Rochester on the Move

2016-2017, Kindergarten

As the population of Rochester grew and the village transformed into a city, the city needed to develop safe and efficient ways for its citizens to get around. In this expedition, kindergarteners added to their understanding of community by examining the transportation problems Rochester faced as a growing city and how the city solved those problems. Kindergarteners learned how roads and bridges helped connect members of the community with each other; how public transit provides transportation options for people without cars and helps reduce traffic; and how laws, signs, lighting, and snow removal help keep people safe. Students engaged in service work in their local community by partnering with local organizations focused on helping all members of Rochester’s community have access to public transportation.

Flowers Among the People

2016-2017, Third Grade

Why is it that Rochester is known as the “Flower City”? How did it change from the “Flour City” to the “Flower City”? These questions provided the context for a beautiful change in Rochester’s economic landscape with new “booming” industries to the area. The unique combination of Rochester’s weather, transportation, and economic conditions caused new industries to form. The people and industries from this time period had an enormous impact on the culture of Rochester. This expedition’s story describes how Rochester moved from the Flour City to the Flower City. Students wrote poetry related to the main topics of the expedition including transportation (Ode to the Canal and a Cinquain to the Train), flowers (both as objects of beauty and through a scientific lens), and the water cycle. Their final product reflected the burgeoning printing and flower industries that took root in Rochester. Students created original poems and letterpress printed them on handmade paper.

Everybody Has a Story

2016-2017, Fifth Grade

Identity is firmly rooted in a sense of place. As people moved, understanding and meaning of place required negotiation. This experience was fraught with emotion. To begin this expedition, fifth grade grappled with the question of “place” and how it shapes our identity within the context of nineteenth century immigration. They identified and assessed the similarities and differences between new arrivals then and now. Industrialization also occurred during this period of history so the class explored the role it played in the immigrant experience. Ultimately, students were asked to make sense of what it means to be an “American,” and grapple with the question, “Who gets to decide?” Students explored the experiences of immigrants in the past as well as today. As a service to the community, each student interviewed an immigrant who lives in the Rochester area and paid tribute to that person with a written biography along with an artistic presentation.