Second graders work on problem solving
Second graders students in Rebecca Ragsdale’s class joined together for a group photo after making their presentations Sept. 14.
WPISD is implementing a framework this year that involves allowing students to flourish by going beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic in the classroom.
Earnest O Woods Intermediate teacher Rebecca Ragsdale is challenging her 2nd grade gifted and talented students by engaging them in tasks that require problem solving, critical thinking, and perseverance. “In 2018, problems can be ‘googled’ for a solution. We want our students to have the skills to solve problems on their own!”, said Ragsdale.
The students were introduced to a problem. The problem they observed was how much time it took for farmers to prepare fields, plant, nurture, and harvest their crops.
Students then broke into groups to invent a machine to assist farmers and create a more efficient way to accomplish this endeavor. All groups presented their inventions in the form of commercials, enticing the public to buy their product.
Principal, Melanie Mullin stated, “We want our students to think critically to solve problems. For many students in this class, the problem hit close to home. Several of our students come from agricultural families. Our 2nd graders worked together in groups to not only create a solution, but they went a step further to market their product and convince the consumer to purchase that product.”
