On Day 2, detectives dug a bit deeper into the classroom… decor. Each face and fabric, each flower and phrase, each book and blossom and bulletin board is purposeful and placed for perusal and pondering. Today, our task involved taking notice, so we can access our environment as a scholarly multiple source.
After yesterday’s introduction to the TASOK learner profile and discussion of classroom and school expectations, today we took some time to wander and wonder around the room. Willing to learn, these thoughtful and curious scholars (a.k.a. fifth grade thinkers) read and reflected on quotes around the room. As COMMUNICATORS, each one posted questions of INQUIRERS and thoughts of THINKERS. As the year progresses, different quotes might catch an eye or spark an idea or inspire an action. Committed to considering different points of view, our OPEN-MINDEDness will allow us to continue to stretch and grow.
In an effort to share our thinking beyond our walls, we decided to walk and “CHALK.” In groups, students sought to describe or draw, what a scholar in a classroom at TASOK would look like, act like, think like, and behave like.
Back inside, students huddled together in groups of 5 or 6 and prepared to listen to a story about the Wright Family. Each student was provided with a paperclip and instructed to pass it to the right each time he or she heard a word that sounded like “right” and pass it to the left each time he or she heard the word left.
Each group approached the task slightly differently.
At the end of the story, we took time to debrief. Students shared that the activity was confusing at times, but got easier as the story went on. They realized it required teamwork and that distractions, especially from groups that were louder, interfered at times with their ability to listen and focus. These ideas were then connected to how we function as a community of learners.
We also discussed the following questions:
- How much of the story can you remember?
- What does this activity tell us about communication?
- What does this activity tell us about teamwork?
- What does this activity tell us about listening skills?