Grade 2 Presses Pause on Infographic Learning to Visit the Georgia Aquarium

From the start, our second grade students were thrilled to explore ocean life and to immerse themselves in learning new and interesting facts that they never knew before. Environmental effects, plant life, and endangered species were just a few of the many aspects of ocean life that was researched. As the students worked collaboratively in their research groups, Ms. Goodell and I facilitated class discussions about making the information they found available to our community. After investigating various ways to share their research, they decided that an effective way to share their information would be through creating ocean infographics.

visit with a focus

While gathering information and creating layouts for their infographics, we realized that we needed to bring authenticity to this project by allowing the students to see, think, wonder, and explore. Luckily for us, we have this amazing resource – the Georgia Aquarium, right here in Atlanta. We decided to press pause on creating our infographics so the students could truly be seekers and explorers in this project. Through our expedition to the aquarium, the second graders had the opportunity to take ownership of their learning. As they sought out and found more knowledge, they were inspired to create infographics filled with information that was meaningful to them.

Bringing authenticity to learning through our expedition was key in fueling their curiosities.While most of our students had visited the aquarium many times, this time was special because they came with a focus. With clipboards and pencils in tow, our students excitedly sketched and jotted notes to use in their infographics. When we returned to school, the second graders now had an authentic experience to draw from. The decision to press pause for an authentic experience created intentionality and meaning in their work.