Freedom to Learn

Taproots: Place Based Education

Our place-based year 6, 7 and 8 class is offered with ⅓ of our time in the classroom, ⅓ of our time in the community, and ⅓ of our time on nature immersion trips. Every 6 weeks or so, we go on a 1-5 night wilderness trip to a different part of the province. We spend time getting to know our own city, including natural and cultural features. Students are engaged in inquiry learning through projects based on their own questions they have about a place. For example, we might plan walking tours of a neighbourhood in Regina, study forest ecology in the Cypress Hills, create artistic representations of historical events, and so much more!

All required areas of study of the Saskatchewan Curriculum are covered, including Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Arts Education, Physical Education, Career Education, Health, and Practical and Applied Arts.

There are several successful models of middle years integrated education programs in Saskatchewan and Canada that we have learned from, including Saskatoon Public School’s EcoQuest program and Saskatoon Catholic School’s Eco-Justice programs.