After starting the first part of our semester online, fortunately we are back in person! This month, our grade 6 students are learning about health issues and body systems. I love this unit, because it inspires genuine curiosity.
By this age, students have heard over and over that healthy eating and exercise are good for them. For this unit, they finally investigate why by focusing on their own inquiry questions: What happens to your brain when you sleep? Why is junk food bad for you, even if you exercise a lot? What does vaping do to your brain and body? By helping them research their own questions, it motivates them to engage with the content in a more authentic way.
During this inquiry-based project, we only gave students a cursory overview of new vocabulary and different types of systems. Then, we asked them to research the various organs, processes, and functions themselves. Using our school's Encyclopedia Britannica, Kiddle and books from the library, students created interactive presentations to teach the younger grades about their topics. We still need more practice for presentational skills, but the information and problem-solving growth during this unit was impressive!
One component of this project that we wanted to emphasize was constructive feedback. Before sharing with the whole school, students gave practice presentations to each other in class. I encouraged them to give pointed feedback - what was unclear? What was most interesting? During the exhibition, we used a sticker system where visitors were able to choose the best qualities of each project, and compliment the students on their hard work! By asking visitors to specify their feedback, students were able to see easily what they did well and what they could improve.
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