Shaunquetta N. Johnson
Activity 1
KWL Chart
To begin the unit students brainstorm what they know about passing gas: all answers accepted and charted.
Students will brainstorm questions they have about passing gas. If students seem reluctant or stuck, teacher will model start with a question to motivate student response. Students may write on paper and questions added to chart. Small groups can be formed to brainstorm questions. For example, can animals pass gas?
In the last column, the teacher tells students one thing they will learn: that from now on everyone will say flatulence instead of passing gas, farted or other names they may label it.
As the unit is being taught, make sure the KWL chart is updated with questions and information that answers the question. A separate charted can be made and titled, Interesting Information. This chart is for questions that did not ask on the KWL chart but discovered during research.
Activity 2
The Strategy of Questioning
Create a poster for posting of codes
A= Answered
BK = Background Knowledge
I = Inferred from research
D = Discussion
RS = More Research
Huh? Or C = Confusion
The teacher will read a text from the reading list ("My Noisy Body" the section on farts) and model how to use codes. Questions are written on a sticky note as students are reading and researching about flatulence. Once students find an answer, they can use the appropriate letter code to denote how the answer was derived.
The teacher will model questioning after reading using sticky notes to keep track where meaning breaks down. The teacher will emphasize that everyone has questions even adults.
Sticky notes should be placed on pages where questions arise. Model reading further and when a question is answered from the text write answers and place a sticky note in the text where the question is answered.
Although some questions may not be answered, the students will see that teacher has questions. In turn, they will recognize they can have questions too.
Thick and Thin Questions
The teacher will introduce thick and thin questions to students. An anchor chart can be created for students to refer to.
Thin questions are the basic questions: who?, when?, where?, what?, and how many?
The answer to a thin question is short, basic knowledge, and requires recall. For examples:
How many days of the week are there?
Who is the president of the United States?
Where do you live?
What color is the sky?
To check understanding, tell students to write more examples of thin questions. This can be done individually, in pairs, or small groups.
Thick questions are questions that require thought and research. The answer to a thick question involves deep thinking, analyzing, argument, and providing evidence to defend a position. For examples:
Why do you think…?
What if?
How would you feel if?
What might…?
To check understanding, tell students to write more examples of thick questions. This can be done individually, in pairs, or small groups.
Let students know that they will use thick and thin questions while keeping a nutrition diary, analyzing their data, doing their research, and during group discussions. Students can practice asking thick and thin questions by writing more for homework.
Activity 3
"What's Eating You?"
Students will keep a nutrition diary for at least two weeks (time span is flexible). Every day the students will write down everything they eat. Students will also track how many times a day they have flatulence, whether it has a smell or no smell, and whether it is silent or noisy.
Students will tally the number times per day that they have flatulence and analyze the data.
Students will answer the question: what can you conclude from your data?
Students will pair with another student to compare their data and formulate a list of questions to research possible solutions from their results. Students will begin to question the effect of certain foods and drinks that give them flatulence, whether the time of day effects their flatulence, and why certain foods and drinks cause them flatulence and no other student(s). The teacher will encourage students to come up with as many questions as they can, individually and in student pairs. Students will utilize teacher-approved websites, books from the reading list, and resources from the library. Students will summarize their findings and share the information in a small group of 4-6 students. Students may ask additional questions in their small group to promote discourse and further research. Remind students to categorize and code questions, as well as ask thick and thin questions.