As a teacher, there is nothing better than that amazing feeling after class when you know your kids rocked it. Today was one of those days!
As your child may have told you, we are in the beginning stages of our chicken mummification project. The kids spent the last week working in partnerships to write up plans for mummifying chickens. They relied heavily on the internet (using Google search strategies) to help them create a list of specific materials and procedures they would follow. The groups quickly realized that they were finding conflicting information and they were not quite sure which option would work best. At this point we took a field trip down to Adon Kaufman’s classroom. Here we examined mummified chickens created by students from the past two years. The kids started asking Adon Kaufman amazing questions, their wonders were incredible. It was then that Adon Kaufman and I looked at each other and knew exactly what we had to do. Me to We…The kids had to have the opportunity to talk to the 7th graders about their experience with this project!
This morning 28 fifth and sixth graders partnered up with 17 seventh graders to do just this! The 7th graders were eager to share their learning experience from last year and loved leading the 5th and 6th graders. The fifth and sixth graders could not have been more grateful for the experience and asked if they could also get feedback from the 8th graders who were the first to complete this project. It was amazing to see how receptive the 5th and 6th graders were to the feedback from their older classmates, it was a true sign of all involved using empathy.
After the 7th graders left I asked the 5/6 class to share some feedback with me. Here is what they had to say:
“It was great to hear from our friends and not just listen to a website.”
“It was great feedback. It was a primary source that we could trust.”
“I loved having the peer review, it was nice to have another set of eyes, especially from someone who has done this before.”
“The feedback was kind, specific and helpful, just like we’ve talked about.”
26/28 Students said that it was more helpful to have a primary source that they knew and trusted rather than a website.
28/28 Found class today to be helpful
I am even more excited about this project than I ever thought I could be! Thank you to the 7th graders for providing super helpful feedforward and Adon Kaufman for sharing your time and experience! The kids will begin blogging about their process soon, stay tuned!
This is an awesome example of how MJDS engages students in deep and meaningful learning experiences. I am so grateful for amazing educators like Gev. Kimmel and Adon Kaufman, and I am so proud of the collaborative problem-finding/solving skills of our students.
How great to see all of these students working together. It’s a wonderful project and I can’t wait to see what else happens with this along the way. Keep up the great work!
Although the project itself is a fantastic experience that allows the students a hands-on approach in connecting the past to the present, the idea that the younger ones view the 7th graders as “friends they can trust” is a gift for both sides. What I would give to have been blessed with this middle school experience… Kol Hakavod to all!!!