Carol Hakobian

Hakobian’s innovative teaching idea, “Drought Vegetation Education,” is focused on combining cross-curricular, fifth-grade Common Core standards and next generation science skills with civic responsibility. Students will engage in open-ended experimentation where they will discover how plants survive in the Southern California environment. Throughout the project, students will read and use technology to learn about the drought and proper planting — recording what they discover in journals and formal essays. The students also will combine their learning with math and engineering skills to design and build an above ground, drought resistant planting area on the school’s campus. Hakobian also will  have the fifth graders document and record their experience with digital cameras, so they can create unique presentations to teach other students and adults about the drought and how people’s planting habits effect California’s available water supply.