Today was the day…the perfect day for a wonder walk. (You can find all the details on the Write Out Choice Board that is linked)
We prepared by reading Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer. This picture book lays out the whimsy of wondering and the power of questions. The first graders in my class understood right away the difference between questions they already knew the answer to and questions that provoked thinking and imagination.
I gave a brief explanation of the small nature collectors we would use as a tool on our wonder walk. And it only took a minute before a student was waving his hand and wanting to know if we would do some writing after our wonder walk. I love when my students truly know me…and we’re there! Of course there will be writing! They had two “jobs” on the wonder walk:
- collect some nature items to fit into their collector (without picking from living plants)
- think about interesting questions they might ask about the nature items
We wandered and wondered and collected. They found rocks and leaves, sticks and dried flower petals, seed pods and other plant matter.
When we got back to the classroom, each student selected one item from their nature collector to draw and write about. They sketched and colored and then turned to their notebooks to write their wonderings.
Then, right before lunch, they picked their favorite question or wondering and wrote it on an index card that I typed up so we could display them. Here’s our Wonder Walk Wonderings!
What will you find on your wonder walk? What wonderings will it evoke?
