We made this chart as a whole group in the middle of February. I was impressed by what the kids already knew about Malcom, especially that they didn't seem to have a sophomoric "anti-MLK" idea about him.
I also thought their questions were great - they expressed confusion/disequilibrium that they could figure out while we read on. For example, when they asked "Why did he do what he did to get sent to jail?" they were expressing confusion that someone could be both an important historical figure and a criminal - totally natural confusion for the seven year old mind. Full of intrigue, they jumped out of their seats, pointing at this question as we read the scene about the police standing by doing nothing to help Malcom's family after the Klan burned his house down. They were making the connection that someone who wasn't protected by the law might not feel the need to obey the law.
Unfortunately I don't see the same potential for intrigue in this next batch of questions that they're doing on their own. I'm wondering how I can guide the research process so that they're asking more intriguing questions without controlling the kids too much.
No comments:
Post a Comment