HHHealthy Gardens, Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

Results

 

To begin our project, we first had to do some research. We read articles about Project Based Learning and student inquiry. As grade 1 and 4 teachers, we felt that both grade levels would benefit from this instructional approach. Each teacher prepared an "I Wonder" bulletin board in the classroom so asking questions would become a natural part of the students' year. We modelled questioning techniques to encourage higher level questions.

 

 

We kept track of the students' "I wonders" in a binder.  Every student had their own page.  Here is a sample from one of our grade 4 students. From this individual profile, it is evident that this child's questioning improved over the course of the project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the year progressed, we noticed that students were transferring this skill across the curriculm. For example, during one art class, the students saw the materials laid out on the desk and "wondered" what we would be using them for. Some even made a guess as to what the art project was going to be. In addition, some teachers began using the model outside of the project for instructional purposes. We feel that even though our project has come to an end, it will have a long term impact on our instructional practices with regards to scientific inquiry. The "I Wonder" board is such a simple teaching tool for multiple grade levels, but yet it results in very meaningful learning for the students. Because of this, it is very likely that we will use this model throughout our careers.