Finding Out about Explorers

During units of inquiry, students inquire! There are many models of inquiry, but all of them catalogue a universal process. Here are two models of inquiry your fourth grader may be familiar with:

Getting Started, Investigating, Collecting Ideas, Going Further

Tuning In, Preparing to Find Out, Finding Out, Sorting Out, Sharing What was Learned, Taking Action

Since a simple Google search will produce many results that will be difficult to make sense of, fourth graders should always begin their research on the Seisen website. To do this, they use the Academics tab to go to the ES Media Lab. Links for research are available there.

Please sit down with your daughter one weekend and give it a go. Hopefully, she is already using the research links to go further with her school learning as well as to find out about anything else that interests her.

During the Explorer unit, students will use their research findings to create explorer cards. The explorer cards are useful for comparing and evaluating explorers and their explorations. Here are a few teacher created exemplars:

Here, fourth graders use the research links on the Seisen website to research an explorer:

During the Explorer unit, Fourth Graders also practice presentation skills. Some shared personal explorations while Tuning In to the unit. All fourth graders presented research in groups while Sorting Out. All fourth graders will also present research at the end of the unit as part of the Living Museum. Please take a look at last year's Living Museum to get an idea of what to expect: http://seisen4.blogspot.jp/2016/03/explorer-unit-living-museum.html