The 4th graders began gathering information for presentations on masterpieces from all kinds of fields. They first chose one of the multiple intelligences, then a career, and then a famous “product” that is related to that career. Some examples are: Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, The Discovery of King Tut’s Tomb, and motorcycles.

They are researching using Kaplan’s icons of Depth and Complexity, such as multiple perspectives. Next week, I will introduce them to some presentation options to make their final products “pop”!

We had some great answers to the bonus question from a few weeks ago that asked the students to connect the question, “What can I do that will have meaning in the future?” to a couple of videos I posted. Here are a couple of examples:

Paige – One thing that I could do right now that would have an effect on the future is seeing things differently. You can try to see the hidden potential in everything. The people in these videos did that. They took what we thing of as trash, and made it into amazing things that people can afford. Someday, people everywhere might use things like that for a lot more stuff.

Connor – Carrying on tradition and preserving the past is important. I collect things like baseball cards and coins that have been around for years and sometimes many generations. The people in these videos are recycling and reusing old items to make new things. I take old things and preserve them. We both are taking things from the past and making them more meaningful and useful for the future.