Newsletter #18: See, Wonder, Connect x 2

Each January, my second graders and I learn about and focus on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We read Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport. It’s a beautifully illustrated picture book which discusses, among other things, Dr. King’s life, his dream for our country, and his death.

My students usually have lots to say after we read the book. They want to talk about civil rights, segregation, and their dreams for the future. It’s a great time to use thinking strategies from Project Zero to draw out observations and make connections.  Project Zero, a Harvard Graduate School of Education initiative, creates simple, research-based thinking strategies, which enable students to “discern the significance of a situation, topic, or issue, keeping in mind global, local and personal connections." (Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education) 

See, Wonder, Connect x 2 is a great strategy for making connections and discussing significant historical and contemporary topics. After reading Martin’s Big Words, we look at a painting by Walter Ellison called Train Station. The painting depicts a busy train station in the early 1930s. Walter Ellison, a Black artist, drew attention to the disparities and inequities of racial segregation.

I have my students look at the painting for a few minutes to let them digest and observe. After the silent observation, my students point out the things they see. They notice the trains with open doors picking up passengers. They notice the fancy decor of the station and the signs telling riders which direction the trains were headed. They notice and see the different passengers, what they are wearing, what they are doing.

Next they continued to the wonder step. They can make observations or say what they wonder about. One student wonders why the passengers boarding the southbound train are well-dressed and mostly white, while the northbound train passengers are predominantly Black. Another student wonders why the black passengers are dressed in work clothing and none of them have porters pushing their luggage. 

“Mrs. Hawkins, I think this is like the book we just read, I think this is about segregation." “Mrs. Hawkins’ do you think there are signs that say ‘white only’ on that train? “Mrs. Hawkins, I have a connection!” In this phase students connect what they see to what they already know or have been learning in school. They make connections between the book and the painting.

They access prior knowledge and are able to make connections and observations on civil rights and segregation. The goal of this routine “is to help students appreciate how looking at something can expand one’s understanding of it, which in turn can provide a basis for making connections to other things. The routine encourages students to explore the interconnectedness of knowledge, and to understand that if they intentionally look for connections, they can find them.” (Project Zero)