ROOM 3 - Grade 5/6 - Capitol Hill School

Human beings have used writing to understand the world for a very long time.  Teachers often invite students to use writing as a tool for thinking.  We know that in order for students to remember information they must act on it.  It's not enough for students to read something or hear something, they need to do something with that knowledge to gain a better understanding. But jotting down words is not the only way for students to construct knowledge. Representing through drawing is a valuable form of thinking and way of engaging.   Artistic strategies, either used alone or combined with words, are powerful tools for thinking and learning. T he knowledge being constructed and represented by students in their visual journals includes: -  classification of leaves by type, arrangement, shape and margin -  the nutrient cycle, the water cycle,  photosynthesis o         -  food chains and food we...

We began the year in Social Studies asking ourselves this important question.   We were inspired by a song performed by the Hadfield brothers.  One of those brothers is  Canadian Astronaut, Col. Chris Hadfield, who captivated the world in 2013 as commander of the International Space Station (ISS). Students interviewed members of their own families and adults in the school community.  They worked in groups and compiled the ideas they had gathered.  We were especially interested in the commonalties that we found. Here are those ideas.