What I Really Want to Know

What is it all about?

Use a Word Wall to help students generate questions of curiosity about healthy living concepts such as mental health, bullying and harassment, stereotypes, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), sexual health and/or heatlhy relationships. Provide answers to their questions, and share their learning through a performance as an approach to a unit of learning.

Curriculum Connections

Grade 9: C1.4, C1.5, C2.2, C2.3, C3.2, C3.3, C3.4

Grade 10: C1.1, C2.3, C2.4, C2.5, C3.4, C3.5

How is it done?

• Create a Word Wall using words that represent the healthy living concepts in the curriculum expectations for your chosen grade. Provide students with a blank KWLQ chart.
• Have students’ select two to three concepts from the Word Wall that spark their interest.
• Working alone or in pairs, have students complete the first two columns of their KWLQ chart.
• Have students form small groups and create one or two questions they or others may have about the concepts represented on the Word Wall.
• Provide groups with time to explore their questions and gather information to answer their questions.
• Have students create and perform a skit, creative dance, song, or spoken word poem to communicate what they have learned about their chosen concepts.
• After each performance, have students share what they hoped to convey through their performance and any additional learnings not included in the performance.
• Encourage the rest of the class to provide constructive feedback.
• Facilitate a group debriefing session. Have the students reflect on what they learned, theirs and others’ reaction to the work of their peers, and what the class as a whole can take away from the session.
• Have students reflect on their performance by completing the last two columns of their KWLQ chart.

What may be needed?

• KWLQ chart
• A list of healthy living concepts relevant to the chosen grade
• Time and space for students to explore their topic and to create and perform their skit, dance, song, or spoken word poem
• An assessment checklist to be used to assess student achievement of the learning goals during the student performance and student reflections

Opportunities for assessment

• Use the KWLQ chart to assess what students know and what they want to know more about to guide their learning before they explore their concepts.
• Use the completed KWLQ chart to assess what students have learned through their exploration, through the creation of their performance, and from viewing other student performances.
• Use an assessment checklist to assess students’ achievement of the learning goals using the co-constructed success criteria.

Ideas for Extension

• Have students take advantage of experiential learning opportunities through community partnerships (for example, visiting their local sexual health clinic; calling a distress centre for information).
• Have students generate further questions they may have based on another student performance, to spark further healthy living learning.
• Have the class generate alternative endings to the students’ performances once students have performed for their peers.

Educator notes

• The educator should moderate the post-performance discussion, ensuring class feedback remains constructive, correcting any misinformation presented in the work, and answering any questions that may arise, referring to relevant resources as needed.
• If any inappropriate content or gestures come up in a performance, do not react in a disciplinary manner, but correct it.
• Acknowledge humour as a useful tool that increases memory, confidence, and self-efficacy and helps to combat stigma and diffuse awkwardness.
• For youth who may not comfortable performing, create an option to participate in a behind-the-scenes capacity (that is, writer, director, stage manager, music).