For the past two weeks, the students have been working collaboratively in their groups to tackle creative solutions to their focus world problems. They worked together to come up with an invention idea and then dove into making the invention prototype during our Idea Workshop sessions. We used the book, "The Most Magnificent Thing" as a mentor text for our Idea Workshop process because it clearly outlines what this process can be like for many kids. It is HARD WORK to turn an idea in your mind into a reality, and even harder to do that collaboratively. In spite of the challenges, most of the students really enjoyed the process of seeing the problem, creating a plan, executing the plan, and having to modify the plan when things didn't work! Mindy and I were so impressed with how into the creation process every student was. Kids were taping and cutting and pointing and conferring. I was able to capture a bit of the magic with photos, but lots happened that I didn't get a chance to capture.
By the end of the week, groups had finished their inventions and spent time reflecting on their collaboration by filling out our group assessment.
We also spent some time writing letters to important people who may be able to help us help.
This coming week, the groups will be creating videos of their invention prototypes, explaining how they work and how they help. Then groups will be collaboratively publishing a book about their problem which will be used to teach others about more about their problem and about their ideas for how to solve the problem. These teaching books will be on display during the PBL showcase as another way we are raising awareness about a problem we care a lot about.
This Week's Schedule
June Art, PE & Library Schedule | Sharing Schedule |