Wondering in Room 114

In my classroom, we wonder. We wonder how wildfires start. We wonder what is the largest dog in the world. We wonder who invented Legos. My 4th-graders are full of questions. Their curiosity is contagious.

We set the stage for wondering from the very beginning of the school year. Inquiry is the foundation on which I build my curriculum. My 4th-grade students know that our classroom is safe; it is a place to ask questions, take risks, make mistakes, and learn. I want my students to take own- ership of their learning and to produce work that is both meaningful and purposeful to them. I provide spaces and time for those very im- portant conversations that grow student learning. Books, both fiction and nonfiction, line the walls in my classroom. Websites are posted so that students can read articles and blogs online.

Excerpt from Assessing Students’ Digital Writing: Protocols for Looking Closely

Through the process of looking closely at Carson’s Wonder project, this chapter discusses how I set up the writing workshop in my classroom, which includes incorporating digital mentor texts, using Wonderopolis, and focusing on digital, critical and visual literacies (NAMLE). Next, I will introduce the CAC as it pertains to Carson’s project.  Here, I will be able to dig deeply into his work and the decisions he made as a digital composer.  I will then end by sharing my reflections of the process.