Flower City Atlas
School: Genesee Community Charter School
City/State: Rochester, NY
Grade(s): 3
Format(s): Book: Nonfiction/Informational
Subject(s): Science and Technology, Social Studies
Project Overview
3rd grade students from the Genesee Community Charter School, in Rochester, New York, created this historical/environmental guide to the City of Rochester as part of a learning expedition on local history. The following guiding questions served as an entry point for students: How did Rochester become the Flower City? How has land use in Rochester changed over time?
The guide combines climate, weather, botany and cartography as a means for exploring the impact each of these has had on industrial growth in Rochester. The students’ specific foci were the flour industry and flower industry – both vital in Rochester’s growth - across time.
Students worked with many local experts, including a meteorologist, botanists, a cartographer and people from various local industries.
This product is a collage of student writing, student-drawn maps, student-taken digital photographs and scanned historical images. The original product was produced in-house on glossy, magazine like paper, with center-staple binding. This book, and many others like it, are available for purchase on the schools’ website.
How This Project Can Be Useful
- A model of celebrating a city’s unique history or qualities
- Highlights a project that connects students to the industrial base of their city - through the study of how the city has evolved as per changing industry
- A project that incorporates weather and climate authentically, through its impact on local botany and industry
- Shows a product with high quality, professional layout, using in-house binding
- A creative and effective format to address and deepen content required by district frameworks
Common Core State Standards
| Standard | Long Term Learning Target |
|---|---|
| W.3.2 |
|
| L.3.1 |
|
| L.3.2 |
|
| L.3.6 |
|