Creating a Sense of Wonder in the Classroom

• Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #34 – October 24, 2009
  
  "If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."
  Rachel Carson

What is a “sense of wonder?” Here are some definitions:

1. Emotion aroused by something awe-inspiring, astounding, or marvelous
2. The quality of exciting amazed admiration
3. Rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one's experience
4. A state in which you want to learn more about something

If these definitions describe the kind of learning you’d like your students to experience, then this posting is for you. The next few postings will feature types of lessons that lend themselves well to fostering a sense of wonder for your classroom students. The first area is nature and science.

Why teach about nature and environmental science?

Nature education is critically important in a child’s education for three reasons:

1. Nature education is important for its own sake. The natural world has inspired awe and wonder in children and adults alike for more generations than we can count. Yet children today, especially urban children, are increasingly divorced from or frightened by this wonder, unaware of its power and beauty.
2. In a world increasingly threatened by the effects of human behavior, we need a custodial generation of young people committed to finding solutions to ecological problems.
3. Nature is a wonderful curriculum area. The natural world is patterned, yet ever-changing. Birth, growth, and death--topics of abiding interest to young children’s opening minds--are central to it. And the observation, classification, and communication skills that develop in the study of nature lead to the skills and dispositions children will need to succeed in school."

When should environmental education begin?

Environmental education is a process – a lifelong process that starts with the child’s first experiences in the natural world. “Children create strong and enduring mental representations of what they have experienced in investigating the everyday world.” (Conezio and French, 2002).

The best classroom program, one that will foster a sense of wonder, recognizes that:
1. Children actively construct their own knowledge
2. Children learn best through activities, which engage their interest
3. Inclusive programs expand opportunities for all children
4. Appropriate assessment and reflection strengthens learning and teaching
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Children love to explore the natural world but by fourth grade, many school programs squash their curiosity with the way science is taught. We can and should be doing a better job empowering kids in schools to follow their curiosities and explore their world through science. You see, wonder begins with curiosity.

A simple, yet provocative science project dealing with nature, can be implemented in virtually any classroom. It involves those slimy, slithering, creatures children are fascinated by: earthworms.

BREEDING EARTHWORMS: Raising earthworms is an interesting activity for children in elementary and junior high school. For people who own amphibians, it is an important source of food. Making a dwelling for earthworms, called a wormery is very easy. You have to simply make a heap of soil and mix some cut grass and other kitchen vegetable scraps and fruit. This culture does not need special care, except for keeping it humid, and watering at least every two days in summer. Once in a while, add other vegetable waste and every two weeks mix the heap. You can observe earthworms' digestive and circulatory systems by dissecting them.Keyword: earthworm breeding vermiculture.

REGENERATION OF ANIMALS: Some animals can be cut in half and from each part will grow a complete individual. Try to cut an earthworm in half. (Research where it should be cut, as this is important). Keep these "pieces" in their natural environment and you will see they will regenerate the other part. Fascinating. But how come? Most students will want to know. Here’s one point where the child’s curiosity becomes a genuine sense of wonder.

Suggested Activities:

Step One: Before beginning activities that involve handling earthworms, a discussion on the care of living things would be worthwhile. Worm welfare is very important !! Contrary to popular belief it depends on where the earthworm is cut whether it is able to regenerate the missing part of its body.Discuss with the students likely places for earthworms to be found. Either go out and dig sods containing earthworms or get the students to bring sods from home.

Earthworms can be kept in culture in almost any large container, provided that it is non-porous (otherwise it will be difficult to keep the soil sufficiently moist). The size of the container will determine the number of earthworms that can be accommodated. Three to five worms per 500ml capacity will allow the earthworms to carry out their activities, such as cocoon production, normally. Cultures are best kept cool, between 10°C and 15°C. Suitable food sources are partly rotted straw or tree leaves, or moist horse manure.

Step Two: Have students make drawings or take photographs of the earthworms in the wormery on the very first day. Students could spend some time researching for further information about earthworms, using the library, gardening books and/or magazines, and the internet. Several helpful web sites are listed in the bibliography included with this unit. The wormery inhabitants then need to be left alone to establish themselves.

