Learning Connections
“We have known since ages that experiential learning is the best form of learning — it’s deep,
profound, and meaningful because you have learned the material through all your senses,” said
Merchant , who published the results in the journal Computers & Education . “Virtual reality
curriculum is embedded in that philosophy of experiential education.”
-Meeri Kim “BOLD – Blog on Learning and Development”
profound, and meaningful because you have learned the material through all your senses,” said
Merchant , who published the results in the journal Computers & Education . “Virtual reality
curriculum is embedded in that philosophy of experiential education.”
-Meeri Kim “BOLD – Blog on Learning and Development”
Capstone Applications:
Each year, 8th graders are required to complete a Capstone Project, which represents the
culmination of their work at Western Middle School. In this project, they research a topic of their choosing, write an
essay, and create a product (TED Talk, Infographics, Documentary) that identifies a local or societal problem and
propose potential solutions.
● Create 3d objects using Google Blocks or Unity programming software, scan real objects with
the Sprout workstation, and import them into a VR environment to help create a setting or
interactive and immersive environment
● Illustrate the evolution of a topic through time, using a variety of applications or using Unity to
create an environment
● Incorporate a green screen to show the interaction with a specific environment or situation that
would be impossible without traveling across the world or to share in a video/documentary/ted
talk style presentation
● Numerous other possible applications
o Ex: A Day in The Life Of... Using 360 video to explore the day in the life of a doctor, a
police officer, a teacher, a student, an administrator, an engineer, etc.
Science
● NGSS Unit Launches:
●Observe animals and how they behave in their environment
● Immerse students in the effects of environmental changes
● Expose learners to different environments so they can make inferences about the types of
organisms that live there
● Labster: Experiment with chemicals, in a well-equipped, high-end chemistry lab, without the
danger or expense
● Astronomy: Explore outer space by traveling across the universe, visiting planets and stars
● Take a tour of Space, Mars and space stations with Buzz Aldrin as a guide
● Visit a seabed of Coral before and after its death by acidification of the ocean
● Explore sea life while standing on the bow of a sunken ship
● Experiences- From taking a tour of the human brain, exploring dinosaurs walking the earth, to
traveling around the world with Google Earth VR
● Manipulate an interactive Periodic Table
● Discovery Education VR and AR
o Explore underwater expeditions
o Go on a safari, with the closest of views of the most dangerous mammals on the planet
o Experience the speed and exhilaration on a racetrack
History:
● Visit historically significant sites, while studying the history in class
● Travel through time, visiting ancient Rome, historic battles, walk through the trenches with
soldiers
● Investigate locations/events where war, tragedy, and disasters happen to see the dramatic
changes that occur
● Explore the world, using Google Earth VR
Art:
● Use Tilt Brush to create 3-dimensional art
● Art may be a representation of a scene of a book or simply a creative piece, that can be 3d
printed or visited by others virtually
● Go into a virtual home and choose the interior design, from appliances to flooring, etc and walk
through the final product
● Visit a museum with extraordinary works of art
Engineering, Flight & Architecture:
● VR Robotics Simulator
● Fly and land a helicopter or an Delta jet from the cockpit
● Design a home and walk through it
● Build a virtual product that can be printed in the real world on a 3D printer
Foreign Language:
● Learn a new language by being immersed in a community in that part of the world
● Visit cultures and countries studied in class using Google Earth VR
● ELL students can learn English by being immersed in a variety of environments
Mathematics:
● Find out what those formulas really look like in 3 dimensions, and apply algebraic, geometric
and trigonometric math skills to engineer a wide range of projects
o Examples: Calcflow
Language Arts:
● Take tours of significant locations related to literature
o Visit Anne Frank’s home
o Visit Auschwitz and other Concentration Camps, during our Holocaust Unit
o Take a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater
● Create virtual interactive environments that represent scenes from literary works
SEL: Using VR to build Empathy and build a community with those who need it the most.
Each year, 8th graders are required to complete a Capstone Project, which represents the
culmination of their work at Western Middle School. In this project, they research a topic of their choosing, write an
essay, and create a product (TED Talk, Infographics, Documentary) that identifies a local or societal problem and
propose potential solutions.
