Mountain View Mirror • April 15, 2024 • https://mtviewmirror.com/bull-run-stone-bridge-a-cross-curriculum-experience-of-community/
Bull Run Stone Bridge; A Cross Curriculum Experience of Community
We Bridge the Gap Together; On April 12th 50 members of the Mt. View Family witnessed Family. Love. Respect and give testimony of their learning in the wild outdoors.
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We are all companions on the journey of life. Teaching and learning is a shared language understood in the context of shared experience. On Friday April 12th a busload of 50 members of the Mt. View Family experienced teaching and learning in this way. Students are earning credit by giving testimony of their learning to what they witnessed on this field trip.
We believe that quality education creates good citizens. Communication and collaboration leads to creative and critical thinking. All learning, no matter the subject language may be applied to any shared human experience. We call this applied learning “cross curriculum” because it connects mathematics, the sciences, the arts and social studies. In doing so, it connects students and teachers in an authentic learning community.
When we pursue knowledge in this way, we find a source of resilience and endurance in one another. We want our classroom to be a congress; a coming together. We want our discourse to give us hope for the future as we create new pathways of learning together.
I sit on the little dirt path across from the bridge, I am flipping back and forth from mark to pen. A little girl on a field trip walks by and compliments my drawing. “That’s so pretty,” she says, and then walks away. If I taught just one little girl to see art in everything, I am content. – Julia De Vera
This trip was wonderful. The place we went to is really beautiful and we witnessed a beautiful forest and spectacular weather. We went on a 2.5 mile walk and I really liked it and enjoyed the view and the company of students and teachers. -Sofia
In English class we read poetry. One poem we studied was by Langston Hughes entitled; “I Too”. This poem is about being included in American society. This photo standing here with my Mt. View brothers lifts me up because I see the truth of the poem in it. There is hope for unity in our differences. I like that we are all standing together but looking in different directions. This shows the value of different perspectives.
Emely: MATH PERSPECTIVEBased on the photo that I have we can see that there is a parabola as we can observe the parabola is upwards also it is seen that it is close also if we want to use mathematical measurements it could be fun and we could also take from that photo a vertex number a rache and see that It is horizontal or vertical. I think we can do many things with this photo, it is very interesting and it is interesting to know the measurements of the shape of the bridge.
When we study GEOMETRY, we study the measurement of shapes. For example; what is the WIDTH of this bridge? What is the LENGTH of this bridge? What is the VERTICAL measurement? What is the HORIZONTAL measurement? When we measure the INTERIOR of the bridge, how many square feet of VOLUME of stone makes up the interior of the bridge? What is the MASS or WEIGHT of the stones that make up this bridge? – Hameed
What is the physics of water? In how many places in this photo do you know that there is water flowing? What are the effects of the flow of water?
Juan Cobo: The water that passes under the bridge. I like the photo because the river helps nature by keeping it alive even for us humans and it looks powerful because without the river everything would be dry, but thanks to the powerful water that nature has life above all on earth..
Bryan: My 5 friends and I on river trips.We were sitting on the 200 year old part of the bridge. Part of the bridge was destroyed by the Southern army during the Civil War. The bridge was rebuilt in 1880.
Breilin: I like the photo where they are all united on top of the bridge, they are united and happy, enjoying the landscape and the walk. I like the landscape and all its surroundings.
3 sisters smile on the boardwalk across the wetlands. This is why the roadway of Rte 29 was so important for troops and also why it left them so exposed.
The photo that was interesting for me is the three sisters standing on the boardwalk. They are not sisters but it shows us the power of being together. We study the word CONGRESS in Government class. The meaning of the word is ; to come together,a formal meeting of delegates for discussion and usually action on some question. When we come together on this field trip we represent all the students at Mt. View. The boardwalk is a way to travel together. We are traveling together in our learning. – Fayeza
The physics of balance. Four students balance on a fallen tree. What questions can we ask about the vocabulary of PHYSICS? What is the force of gravity?
The Force of Gravity
What is the formula for gravity? The force of gravity measures the intensity of the attraction between two massive bodies. It can be calculate as F = (G * m1 * m2) / d^2. Where G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the bodies, and d is the distance between them.
Gravity is a constant. It is a law that governs our reality.
The action of falling vs the action of balancing
Falling is gravity at work with a lesser counter force.
Balancing is gravity at work with a more equal counter force.
What is the formula for Equilibrium?
We walk together out of the darkness. There is always light on the horizon when we have others to share what we know.
Melvin: I liked several photos,one in which you can see the open field,walking there was great,
The breeze,the trees,the sky,everything looked and felt great, the other where you can see the river, as well as everything.great water,very nice area and enjoying walking along the river
The 200 year old Stone bridge symbolizes the resilience of our US Constitution. We need to remember always the bridge of dialogue over destruction. This photo shows the results of the Confederate bombing of the bridge in 1862. It was repaired in 1884; this is symbolic of the time period after the Civil War known as reconstruction.