Step Three: After the wormery has been established for about a week, if the students take off the cover they will be able to observe that changes have occurred. The wonder excellerates!
Draw an accurate diagram or take a photograph of the wormery. Compare this to the diagram drawn or photograph taken on the first day. Make a list of changes that have occurred.
Study the way the earthworms move and make tunnels. List three things that help the earthworms to move and make tunnels.

It would be interesting to keep the wormery for one or two more weeks so the students can observe it again and repeat this activity.

Encourage students to ask questions about the earthworms. List them on the board.

Here are some questions they may wonder about:
1. What do earthworms eat?
2. Where do they live?
3. What do they like?
4. How do they breathe underground? –
5. How are they like us?

Our role as teachers of natural or environmental science is to guide and encourage further exploration. The art of inquiry and constructivist teaching is to not tell or fill a child with facts, but to help each child build and construct their own ideas about the world around them. Teachers can do this through anticipating questions and misconceptions, and by careful preparation of the learning environment.

Here are just a few of the wonders of nature your students will discover:
An Earthworm’s Body
Is soft, slimy brown or pink and is divided into rings or segments.
Is pointed at both ends with one end flattened.
Uses its skin to breathe and small bristles to move.
Has no eyes.
Earthworms have a Lifespan
Living Beginning
Growth
Development
Reproduction
Death
Earthworms Movement
It has tiny little hairs sticking out underneath its body. The earthworm uses these bristles called setae to cling to the ground as it moves.
The earthworm contracts its body to move.
Earthworms help the Environment by enriching and producing soil
Worms spend their days tunneling through soil. Worms usually tunnel at least 20cm everyday.
Worms eat dirt and other debris.
Earthworms build soil by producing body waste called castings that are rich in nutrients.
An Earthworms Lifecycle
Earthworms are hermaphrodites, each having both female and male reproductive organs. Fertilized eggs are deposited in the soil in cocoons. Each cocoon produces an average of four eggs. Eggs hatch within three weeks. Earthworms burrow deep into the soil and come to the surface to feed on organic debris.

Reasons To Study Earthworms?
Young children construct knowledge through participation with others in activities that foster experimentation, problem solving, and social interaction.
This Study Uses Inquiry Methods
You can use K-W-L Charts to guide, develop and answer questions together. KWL Chart (What I know, Want to Know, What I Learned).
How to Create a Fun Lesson and Create That Sense of Wonder
1. Plan the Environment
o Child Centered and Teacher Focused.
o Create a Science Rich Environment.
o Encourage Wonder.
o Build Excitement.
o Explore living things in a new way.
2. Be a Caring Naturalist
o What is a Naturalist.
o Stay Safe (discuss what can be touched and what cannot).
o Keep animals and plants safe.
o Look very carefully at what you find.
3. Questioning
o Tell me what you found.
o What does it look like?
o How does it feel?
o Where did you find it?
o Why do you think it was there?*
4. Reflection
Teacher interaction through focused exploration of organisms’ habitats in nature encourage deeper thinking through questioning and focused exploration. Reflection, discussion, demonstration and well-planned “hands-on” activities foster a sense of wonder and respect for living things. Sit back and observe as your students’ eyes and minds are turned on and devouring “real time” learning.

Here are some additional online resources where your curious students can go to get many of their questions answered during this project:

Adventures of Herman
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/worms/
Squirmin' Herman the earthworm is here to teach you about the history of worms, their anatomy, and other fun facts.
Another Worm Learn Site:
2) Worms (Grade 1, Museum Magnet School)
http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/tf/w/worms/worms/worms.html

Worm Digest
http://www.wormdigest.org/home.html
Worm Digest is published is a project of The Edible City Resource Center, a nonprofit educational organization in Eugene, Oregon, involved in the promotion of sustainable organic agriculture. Lots of good worm information, especially for worm composting and farming.

Worm World at the Yuckiest Site on the Internet
http://www.yucky.com/worm/
At this site you meet 'Mary the Worm Woman', investigate worms as recyclers, and learn all about earthworms and their cousins with your host, Wendell.