Get Ready, Get Set, Go Create

Central Idea: We all have a story to tell and can choose how to share it.

What happens when you give second graders the following provocation:

• 5 minutes to think of:
  
  • A favorite moment or important event that has happened in their life
  • A memory you’ll never forget 
  • A story that had strong feelings and emotions
• 5 minutes to think of how you will choose to tell it
• 20 minutes to create a story
• 5 minutes to reflect

You get...

Students Engaged in the Creative Process

Here students are preparing their stories:

Students then shared their stories with each other. We filmed each story so that students could reflect on the process and review it later. 

Students reflected on their own stories.

The next day students rotated through and viewed each other's videos. They gave feedback on one thing they liked and one thing that they thought needed improving. 

We then looked at each others reflections before we discussed the next steps that needed to be taken when we share our next story.

Student Driven Questions

How might students be encouraged to inquire about the world around them and follow up on their own questions?

My students are learning the importance of asking questions. We explored what makes up a thick or thin question. We started with their own wonderings as the starting point and asked: "Which questions make you think more? think less?" By comparing the types of questions and answers, students were able to conclude the following:

Thick Questions:

• Hard to answer
• Takes time to think about 
• There may be many answers to the same question and oftentimes there may never even be an answer
• Cannot be answered with just a "yes" or "no"

Thin Questions

• Fast and easy to answer 
• Answers can usually be found quite easily and right away
• There is usually only one answer
• Can usually be answered with a "yes" or "no"

Wonder

Students sorted their questions into thin or thick questions that were connected to our unit or not connected to our unit. Some felt their questions were really thin (Who invented the toilet?) so they placed their Post-its near the top, others felt they weren't so thin, but still thin nonetheless (What makes snow?) so they decided to place it near the middle. Others thought their questions were really thick (Is God real?) so they placed those on the bottom.

Student wonderings included:

• Why do we have time? - Dae Heon
• How does time control the world? - Theresa
• I wonder why time can see everything. - Ben
• How old is the Great Wall of China? - Isabella
• When do turtles die? - Minh Thu & Gabby
• Who invented war? - Dan
• How does the Earth move? - Aqif

Investigate

Students and I collected their research using a website called Blendspace. This allows for personalization and differentiation of resources for each student to investigate their inquiries.

With the iPads, each student can scan their own QR code, which takes them to their own Blendspace of inquiry resources.

Making and Sharing Conclusions

Students then decide when to conclude their investigations and take part in sharing their findings with their classmates. 

This process has allowed my students to pay more attention to their own thinking, while giving them the tools to research what they're wondering and interested in.

Nepal Earthquake Teachable Moment

As part of our unit of inquiry on migration, we asked our second grade students to reflect on the many reasons why people choose to, or are forced to leave their homes.

One student started a really intense conversation by connecting what we were learning to the tragedy of the Nepal earthquake. What a teachable moment! When the students broke for recess, our team quickly pulled together some before and after pictures of Nepal to continue the conversation and to show a very real migration event that was happening in "real life."

Here is what we presented to our students for them to reflect and connect to our unit of inquiry:

On Saturday 25th April, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in Kathmandu, Nepal. According to the UN 8,000,000 people have been affected by the earthquake. UNICEF says 1,000,000 children will be affected.