This week we dove a little deeper into our topics that we want to know more about. We wrote down what things we already know about our topic and a few questions that we had. Then, it was off to start researching.
Research skills in kindergarten? Wow, what does that look like? Here is it! By 5th grade, we are asking our students to be able to synthesize information from multiple sources (a book, video, conversation with someone, or article online), cite evidence, and form an essay from a topic. Let's work backwards from there and simplify the process for our kindergarteners so they are getting exposed to this way of thinking. Research in kindergarten means, we are looking in a teaching book, watching a video, talking to people who know about our topic, and maybe using online resources. When we read a book or watch a video, we can't be passive listeners and watchers. We need to keep our brains engaged and thinking about what we are learning. We need to take "notes" as we read, watch, or listen. This means that getting through 1 video or 1 book about our topic might take a really long time! We are stopping and jotting down our learning in our own words as we go. We might even be stopping and jotting more questions that we have learn something new. On Friday, our 2nd grade reading buddies came in as experts to help us use online resources to learn more about our topic. They helped us stop and write what we learned as they read to us. Next week, we will be going to the library and finding a book about our topic and learning more about our topic from that! |