How to turn a corner?

Environment and Turning a corner We set five goals in place each month in the form of a lesson plan. This month, the idea was to set up items in their environment to help the children turn a corner. We kept the items we used last month and also encouraged the children to brainstorm of items they may want to use to make the marble turn the corner.

Brayden Brayden (5.1) creates a ramp. He discovers if you use a ramp and tilt it so it isn’t straight it moves the marble a little way and starts a turn. He then adds a block which makes the marble hit it and begin to turn.

Aidan Aidan (5.11) discovers if you use a ramp and then make a line with other blocks that you could begin to make a ramp turn. He uses a bouncy ball first which bounces over his work. A friend suggests that the bouncy ball is too bouncy. He then uses a marble and he is able to make the marble turn the corner!

Claire Claire (4.11) uses a laundry basket to see how the marble turns the corner in there. She then shares it goes around the corner because there is a road for it set up. She asks Mahi how she turns her car on a road and what the shape of the road looks like.

How to turn a corner… Several children join friends at block center to see if they can figure out how to turn a corner. Aidan (5.11) decides that if we use a black ramp that is bendable that it might work to have the marble turn a corner. The ramp does not stay bent so the children decide to move to looking at the book.

How will this work? Drake (4. 7) points out a picture in the text. “See how they do that?” He identifies each item in the picture and how the children in the picture use them. They then decide to sketch their ideas before trying them.

Sketches of our Ideas After sketching, the boys decided to make our own ramp book. They asked to add their sketches and the work they have created to continue their work.