Friday 22 March 2013

Problem Based Learning in a primary classroom


In East York a class is investigating their local community past and present. One of the problems is how can we learn about our past ?

Focus - Continuity and change 

The class is integrating social studies and language to conduct authentic research. This plan has been shared with parents since it includes content that only parents can share. 
The students are asking questions, reviewing a variety of resources and analysing the data using some of the thinking concepts (continuity and change). They will be given many opportunities to communicate their learning as well.

So far the class has created different family trees to emphasize that everyone has history.  This approach has also included everyone's story. Parents help their children to share the information that they are comfortable with. As I spoke with the class I could see that this activity has validated each students' experience. The family history assignment has evolved into a mapping task and  provided story writing opportunities. Included in this investigation will be an analysis of images of life in the community past and present. A trip to the TDSB TUSC schoolhouse will add to the experience. The class is exploring historical fiction novels relating to the 1800s as well.

We anticipate that the class will create an annotated map highlighting the immigrant experience (past and present). We found a laminated world map at Cosco for $7.95 that will be the foundation for the annotated map. This guided inquiry has created many new questions that can be explored by the whole group.






Discipline Based Inquiry - grade 2 Inuit Unit from Alberta


In this example the teacher speaks about her primary students explaining how the think like historians.

1 comment:

  1. Would love to see the annotated map and hear more about this process.

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