While
the theme of perseverance is ongoing in our classroom, for the month of
February and part of March we focused on perseverance as a necessary element in
completion of our science project on gravity and the center of mass. We later
discussed perseverance in the context of two stories, one a Youtube video on
Nick Vujicic and the other on Brave Irene as told by Al Gore (storylineonline,net).
Later students revisited the status of their goals and assessed whether or not
they had persevered and achieved or made improvements.
The
month of February started off with a science project on gravity and the center
of mass. We watched Lainey’s video and discussed the fact that perseverance
means that you don’t give up even when faced with obstacles. Each student indicated
that they would persevere when faced with a difficult task. I explained how they
would complete the project independently once it was modeled for them.
I
introduced the gravity project and modeled the activity for the students. As
part of this activity, we discussed gravity and the affect on balance when the
center of mass is moved. I demonstrated
this concept whole class and later in small groups. Just before the students started the project they
were given a frog cut out with a hole in the head, a pedestal, a foam base, and
paperclips (raftstore.net model EK000012). Students were told that the frog
would appear to defy gravity (fly with legs in the air) once enough paperclips
were positioned correctly. We discussed the perseverance required to position
the paperclips to achieve the desired results.
Once
the activity was modeled for the students they worked (4 at a time) to arrange
the frog on the pedestal and position the paperclips. While some students
achieved success more quickly than others, I began to hear “I can’t do it” and
“I need help”. I again demonstrated how to add the paperclips and the students
continued the project. Once each child had completed the project, we discussed
the challenges students encountered and whether or not they persevered to
complete the project. Some students admitted that they had not completed the
project on their own because they felt it was too difficult while others stated
that although it was difficult at first they kept trying until the frogs legs
were off the desk. The students that completed the project independently were
quite pleased with themselves.
Continuing
with the theme of perseverance we watched the YouTube video on Nick Vujicic and
the reading of Brave Irene by Al Gore. We discussed the obstacles Nick Vujicic and
Irene faced. We then discussed the fact that Nick is a real, living human being
while Irene was a fictional character. We also discussed the fact that none of
us face the physical challenges encountered by Nick. We considered how it would
be easy for him to give up, but instead he found reasons to keep going. We also
discussed how Irene kept going by thinking about all of her mother’s hard work…she
did not want to let her down. This activity helped the students to recognize
the importance of finding reasons to keep going instead of looking for excuses
to give up.
Lastly,
the students revisited the goals they set at the beginning of the year and
reflected on their progress. I recorded some of the students as they discussed
how they achieved these goals or made progress towards them. During this time
it was necessary to clarify what was meant by achievement of the goal. Some
students confused goal achievement with goal progress so we discussed the
difference.
Overall
the lessons went well. Some students are still struggling with overcoming
obstacles to complete assignments. I continue to encourage them to finish even
if others finish before them. Often they are discouraged because they did not
finish in the time allotted, but they are all pleased with themselves when they
experience the feeling of accomplishment that comes from perseverance.
More photos and videos to follow.
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