Documentation Examples > Documentation Exhibition

Moving Towards Our Charter's Mission Through Responsive Reflection

School: Marstons Mills East Horace Mann Charter Public School, Marstons Mills, MA

6. Brainstorming Topics

Selecting our Topic

In order to align our topic with the Kindergarten to Grade 3 Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks we the teachers chose the broad topic of Cape Cod (authentic).

Students brainstormed the following sub-topics in small groups (learner-centered and authentic):

? Water Sports/Activities ? Places to Visit ? Cape Cod People ? Sea Life ? Services/Jobs/Occupations ? Schools ? Towns and Villages ? Shops on Cape Cod ? Sports ? Landscape/Geography

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Students then selected their own research topic based upon their personal interests. Students were grouped based upon their topic of interest, rather than grade level (interactive and learner-centered).

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As the students researched their topic they utilized the many resources available (learner-centered and interactive):

? Computers ? Internet ? Library ? Cape Cod Books ? Adults and Peers ? Brochures ? Travel Guides ? Maps ? Their own knowledge of the area