Finishing up our last week of dinosaur study, many children are still collecting data about their personal research choices. They are choosing facts that they find interesting to write about in their journals. Some of the children have taken to this activity with gusto, writing new facts a few times a week. Others become interested when they see their friends writing about their dinosaurs.
This project has a few exciting by-products. The children are finding out that books contain much more than simply stories. Sometimes it comes as a surprise that anything you want to know about can be found in a book. (Many children are sure that most of the information that is available comes from the computer!) We are also provided with the opportunity to explore indexes, table of contents, and glossaries in an authentic way. Later, when we collect information from each child’s study and create a compilation of information, the children will experience the joy of being the “expert” in their own research.