See. Think. Wonder.

See, think, wonder" has served as a mantra for inquiry among the students—and teachers—at Earl Shapiro Hall. To start a unit about penguins, first grade teachers have their students simply talk about penguins. The children discover they already know quite a lot. (Lab teachers never underestimate the knowledge that even the youngest child can bring to the table.)

Just as important, the children discover that there was so much more that they wonder about!

But what does it feel like to wonder? They wonder—and pay attention to the feelings so that they can recreate and document their wondering faces, and their wonderings, using iPads and an app called Caption Distraction.

Deep into their study, and having learned there are 17 species, the first graders select which species they will research. How do they live? What are some interesting facts about them? The students write fiction stories about their penguins, illustrate and code an adventure from these stories, and make a trip to Sunny Gym pool for their very own annual "Penguin Plunge."

ExperienceLab_PS