Wildcat Metropolis: a city on the rise at Sanfordville Elementary

Students in Sanfordville Elementary School’s STEM and Encore classes are collaborating on an exciting project that calls on them to apply sharp research skills, sound planning, methodical problem-solving, and creative ingenuity. Together, the students are building their very own 3D model city, a place they call… Wildcat Metropolis!

Wildcat Metropolis is a school-wide, all-grades project led by STEM teacher Casey Besimer and librarian/media specialist Danielle Cancel. Their goal for the large scale, multifaceted undertaking is to have students demonstrate their knowledge of topics they study, as well as the skillful application of techniques they pick up in both their classrooms and specialty classes (physical education, library, music, etc.).

“We want the students to gain insights and understanding of their own community by learning how other communities around the world are created and structured differently,” said Ms. Besimer. To that end, the students are planning and building their city to feature an urban/city center, along with a suburban community that is set in rural surroundings.

In their STEM classes, students will be focusing on the planning and engineering aspects of the project. Fourth grade students will be making the buildings and homes, while third grade students create transportation systems. During their library sessions, the third and fourth graders are conducting research into how communities are built and, specifically, what types of buildings communities need to function.

Their research has led them to identify needs for staple buildings that are found within most all communities, such as schools, government centers, grocery stores, utility providers, et cetera. They are also studying iconic structures from around the world that contribute to a city’s character — think of places like the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Shanghai Tower, or the Sydney Opera House. The students are carefully considering all of these new details and applying them to their blueprints and build.

Students in the second grade are studying different types of vegetation and where and how they are grown. They are creating the flora that will grow in all three settings of Wildcat Metropolis based on their findings. First grade students will be adding in community details, while the Kindergarteners will be constructing bridges as part of the transportation piece of the city plan.

Here’s how other classes will also be tying their lessons into the Wildcat Metropolis project.

Art Class
Art teacher Sunwha Gil will be working with her students to create an urban pop-up gallery. The gallery will include artwork and sculptures one might see if they were to visit a gallery in a big city.

Physical Education Class
During physical education classes, students will learn about the importance of access to fitness programs and facilities in establishing and maintaining strong communities. They will record videos explaining their findings, which will be part of the final presentation.

Music Class
During music classes, students are recording location-specific music videos that will be included on the model, accessible by QR codes. For example, Kindergarten students will record a rendition of Old MacDonald Had a Farm, which will connect to an area of farmland in the rural section the model.

“This is a collaborative all-grade level project that students will come away from not only having new understanding of key concepts in all of these specialty fields, but the ways in which they interweave to make up all different types of  communities,” said Ms. Cancel.

“So far, the fourth grade has placed labeled boxes on the map to denote where and what their structures will be. They start the design phase soon,” said Ms. Besimer. “The third graders have begun constructing their transportation concepts, and will begin placing those on the map in the coming weeks!”

Wildcat Metropolis is being constructed in the library, across from the STEM Room. The project will continue into April.

Stay tuned for more news as the Wildcat Metropolis skyline begins to rise!