MIAMI — More than 1,000 students at Mater Grove Academy in Miami are participating in the seventh annual Rock Your School program.
It’s a worldwide movement, challenging teachers to make learning more interactive and engaging in their classrooms.
Local 10 got a behind the scenes look on how classrooms and hallways transform to life under the sea, at farms and even in rainforests.
It doesn’t take long to see the love behind this either.
Teachers and parents have been working together, folding construction paper, stapling things by hand and gearing up for their big debut for weeks now.
And it’s not just cool to look at— it’s for a purpose.
“You could be doing multiplication facts, but you could be solving it under the sea,” Vice Principal Elizabeth Toledo said. “You could be moving seashells or you could pop bubbles if you get the response right to a math equation. We’ve even had in the past where we had a surgery center, and our kids are dressed in full medical scrubs, dissecting a reading passage.”
It’s all from a curriculum called Rock Your School — a nationwide academic program, challenging schools to immerse their kids with a theme and then use that theme in the classroom.
Educators found that using props and fun decorations while teaching made the students more engaged.
But, of course, stuff like this isn’t cheap.
Mater Grove puts money aside for this program, and with the help of volunteers and donations, they get the job done.
“Seeing their faces, seeing their excitement is what it’s all about,” Principal Sheila Caleo said.
So much, in fact, that last year the school won first place for the most immersive experience, beating hundreds of schools nationwide.
And this year, they’re balling out with even bigger and better rooms, and the kids love it.
“You could be reading out of a math book, but then, that’s just boring,” fifth grader Adrian Martinez said. “Why not just make it a super fun and big celebration while still learning all of the basic subjects that you need to learn?”
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