Our current inquiry is centered around the question – “What is the impact of home being taken away?”Students have been immersed in reading and writing experiences dealing with the topics of homelessness, refugees and residential schools. My goal is for students to gather important information on these topics so they can write about them with knowledge and empathy. Thinking about how writers engage the hearts and minds of their readers is woven throughout this study.

Below is a sampling of these experiences:

Here are three images related to our study. Students used the “See Think Wonder” thinking routine. They listed their observations, thoughts and questions about the photos. This allowed them to think critically about the images and try to figure out how they might be related to our inquiry. 

Students then worked in small groups to sort out and arrange the words to form our central question – “What is the impact of home being taken away?” 

With the topic of our inquiry at the forefront of their minds, students were able to construct three words, two questions and one metaphor or simile describing what it would be like to not have a home. Check out two videos of students sharing their thinking below.

Our read aloud is Refugee by Alan Gratz. This book is a fantastic complement to our study. Students find all three stories in this text extremely engaging. Each action-packed story is told from the perspective of a child refugee fleeing their countries for a better life. 

We have also read many different picture books and watched videos throughout our study and we continue to do so. Our discussions of these texts have been emotional and meaningful. Students are making deep connections between these multiple books. This helps to develop critical thinking. 

Sometimes I like to have students look at parts of a story before reading the picture book in full. We did this for the story, “I am Not a Number” by Jenny Kay Dupuis. Below, students are viewing an image from the story. They are discussing and recording everything they see, think and wonder about.

Afterwards, I read the story to the class as a whole group. Students revisited their image and this time read the snippet of text that went along with their image. They were able to discuss the text together bringing greater understanding to the specific image in front of them. Students also worked through another thinking routine called “Sentence Phrase Word”. They had to select one sentence, phrase and word that captured the overall essence of the text. Listening to students explain their reasons for their selections is a great way to assess their critical thinking skills.

Like I stated in the beginning, we are constantly discussing what good writers do. We will read a story as a reader by focusing on the meaning and how the writing made us feel. Then we will also look at it with the lens of a writer, noting the different craft moves that held our attention and made the writing sound so amazing that you don’t want to put the book down. See below.

Students have been working on their home pieces in their writer’s notebook and we will be completing final copies soon. I have been celebrating each writer by pointing out all the great things they are doing in their writing. A public conference allows for all learners to hear great ideas that they may apply to their own pieces. I have had audience members record their thinking on post-its to capture what they have learned. This makes everyone accountable. 

Here are some samples of student writing below. 

Currently, students are researching residential schools and refugees (see below). They will use their research to write an informative piece on one of these topics soon.