On Monday, a new unit of inquiry was introduced under the transdisciplinary theme "How the World Works". The central idea wasn't fully revealed though and students were only given the clue that our new unit was about "living things".
With that idea in mind, we went on a hunt for living things indoors and outdoors. First we searched our classroom, but didn't find much. Then we went outside where students drew and wrote about all the living things they found. When we were finished we made a big list of all the living and non-living things that we had observed.
Some questions and debates emerged:
We read the book The Old Woman Who Named Things and added to our living and non-living lists in red marker. Throughout the week we also continued to explore a provocation table with the question "Living or Non-Living?". The books, artifacts, and conversation starters helped us continue our discussions about things that are living and non-living. They also helped us to understand that there are some things that were at one time living, but are now no longer living.
With that idea in mind, we went on a hunt for living things indoors and outdoors. First we searched our classroom, but didn't find much. Then we went outside where students drew and wrote about all the living things they found. When we were finished we made a big list of all the living and non-living things that we had observed.
Some questions and debates emerged:
- Is the wind living?
- Is the sky living?
- Is the sun living?
We read the book The Old Woman Who Named Things and added to our living and non-living lists in red marker. Throughout the week we also continued to explore a provocation table with the question "Living or Non-Living?". The books, artifacts, and conversation starters helped us continue our discussions about things that are living and non-living. They also helped us to understand that there are some things that were at one time living, but are now no longer living.