Wonderopolis update

     We have been working with Wonderopolis for a whole quarter now, and I am so glad that I took the plunge and went ahead with this particular learning adventure.  The daily topics are so high-interest, that this homework assignment is one that they actually like doing - with 493 (as of today) Wonders to choose from, there is something to pique everyone's curiosity, and I think the format is just so student friendly that looking for a Wonder to explore is part of the fun.
     The Wonder Trackers   we work on help to give a purpose and focus to the explorations.  The notebooks below illustrate how engaged my students are, and how our weekly assignments have become a dialogue in nonfiction study.

      The next step, I think, will be both important as well as tricky.  Here are some ways in which I could extend this project:
1. Maria at Teaching in the 21st. Century  wrote  a fabulous post about using Wonderopolis in a unit on persuasive writing, this is something I want to take on as well - partly as a skill building  exercise for the NJASK.
2.  Extending a topic covered by a Wonder into a research project - in other words exploring some of those questions they've already generated in their Wonder Trackers.
3. Creating a Wonder of their own.  I will be attending a workshop on digital writing in March, and hope that it will give me the tools (and the confidence!) I will need  to experiment with this project.
     I'm curious about how other teachers have used Wonderopolis in their classrooms...would anyone care to share ideas????