Curriculum Connection

An information inquiry project using the 8Ws model could be used with many different grade levels of students.  Although my content of training for a half marathon doesn't specifically apply, the process of information inquiry does. 

For example, a second grade classroom might use the 8Ws model when addressing IN Social Studies standard 2.4.4- Research goods and services produced in the local community and describe how people can be both producers and consumers.  Students would begin with Watching during the school day, around the neighborhood, and when out in the community to get ideas for goods & services produced.  Then, with the help of the teacher, students would generate questions about the goods and services.  Moving into the Webbing phase, students would work in small groups and begin locating information through observation at school, visiting local businesses and interviewing community members or their parents, searching online, interviewing a guest speaker, and possibly taking a field trip.  After Wiggling and making sure their information relates to their purpose and is evaluated using a checklist, students could organize their information using a graphic organizer.  Students would then make a collaborative decision about what kind of final product would work best to display their work.  Groups of students would present their projects to the class.  The project would end in the Wishing phase with a self and group reflection.

I could use my personal inquiry project, "Half Marathon: A Personal Training Guide", when working with sixth grade students on Health & Wellness standard 6.6- Goal-setting skills are essential to help students identify, adopt and maintain healthy behaviors.  This standard includes the critical steps needed to achieve both short-term and long-term health goals. These skills make it possible for individuals to have aspirations and plans for the future. Students develop health goals based upon personal needs. Students design and implement critical steps to achieve short-term and long-term health goals.  This project would begin with Watching: brainstorming possible long and short-term goals they might like to achieve.  This could be anything from learning how to play tennis, to losing weight, to running a mile.  Students would then develop a specific focus for the project (a health goal) and begin generating questions.  For example, a 6th grade student with the long-term health goal of learning how to play tennis might generate questions like: How is tennis played?  What are the rules of tennis?  Where might I learn how to play tennis/ take lessons?  What kind of equipment will I need to learn?  Moving into the Webbing phase, students would use a variety of tools to obtain information.  This could include online searching, videos, asking experts, interviews, books/ materials from the media center, visuals, etc.  Next, students would use a checklist or guidelines to evaluate information taken from primary and secondary sources.  After Weaving and organizing information, students would have to decide out of all of the possible ways, how they might like to present and share their information.  This could include a demonstration in front of the class, a video, a graphic representation, some sort of table displaying information, or a "how to" guide.  The project would conclude with a personal reflection on the project and their progress toward meeting their personal health goal.

These 2nd and 6th grade lessons would also align with AASL standards 1-4.   Professor Lamb was right when she said, "You'll be surprised to find that EVERYTHING can be connected in some way."