For the past two months, Westmoreland’s 4th grade students have been engaged in an exciting cross-curricular project that combined research, writing, engineering, creativity, and collaboration. During their research lab class, students explored classic board games such as Risk, Checkers, Monopoly, Battleship, and many others while learning valuable academic and problem-solving skills along the way.
Working with Mr. O’Connor and other staff members, students learned how to effectively research a topic using reliable sources and organize factual information in their own words. Throughout the project, students practiced the writing process by creating rough drafts, revising, editing, and improving their work multiple times to develop polished final pieces. The experience helped students strengthen both their research and writing abilities while learning more about the history and mechanics of classic board games.
At the same time, students collaborated with Mrs. Davis in the Zi3 Lab to apply the engineering design process to recreate their researched games using the laser engraver. Students were challenged to plan, design, problem solve, and create original Westmoreland-themed versions of the games they studied. Many of the finished projects highlighted local businesses, important landmarks, and aspects of Westmoreland history, helping students connect their learning directly to their own community.
In addition to building the games themselves, students also created videos to accompany their projects. In the videos, students explained how to play their games, shared fun facts they discovered during their research, and described the creative and engineering processes involved in designing their final products. These presentations allowed students to showcase not only their academic knowledge, but also their communication, collaboration, and technology skills.
After weeks of hard work and creativity, students proudly showcased their completed board games to families and visitors during a special presentation event. Students from the Primary School also visited to explore the impressive collection of student-created games and learn more about the project from the 4th graders themselves.
As an exciting culminating event, Principal Haskell announced that the 4th grade students will be taking a field trip to the Rochester Museum of Play, where they will have the opportunity to visit the Hasbro game section and enjoy the museum’s many interactive play exhibits. The trip will provide students with a unique opportunity to connect their classroom learning to the real-world history and design of games and toys.
This project was a wonderful example of hands-on, collaborative learning that encouraged students to think critically, work creatively, and take pride in their accomplishments. Our 4th graders did a phenomenal job throughout the entire process, and we are incredibly proud of their hard work and innovation.
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