CARROLLWOOD FOURTH-GRADERS VISIT CAPITOL

By STEPHEN HAMMILL
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Last week, 57 students from Carrollwood’s Independent Day School-Corbett Campus trekked up to the capitol to see first-hand how Florida’s government works. Forty-eight parents accompanied the teachers and students up to Tallahassee.

The annual trip is part of IDS’ interdisciplinary approach to its programs. Vickii Ausburn is a fourth-grade teacher and team leader for the Tallahassee trip.
“Our social studies curriculum is based on early exploration,” Ausburn said. “We stop before westward expansion. Our goal with this is to see the present government in action.”

The fourth-graders at IDS have been going to Tallahassee since 2000. The trip is meant to offer a perspective beyond the classroom. The teachers integrate their field trips with other aspects of the curriculum; in this case, it was a marriage of governmental policies and a writing workshop.

Upon arrival, the students were greeted by State Representative (R) Kevin Ambler. Ambler represents District 47 in the Florida House of Representatives. Ausburn said in the previous four years the group met with former Governor Jeb Bush.

“I liked it because we got to see some of the representatives when it was in session,” said fourth-grader David Friedman. “I got to sit in (House Speaker) Marco Rubio’s chair.”

The IDS students were invited to partake in a mock session of Congress, where they debated issues currently in the news from both sides of the aisle.
One potential law was the implementation of red light cameras posted at traffic lights throughout the state in an attempt to catch reckless drivers in the act. Red light cameras are currently being used at intersections across the county in an effort to deter red light runners and prevent dangerous accidents. The students weighed the pros and cons of the plan and were asked to deliver their takes on the issue.

During a mock session of the state Supreme Court, they debated the issue of mandatory school uniforms.

“I was Chief Justice,” said Lexi Rodriguez. She voted against the school uniform law because “people should be able to be their own person.”

Upon returning to Tampa, each student was asked to write up three things about his/her trip in an expository essay. Upon their return they met in class to edit each other’s writing.

Fourth-grader Jordan Fuller and three classmates huddled together at their desks to talk about their favorite experiences. “We got to debate in the Supreme Court,” she said, “and we talked about a real law that got turned down. We also talked about the bill … the bill of …”

“The Bill of Rights,” Cody Brickhouse finished the sentence for his fellow student.

“We’re trying to make people feel like they were really there,” said fourth-grader Alexis Karpodinis. The students were asked to relay their experiences in a more creative fashion than in a typical “how-I-spent-my-trip” report.

“We’re making a bridge between narrative writing and exploratory writing,” Ausburn said.

“That’s a good word, but what is another synonym you can use,” asked IDS Teacher Kim Rostick of one of the fourth graders. During the writing workshop, Rostick and Ausburn asked questions aloud to the classes, questions the children themselves might very well have in mind. It’s part of the school’s emphasis on what they call active listening.

“Teaching them to do active listening is important,” said Ausburn. “To hold your thought and then make your suggestion. They feel like they’re part of the process.”

Founded in 1968, Independent Day School-Corbett Campus is a fully-accredited, independent school located at 12015 Orange Grove Drive, Tampa with 550 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.