Which projects do we have going on in our classrooms?

Monika & the Owls:
We are still working on the materials unit.
We read the Three Little Pigs and built houses.  We will huff and puff and test our theories.
They have been working in groups building these houses, and learning about the characteristics of the materials.

Analisa:
I still struggle with student vs teacher initiated by me.  Now I am stuck because I don't want it all to come from me.  Once this week the students were engaged with Carolina putting on a puppet show.  Don't want to do teacher initiated, but I feel I am so ambivalent nothing is happening.  I should have engaged in the puppet show, but we lost momentum with Spanish class, time to go home.  I don't feel like we have projects going on.  There are lots of activities but not necessarily 'projects.'  The activities that are going on are amazing, and they are super independent.  My project is creating an alphabet book using nature materials; graph of textures materials.  (Is it attractive?)

Carolina:  They were so into the box and theatre they even took them outside.  Maybe we can continue this.  I tried the story play but it was so hard to capture their story.

Think about how you set up your environment.  Activities vs. Project Areas.

What about your hanging stick?

Maria A.:
Today I built off your chandelier idea.  After Earth Week, they have been really excited about bringing in recycled materials.  So we have had them building things with them.

Stephanie:  I saw a picture of stick frames.  Today Christopher created painting and I thought maybe there.  Chandelier.  Weighing...looking at how heavy things are, we made a chart, and started drawing what they put in and which was heavier.  Always putting out things to make them curious, cotton balls and stones.  I felt like that I followed them and added to what they were testing.  I've put it away because they sort of lost interested.  What they seemed to be drawn to was the chart we made.  They are also really interested in having me record what they drawing about.

Shenaz:  Joey the worm...looking at how moves, an egg.
Books are our activities.  Pictures of animals, insects, plants, cutting gluing and telling a story.
Am thinking about asking them what they want to do with the branch?

Gabriela: Our project is the city.  They keep building, building every day.  They spend hours playing there.  They plan and build.

Stefania: Superhero project.  Last week the boys were still interested in superheroes, so I asked them what are heroes.  Four girls made a book.  We made masks and asks the boys what are super at?  Once upon a time there were three super girls.  We made connections to unit, he is flexible because he can bend.  Super Recycle hero the job.  We have many experiments - we have slime - maybe they can use this to save people!  I wanted them to create symbols.  I saw on pinterest they can make them on a paper roll and put in a torch.

Reflections:
it's a good start.  I think every day or week we have little ah ha moments.  With time we will get more understanding of what we can move on and asking the right questions.  Hard to know what to do with their answers?