Knightly News

In South Louisiana, we all know the sound. A loud, resonating vibration that easily drowns out conversations. This time of year, cicadas are not subtle about making their presence known. Recently, this hum inspired an early childhood lesson that showcases the creative flexibility and student-led learning experiences that make an Episcopal education so special.

On the way to the Webster Refectory for lunch one day, kindergarten teacher Erin Dufour’s young Knights noticed a loud noise coming from trees on campus. They also found mysterious shells on the ground and in the shrubs. Curious and inquisitive, they wanted to know what made that sound and where the shells came from. Dufour was inspired. She quickly reached out to her fellow teachers and QUEST Center Coordinator Stacy Hill in the hopes of incorporating her students’ insect interest into the annual beginning-of-the-year unit on the five senses. The adults went to work researching cicadas – What exactly are they? How are they different from locusts? Why do they discard all of those shells? Within a few days, what started as curiosity was a full-fledged QUEST Center experience!

The next time Dufour’s class arrived for their assigned QUEST Center slot, there was a new station. On a little table in the back sat microscopes, brightly colored magnifying glasses and bugs! Hill had collected cicada shells from across campus. Once other faculty and staff saw what she was doing, they started bringing in more shells and even live cicadas. “When you tell people what you’re doing, it becomes a big thing,” she says of the teamwork that represents the Spirit of Episcopal.

The cicada station also included side-by-side photos of a locust and a cicada –a product of the teachers’ quick research in response to the students’ interests. As Dufour introduced the image, she asked students what they saw and how the creatures were different and the same. “The cricket and the giant bug,” one student advised. “Insects,” said another. Eventually, after learning more about the cicada lifecycle, students had the opportunity to explore the small creatures that make such a big sound.

As students examined the cicada shells, teachers asked questions about shapes and colors. With their curiosity peaked students expanded their vocabulary with new words like burrow and insect. Like true little scientists, they made observations and inferences and learned to use a microscope. “The littles are really amazing,” says Hill of the excitement with which early childhood learners approach each lesson. The station was so successful with the kindergarteners that teachers also made it available for other Lower School students, including PreK-4.

Student-driven learning is found across the Episcopal campus. Hill says one of the tremendous benefits of an Episcopal education is the flexibility all teachers have to “spend more time where it’s needed or wanted.” She remembers when, as a Middle School teacher, she had the latitude to reteach and remediate if students struggled with a concept. She also recalls times when she recognized that students were already knowledgeable in an area and the lesson needed to be adjusted accordingly. This type of learning, which is an Episcopal hallmark, is meaningful and allows students to make lasting connections. It also makes learning fun.

From cicadas to monarchs, Lower School students are curious about the world around them. Teachers like Dufour and Hill do a great job of harnessing that curiosity and applying it to lessons that will last a lifetime.

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