Making Community, Part 2: Reflection

My third grade students finished their projects to design a new space for their community a couple of weeks ago and I have been reflecting on the process ever since. I asked students to do a self-evaluation, too, and their feedback has helped to fuel this reflection.

Some things that went well:

• The projects were connected to both the classroom curriculum and the literature I shared in our time together.
• Students were engaged with the project and enjoyed the process.
• Students felt empowered by the choice that they were allowed.

Some things to improve upon:

• Focus on the design process: In my last post, I talked a lot about studying the design process with fourth graders. I feel l didn't stress this enough in this third grade project. We brainstormed and designed, but I think it felt more haphazard to them.
• Rework feedback options. I need to find a way to really incorporate more constructive criticism into these design projects.
• Group work: some groups worked well together while others had more of a challenge. Perhaps group work itself is something I need to better teach and facilitate.
• Timing: this project took over four weeks. Meeting students once a week means I might need to focus on projects that can be completed more quickly unless they are done in conjunction with a classroom teacher.

Making Community: Part 1

Third graders at Kaler study our community of South Portland, and I thought this was a perfect way to introduce a maker project connected with literacy. We are two weeks into this project and it's going well so far.

Week 1: Brainstorming for South Portland

Read: The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

Guiding questions:

• What was the city like before?
• What was it like after?
• What happened to the people in the city?

Vocabulary to highlight:

• Dreary, using the illustrations -- which go from dreary to cheery -- to highlight the meaning.