Projects

My mother is a retired teacher of 35 years. She has won multiple awards, both state and national for her teaching style and because of this brilliant idea that she had and ran with…..  She learned early on that when a child is interested in what they are learning they are more engaged in school.  Most kids love animals and this is what began the "carts" and research model.

    My mom has been volunteering in my classroom this year.  What an opportunity this is for me and my students.  She comes in with her years of experience, her love for me and the children, and her need to continue doing something that she not only loves but excels at.  I asked her a couple weeks ago if she would help begin the "carts" system with my class.  The kids need the experience with non-fiction texts and need to develop comprehension and note-taking skills.  The cart provides just that.  AND THE KIDS ARE LOVING IT!!  

Since I have 2 grades mom knew we needed to simplify the process for the 2nd graders.  So they were given a tree map to  fill in as they found the specific information.  Each second grader has been given the choice to have a group or to work alone.  Then, they chose a whale to research.  Each child or group has been looking for physical characteristics, location, reasons the whale is endangered, information about calves, etc.  The kids have an assortment of magazines, photographs, actual whale models, and access to the internet.  We check the information as they get it, and assist in note-taking as needed.   Honestly…..I have not experienced such a focused, quiet classroom. The kids LOVE DOING THE RESEARCH!

The 2nd graders began with their projects first while I was working with 3rd on language arts.  Let me tell you….Those 3rd graders were so jealous.  So, as we completed our lesson, I went to mom and said- We need to go ahead and let these 3rd graders begin.  The 3rd graders already know how to note-take (for the most part)….so, they were given a choice of animal, and a box full of info. about that animal.  They are learning to create a table of contents and label all notes so that they can be easily checked.  They are doing a great job!!

I have been so impressed with the level of dedication the kids have to their projects.  We have only been doing this for a little over a week and the kids love it.  They are coming to both mom and myself with…"Did you know???"  They are becoming better readers, writers, and presenters.  They are learning text features and how to decipher a non-fiction text.  
I am excited to continue the research and to watch the kids present information they have become experts about!