● Create 3d objects using Google Blocks or Unity programming software, scan real objects with
the Sprout workstation, and import them into a VR environment to help create a setting or
interactive and immersive environment
● Illustrate the evolution of a topic through time, using a variety of applications or using Unity to
create an environment
● Incorporate a green screen to show the interaction with a specific environment or situation that
would be impossible without traveling across the world or to share in a video/documentary/ted
talk style presentation
● Numerous other possible applications
o Ex: A Day in The Life Of... Using 360 video to explore the day in the life of a doctor, a
police officer, a teacher, a student, an administrator, an engineer, etc.
Science
● NGSS Unit Launches:
- Grade 6 Extreme Weather - use VR to experience standing in/witnessing extreme weather conditions such as wildfires, tornadoes, droughts, windstorms, blizzards, etc!
- Students generate a list of questions about humans living in extreme climates, using observations from the images.
- Students make connections between related questions.
- Students generate possible answers to questions, using prior knowledge.
- Students research and select a region with extreme weather and define the problem, including criteria and constraints.
- Grade 7 Natural Hazards - use VR to experience being in a natural hazard event such as: geophysical (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis and volcanic activity), hydrological (avalanches and floods), climatological (extreme temperatures, drought and wildfires), meteorological (cyclones and storms/wave surges) or biological (disease epidemics and insect/animal plagues).
- Describe different types of natural hazards and the threats they pose
- Describe the differences between a natural hazard and a natural disaster
- Explain what can be done to reduce or control the impact of natural disasters on lives and property
- Create and interpret a natural hazard map of the United States
- Grade 8 Colossal Collisions - use VR to "walk among the dinosaurs" and understand how powerful a disruption an asteroid collision must have been to lead to their extinction
- Students individually generate a list of “Need to Know” questions about an asteroid collision.
- Students make connections between related questions.
- Students generate possible answers to questions, based on prior knowledge.
- Students apply prior knowledge of collisions to identify possible negative impacts caused by an asteroid with Earth.
●Observe animals and how they behave in their environment
● Immerse students in the effects of environmental changes
● Expose learners to different environments so they can make inferences about the types of
organisms that live there
● Labster: Experiment with chemicals, in a well-equipped, high-end chemistry lab, without the
danger or expense
● Astronomy: Explore outer space by traveling across the universe, visiting planets and stars
● Take a tour of Space, Mars and space stations with Buzz Aldrin as a guide
● Visit a seabed of Coral before and after its death by acidification of the ocean
● Explore sea life while standing on the bow of a sunken ship
● Experiences- From taking a tour of the human brain, exploring dinosaurs walking the earth, to
traveling around the world with Google Earth VR
● Manipulate an interactive Periodic Table
● Discovery Education VR and AR
o Explore underwater expeditions
o Go on a safari, with the closest of views of the most dangerous mammals on the planet
o Experience the speed and exhilaration on a racetrack
History:
● Visit historically significant sites, while studying the history in class
● Travel through time, visiting ancient Rome, historic battles, walk through the trenches with
soldiers
● Investigate locations/events where war, tragedy, and disasters happen to see the dramatic
changes that occur
● Explore the world, using Google Earth VR
Art:
● Use Tilt Brush to create 3-dimensional art
● Art may be a representation of a scene of a book or simply a creative piece, that can be 3d
printed or visited by others virtually
● Go into a virtual home and choose the interior design, from appliances to flooring, etc and walk
through the final product
● Visit a museum with extraordinary works of art
Engineering, Flight & Architecture:
● VR Robotics Simulator
● Fly and land a helicopter or an Delta jet from the cockpit
● Design a home and walk through it
● Build a virtual product that can be printed in the real world on a 3D printer
Foreign Language:
● Learn a new language by being immersed in a community in that part of the world
● Visit cultures and countries studied in class using Google Earth VR
● ELL students can learn English by being immersed in a variety of environments
Mathematics:
● Find out what those formulas really look like in 3 dimensions, and apply algebraic, geometric
and trigonometric math skills to engineer a wide range of projects
o Examples: Calcflow
Language Arts:
● Take tours of significant locations related to literature
o Visit Anne Frank’s home
o Visit Auschwitz and other Concentration Camps, during our Holocaust Unit
o Take a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater
● Create virtual interactive environments that represent scenes from literary works
SEL: Using VR to build Empathy and build a community with those who need it the most.
