VOA慢速英语2021--户外教育在寒冷中继续进行

Cindy Soule is a teacher in Portland, Maine, an area known to have extremely cold and snowy winters. But cold weather is not stopping Soule and her students from continuing with outdoor learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier in the school year, students in Soule's fourth-grade class had outdoor lessons on things like pollination¹ and erosion.

Then, the snow came.

In face coverings and warm clothes, the students took their school supplies outside in buckets. Then, they turned the buckets over, put them down in the snow, took a seat and went to work.

The lesson that day centered on snow and the formation of snowflakes.

Schools across the U.S. have pushed for outdoor learning to keep students and teachers safe and stop the spread of COVID-19. Infectious disease experts worldwide have noted² that the virus spreads less easily outdoors.

Now, with temperatures dropping in much of the country, some schools have made plans to continue outdoor learning during the winter.

Anne Stires is an outdoor learning expert in Maine. She said the outdoors is "the healthiest, safest place for us to be right now."

"Anything that we can do to get kids outdoors for longer periods of time is vital," Stires added. "This is where we need to be right now."

In the neighboring state of New Hampshire, fourth- and fifth- grade students are still learning outside at James Faulkner Elementary School in Stoddard. The school created an outdoor classroom by clearing some trees and building an area for warmth by fire.

The students seem to like the outdoor classroom.

"They're begging me to go out," teacher Amanda Bridges said.

In the western state of Colorado, elementary school students in the Lake County school district study in usual classrooms for half the week. For the other half, they learn outdoors.

For educators, outdoor learning is yet another period of change. Last spring, it was distance learning. Then came hybrid³, or mixed, learning methods. Now, educators are trying to keep their students warm enough to learn outside.

Back in Portland, Cindy Soule's students answer questions about snowflakes. They examine snowflakes with magnifying glasses.

Mohamednur Ali is one of Soule's students. The 9-year-old boy noted some of the differences between hands-on learning outdoors and sitting in a classroom.

"It's a good thing because you can see the real thing," Ali said. "We learn what is around us."

Portland is home to a growing immigrant population. Some of Soule's fourth-grade students come from places like Somalia, Iraq and Angola.

"We have students with varying language needs," Soule said. The power of learning outdoors is that all learners can gain from the experience, the teacher added.

Outdoor learning may work for rural and suburban⁴ schools. But it is more difficult for schools in cities, said Daniel Domenech. He is the director of the American Association of School Administrators⁵.

For schools in Portland, the pandemic has marked the first official use of outdoor learning. The aim is to keep it going even after the pandemic ends.

Soule said her students will never forget the pandemic's difficulties. But she said she hopes studying in nature will be among their good memories of 2020.

"They're seeing the outdoors around them and it brings relevancy to what they're studying," Soule said. " They will remember that forever."

Words in This Story

pollination – n. to move pollen⁶ from one flower to another

erosion – n. the process by which something is worn away

outdoor – n. done, used, or located outside a building

begging – v. to ask (someone) in an emotional way for something needed or wanted very much

buckets – n. an open container with a handle that is used especially to hold and carry water and other liquids

varying – v. to be different or to become different

suburban – n. a residential⁷ area near to a city

relevancy – adj. relating to a subject in an appropriate way

1 pollination   

n.授粉

参考例句：

• The flowers get pollination by insects.这些花通过昆虫授粉。
• Without sufficient pollination,the growth of the corn is stunted.没有得到充足的授粉，谷物的长势就会受阻。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

4 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

5 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

6 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

7 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。