When the museum was finished my students were thrilled. They had so much fun teaching other—and mostly older—students about something.
The families of my students that came to our museum were impressed with their children’s enthusiasm and voiced that they were learning things along with their kids. In some homes this unit led to family discussions and independent research by students at home.
Students, teachers, and staff at the school had similar positive reactions. We received many comments and compliments about our thorough research and presentation on this topic. Many teachers asked how I was able to cover this topic with 2nd graders and why I covered it at all. My response was simple “they asked to learn about this.” The principal of my school stopped me in the office one day and said to me that she was not used to having a 2nd grader come into her office and ask for her opinion on the war in Iraq. I was a little nervous about what that meant but was put at ease when she told me she thought it was great.
The unit and project really helped my class in many ways. Student interest in learning grew in leaps and bounds. My students all look forward to coming to school and don’t hesitate to ask to learn about something. (They ended up choosing several units of study this year.) My students now see school as a place where they can go to answer their own questions and know that school and education is more than learning things that the teacher says you have to. I am of the opinion that all of this is what has allowed me to have an amazing first year of teaching.
Below is a clip of some of my students in June of 2009, talking about what they remembered learning this year.
Tags: 2nd grade, ASL, Education, Integrating Curricula, Iraq, Sign Language, Social Justice, War
