Take A Closer Look, Think More Deeply

Our third grade has started the year contemplating the difference between looking and seeing. We often look out into our world, but how often do we take the time to really see and think about what surrounds us, be it natural or digital? One of the fun ways we explored this idea was to look at images that could be interpreted more than one way. Students really enjoyed peering into the pictures to see what they could find and what others might have missed.

 

We spent quite a bit of time discussing the images and how important it is to take the time to think about what we are seeing.

We then moved onto thinking harder about what we read. Using various quotations, students worked in groups to decipher meaning and then attempted to rephrase the quotations in their own words.  Below is an example of a quote we pondered.

Found September 21, 2017: https://www.askideas.com/a-bad-attitude-is-like-a-flat-tire-you-cant-go-anywhere-until-you-change-it/

Students were able to relate the quote back to themselves, find examples to help explain it and share this with their friends. We discovered trying to put the quote in our words really tested how well we understood the quotation. The students checked their own words against the ideas of their friends. It was a lively, fun exploration.

Next up for third grade is researching a topic of their choice on PebbleGo. Students will work on how to take notes, which means writing the essence of the topic in their own words. They have started this process and are tackling the challenge with gusto.