. . .the whole point of doing thematic studies is so that we can finally stop racing between one tiny subject and another. . . One is the misconception that our goal in a theme study is to link together as many disciplines as possible. When this is the goal, the result is often a hodgepodge of vaguely related activities. . . If we really believe that knowledge is integrated, why can't we trust that a deep investigation of one particular topic will lead us naturally across subject divisions? pp. 456-457

What I am saying is that if we want our students to study something in depth, we need to focus on a particular topic. But I'm also saying that researching something 'small' doesn't prevent us from working with the broad concepts of our curriculum. p. 458

. . when we organize our entire curriculum around questions students raise at the start of their inquiry, we forget that until they have immersed themselves in a topic for a while, they don't know the significant questions to ask. . . It takes a lot of knowledge before a person can identify the really interesting, loose ends to pursue, the gaps to fill. p. 459

Ideally in theme studies youngsters are invited to take on an inquiry stance like that of a field scientist, anthropologist, or historian. p. 459

... learning should be purposeful . . . language is used, skills are developed, and information is learned for real purposes. p. 461

But how do we decide which topics will be particularly suited to a theme study? These are some of the questions I consider:

* If I have a curriculum I am expected to follow, which subjects within it . . . might capture the imagination, interest, and energy of my students and of me?
* What resources . . . are available . . . are there experts, sites for field trips, people to interview and survey, things to obseve, brochures, pamphlets, maps, music, newspaper clippings, radio broadcasts, and accessible nonfiction books?
* Within which of these subjects might students be able to conduct hands-on primary research?
* If my students develop an expertise in one or several of these topics, will it have real-world payoffs for them? Will they find themselves understanding current events differently?
* Which of these topics . . . might help my students think critically about the issues of democratic society?
* Of the topics I'm considering, are some more developmentally appropriate for the age groups I teach than others?
* What kinds of final projects and purposes can I imagine the students pursuing? pp. 463-464

Students, from the first, need to gather resources, but they also need to find meaning in those resources. p. 467

The goal is to open up the world to investigation. p. 478

    by Lucy Calkins     in Lucy Calkins