Using the Research Process

As a new teacher (hooray for Kindergarten!) I am always looking for are called "teachable moments." It's when you didn't really think you were going to be teaching something, but you end up doing it. The letter of the week is N. We're writing down words that start with N. My student Zachary suggests "night." I go to write it down, and he asks, "That means the man that fights dragons AND when you go to sleep?" Voila- instant lesson on homophones to show night and knight sound the same but are spelled differently and mean different things.

Maybe because I'm a new teacher, it is kind of rare for me to plan these ahead, letting the kids thing we are temporarily derailed. I can probably get an idea of how to predict these once I get around to my second year.

In class though, we collaboratively developed a cheat sheet- a veritable list of ways to sneak in meta-lessons: lessons on the lessons! While teaching kids the research process (gather your sources, and don't worry- you will all be overwhelmed and that's okay!) you can sneak in a little lesson on fact tools vs. finding tools, or the differences between primary and secondary sources. Need help searching? Let me tell you all about subscription databases and the differences between controlled vocabulary and natural language. The best part is that you don't even have to tell them you're doing it. I am always taking concepts down a notch for teaching my kindergarten students- we read a version of the "Three Little Pigs" from the wolf's perspective, and the kids point out to me that that wolf seems like he's trying to trick us. I didn't use the words "unreliable narrator," but do they get the concept? You betcha!

Education is a beautiful thing.