Bridges: The Art and Science for Creating Community Connections

Introduction

In the Bay Area there are numerous bridges that are the key to our economic growth, transportation, and cultural diversity. Each morning I drive into San Francisco over the Bay Bridge to Alice Fong Yu K-8 Chinese Immersion School. In the evenings, I return to the East Bay via the Golden Gate Bridge and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. With five bridges connecting San Francisco to the East Bay as well as the Peninsula, one can expect an individual to travel over at least two to three bridges in a given day. Keeping that in mind, we live in Earthquake Country. The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is an example of a cantilever bridge, whereas the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge are examples of suspension bridges that have become world icons. But how many people truly know what type of bridge they are? Why are they built that way? These are the questions that I pose to my students.

The overall purpose of this unit is to integrate a unit on Bridge Building in Earthquake Country through the contact areas of; Earth Science, Language Arts, Technology, Ancient History, Art, as well as encompassing our seminars on ""Bridges: The Art and Science for Creating Community Connections"", by Martin Gehner. This approach will enable me to bring depth and application to the curriculum. In the area of Earth Science, the students will know that Earthquakes are sudden and that the amount of damage to a given area will depend upon numerous factors from the relationship to faults, the structural design, the magnitude, and the location of the epicenter. Living in California, the students will be able to explain how major features of California geology are a part of plate tectonics. In regards to earthquakes, students will be able to interpret how an earthquake can affect the types of construction in the Bay Area.

Being an educator in San Francisco Unified School District has enabled me to teach in a unique situation. The individuals that attend the schools in San Francisco are of a diverse ethnicity, which includes Chinese, African American, Filipino, Vietnamese, Caucasian, Japanese, Latino, Korean, and American Indian. Even though many of my students have been born and raised in San Francisco, many may have not even driven on or seen the various bridges in the Bay Area. These families tend to remain in their neighborhoods, never venturing out of San Francisco. The students that attend Alice Fong Yu K-8 Chinese Immersion learn Cantonese as a first language and Mandarin in the Middle School. From the outside world, this school is the first Chinese Immersion School in the Nation. Many individuals do not know what Immersion means? The students; African American, Chinese, Latino, Caucasian, and Pacific Islanders attend this program without the ability to read, speak, and write in Cantonese and Mandarin. The students that attend the elementary division develop competency in the Cantonese language and use the two languages to actively and successfully access the curriculum. First the students learn to read, write, and communicate in Cantonese through the curriculum. On the first day a student enters kindergarten the student experiences 85% of the day in Cantonese, with only 15% is in English. Alice Fong Yu students are fully conversant and literate in both English and Cantonese by 5th grade. At Alice Fong Yu, the school curriculum (math, science, social studies, etc.) is taught primarily in Chinese during grades K-3, with an increase in English instructional time during 4th and 5th grades. (SFUSD) As the students move through the grade levels the amount of time that is allotted to the language decreases without sacrificing the format in which the immersion program has been successful. Alice Fong Yu students are fully conversant and literate in both English and Cantonese by 5th grade. By 5^th grade the students can communicate effectively in Chinese and English, and have fulfilled the requirements to enter 6^th grade. While the students enter 6^th grade, they continue to learn Language Arts and Social Studies in English, whereas, this is the first time that the students have had a Science in English. The Chinese component in 6^th grade includes Math, and Language Arts being taught in Cantonese. When the students enter 6^th grade they have an additional language component of Mandarin. In order to accommodate Mandarin to complete our Immersion program we have extended the day for the Middle School students.

Along with the unique opportunities in teaching at a Chinese Immersion School, as an educator there are many opportunities to participate in summer science programs. My background in earthquakes has not just happened by experiencing earthquakes, but actually participating in a summer programs at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory. The experience that was given to me, included illustrating faults in relationship to the Bay Area Bridges along with researching past Earthquakes that have affected the Bay Area.

My vast experiences have initiated my curiosity, knowledge and the connection to understanding the impact an earthquake can have on a community. In order for students to be as motivated and concerned for their community, I have designed a unit that will ignite the eagerness for the students to be an active participant in the connection of bridges being impacted by an earthquake in their community.