Francis Bacon
Bacon Academy · Grade 1 · Module B

Inquisitive

Curiosity — "Ask why, learn to tell stories"

Thought Question to Ponder

"Why do you think grown-ups stop asking 'why' as much as kids do?"

Posted Week 1 · left open · answered aloud by students on Week 6, Day 5
Standing Teacher Practice — Fact vs. Guess

Applied here to "why" itself: each link in a why-chain is either something we know or something we're guessing. A myth or invented story is a guess dressed up on purpose, for fun and imagination — not a replacement for finding the real answer. Both are named honestly as what they are.

How the day is structured →
  • Morning Circle — theme check-in
  • Outdoor Inquiry Walk (was Outdoor Observation Block)
  • Movement / Free Play
  • Storytelling Practice (was Sketch Practice)
  • Story / Read-Aloud
  • Lunch + unstructured outdoor time
  • Rest / quiet time
  • Second Block — project/synthesis time
  • Closing Circle — share out
The Six Weeks
Week 1The Power of Why

practice asking real why-questions and start sorting them from guesses.

Day 1
  • Morning Circle: introduce the Big Question, no discussion yet. Outdoor: "Why Collector" — each child asks one why-question about something seen, no answering yet. Storytelling: skip — oral "Why Collector" share, teacher collects the questions. Story: a curious character who asks lots of questions. Second Block: sort the collected whys into "we could test this" vs. "we're just imagining." Closing: share a favorite why-question.
Day 2
  • Outdoor: revisit an object, ask a deeper why. Storytelling: turn a "why" into an "I wonder if..." statement. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: pick one why-question and guess an answer — labeled clearly as a guess. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Outdoor: find something in nature, ask why it behaves that way. Storytelling: explain a guessed answer in one sentence. Story: nonfiction book that answers a real why. Second Block: compare their guess to the book's real answer. Closing: share.
Day 4
  • Outdoor: ask a why about weather or sky. Storytelling: begin an "invented explanation," explicitly labeled as pretend. Story: a short age-appropriate myth that invents an explanation for something in nature. Second Block: compare the myth's answer to the real science answer — both are valuable, in different ways. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Outdoor: free why-walk, collect three new whys. Storytelling: pick a favorite why of the week to think about further. Story: recap. Second Block: class votes on favorite question of the week. Closing: revisit Big Question — still marinating.
Week 2Why Chains

chase a why toward a root cause, several links deep.

Day 1
  • Introduce the "Why Chain" game (teacher models: "why is the ground wet?" → "it rained" → "why did it rain?" → ...). Outdoor: try a chain on something seen outside. Storytelling: dictate the chain as a mini sequence. Story: a read-aloud with clear cause-and-effect. Second Block: practice a chain in pairs. Closing: share.
Day 2
  • Outdoor: chain a new observation. Storytelling: extend yesterday's chain one link further. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: mark which links are known facts vs. guesses. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Outdoor: chain something living (a plant, an animal). Storytelling: dictate the chain. Story: nonfiction cause-and-effect book. Second Block: pairs trade chains and add one more link to a partner's. Closing: share.
Day 4
  • Outdoor: chain a weather or seasonal event. Storytelling: dictate. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: identify the chain's root — the first cause they can find. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Outdoor: free choice, build a full 4-5 link chain start to finish. Storytelling: rehearse telling the whole chain aloud. Second Block: share full chains as a group. Closing: marinating nudge toward Big Question.
Week 3Turning Why Into a Story

when the real answer isn't known yet, invent one on purpose — and know the difference.

Day 1
  • Introduce: sometimes people invent a story to explain a why they don't know yet — that's a myth, made for fun and imagination, not fact. Outdoor: pick an unanswered why from the collection. Storytelling: begin an invented story explaining it (just the beginning). Story: another short myth example. Second Block: dictate the story's opening. Closing: share.
Day 2
  • Storytelling: add a character to the invented story. Second Block: develop the middle. Story: read-aloud. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Storytelling: add an ending. Second Block: dictate the full story start to finish. Closing: tell the complete story to a partner.
Day 4
  • Storytelling: practice performing it — voice, gesture, expression. Second Block: rehearse with a partner, partner asks one why-question about the story. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Storytelling: polish the story for later sharing. Second Block: a few volunteers share with the full group. Closing: revisit Big Question — naming imagination and fact-seeking as two different, both valuable, ways of answering why.
Week 4Storytelling Craft

character, setting, and a simple plot arc.

Day 1
  • Introduce "Somebody, Somewhere, Something happens" as a story frame. Outdoor: find a setting for inspiration. Storytelling: build a new story from a why-question using the frame. Story: a read-aloud with clear character/setting/event. Second Block: dictate their Somebody/Somewhere/Something. Closing: share.
Day 2
  • Storytelling: add a problem or obstacle. Story: a read-aloud with a clear problem. Second Block: dictate the problem. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Storytelling: add a solution/ending. Story: a read-aloud with a satisfying resolution. Second Block: dictate the ending. Closing: tell the full story.
Day 4
  • Storytelling: practice expressive telling (different voices for characters). Second Block: rehearse with a partner. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Storytelling: finalize the story, choose a title. Second Block: mini "author's chair" — a few children perform. Closing: recap, marinating nudge.
Week 5Story Sharing & Listening

being a good audience is its own skill, and questions are a way of showing real interest.

Day 1
  • Introduce "good listener" behaviors (eyes, ears, quiet body). Storytelling: pair-share stories from Week 4. Second Block: practice one listening behavior. Closing: share what they liked about a partner's story.
Day 2
  • Introduce asking a why-question about someone's story as a way of showing interest, not critiquing it. Storytelling: pair-share, ask one why-question each. Second Block: practice. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Small-group storytelling circles (3-4 kids); each shares, others ask one why-question. Second Block: continue circles. Closing: share a favorite moment from the group.
Day 4
  • Whole-class prep for a mini storytelling festival — each child chooses a story (their own or a favorite heard) to prepare. Second Block: rehearse. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Mini Storytelling Festival — volunteers share with the whole class; class practices asking one genuine why-question afterward. Closing: recap the module, preview Big Question week.
Week 6Big Question Week

apply the whole module to answering the Big Question for real.

Day 5 (Fri) — Big Question Share-Out
  • Morning Circle: reintroduce the Big Question one final time.
  • Second Block: Share-Out — each child shares their answer to why grown-ups stop asking why as much as kids do, in whatever form they built.
  • Closing Circle: celebrate the module; preview Module C (Communities — Little Societies).
In Development — this module's day-shape and pacing are being refined with an experienced early-elementary educator before being finalized.
📖 Read the Storybook Sample — Module B →
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