IN A TYPICAL FOURTH-GRADE CLASS, an assignment to study a wetlands environment might include studying the subject in a book, possibly viewing a filmstrip or movie on the subject and if the students are lucky and the school has the budget, a field trip to an actual wetland.

But in an atypical classroom like that of Pauline Griffith, a teacher at Open Charter Magnet School in Los Angeles, students take a different route.

Instead of reading about wetlands in a textbook, students may tap into the Internet for information. Instead of watching a movie about the coastal environment, students may engage in lively discussions about the importance of the wetland and write poems about the animals that live there. And in addition to visiting La Ballona Wetlands they decide to dig up a piece of their school and create their own wetland environment complete with native plants.

"It was very fun to make the [wetland]," said 10-year-old Alicia, a well-spoken fifth-grader eager to explain to classroom visitors about what she has learned. "We found out how the animals live and the importance of their environment."

Activities such as these are very typical at Open Charter Magnet school, a multi-graded, multi-themed, project-oriented activity center where students are encouraged to ask questions, assist their peers and work with their hands.

"It's incredible how much success these kids have had here," said Griffith, who along with a teaching partner instructs a first- and second-grade class. "We encourage a lot of hands-on cooperative instruction. We encourage [students] to verbalize their concerns and ask clear, concise questions."

Since opening its doors in 1977, Open Charter Magnet School has slowly become one of the Los Angeles Unified School District's brightest examples of excellent instruction. Dedicated to creating a well-rounded curriculum and independent student learners, teachers, parents and administrators work together on developing a challenging curriculum by creating a "master plan" that all grade clusters follow and which is posted on a wall near the school's main office for all to see.

"Teachers meet weekly to discuss lesson plans and curriculum to make sure all of the grade clusters are on the same page," says school Principal Grace Snipper-Arnold. "Each teacher builds upon what the students learned the previous year which promotes collaboration between teachers."

While communication and planning among teachers seem to be one of the main ingredients of the school's success, the role of parents can be given equal credit. Each year, parents raise between $50,000 and $60,000 through various fundraising activities to supplement district funding. With the additional money, the school is able to supply classrooms with additional computers and other instructional materials.

"There's no way this school would be as successful as it is if not for parent involvement," said Judy Nahman-Stouffer, whose son is in the fifth grade. "We really have taken an active role at different levels."

"Every time I walk into a classroom I see new things," she said. "Teachers are constantly challenging the students."

This is apparent to anyone visiting the clean, bright rooms - most of them adorned wall-to-wall with student work. In one of the fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms, students are studying the inner-workings of a city. On one side of the class, some students are creating street maps on their computers, while others are busy constructing a "City of the Future" on a 10-foot by six-foot Styrofoam base that occupies the other half of their classroom. The project also has students working within a free-market economy in which they hold down "paying jobs" and are taught about economic systems.

"We're learning what it takes to live in a city and what expenses are involved," said Willie, 9, a fifth-grader who was recently appointed to the "city's" building commission. "I'm responsible for making sure everyone's building plan is approved."

Next door in a first- and second-grade classroom, six and seven-year-olds are learning how to animate images on computers, which are inconspicuously tucked under desks as to not pose a distraction to other students. In a third classroom, older students are engaged in a lively discussion about the importance of protecting the environment.

According to Bobby Blatt, Open Charter Magnet School's principal from 1980 to 1994, the school's success can not only be measured by observation, but by more empirical data. Blatt points to a UCLA study by graduate students that found that students who attended Open Charter School were on average better prepared to enter middle and high school than their peers who attended more traditional schools. The study also found students' writing, research, discussion and dialogue skills were also more advanced.

"The most important thing we've learned is that consistency pays off," says Principal Grace Snipper-Arnold. "We try to establish a mind-set among students that leads to success."