Melvin:I saw the marked paths where they walked in the war. I saw a huge field where they possibly fought.
In July 1861 The military leader of the Union Army named Sherman made a decision to cross the river in a more secret place. The road and bridge were too exposed. The Union Army fired cannons across the bridge to a hilltop to distract the Conferderates. The Union crossed upriver in the shelter of a cliff and ravine but the Confederate spies saw them and reported back. The Confederates won the battle in the summer of 1861.The sight of the blue bells blooming along the Bull Run trail, a symbol of art in natural habitats. Fields full of blue bells which express a bright blue pigment in an area full of green. These flowers grow annually and symbolize humility and gratitude.
Earth Day is Monday April 22nd. The earth is a great teacher of humanity. Are we listening?
The Virginia Bluebell is a native pant that reminds us of the peace that came in April at the end of the war when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox , Virginia. They are very numerous along the Bull Run Stream Valley. Pink flower buds open to sky blue in March and April, an early nectar source for bees and butterflies. Foliage is blue-green. This plant is a spring ephemeral, meaning the foliage goes dormant in summer. Great for naturalizing in a rich, moist woodland environment.
I like the photo that is about nature, nature is synonymous with life, it gives us physical and emotional well being, relaxes our senses and improves our mood. Nature provides us with the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water with which we water our cultivation. Necessary for each living being to develop, nature is something incredible and beautiful. – Carmen
What Distracts Us? How do we balance Distractions? What can we learn from Distraction? This distraction made students think about the alure of danger. How close to the edge can we get before we may fall off the cliff. This black snake is harmless but the distraction it causes may not be. What questions do you have about this snake? It’s interesting how it pointed us to the place in the river where the Union Army crossed when the battle began on July 21 1861
In this photo they show an assertive and tense posture that promises countermeasures to actions against them, like a rattlesnake warns others about caution in their actions. – Hansel pd 5
Rally cry for Freedom created by Ben Franklin in 1754. The snake actually became a symbol of UNITY for Americans when they resisted British rule.
The origin of the patch which we commonly call the “Navy Jack” dates back to the pre-American Revolution days.
The symbolism of the rattlesnake began in 1754 when Ben Franklin, a man of wisdom and wit, drew a political cartoon. In the cartoon, he drew a rattlesnake with the catchy phrase “Join or Die.” This was in direct response to Britain dumping all their felons into the colonies.
The cartoon went viral before viral was even a thing, and the message circulated from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Obviously, the message struck a nerve with the people.
Unrest was already brewing from the oppressive taxes and laws imposed on them. The colonists heard the warning loud and clear. Join the movement or die. The message of the rattlesnake became a rallying cry for the people. LINK
The Gadsden Flag was first created as a symbol of strength and unity for the United States Marine Corps resisting the British and here is being shown as a symbol of resistance on January 6th 2021. This day showed us that we still have civil wars today. The snake has been used as a symbol for both unity and division. The flag displays the words “Don’t Tread on Me” and its a message that shows many in America do not trust their Government. The supporters of President Trump did not trust the results of the 2020 election and violently invaded the U.S. Capitol building at the conclusion of a rally that was held by President Trump.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gadsden-flag
A native of New Jersey, Abraham Van Pelt arrived in Prince William County in the 1850s. The 70-year-old Van Pelt, accompanied by his wife Jemima and daughter Elizabeth, settled on a 230-acre farm they called “Avon”. The farm’s location, astride the Warrenton Turnpike and overlooking Bull Run, drew the attention of both armies during the Civil War. Confederate troops deployed here during First Manassas to guard the Stone Bridge.Thirteen months later during Second Manassas, Union soldiers commandeered the house and outbuildings for hospital use. Throughout it all, the Van Pelts remained staunch Unionists in their adopted home, in stark contrast to many of their neighbors. Facing repeated Confederate harassment, Abraham and Jemima returned to New Jersey, while their daughter remained behind to manage the farm.Following the war, Elizabeth Van Pelt filed a claim for damages to the estate of her father, who died in 1866. The government awarded the family $320. Fire destroyed the house in the early 1930sWe saw the marked paths where they walked in the war.We saw a huge field where they actually fought.This photo shows where the southern Confederate Army was waiting for the Northern Union Army on the Morning of July 21 1861This Confederate military leader received a message that the Union forces were crossing Bull Run downstream to the left.Who Won the battle? It was the Southern Confederate forces on this hillI liked this opportunity to walk and talk in the landscape of nature with friends. This photo above shows the fear and the aggression of war in July 1861. This very place where I walked on the boardwalk above the wetlands below this hill was a place of canon and gunfire on the morning of July 21st 1861. Let’s remember the importance of creating peace together. – JESUS and Melvin
What equations can you create with the information in this photo? The mathematics of nature is fascinating. What signs of history do you see in this tree?
Geosystems; how does this photo show evidence of groundwater? What other evidence in this photo may be explained with your knowledge about the Earth’s surface? Environmental Science; What do you know about ferns? How ido natural springs support a mini ecosystem?
