I WONDER......

I will learn, I will work, and I will share!

 

This year during out morning meeting, we often visit the website Wonderopolis (http://wonderopolis.org/wonders/) to learn the answer to questions asked by students around the USA.  Just today we learned that there is a difference between a rabbit and a hare.  Do you know what makes each unique?  What else are you curious about?

Wonder Bubble Project Examples

During this second half of the school year we have introduced our "I Wonder" work time.  This concept originates from the "Genius Hour" concept where students are given time to learn about and complete projects about their passions and topics they choose.  We began this process by having each student work on a "Wonder Bubble" project of their choice.  We spent a lot of time learning about how to research.  We discussed the importance of paraphrasing (we call these our dash facts) our information and also citing our references.  Safe searches and kid appropriate search engines were introduced and then used by students.  We have links to many of these search engines on our classroom website.  After the completion of our " Wonder Bubbles", students chose another topic from their lists to learn about.  They then follow our classroom task of:  I will learn, I will work, and I will share!  Students research their topics and consider what they want to teach others about it.  They then plan and complete a project of their choice to share with the class.  Projects can be in many formats including posters, iPad Keynote presentations, books, and models.  It is always amazing to see the variety of topics the students are interested in.  They always look forward to the next "I Wonder" time!  It is a great way for them to practice their 21st century skills of research and learning about something they are truly interested and curious about.  We are truly learning how to learn!

Below are some snapshots from our "I Wonder" Workshop Time: