I've been a teacher, reading specialist, and curriculum writer for 27 years, and have seen firsthand how big a difference it makes when you put rich content—rather than drab materials—in front of kids. It's common sense. A compelling novel or finely crafted poem sparks more curiosity in a student than a worksheet or basal reader aimed at teaching a skill but not imparting knowledge or joy.
Once curiosity is sparked, you must stoke it. Teachers and students need time to consider important questions and exchange ideas about what they are learning. For too long, U.S. schools have taught in a way fairly characterized as a mile wide and an inch deep. Children's natural curiosity was too often stamped out as teachers hurried to keep pace with the curriculum. Fortunately, with most states adopting new college- and career-ready education standards, schools are starting to move toward better practices.
For a recent example of this change, here's what a week of teaching and learning looked like in a 3rd grade classroom at West Buncombe Elementary School, a Title I school outside Asheville, N.C.
Lauren Chapalee, a guest teacher with whom I work on curriculum development, started the week by introducing Action Jackson, a beautifully written book by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, with breathtaking illustrations by Robert Andrew Parker. The book tells the story of the artist Jackson Pollock and the creation of his painting Lavender Mist in 1950. We chose this book for its quality and because the 3rd graders had been studying a unit about art and artists.
After reading it, we embarked on a progression of inquiry with our students. First, we asked the children this curiosity-building question: "What do you notice and wonder about the book?" We were trying to get the students to sit with the book, think about what it meant to them, and gain a sense of loving "being in" a text. Kids need to learn how to develop their own questions. So we also asked, "What's your most burning question after reading this book?"
The next day, we wanted to focus on how the book was organized, so we asked, "What's happening in Action Jackson?" We wanted to assess how students summarized the story, so students created cartoon strips and acted the story out through "tableaux"—creating still scenes from the text using only their bodies as media.
On the third day, we asked, "How does word choice reveal deeper meaning in Action Jackson?" For example, we talked about how the authors used figurative language, such as the action verbs "swoop" and "leap," to convey how Jackson Pollock painted. We asked students to write about the book, which they found engaging because they loved reading it.
On day four, we asked, "What is the essential meaning of Action Jackson?" Many of the kids said the story was really about Jackson Pollock being unique, which led to wonderful conversations about what it meant to be a unique person. The children talked about how the biographical stories of other artists, such as the opera singer Marian Anderson, were also unique.
On the last day, we had a lively conversation about the question, "How does Action Jackson build your knowledge of art?" We showed students a video of the artist painting Lavender Mist and asked them to compare what they saw in the video with what they read in the book. We then went into the art room, put on the kind of jazz music the artist loved, and the kids created their own Jackson Pollock–inspired painting. The result was a big mess and a whole lot of fun.
The key to sparking children's curiosity and creating a love of learning is to give them great content and enough time with it. Then, by helping children develop good critical thinking and questioning skills, we foster the habits of mind that are characteristic of inquisitive and engaged learners.
I am part of a curriculum writing team, and the nonprofit publisher I work with provides me with great books to share with students. But you can find wonderful, age-appropriate literature, too. Work with your school librarian and others to choose collections of high-quality reading material focused on important topics, ask your students questions that spark curiosity, encourage students to ask their own questions, and build time into your day to delve deeply into this work.
And if you want to hear from the kids themselves about how this approach worked, watch them discuss it here in their own words.
