One Paper, So Many Possibilities

I took this picture earlier this week and wanted to share it with you.  The image shows one of the students in my class writing on a class list.  I had outdated copies of my class list from the first week of school.  Rather than putting these papers in the recycling bin, I decided to place them in the Creative Minds Centre (aka, the art centre).  The students quickly found these lists and were curious about what was on them.  Ms. Marrella and I purposely didn't tell the students they were holding copies of our class list.  We were curious about what the children would do with this new type of paper. 

As the students were looking at the paper, trying to figure it out, one child was able to recognize his own name.  Excitement was in the air as a few more students were able to find their names on the list.  The children quickly realized they were holding a paper with everyone’s name on it.  Ms. Marrella and I noticed that the students used the class list for a variety of purposes.  Some students walked around the class asking other students to identify their names on the list.  For students who couldn't identify their name on the list, they began to search for the first letter of their name (These students were engaged in reading and letter and sound ID).  Other students used the class list to take surveys related to favourite toys in the class (These students were engaged in writing and math).  Some students ignored the class list and used the paper for their own cut and paste creation (These students were engaged in creative expression and fine motor development).

It was great to see how one piece of paper could be used for a variety of purposes.  The children discovered the class list on their own, were naturally curious about what it was, and were able to use it for play (play-based learning).  Play looked different for different groups of children, and in the end, learning was taking place!