Yorktown Students Study Animal, Habitats During Summer

YORKTOWN, NY — Elementary school students in the Yorktown district showed off their creativity with a summer reading program that allowed them to take virtual zoo tours, construct their own animals and develop suitable habitats.

Yorktown Animal Discovery was part of the district's K-5 Summer Reading/ESTEAM Program, according to a spokesman.

It took place over three weeks in July and was developed by school district tech specialists Alyssa Arroyo and Amanda Burns with the help of library media specialist Terri Sudol.

During the first week, students explored and learned about animals and their habitats.

The students took virtual field trips to zoos using 360-degree videos and used puzzle games to learn more about animal and their habitats.

In the second week, the students used an app called Switch Zoo to design their own unique animals, after which they developed clay models.

The final week saw students developing optimal habitats for their animals based on what they learned.

Arroyo said the students had to empathize with their newly created animal and understand what it might need and how it might live.

"Based on that, they designed their habitat," she said.

During library sessions with Sudol, the students were challenged to build a dam with limited materials. They tested and modified their dams, working through initial failures, while sharing strategies and ideas with each other.

ESTEAM is the Yorktown Central School District’s nationally recognized approach to STEAM education, according to a district spokesman. It puts empathy at the forefront of science, technology, engineering, arts and math studies.