My 5th graders made me really proud today. For the past week we've been researching the Iditarod... reading books & articles, watching videos, checking in on our favorite mushers, listing questions. Each day I've had the current standings pulled up on the Smartboard. The students have been coming straight in, helping each other locate their musher, updating a class chart we made, & then adding to their individual charts in their reader's notebook. We had a snow day yesterday, so today when they came into class they couldn't wait to check in on the progress of the race. I loved seeing them all huddled together at the front of the room calling out the standing of their mushers to each other.
This is what research should look like! Working together to find the answers to authentic questions & topics that interest students. Helping students write research papers can be a real struggle for me. When I get discouraged in the future I need to remember today.
Do you track the Iditarod with your students?
I think that any time students or our own children work as a team it makes us happy. It's what keeps us going. Thanks for sharing this memory.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful - what an awesome image. What a great use of the smartboard, research and students helping students. Fantastic!
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