Teachers Impacted: Marianne Smietana-Harner
Grade Levels Impacted: 3rd,4th,5th
Students Impacted: 82

In the SEARCH classroom, students engage in authentic, hands-on lessons that develop skills in self-directed learning, critical thinking, inductive and deductive thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication. One lesson involves a deep dive into The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery by Graeme Base. This book presents students with a mystery to solve by following clues hidden within its detailed illustrations. The puzzles, embedded in intricate illustrations, are both challenging and engaging.

The text features ample wordplay, including puns, idioms, and ambiguous language, which encourages students to use critical thinking, make inferences, and sharpen their deductive reasoning skills. Students collaborate, using teamwork and problem-solving as they piece together the clues to solve the mystery.

It would be wonderful to have enough copies for each student to hold and explore as they examine the clues. We currently use snapshots of each of the book that are uploaded for the children to explore.

G/T Tenets: Productive Thinking, Global Awareness, Problem-Solving, Communication, Collaboration.