Wonderopolis.org is a site dedicated to collecting and fostering curiosity about our world. The site was created by the National Center for Families Learning in 2010, and it contains short articles that attempt to answer questions that students have submitted.
A main feature of the site is its Wonder of the Day articles that answer questions such as, "How many sharks are in the ocean?" and "Why do some things burn while others melt?" The great thing about these articles is that they contain a built-in text-to-speech feature, a short video about the topic at hand, highlighted vocabulary with pop-up definitions, and a few "Try It Out" extension activities at the end of the article. I can see these daily articles being a great addition to a morning or weekly reading routine in a classroom.
Wonderopolis's Wonder Jar page gives ideas and instructions for a jar in which families or classes can collect their own wonders. The Interactive Wonder Jar on the top of the page also automatically generates questions. Students can also submit questions to the Wonder Bank, vote on questions that have been submitted by others, and explore from where people are submitting questions.
As summer nears, check out Camp Wonderopolis, a place where students (gears towards grades 2-8) can enroll in a free virtual Summer Camp. Each summer has a theme, and this year's theme is "Symphony of Wonders" in which kids can explore and learn about music. Families can also buy a Campsite Kit from the Wonderopolis store to enhance their "camp" experience.
Wonderopolis is definitely a site to check out with curious elementary-aged students!
This is exciting! I am going to incorporate it in my language class starting next week. This fits in so well with a WONDER-ful book I'm reading, Smokey Daniels' The Curious Classroom, a very practical guide for bringing student-directed inquiry in the classroom. Thank you, Erika!
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