Practice: Use Materials to Share, Adapt, Research, Iterate, and Refine their Ideas

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Inventors work with materials to prototype, share, research, iterate, and refine ideas.


Humans just want to understand life on Earth! We want to understand why. Zooming in helps us understand why.

Sam, age 5


Children use materials to develop and share ideas when adults…

  • provide a range of materials with different sensory features and qualities
  • allow children time to understand the qualities of different materials
  • invite children to iterate their ideas using multiple media and dimensions
  • expect children to share, collaborate, and offer feedback to each other

Teachers prototype, share, research, iterate, and refine their ideas when they…

  • engage with the arts in open inquiry as professionals
  • make a practice of asking themselves, “Where are the arts?” as they develop lessons
  • regularly collaborate with colleagues to plan and reflect on their practice
  • adopt a stance as a teacher-researcher who is a professional creator of curriculum

Thinking with Materials

Use this tool to expand children’s thinking about a key concept or question.

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What Can this Material Do?

Use this tool to introduce children to new materials.

View PDF

 

Constructing New Exhibits through Collaboration and Imagination

When 3rd-grade children and adults work together to create a public exhibit, both learn about collaboration.

Classroom Video

① Providing a Place for Young Writers to Make their Mark and ② Growing and Celebrating Writers

These videos illustrate approaches to developing inventiveness in young writers, ages 3-5 and grade 3.

① Classroom Video
② Classroom Video



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This Practice is guided by Principles

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