This book is the culmination of a 12-week experiential learning project completed by Multiple Subjects Residents in the High Tech High San Diego Teacher Residency program. Designed to model interdisciplinary project-based learning, residents investigated how a grade-level geometry concept appears in the natural world and to represent those connections through a creative, informative coloring page for K-8 students. Each spread features an original illustration of a geometry concept paired with an explanatory paragraph that integrates Common Core Geometry Standards, NGSS cross-cutting concepts, and an acknowledgment of the Indigenous people whose land the natural element comes from. Together, these pages aim to spark curiosity in young learners while also inspiring teachers to design rich, interdisciplinary projects that connect ideas across subjects in meaningful and creative ways.
Teacher Reflection
This project was transformational because it was the first time I have planned a project for graduate students. Designing an experience that residents could unpack as both students and teachers was a wonderful way to blend theory and practice. They got to experience all aspects of a project (launch, community partnership, core content, feedback and critique, exhibition) while simultaneously thinking about how their own teaching practice can be deepened through what they learned.
—Michelle Jaconette
Student Reflections
This learning experience really taught me the value in perseverance and choosing to represent my work in ways that truly reflect my own ideas. Over the course of this project, I cycled through 4 different ideas for what my art piece would look like, with each one being completely different from the other. At first, I tried to stick through what I felt was the “safe” option, and was ultimately unhappy with my design. However, after receiving feedback from my peers and other students, I decided to go with my gut, and ended up with a much more detailed art piece that I was proud of.
—Aaron Nguyen
I learned so much about the power of relationship building with students because I was the student who needed a strong relationship in order to succeed in this course. I found co-creating a rubric to be a new tool that really excited and engaged me in the work. This work gave me a unique sense of ownership but also a sense that I knew exactly what was expected of me for this project.
—Gina Barba
The coloring book is available here.
