TOURIST ATTRACTION: VANCOUVER AQUARIUM
Division 11 had an opportunity to visit the Vancouver Aquarium, located in scenic Stanley Park in downtown Vancouver. The students really couldn’t contain their excitement, especially given that half of the class had never been there before!
DEBATE TIME
The day after our field trip, I read the following book to the class, in hopes of inspiring some lively discussions about animals in captivity:
The children immediately made connections with our experiences at the Vancouver Aquarium!
The kids were put in small learning pods, and in teams, they were given a side to take:
- Are public aquariums good?
- Are public aquariums bad?
Every team was responsible for creating posters that illustrated their side of the debate. Take a listen to snippets of each group’s presentation to the class!
***Readers, which side of the argument are you on?***
EVERY OPINION COUNTS: OUR VERY FIRST EDITORIALS
The day after our class debates, the children explored persuasive writing for the first time, in the form of editorials!
I immediately noticed something different that day. Rather than jotting down their thoughts straight away, most of the students continued to discuss and weigh out the pros and cons of public aquariums. They were still debating with each other, and many commented that they saw both the good and bad of public aquariums! They really put a lot of thought behind what they wanted to say, and seemed emotionally invested – though be it torn – in this issue.
I was impressed by my 6-8 year olds who arrived at their own opinions about public aquariums without feeling pressure from classmates. I was inspired to see the kids write with purpose. I was absolutely blown away by my students who shared their opinions with such passion and conviction!
For me, it was incredibly insightful “deep diving” into their takes on animals in captivity. I hope it is for you, too!
