Simplicity
In third grade, part of our curriculum is to teach the students a little about Quakerism. I have to say that I am really enjoying thinking about how to break down these big ideas into pieces that 8 and 9 year olds can digest while also thinking about how they can build their own understanding. Quakers have a core set of values called testimonies. Testimonies are agreed upon beliefs that help Quakers make decisions on how to live and act. In most Quaker schools, the acronym SPICES is used to help remember these core testimonies - Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. You don't have to be a Quaker to realize that these big ideas are important in life.
I started thinking about how to share these big ideas with students in a way that would get them to grapple with their own understanding. We started with Simplicity.
We read a few books which had a theme of Simplicity - I Wish You More, and Carl and the Meaning of Life are two of my favorites. As we read the books, we thought about what language the author used that seemed to suggest simplicity. We then had the students explore a pile of picture books on their own or in pairs, looking for and collecting some quotes.
We then took a look at some art. On the Smithsonian Learning Lab, I created a collection of art that represented simplicity to me. The students looked through it and chose one that they thought was an example of simplicity.
We finally visited one of our school gardens, after having a lesson on nature photography with my colleague, Monica Sorensen. The students' job was to take a photo of something that they thought was an example of simplicity.
Finally, the students took all their artifacts and put them together in their Quaker Book of Wisdom. This is a place where they can collect their thoughts about Quakerism and Quaker practices. Many students commented that they designed the page in a particular way to also represent simplicity.
It was fascinating to hear them comment on the process they went through and hear how their understanding has grown. We hope that we will be able to do this with other testimonies throughout the year!
I started thinking about how to share these big ideas with students in a way that would get them to grapple with their own understanding. We started with Simplicity.
We read a few books which had a theme of Simplicity - I Wish You More, and Carl and the Meaning of Life are two of my favorites. As we read the books, we thought about what language the author used that seemed to suggest simplicity. We then had the students explore a pile of picture books on their own or in pairs, looking for and collecting some quotes.
We then took a look at some art. On the Smithsonian Learning Lab, I created a collection of art that represented simplicity to me. The students looked through it and chose one that they thought was an example of simplicity.
We finally visited one of our school gardens, after having a lesson on nature photography with my colleague, Monica Sorensen. The students' job was to take a photo of something that they thought was an example of simplicity.
Finally, the students took all their artifacts and put them together in their Quaker Book of Wisdom. This is a place where they can collect their thoughts about Quakerism and Quaker practices. Many students commented that they designed the page in a particular way to also represent simplicity.
It was fascinating to hear them comment on the process they went through and hear how their understanding has grown. We hope that we will be able to do this with other testimonies throughout the year!
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