During a routine class meeting an elementary school teacher, Mrs. Holdaway, was entertaining and listing, the ideas her students had for the next project-based(kw1) learning topic. A few students indicated they wanted to make a giant shark like the one they saw hanging in the Kindergarten room the previous year. This suggestion and many others were listed and set aside to be revisited the next day.
That afternoon Mrs. Holdaway spoke with, Mr. Russ, the school media specialist about the topics the students had generated and requested books on these topics to use the next day during silent sustained reading(kw2) which would occur before their next class meeting. Mr. Russ dutifully found the books and informed the teacher that he was a JAWS buff and would love to work with her on her next project(p3).
Before the discussion could begin again, or the books could be shared with the class, one student, Carol, excitedly shared a photograph that she and her mother had downloaded from the Internet the past evening. (The picture is the one featured at the beginning of this article which can be found on Google images. Touch the mouse to the picture for the web address.) Isn't technology(kw3) wonderful!?! The class was a buzz because of course this was a Great White Shark and, my oh my, it's gigantic. It also generated myriad questions: Is it a Great White Shark? Did the surfer survive or get eaten? Where did this happen? Can a shark get this big? Are all sharks that big? Mrs. Holdaway knew that she had to capture this energy and began to make a KWL chart(kw4) with the kids. Writing down the word SHARKS and WHAT DO WE WANT TO KNOW? at the top of a large chart paper, she quickly recorded all the kids questions. The picture was attached to the chart.
For the second day in a row Mrs. Holdaway headed back to the media center to ask Mr. Russ to help her locate the picture on the Internet as she was sure this picture was not what it appeared(p9). They located the picture and sure enough there was no evidence(kw5) supporting this as an actual event captured on film. What they did discover was that this is what many believe a Megalodon (a prehistoric shark 40-120 feet in length) may have looked like (a gigantic great white shark).
It was clear to both Mr. Russ and Mrs. Holdaway that the topic of Sharks, more specifically Megalodons, was most likely going to be a hot topic and possibly a huge project. Again Mr. Russ offered his expertise on information fluency(kw6) and his enthusiasm for sharks. Mrs. Holdaway was accustomed to "fending" for herself in the lesson planning arena but decided since she knew little about sharks to accept his offer. They planned a mutually convenient time to meet after school to discuss the possibilities.
Together they began by brainstorming and recording their ideas using a concept map(kw7). They generated ideas and multiple scenarios/paths this new project may take them. Mr. Russ, being well versed in the state standards (p1), showed Mrs. Holdaway how together they could meet the state standards, but also information literacy skills (p2) defined by the American Library Association (AASL, 1998, 8) by working together and using the vast resources available through the media center(p5).
The next day Mrs. Holdaway and her class joined Mr. Russ in the media center to view the picture that generated such conversation the day before. As before the questions began to pour from the group and now debates as well over the picture's authenticity. Mrs. Holdaway assigned herself the task of note taker during the loud discussion/debate over the photo. Mr. Russ then showed the kids another picture much like the one above and asked what they thought of it. Many saw this as proof that the first was the real thing while others continue to argue that it was a fake. Mr. Russ then unveiled that he had created the image himself by manipulating pictures off the internet. After much noise the kids asked him to show them how he did it, and being prepared, he obliged their request(p9). The class was now hooked.
Mrs. Holdaway then called the class's attention back to the debate they were having before Mr. Russ reveiled his talent for creating misleading art(p4). She asked the class to go back and evaluate their arguments. Why did many believe the photo was real? Why did some fight against that idea? What do you know about sharks that lead to that assumption? What do you know about computer graphics that lead to that assumption? Why did someone create the picture in the first place? What was the artist trying to convey? She then guided them through a metacognitive strategy(kw8): Talking about Thinking (Callison, 2006, 435).
After much discussion Mr. Russ directed the students towards a table loaded with nonfiction(kw9) books about prehistoric sharks and a bank of computers already set up with links to sites about megalodon(p6).
The following day Mrs. Holdaway asked the class again what it was they want to do for their learning project(s). The class unanimously wanted to learn about sharks, but had differing ideas. Five students wanted to make a life-sized shark, three students wanted to research the megalodon, two students wanted to learn how to create images like the one Mr. Russ created and about half the class wanted to create clay models. The class heatedly debated what they should do when Mrs. Holdaway suggested, for the first time this year, that maybe they could attempt to let all groups work on their own projects. Mrs. Holdaway then offered the idea that they hold a shark exhibit or aquarium tour. The idea was a big hit.
Together Mrs. Holdaway and Mr. Russ created an assignment rubric(kw10) they could both use to support the class in their individual and/or group work while maintaining the same clear expectations. They decided to focus on efficient and effective information seeking skills, note-taking skills, writing mechanics and the creation of a unique final product. Mr. Russ having anticipated a diversity of needs offered his assistance helping small groups conduct their research(p8). He also dusted off his English/Spanish translation CD's for the one student whose first language was Spanish(p7).
Mr. Russ also volunteered to contact a cousin who worked in a natural history museum who was able to put him in contact with a scientist who had a real, fossilized, megalodon tooth and was willing to communicate with the group researching the megalodon via distance education equipment (p10).
Thus began a long but invigorating swim for Mrs. Holdaway and Mr. Russ. The moral of the story: When swimming in unfamiliar waters... Take a Partner!
