Front Door Investigation

There's been a lot of talk around the lower school lately as we transition from a history curriculum toward a social studies one about what exactly that means...and more importantly, what it could look like.  While many of those big questions still linger, one thing I know for sure is that the concept of identity has come up over and over again.  Along similar lines, I always have Angela Maier's teachings running through my head about humans' inherent need to matter.  So, helping kids think more deeply about who they are, where they belong, and what they stand for - along with my commitment to helping kids realize they truly matter - have both been at the forefront of my mind.  

So after leading a lower school chapel around the idea of front doors (we peeked into my front door to see what my family's Rosh Hashanah celebration looks like), we used that SPARK to launch us into our own front door investigation. 

The process that follows below was intentionally vague from the outset because I didn't want to presume (or limit) what each kiddo might want to explore and share.  I had some initial ideas in mind based on my crew's interest so far this year in race and languages and countries of origin, but I also wanted to leave room to honor what feels most important in their six and seven year old little brains. For some kids I knew that might be their heritage, but for others I knew it might be something more simple like a special family dinner spot or a favorite bedtime routine.     

We started our investigation with a see-think-wonder activity, along with a picture book, that got us thinking a little more deeply about what it might look like behind other people’s front doors.  

And then we began thinking more specifically about our own front doors.

After gathering photographs of each of our doors, we got to work on some large scale artwork...which would ultimately become doors we could open to share and learn more about each other.  We sketched our doors, painted them, and added more details to make them look realistic.

Then we drew the families that live behind each of our front doors. 

Next we started brainstorming and sharing things that make each of our families special/unique.  We were lucky to have some 3rd grade helpers come down and scribe our many ideas so we could revisit them later.

 

Each kiddo narrowed their list down to the three things that felt most important/special to them and then added all three ideas to their family portrait. 

The hardest part was up next as each kiddo narrowed their three big ideas down even further - to the one thing that feels most important/special about their family.

Then each first grader met one on one with me to share (as I typed) all the things they already know about their topic, along with the questions/things they wanted to find out.

In terms of finding answers to their questions, an expert (their family!) was the perfect place to turn next. Interview questions went home, answers started coming back, and projects began...

Watching each expert proudly teach the rest of us about something that makes their family special/unique (not to mention watching as the rest of the kiddos intently listened and asked such focused follow up questions) was a pretty special thing to watch. 

As a final step (and to share our work with "the world" - or at least with our own little corner of it) our process was documented and our doors' were hung in the hallway.  That way passerby's could see our doors, and they could even open them up to see our families and find out more about what makes each of us so special.  

Before moving on I was curious to find out from the kiddos what kind of impact this process had on them.  

So, I asked..and their thoughts are written below:   

Why was it important to learn and teach about what’s inside our front doors?

·   - "It usually stays a mystery so it was fun to get to know."

·   - "You get to know something about your classmates that you might have never known before."

·   - "Because every family is special in a different way."

·   - "To help us learn that people are so different."

·   - "You get to know what’s really special about us – not just  about the little things."

·   - "To figure out what’s really important to you and your family."
    - To help us feel proud about what’s different about us."

·   - "So we could learn and think about each other’s perspectives."

Like always, there are MANY ways I could have tweaked and improved our investigation process.  Most notably, I would have loved to have ended our investigation with a special evening for kids to present/share their door projects and for families to come learn more about and celebrate each other. Definitely food for thought for the future.  In the meantime, though, given my initial goal of building community, growing identity, and celebrating our differences, I'm thinking I can confidently say...mission accomplished.