Using Thinking Language In Kindergarten - From chapters 2/3

This week we thought back to our beginning of the year discussions of Sir Isaac Newton and his thought process in discovering gravity. In this reflection, we learned some really good “thinking words.” First Newton had to notice that an apple had fallen from the tree. A lot of people don’t think to notice such things. Apples fall all around them and they aren’t even aware of it. But Newton didn’t just stop at noticing. After noticing, he asked a question. “Why did this apple fall from the tree.” It seems simple, but apples had been falling from trees for many years without much concern from others in the world. After pondering the fact that apples seemed to always fall down to the ground after separating from their branches, instead of, let’s say, floating away into the clouds, the next step in Newton’s process was to formulate a theory of why these apples were descending. As we discussed in class, a theory is like a guess that has a bit of “umph” to it...it’s a “smart guess” that uses the information and knowledge that we have. Following his theory making, Newton went to work substantiating his theory with scientific experiments and mathematical formulas.

We undertook the same process on Monday with our wonderings about money. We decided to analyze the different coins we use each morning to “pay” for school. When “analyzing” something, you have to look much more carefully than usual...and it often helps to have a magnifying glass.

Matched with a partner, each child was given a handful of the same denomination coins. Their mission was to first notice things about the coins. This often took on the form of comparing and contrasting the coins. What did they notice in their analyses that was the same about the coins and what did they observe that was different? Of course, good thinkers often choose to organize their thinking, often by making charts and writing thinking down.

After spending time analyzing the coins, we convened as a group to discuss our findings:

Group #1: “We noticed that there are different pictures on the quarters. They all had a head on them and lots of them had eagles but not all of them. Some of them had other pictures on them.”

Meg: So when you compared and contrasted the coins, you noticed different things on the same coins? Did anyone make the same observation?

Group #2: We noticed the same thing. Two of our pennies were different. Both were made in 2009. They were shinier and they had different pictures on them too.

Group #3: The nickels were different too. Some of the faces were different people and the pictures were different too. Most of the nickels had a building on them but there was one with a buffalo and one with a boat!

Meg: What would be your thinking question after analyzing the coins and making these observations?

Question: Why are there different pictures on the coins?

Meg: Does anyone have a theory to answer our question?

Student #1: I have a theory! Maybe they were made by different machines and the machines put different pictures on them.

Student #2: Maybe they were made in different places. Maybe some of them were made in a different country.

Student #3: But that can’t be because they still say United States Of America on them. That means they were made in the same place.

Student #4: Well, maybe they were made someplace else but then they were brought here.

Student #5: Maybe they were made in a different state...not a different country. Maybe it was just a different state.

Meg: These are good theories. I noticed that when you made your theories, you all began with the word “maybe.” Theories often begin with “maybe” because we don’t know if they are true. Can you substantiate your theory? Do you have any reasons or proof that your theory might be correct?

Student #6: Well, sometimes you can bring something from a different place to your house. Like when you go on a trip. So it goes from one place to another.

Student #7: But sometimes you can’t do that. Like food. When I went to Mexico, we couldn’t bring the food home because it might have diseases, and we’d bring the diseases with us too. So we had to leave it there.

Meg: That’s interesting. I remember something like that happening to me in Mexico too. That actually sounds more like a reason to counter or go against the theory that the coins were made in a different country.

Student #5: But they could have been made in a different state! That’s my theory.

Meg: How could we substantiate that theory?

Student #8: We could go to the bank and ask them.

Meg: Banks do have a lot of money. Do you think they are experts?

Student #9: Yes, they would know because they see money all the time.

Meg: So, if you have a lot of money, does that make you an expert on it? I’m thinking of people I know who have a lot of money, and they might not even know that the pictures of the coins are different because they don’t ever really notice their money. They just put it in their pocket.

Student #10: Yea, I don’t think that if you have money you know about it.

Meg: Maybe you don’t necessarily know about it. Do you think if you don’t have money you could be an expert on it?

Student #11: No, you couldn’t know about it if you didn’t have any.

Student #12: You might know about it. You could still read about it or look up about it on the computer. Then you could be an expert even if you didn’t have any money.

Student #13: We could ask the mint! They know a lot of about money.

Student #14: That’s what Wyatt told us about in his share! We could ask the mint because there is one in Denver!

At this point, we concluded that the mint was an excellent place to get our questions answered and our theories substantiated.

We continued to share our observations, questions, theories and substantiations throughout the week so we would have lots of questions and theories to take to the mint.

Included in these were:

Notice/Observation:

There are Spanish words written on the coin. (E Pluribus Unum)

Question:

Why are there Spanish words on the coins?

Theory:

The coin was made someplace in Mexico.

Substantiation:

Because they speak Spanish in Mexico.

Notice/Observation:

There is a torch on the back of the dime.

Question:

Why is there a torch on the back of the dime?

Theory:

It means liberty.

Substantiation:

The statue of liberty holds a torch.

Question: Where is paper money made?

Theories:

At the bank

At the White House

And one of my favorites:

Notice/Observation:

All the coins are round.

Question:

Why are all coins round?

Theories:

Maybe because the machines that make coins can only make round things.

Maybe because they don’t rip your pockets when you put them in because round things are smoother and so they won’t rip your pocket. And they won’t cut you either.

Maybe because they are easier to hold.

Maybe because they flip better.

They wouldn’t fit into a piggy bank if they weren’t round. Or a gumball machine. Or a soda machine!

When asked this question at the mint, unfazed, the tour guide responded,

“Because they roll better.”

It’s always a good idea to ask an expert to get the real answer!