Fifth grade’s "Ecosystems Mobile Museum" was the end result of a collaborative, interdisciplinary project bridging science and English Language Arts (ELA). In science, students explored the characteristics of life and the specific roles organisms play within an ecosystem. Simultaneously in ELA, they read The Wild Robot, analyzing how a nonliving entity interacts with and adapts to a living environment.

Working in teams, students became experts on a specific ecosystem and one of its native organisms. They then synthesized their learning in two interrelated ways. In science, students curated a mobile exhibit featuring a detailed slideshow, a clay animal model, and a scenic backdrop. Students wrote and illustrated an original chapter in the world of The Wild Robot, reimagining the story within their chosen ecosystem.

The project concluded with a classroom museum, where visitors toured the exhibits to learn about the diverse biological world through the eyes of our 5th grade experts.