Day 29: Blue Jays Fever is Alive and Well in Grade 5

We have all been swept up in the excitement of our Jays' success!!  Game 5 of the series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers sent many of us to the edge of our seats.  As fans, we were rewarded with a victory and we are now onto the next round! 

Today, I had the privilege of visiting a grade 5 classroom where the student inquiry of the day focused on baseball success.  The over-arching inquiry question presented to the students was "How does a team make it to the World Series?"

Student groups were lead through a series of questions, group inquiries, and research opportunities to find evidence as to how a MLB team could win the World Series.  They learned how the rules varied between American and National leagues, the various divisions within a league, the post-season match-ups, strategies, etc.  

What Dave Billark (grade 5 teacher at Orchard Park PS) discovered is that the more the students inquired, the more questions they had!  Students were motivated to engage in a current, real-life approach to learning.  He recognized that when the students were invested in the learning and genuinely cared about the questions they asked, they would persevere in finding the answers to their questions.  

The real teaching moments came from the student research. Guiding students in how to critically determine and analyze what they were reading and interpreting was the big challenge!  The reward?  Student-led inquiry that was meaningful for them! The grade 5's gained insight, research skills and relevant information about a current event.

I suspect even "Joey Bats" would be impressed!!

Thank you, Dave Billark at Orchard Park PS for the invitation into your class to see your students' amazing work!