Term 1 Inquiry: What is the 8th Wonder of the World?

In term one our focus is 'Wonders of the World'

I presented the students with a scenario:

Our first lesson was looking at a range of natural, man made, ancient and technological wonders and what about them made them wonders.

Students came up with the following questions to help determine what makes a wonder?

We then brainstormed a range of other questions that had:

Student's then brainstormed all the places, buildings and technologies they believed could be a wonder. Using this brainstorm they narrowed it down to the 5 they were most passionate about.

I created two worksheets for students to use to help narrow down and organise their thinking.

As a class we then created our 5 week timeline to help keep us on track!

The students used the 'Skillful Decision Making' process to help them with persuading the class on why their wonder is the 8th Wonder of the World.

I am looking forward to what the students come up with!
For most of them it is their first time following an inquiry model - it has taken some time to get students to deepen their thinking and engage in discussions.

Students were also given a budget as part of financial literacy to plan a trip to their 8th Wonder of the World. 

Evernote

This year we are using Evernote to keep our anecdotal notes.

This is an amazing tool for teachers I couldn't speak highly enough of it to do it justice.

At first I found it really challenging to find the time to make the notes. With seniors it can be hard to find a moment to jot down comments and observations, before you are interrupted and it is lost. I have had to make a conscious effort to make the time and now I feel like I have been able to teach while making quick notes and taking photos for evidence.

Things I like about Evernote:

- Searching students names (great for when it comes to parent teacher interviews and reports)
- Annotating photos - You can highlight and write all over photos
- I can use the notes to help with planning - particularly when trying to decide how long to spend on a learning intention
- The evidence is visual, organised and accessible on a range of devices and locations (Home and School)
- The notes can be shared with fellow colleagues and management
- You can create notebooks to organise various topics and content. I have a notebook for Behaviour & Social, Planning Reflections, Testing Observations, Room 1 (2015) and then various notebooks for different curriculum ideas
- You can clip articles, photos and documents off the internet. This is a great way to never lose amazing resources!
- I can use it on my phone. I take the photos, type the notes and post these to my Evernote while I am sitting with a group
- You can set yourself checklists and reminders within your notes - e.g. Need to Gloss test ASAP - Look at Mult/Div