Current Events Inquiry: Head, Heart, Hands
As February blossomed into March, sixth grade students engaged in a Current Events Inquiry project connecting the head, heart, and hands. While building research skills and awareness of global issues, they honed their creative writing and sparked their sense of agency through hands-on action in their daily lives and communities.
In the first “head” part of the project, students selected a current events story from a youth-friendly journalism source. Once they digested the news article and its broader context, they moved on to Part 2, which invited “heart” through creative writing. Students wrote a piece — such as a TV news script, short story, podcast — featuring their current event. One student created a professional news clip about atmospheric rivers. Another composed a mini-newspaper discussing NATO vs. BRICS. Others drafted fictional pieces, such as a short story on online safety or a series of fictional letters “authored” by women sailing the world researching ocean nanoplastics. The world truly was at our fingertips!
Finally, Part 3 engaged our “hands” through action. Students committed to do one small act for two weeks that makes a positive contribution to the world and issues explored in their current event. For instance, in response to political tensions, a few students committed to doing daily acts of kindness, fostering habits of collaboration over competition. A crew of classmates held a bake sale at a park in their free time to raise money for charities related to their current events. Several students opted to help the environment by reducing their food waste or use of plastic. Another wrote a letter to SF Parks and Recreation.
Through the trilogy of head, heart, and hands, our sixth grade changemakers literally brought the world to our classrooms, while sharpening their capacity for critical thinking and honing their authentic voice in the process.
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