Today I had my first session with my cousin's kindergarten-aged daughter Avery. We had a great time talking about America and what she thinks it means to be a citizen in this country. I had to sort of explain citizenship and that it isn't something we can take for granted because there are so many people who do not have the freedoms we enjoy in America. It isn't very easy for a 6 year old to understand that concept, and that said I think she is incredibly smart and understanding of the world she lives in! She seems to benefit from the inquiry based learning style, because she herself is a very inquisitive (and talkative I might add) little girl. I introduced to her my Essential Question: What does it mean to be an American citizen? I also introduced a Unit Question: What are some symbols American citizens should know? We then created a KWL chart of the things Avery knows, and wants to know, and I plan on allowing her to tell me what she learned during our last session. I will at that time post an updated KWL with the 'learned' section completed.
Check out Avery's blog for her thoughts on our session!
Children understand more than what we want to give them credit for sort of how we feel when children act like we have never been through that before, or we don't understand.KWL charts are very important documentation (assessment) for teachers to use as tools.
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