Guided Inquiry

Our students are continuing to research bats using PebbleGo and various websites that my teaching partner assembled on Readlists. They have been using text codes to record their new learning, interesting facts, and questions that they still have. 

 

We used a padlet wall so that each child could share some of their learning about bats for everyone to see. They were very proud to see their names appear on the screen!

This week we begin the final stage of our bat inquiry: students will decide how they would like to share their learning about bats with others, and they will assemble all of their information.

Our Newest Learners

My teaching partner and I have welcomed 41 eager new learners into our classroom community at Eastwood Public School in Windsor, Ontario.
To get to know each other in the early days we completed team-building, cooperative activities, such as building a dome structure out of toothpicks and marshmallows. Students worked in small groups to develop a plan and then follow through on that plan together. 
We have introduced them to the inquiry-based format of our learning. To begin the year students explored our outdoor classroom with magnifying glasses, recording their observations and wonders in their Research Notebooks. They are learning to question and explore the things that they do not understand. Students are gradually being introduced to the variety of sources that they can refer to when seeking answers to their wonders.

Currently we are completing a bat inquiry together, guiding students through the process. This will lay the foundations for them to complete their own, self-directed inquiries in the future. 

Please check back regularly to see evidence of our continual growth and learning.

Social Studies Inquiry

To kick off our study of the First Nations and early settlers of Canada we generated a variety of wonders. Together we grouped our wonders into categories. Now we will work in inquiry groups based on what we wonder. During our inquiry we will apply many of the skills that we have been practicing...we will search a variety of resources for answers, we will leave tracks of our thinking when we read, and we will draw inferences and conclusions from the information that we find. We will keep you posted on our learning...

Hour of Code

Our class participated in an Hour of Code, where we each got to program an Angry Birds game. We had to move the Angry Bird through various mazes, giving particular instructions and directions. It was quite a challenge, and a great learning experience!

Skyping with an Author!

We experienced a Skype call with talented children's author Ame Dyckman. We had previously enjoyed her first book, Boy + Bot. During this call Ame shared her new book with us, Tea Party Rules. After the reading she enthusiastically answered questions from the class. Ame even sent a bookmark, sticker, and button for each student. What a treat! We hope to talk with her again in the future.

Pumpkin Explorations

We had an exciting morning exploring pumpkins in our classroom!  Students first predicted how many lines were on their pumpkin, and how many seeds were inside. Next they measured the height, width and weight. Then students counted the number of lines and tested to see if it would float (it did). Finally,  the pumpkins were opened and students counted the seeds in groups of 10. 

Science Explorations

We have been experimenting with various materials to explore strength and stability. Here, students manipulate two pieces of paper to support a book.