Is, Could Be, Would Never Be

School begins at 8:25 am.

Students must bring their lunch to school. 

Students must take the bus to school.

Those statements, along with a few others, were presented to fourth graders for them to determine if it is a school rule, could be a school rule, or would never be a school rule. What may initially seem like a straightforward task, sparked some great thinking in our fourth grade class. Before we began I explained to students that I wanted them to think flexibly and be open to accepting different ways of thinking. Right off the bat this was put to the test when a few students decided that school beginning at 8:25 am could be a school rule, instead of agreeing with the majority which had decided that it is a school rule. When asked to share their reasoning, these students explained that students arrive to school at different times and that their friends who go to different schools start at a different time. Students in majority were suddenly puzzled by this thinking and it was written all over their faces. During the next few rounds, I saw and heard students thinking differently than they were when we started. Students began to see the statements as not so clear cut and allowed themselves to get into the uncomfortable grey area. The “is” area became vacant as the “could be” and “would never be” areas began to fill up.       

When studying government and civics in fourth grade, the best place to start is with the rules that they live by everyday. As we move forward to talking about laws that govern our state and our country we will return to this activity to help us think about where we fit in the world of civics and government.