We started the day with our extended choice time. Kids painted, used measuring tapes, wrote notes to each other, played math games, built with foam blocks, and published books. We were overwhelmed with the amazing independent learning that took place in the first hour of the day.
When the classes returned from their special, we made another attempt to create a bucket design that would work better. The kids checked out the past successful designs, then went to work creating their own new buckets. They tried, they failed, they tried again. And again. And again. Most of the kids found success. Everyone had fun. They played with the windbags when they were finished, trying to find ways to fill the bags with air. When everyone was done, we debriefed and answered the question, "What did we learn when we tried making buckets again?" The answers were inspiring. Just check out the list below. These kids are learning to be tenacious, to be creative, to help each other, and to never ever give up. This was more about engineering. It was about becoming a person who can problem solve and persevere.
But we weren't done yet. Mrs. Burgess continued reading My Father's Dragon to the class. The kids were then instructed to find a way to show Ms. Roper what has been happening in the story. They could show what they knew however they chose. We had kids put on a puppet show, make a Lego map, create masks, and write a summary. When our fourth grade buddies came in, the kids were excited to share the story with their friends.
Today was about choice, letting kids take charge of their learning. It was exciting and I can't wait until our next Wacky Wednesday.
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