Grit to Gravel: Layers of Cementation: Snip It #7

Grit, to me at least, is that dusty, powdery stuff you inhale on a sandy beach or off-roading. You can feel it coat your teeth, it gets stuck in your mouth. Both irritating and choking. Never have I seen the word grit and thought challenging or vigorous learning, is taking place. Gravel, albeit, just larger pebbles to me represents, solid ground, a sturdiness you walk upon to reach your destination. That is why we see it, on so many paths and driveways. It holds the location tight, when water and mud, invade its cracks and crevices. In my lessons, it is both integral and purposeful, but it tends to stay, on the more visual side of things, observable like the myriad of colors, that gravel projects.

This last week, my GT students, rather than taking notes on the large list of Genetics vocabulary, were put into groups and given 4 words to investigate. Then they reported on these concepts, to the class. On Friday, they shared their words: with analogies, a scientific article on their 'bigger approach' and a concept map showing their connection to Genetics. The gravel of the lesson, was to create a Google Doodle incorporating their words. They had all seen Google Doodles numerous times and I thought this was a nice, visual, simple, way for them, to connect their words, with a relevant tool they all access every day- Google.

They came out amazing. I put all of them up in a mosaic, on the wall. This way they can look at the 'big picture' -how do all of these separate vocabulary words, combine into the mural of Genetics.