At the March 22nd Board meeting grade 4/5 St. Louis School teacher Kerri Favreau provided a unique presentation about how she's been able to take inquiry-based learning into her junior class. Throughout the school year, and with the support of the Idea Lab, Kerri has been inviting community partners into her classroom to share their knowledge, stories and experiences on various topics to help deepen her student's learning.
Kerri talked about why she launched the project, "I was inspired by the Artist in Residence and the Human Library and wanted to capture that experience for my students. I wanted to open the doors to the classroom even wider to include community learning partners and ways to co-construct deep learning experiences while building relationships with the local community. There is so much to celebrate in our local community and I wanted my students to realize they play an important role in our community."
At the meeting Kerri shared the experience of the project with the trustees through a series of letters. Each letter was addressed to a person in attendance at the board meeting and was read aloud. The letters talked about each community partner and the experiences they shared with the schoolhouse. The letters were charming and provided an amazing insight for the trustees to experience what each community partner shared.
You can follow the inquiry-based learning journey through the photos and letters below:
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Markus Pukonen
One of the first community learning partners to visit the Schoolhouse was traveler and explorer Markus Pukonen.
Excerpt from letter "Along with a wealth of information, Markus left us with a very important thought. He told us everyone can change the world and make a difference in someone's life." Read the full letter about Markus here:
Letter 1 - Markus Pukonen.pdf
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David White
When the class was learning about structures they studied bridges in Keewatin with local photographer David White. David showed the students how to use various camera settings and how to take photographs from various vantage points. Excerpt from the letter about David "Inside each and every one of us, there lives an artist. One of the ways you can have a conversation with that artist is through photography."
You can read more about the experience with David White by reading the full letter:
Letter 2 - David White.pdf
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Braden Murray and Shauna DeGagne
Following the photography session with David White the students became even more curious about the history of the places in Keewatin and Kenora. Braden Murray of the Lake of the Woods Museum was contacted. He provided many interesting photographs of historical events and has been an amazing resource to the class.
Shauna DeGagne was invited to the class next to lead them in a writing workshop. Shauna shared essential guidelines for article writing.
You can read Kerri's full letter about Braden and Shauna here:
Letter 3 - Braden Murray and Shauna DeGagne.pdf
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Phil Burke
Learning about historical places within the city prompted the class to turn their attention to a new genre of writing - plays. Phil Burke was invited to the class to provide a workshop on play writing. Excerpt from the letter regarding this learning experience, "A writing workshop with Phil Burke is truly an event of epic proportions. We quickly became immersed in his humour and creativity."
Take a moment to read the full letter about Phil Burke to learn more about the inquiry based learning that happened in his workshop:
Letter 4 - Phil Burke.pdf
P.S.: There is an interesting update about Phil Burke's community learning partnership with the Schoolhouse at the end of letter #8. Phil has invited the class to be part of a unique and wonderful learning opportunity.
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Aaron Visser
The plays that were written in Phil Burke's writing workshop were performed in the Mather Walls House. Aaron Visser provided a guided tour of the house and its history.
Excerpt from the letter about Aaron, "It's one thing to read and write about the past, but a much deeper connection is created when you slide your hand along the old banister, smell the wallpaper and ring the bell that was once an anniversary gift of great significance."
The full letter about Aaron Visser's experience with the class is here:
Letter 5 - Aaron Visser.pdf
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Miss Toth and Enzo Novelli
Student Teacher, Miss Toth was planning and preparing a unit on Matter. This soon led to an invitation to visit the restaurant owned by Miss Toth's family Ristorante Pizzeria Italia.
Excerpt from the letter "While she (Miss Toth) was worried that her grandfather, Enzo Novelli would be difficult to understand due to his strong Italian accent, the science of matter couldn't have been clearer as he explained how yeast can be made, how to avoid a greasy pizza, how to determine the freshness of cheese, and many more kitchen secrets." Read more about these community learning partners here:
Letter 6 - Enzo Novelli.pdf
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Pastor Germaine Lovelace
After reading the novel The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, the class started to wonder about the idea of 'Journey'. To dig a little deeper into their new wonderings, they invited pastor Germaine Lovelace to visit the class. Pastor Lovelace recently immigrated from Jamaica to Kenora.
Excerpt from the letter, "Germaine is quite passionate about working with homeless people in our city. He is an amazing person and left quite an impression on us."
Letter 7 - Pastor Germaine Lovelace.pdf
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Matt Kennedy
The Schoolhouse continued their exploration of 'journeys'. With their confidence developed through meeting new people Kerri was preparing them to meet someone they had never met before and interview them. To prepare for their interviews, they invited Matt Kennedy into their classroom to talk about the art of film making and interviewing. Matt recently completed a video for the board and the students had many questions about the process of film making.
Letter 8 - Matt Kennedy.pdf
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