The Power of Student Voice

EXCITING learning is happening in this Grade 4/5 class! Where to begin? There is so much to share. It all started when Pete read one of our favourite books Should There Be Zoos? A Persuasive Text by Tony Stead.

Our original plan for the students was to learn about the features of persuasive writing so that we could write our own persuasive e-book. However, we were quickly sidetracked when during our brainstorming session, a student asked "Should there be an outdoor rink in town?"

After a lot of discussion and a vote, the class decided that our community needed an outdoor rink. So the inquiry began...How do we convince/persuade Town Council and the people of our community that we need an outdoor rink?

Students worked diligently on a variety of work stations that helped them to learn and build a persuasive argument.

6 Stations to Explore Outdoor Rinks

1. iMovie Commercials - Students watched commercials, worked on story boards, and created short video clips.
2. Spreadsheets - Students researched the cost of building and running an outdoor rink. They worked on building a budget for the rink, they created pie charts and summarized the information. 
3. Constructing Models - Students had to plan and organize the building of a model rink. They measured, cut, drilled, glued and painted to create amazing models.
4. Writing Letters - Students wrote persuasive letters to the editor, to Town Council and posted them on our blog - http://kidblog.org/MrDsKids
5. Researching Location - Students worked on mapping and used google earth plus photos of the town to recommend and find the best locations
6. Podcast - Students had to pick an ice skating Canadian athlete and they researched his/her career.  They each took active roles in writing and creating dialogue for a "live" interview. They recorded the interview using Garage Band.

 

The final presentation of all their work was presented to the Mayor of our town.  He was impressed with the details and specific information the students provided. The Mayor has invited the class to attend a Council meeting soon. They are  learning about Municipal Government and the role it plays in a community. 

                                                                                                                                                                                

                                                          

Students felt their voices were heard and they were proud of their work! 

Stay tuned......

Does your class have a passion?