So the first month of school has come and gone… and what a month it was! Yet I have to admit, I had an internal struggle. The teachery teacher side of me kept saying “Hurry up! Move along! There is content to get to! You are behind your team! Report cards are coming!” While the inquiry-teacher side of me kept saying “Slow down. What’s the rush? Follow your students. Notice the learning that is happening everyday.” Thankfully the second voice won out, in large part because I kept constantly referring back to Finland’s model of easing into the school year as a source of inspiration and reassurance.
So here is sneak peak of how my students and I spent our first month together:
Who We Are
We inquired into relationships…
We inquired into each other…
Sharing the Planet
We inquired to rights and responsibilities of students and children…
We inquired into types of conflict, sources of conflict and solutions for solving conflict peacefully…
We inquired into problem finding and problem solving…
How We Organize Ourselves
We inquired into how to set up our learning space…
We inquired into how homework will work this year…
We inquired into our classroom schedule, systems, and jobs…
We inquired into back to school night…
How We Express Ourselves
We inquired into expressing ourselves on Twitter…
We inquired into expressing ourselves on our class blog…
We inquired into communicating through a backchannel…
We inquired into communicating with each other via email…
How the World Works
We inquired into why and how humans learn…
Where We Are in Place and Time
We inquired into why, how and what we learn at our school… 
We inquired into our perspectives at the moment about schools, teachers, reading, writing, math and UOI….
We inquired into ourselves as learners…
…. and sometimes we threw out the plans to follow student-generated inquiries! (Like water bottle flipping, why the Maldives are sinking, palindromes and the life of Ruby Bridges)
All throughout our first month together I intentionally looked for learning throughout the day and documented it each night. I have learned so much about my students not only as readers, writers, mathematicians and inquirers… but also as humans.
Just for fun, I thought about everything that has happened this past month and wondered how many curricular expectations were authentically explored throughout our various inquiries… to satisfy the slowly disappearing teachery-teacher side of me… and anyone else who might ask!
Here is what I discovered:
Social Studies
Concepts – systems, community, relationships, perspective, choice, transformation, rights, democracy
C1.4.4 explain how groups of people make rules to create responsibilities to protect a safe environment.
C1.4.6 describe ways in which people benefit from and are challenged by working together, including through government, workplaces, voluntary organizations, and families.
C2.4.3 identify appropriate deliberative processes when making decisions or reaching judgments as a group.
C3.4.3 explain how procedures are developed to address community problems.
E1.4.1 identify the benefits and costs of individual choices.
G1.4.1 construct maps and other graphic representations of both familiar and unfamiliar places.
G1.4.2 use maps, satellite images, photographs, and other representations to explain relationships between the locations of places and regions.
Science
Concepts – systems, balance, interdependence, behaviour
PS3.4.1 use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.
ED1.3-5.1 define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
ED1.3-5.3 plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
Reading
Concepts – meaning, perspective, opinion
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.7
Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7
Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Writing
Concepts – audience, presentation, responding, text
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 4 here.)
With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.
Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Communication
Concepts – message, meaning, audience, purpose
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4 Language standards 1 here for specific expectations.)
Math
Concepts – data, number, statistics, interpretation, measurement, estimation
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.OA.A.3
Solve multistep word problems posed with whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted.
Read and write multi-digit whole numbers using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Compare two multi-digit numbers based on meanings of the digits in each place, using >, =, and < symbols to record the results of comparisons.
Use place value understanding to round multi-digit whole numbers to any place.
Know relative sizes of measurement units within one system of units including km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz.; l, ml; hr, min, sec.
Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit.
Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and mathematical problems.
ICT
Creating – learners are provided with an opportunity to innovate and test boundaries. Learners construct meaning, apply critical thinking and original ideas to real-world situations, and share knowledge through self-expression
Communicating – exchange of information with various audiences using a range of media and formats.
Collaborating – Learners are empowered through digital media and environments and through active participation in creating and sharing knowledge.
Organizing – Learners make connections, transfer existing knowledge and independently explore new technologies.
Becoming responsible digital citizens – using ICT to make informed and ethical choices while acting with integrity and honesty. In a globally connected digital world, learners are empowered to be responsible for their actions, to value others’ rights and to practise safe and legal behaviours.
PSPE
- recognize that others have emotions, feelings and perspectives that may be different • from their own
- solve problems and overcome difficulty with a sense of optimism
- analyze how they are connected to a wider community
- reflect on their own cultural influences, experiences, traditions, and perspectives and are open to those of others
- identify casual relationships and understand how they impact the experience of individuals and groups
- independently use strategies to resolve conflict
- work towards a consensus, understanding the need to negotiate and compromise
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reflect on their experiences in order to build a deeper understanding of self
One month… no “school work”… but lots of learning!
riskandreflect 
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