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Shifting Gears: Promoting Rochester's Two-Wheeled Revolution

School: Genesee Community Charter School

City/State: Rochester, NY

Grade(s): 6

Format(s): Report

Subject(s): English Language Arts, Health and Wellness, Science and Technology

Project Overview

Using the bicycle as a lens for a year-long focus, sixth grade students at the Genesee Community Charter School in Rochester, New York learned how they can make a difference in their own community by engaging in community activism. 

The class identified elements of culture in a community and traveled to four cities across the USA with strong bicycling cultures to learn from those communities. They met with city leaders, bike advocates and organizations, and community groups to conduct research on how the bike culture in those places has evolved. Using their research and Rochester’s Bicycle Master Plan, they determined how they could bolster Rochester's standing as a bicycle-friendly community. 

They produced and presented Shifting Gears: Promoting Rochester's Two-Wheeled Revolution as a culminating product in hopes of leaving a lasting change on their city.

How This Project Can Be Useful

  • Excellent model of a process of investigation culminating in an authentic product
  • Includes a detailed account of the process and stages of inquiry
  • Builds a convincing argument based on personally collected information

Common Core State Standards

Standard Long Term Learning Target
RL.6.1
  • I can cite text-based evidence to support an analysis of literary text.
RL.6.2
  • I can summarize a literary text using only information from the text.
RL.6.3
  • I can describe how the characters change throughout a literary text.
RL.6.10
  • I can read above-grade literary texts with scaffolding and support.
W.6.2
  • I can write informative/explanatory texts that convey ideas and concepts using relevant information that is carefully selected and organized.
W.6.4
  • I can produce clear and coherent writing that is appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.6.5
  • With support from peers and adults, I can use a writing process to produce clear and coherent writing.
W.6.10
  • I can adjust my writing practices for different time frames, tasks, purposes, and audiences.
SL.6.1
  • I can build on other’s ideas during discussions.
SL.6.2
  • I can explain how new information connects to a topic, text, or issue I am studying.
SL.6.4
  • I can use effective speaking techniques (appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation).
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