A "Seamless" Day in Grade One?

I knew going into this school year, the type of environment I wanted to create for learning.  I had ideas that I wanted to explore... I wanted to immerse myself in literature about Reggio Emilia, Emergent Curriculum, The Environment as the Third Teacher and Inquiry-Based Learning...  I also wanted to investigate whether Grade One could become more "seamless" and be more "open" like the learning happening in FDK environments.

The last two months have been quite a learning curve for me.  Beginning in February/March, my students helped me to further transform our classroom to allow for more areas of inquiry and play.  A new plan for our day was set into motion- days full of investigation, exploration, wonder, discussion, collaboration, play, sharing and creation.  A more "seamless" day where subjects were no longer placed into specific blocks of time.  A day that allowed for more integration between learning areas- allowing more student voice and choice; a day not constrained by time and subjects; hence the word "seamless."

As we started to transform our afternoons, students created areas of inquiry and play.  Students constructed a movie theatre in our classroom complete with a snack bar, puppet shows and movie critics.  Carefully selected materials were used to provoke students into investigating daffodils at the art studio, water energy at the water station, seeds at the sun station.  Students wrote down areas of interests/wonderings and decided to set up two areas of inquiry- rocks and horses.  They helped me gather books, they brought materials in from home and helped to select materials to use within our inquiry spaces.

A colleague asked- How does that fit your curriculum?
I answered that students are expected to show their learning in some way.  We had brainstormed a list of possibilities that included writing, using ipads, making books, draw and label, paint, write a procedure etc... No matter what happens, students will be encouraged to write, draw and create which are all part of our curriculum.

She asked- But how do rocks fit the science curriculum?
I answered- I don't know.  I am not worried about that right now.  I just want to set things up and see what happens.  I need to trust my students and see where their ideas take me.

Two days later, two students wrote that they wondered if they could grow a rock.  I cheered inside!  There is a science link!  After the two students shared their wondering with the class, more students wanted to join in the inquiry.  5 students began researching rocks and planning how they thought they could grow a rock.  They wrote about their plan, they followed their steps and then wrote down what they did for other students to learn.

At this point these stations have been on-going for 5 weeks!  Students have blown me away with their connections, their thinking, their discoveries and their imagination.  This experience has helped me to grow as a teacher/learner/facilitator/researcher.  Is a "seamless" day possible?  I haven't got the answer yet.  But I do know, that providing an environment that promotes play, investigation, engagement and choice has my students hooked on learning.  They beg to go to their "Learning Places," they love to share their learning with others, they are sharing their experiences at home, and most important, they are invested in their learning.  I have more time to observe, learn and challenge my students.  I can provide descriptive feedback immediately.  I can work with small groups or one-on-one to meet students needs (differentiate) and help students achieve their learning goals.  Students are "uncovering" the curriculum as opposed to me "covering" it.  Student thinking is given a voice and is honoured.  Children are the heart of the classroom.