Earlier this month we finished up our inquiry unit on "What happens in winter?" The kids learned so much! We read many books, searched for signs of animals, watched videos, and did research to answer our big question. They learned that animals usually do one of three things: hibernate, migrate, or adapt to winter conditions. We learned to take notes in a graphic organizer (aka a bubble map, such as the one on migration below), and as we researched, we continued to ask questions and read books to find the answers.
Eventually we moved onto working on our final projects, which we would present to our reading buddies to share what we had learned during our inquiry. The kindergarteners were SO excited when they heard their options for presentation. They could choose one of the following to represent their knowledge:
There was a tie between the popularity of making a model and making a poster.
The next step was to make a plan! The kids could choose who they wanted to work with, and what they wanted to make. Here were a few of the plans they put together. I should mention that they made these plans with very little help from me. It's incredible what they came up with independently!
I needed a day to get the materials together. Then they got to work!
When they were all finished, we invited our third grade reading buddies to our classroom so they could present their final projects. The third graders were VERY impressed with vocabulary and knowledge that the kindergarteners shared (so was I)!
This ends our inquiry into what happens in winter. Our next inquiry unit is on weather!
