Spring is Coming! Using QFT with second graders

Happy First Day of Spring!  Although you might not guess that spring is beginning with the 15" of light snow we received over the past few days, spring is coming.  To celebrate spring's arrival, in two second grade classes at Union Elementary School in Montpelier, we used our senses to find signs of spring in Hubbard Park.  We were helped by the Question Formulating Technique, which was developed by the Right Question Institute.  First students thought of as many questions as they could in 2 minutes about the statement, "Spring is Coming!"  Here were the parameters:

1.  Only ask questions.

2.  Any statement will be turned into a question.

3.  No analysis of questions or answering them.

4.  Write questions as they are stated.  

Here is the list that we generated:

 We walked the mile through town up to our "Base Camp" to investigate signs of spring that are on their wa.  Here are a few students diligently recording their observations at their sit spots.  They found snow melting, warm breezes, soft moss, buds beginning and much more.  Sitting quietly and observing proved fruitful for generating more questions about what's going on in the little microcosm of the sit spot. 

When we returned back to school, we revisited our questions from earlier in the morning.  Can you see the extra questions we asked?  Students focused their questions and were much more specific.  In the early morning, questions were broader, such as, "Do you think it will be warm," and "Why is spring coming?" 

After being outside and everyone sharing the signs of spring that they saw, smelled, heard (lots of birds!) and felt, the questions that the questions generated were more specific and demonstrated higher thought processes.  For example, one student asked, "Why is the grass orangish-brownish after the snow melts?"  Immediately after, another student asked, "Why is grass green in the summer?"  Since we wrote these questions on the flip chart, they will be saved and teachers can return back to discuss and answer these questions!  It's a perfect opportunity for authentic, engaged learning. 

These second graders are savvy researchers, too.  When I asked how they could answer their own questions, one boy stated, "You google it!"  They also knew to look in books, talk to their parents and teachers, ask the librarian for help, and much more.  

 

Here's something I observed at my sit spot!  It looks like a cross between a frozen inchworm and a tiny birdpoop.  I wonder what it is?  How did it survive the winter?  How did it remain sticking to the stick throughout the winter?  Oh, the questions that arise...

Fiber fun with Forest School

When the late January chills dip into the single digits, the Forest Schoolers spend a little less time in the forests and fields and spend a little more time indoors exploring other crafts and projects. We are in the midst of a fiber unit right now, and we have experimented with lots of fiber crafts over the past few weeks.  On the first day of our unit, we felt the fiber, examined it under magnifying lenses, and picked through Alpaca fiber which was donated by Melissa and Chris Pierce at North Branch Alpaca Farm. What a mess we made! 

 

 

 

 A guest speaker showed us how to use a drum carder.  We used the clean, long pieces of fiber to card into rovings.  

These rovings can be used for many things, including pretend beards,

 

 and they can be spun into yarn.

 

On another day, we made beautiful needle-felted works of art from colorful, dyed rovings!

 

 

Most recently, we used yarn to weave little bags.  We started with these items:

 

 

  and we practiced weaving with our families 

We ate our lunches by the fire and read one of many fiber-themed books, A New Coat for Anna, by Harriet Ziefert. 

 

Afterwards, we explored a frozen swamp and found some incredible ice formations! 

 

 

The day ended by listening to the gentle swishing of ice along the river bank.  It was a surprsing, unexpected sound and a lovely way to end an enriching day.