What is a leader?
Four weeks ago, Mrs. Marsh started a project-based learning experience with her 1st grade students by asking this simple question:
The project involved aspects of math, social studies, science, and language arts, and featured leaders like our principal, Mr. Blum, and our superintendent of schools, Dale McVey.
Students began by brainstorming different characteristics they thought described a leader and by thinking about important leaders in their lives. They interviewed family members about who they consider leaders and what makes a leader.
Mrs. Marsh had different guest speakers come in to talk about leadership. She coached her students on asking quality interview questions. Mr. McVey shared that you may think you're a leader, but you're not if no one is following you. The students compared the different leadership qualities of the guest speakers and added the information to their research.
While the students continued to research and share ideas, Mrs. Marsh read 6 books that featured 6 different characters that demonstrated some sort of leadership qualities.
After researching what makes a leader and reading each of the books, students worked together in cooperative learning groups. Their task: develop an election campaign for the book character they thought was the best leader.
What is a leader?
The project involved aspects of math, social studies, science, and language arts, and featured leaders like our principal, Mr. Blum, and our superintendent of schools, Dale McVey.
Students began by brainstorming different characteristics they thought described a leader and by thinking about important leaders in their lives. They interviewed family members about who they consider leaders and what makes a leader.
Mrs. Marsh had different guest speakers come in to talk about leadership. She coached her students on asking quality interview questions. Mr. McVey shared that you may think you're a leader, but you're not if no one is following you. The students compared the different leadership qualities of the guest speakers and added the information to their research.
While the students continued to research and share ideas, Mrs. Marsh read 6 books that featured 6 different characters that demonstrated some sort of leadership qualities.
After researching what makes a leader and reading each of the books, students worked together in cooperative learning groups. Their task: develop an election campaign for the book character they thought was the best leader.
Students worked on campaign speeches and campaign poster to gear up for the big event: the election.
Next, students campaigned in different precincts (the other 1st grade classrooms) to try and get other students to vote for their book character. They made campaign speeches to try and win the vote.
After the campaigning was done, the voting began. Each precinct voted on one of book characters. As the votes came in, Mrs. Marsh's students tabulated the results:
Somes students were stunned to find that while their book character won in one of the precincts, they did not win the over all vote:
The winner? Molly Lou Mellon!
Overall, the students learned a great deal about leadership and about what leaders do in order to lead others.
Enjoy this VoiceThread of the book character campaign posters and speeches:
Next, students campaigned in different precincts (the other 1st grade classrooms) to try and get other students to vote for their book character. They made campaign speeches to try and win the vote.
After the campaigning was done, the voting began. Each precinct voted on one of book characters. As the votes came in, Mrs. Marsh's students tabulated the results:
Somes students were stunned to find that while their book character won in one of the precincts, they did not win the over all vote:
The winner? Molly Lou Mellon!
Overall, the students learned a great deal about leadership and about what leaders do in order to lead others.
Enjoy this VoiceThread of the book character campaign posters and speeches:
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