Wonderopolis!

Since this is our first week of homework, we are sending along one of our FAVORITE resources for home reading logs.  The site is called:

http://wonderopolis.org/

Wonderopolis is a fantastic reading site for IMA students and their families too.  
The top reasons that we love this site:

1.  Wonder Questions greet the reader with an interesting question to focus the reader's thinking.

2.  A fun or informative video helps a reader to access their own background knowledge or to see and think about something completely new. 

3.  The short, but powerful articles are filled with information, vocabulary, and child-friendly research resources.

4.  Each topic and article provides children with interesting ways to increase their vocabulary and build an understanding of their world.

Take some time to wonder and read together this weekend!

This is a Milkweed Tussock Moth found by our students. 

Ask your child why looking like a Monarch Caterpillar 

would keep this creature safe from predators.

This blog can be linked from our webpage:  http://www.dublinschools.net/ima.aspx

How are seedless grapes grown and can you grow grapes from seeds?

How often do you pass by the grapes in the grocery store?  How often do you buy grapes and enjoy them as a snack?  Have you ever wondered how such a tidy, seed-free snack is grown?  Here is a great science and nonfiction reading website that you can use for wonder questions and home learning.  Enjoy the  Growing With Scienceblog. You can use the sidebar to find topics of interest.  Happy Learning!

How are seedless grapes grown?

Wonder Questions

Children ask thought-provoking, important questions and we are taking advantage of students' curiosity with a ritual called Wonder Questions.  Whenever possible, students develop questions based on their interests.  Their questions guide their independent reading and research with the goal of sharing their answers with classmates.  Students use books, magazines, people, other printed resources, and the Internet to answer their questions.  While they find joy in self-directed learning, students are fine-tuning research skills, nonfiction reading strategies and informational writing strategies. 

After a series of guided lessons, the children realized that Wonder Questions cannot be HUGE questions.  Wonder Questions need to be more focused so a person can investigate the wonder.  A question such as, What is a garter snake?, is a HUGE question.  A Wonder Question focuses on a smaller aspect of the topic.  How does a garter snake fit a mouse into its mouth and swallow it whole at mealtime? is a focused question.  This question surfaced right before we fed Fred the Snake.  Observations and reading helped a child answer this question.

Wonder Questions let children know that learning can be fun, purposeful, and challenging.  They've discovered that a Wonder Question often leads to even more questions and learning.  We are so impressed with the enthusiasm and determination of the IMA children to make Wonder Questions a part of their learning lives.

You can make Wonder Questions a part of your home reading lives as well. A pet, an upcoming trip, a question sparked by a documentary, or a spontaneous question can lead to many priceless opportunities with your child.  Enjoy your time together and let us know about your Wonders!