The fourth-grade wing of Increase Miller was bursting with excitement and inquiry! More than 20 high school students were visiting, and they brought models of the energy efficient homes they’d designed—from contemporary designs to a log home and even a model of Titans Tower—from the show Teen Titans Go!
This was John Jay High School Environmental Physics class’s annual road trip to Increase Miller Elementary School’s fourth grade to share their Passive House projects. The tradition caps both sets of students’ study of energy and sustainability; it’s arranged by their teachers and Sustainability Curriculum Integration Leaders Jim Panzer and Jane Emig.
The visit offered the younger students an opportunity to stretch their learning into some very advanced areas. It also invited the older students to step into leadership and secure their grasp of concepts by sharing them with others.
In eight brief break-out sessions led by high school students, fourth graders gained information and inspiration for how houses could be more earth friendly.
The high school students broke down the elements of a Passive House in creative ways: “Think of R-value like a winter coat—the thicker your coat, the warmer you are,” said one, describing the thick insulation of a Passive House.
What made the discussion of heat pumps, cooling tubes and green roofs real were the models the high school students had made of their ideas.
As the small houses were passed around, students held them to the light and envisioned how awnings would block the summer sun.
"It is so exciting for our 4th graders to learn from their older peers!" said teacher Emig. "One 4th grader said, 'It is amazing that we are both learning about energy and sustainability!'"
