33: What Is Your Superpower?

“There is a superhero inside all of us. We just need the courage to put on the cape.”

In literature, one of the most famous character archetypes is The Hero. The Hero is oftentimes the protagonist of a story, the one who rises up to the challenge and gives people hope. The Hero is often gifted with extraordinary powers, a sense of courage, and the will to do what is right.

Everybody knows a hero, whether it’s from the books we read or the movies we watch — even the news tell stories of modern-day heroes who contribute so much to society. It’s easy to notice the qualities that make a hero in others, but the truth is, all of us have the capacity to be a hero in our own way.

In our inquiry this week, the kindergarteners unleashed their inner heroes and learned how to save the earth, one action at a time. We began by learning once again from the Lorax about the different ways that we can help the earth.

We reflected on our actions and choices, and identified things that we have already done to positively impact the earth.

In the process of reflection, we revisited how we took care of our plant and animal friends at home, and identified the simple steps we did to help them survive.

We realized that making a difference doesn't have to always be in the form of big actions. Small actions matter in big ways, too. In fact, to the animals and plants that we helped, we became heroes in our own little ways.

In inquiry-based learning, the Going Further stage allows the children an opportunity to deepen their understanding of a concept and to investigate other areas of personal interest. This stage allows for the learners to engage with the concept from a different lens or perspective, which also adds a deeper dimension to the learning.

Using How to Help the Earth by the Lorax as a springboard, the children went further into their inquiry by choosing a specific advocacy that they would like to focus on through the lens of a superhero. They chose their own superhero name and designed the costume that they will use as a disguise.