Upon discovering a tomato worm covered in white sacks on my tomato plant, I brought the live specimen in to class to help us work on our wondering skills. My in-laws told me the white sacks were wasp eggs (we soon discovered they were cocoons).
So we wondered many things: What happens to the tomato worm when the wasps hatch? Should we brush the wasp cocoons off of the tomato worm to save him? If we do that, how would that impact the environment? Does the environment need wasps? Do they contribute positively to the ecosystem, or are they just pests that sting us? etc.
To find the answers to our burning questions we formed teams: Team tomato worm and Team wasp. Our teams did research that answered our questions and fueled debates. Should we save tomato worms? Should we protect the wasps? At the end of our research, we realized that many of us changed our thinking about who the pest was. We discovered that tomato worms wreak havoc on many different crops, and the only positive contribution they make is to offer a place for wasp larvae to develop. We discover that wasps help pollinate and get rid of garden pests, so their overall contribution to the environment is more positive than we thought. We also discovered that one of our questions was irrelevant, because by the time we see the wasp cocoons on the exterior of the tomato worm, the larvae have already developed inside the tomato worm, and it's already been eaten.
This exercise was a great way for us to model the Personalized Learning process that we will be using throughout the year. It was also a great way to practice note-taking, key word searching, and reading for specific information.
I also want to foster an environment of inquisitiveness and curiosity. Hopefully we will be wondering about many things in the days, weeks, and months to come!
So we wondered many things: What happens to the tomato worm when the wasps hatch? Should we brush the wasp cocoons off of the tomato worm to save him? If we do that, how would that impact the environment? Does the environment need wasps? Do they contribute positively to the ecosystem, or are they just pests that sting us? etc.
To find the answers to our burning questions we formed teams: Team tomato worm and Team wasp. Our teams did research that answered our questions and fueled debates. Should we save tomato worms? Should we protect the wasps? At the end of our research, we realized that many of us changed our thinking about who the pest was. We discovered that tomato worms wreak havoc on many different crops, and the only positive contribution they make is to offer a place for wasp larvae to develop. We discover that wasps help pollinate and get rid of garden pests, so their overall contribution to the environment is more positive than we thought. We also discovered that one of our questions was irrelevant, because by the time we see the wasp cocoons on the exterior of the tomato worm, the larvae have already developed inside the tomato worm, and it's already been eaten.
This exercise was a great way for us to model the Personalized Learning process that we will be using throughout the year. It was also a great way to practice note-taking, key word searching, and reading for specific information.
I also want to foster an environment of inquisitiveness and curiosity. Hopefully we will be wondering about many things in the days, weeks, and months to come!
