participate in autumn traditions, including Harvest Fest, and learn more about life’s cyclical rhythms on our farm.