SUMMER FUN
ON WHEELS
School on Wheels Social and Emotional Learning
Curiosity
Curiosity is having a strong desire to learn or know something. Curious people seek answers to their questions for the sake of gaining knowledge. Those who are curious may also actively seek challenges and new experiences to broaden their horizons. The following activities foster curiosity through research, visual exploration, and imagination.
Complete all activities in order. Click the “Session” headings below to open each lesson plan.
Reminders for students and tutors:
● Listen with interest.
● Participate.
● Ask open-ended questions.
● Choose the best way for each of you to reflect and show your learning.
Packet Completion Prize Information:
Your student is eligible for a prize after completing all of the activities below! You will find the link to the completion form at the end of Activity #3 – please complete it together when you’ve finished all of the activities on this page.
Historical Figure Fact Sheet Project
Let your curiosity take you back in time to meet a historical figure!
5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity
Curiosity is a desire to know about something. There is a good feeling we get when our curiosity is satisfied. One way to express curiosity is through research. Explore historical figures with your student and help them pick one person they are curious to learn more about. They might already have someone in mind, or you can help them discover a figure they don’t know about yet. They will pursue their curiosity during the main activity by reading more about the person and creating a visual representation of their research.
Select one option to help choose a historical figure:
- Search and read on a website:
- Print or share a PDF document: Selected biographies
- In-person matches: Print the slides or download and review them offline.
- Remote matches: Use this option if the internet is unstable or you prefer not to search through websites with your student.
- Option for middle and high school students: Watch one video about a historical figure from a playlist: Youtube Biographies Playlist (English) or Youtube Biographies Playlist (Spanish).
5 min: Session review & preview
Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2025 Community Padlet.
Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.
Preview the plan for today.
15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)
5 min: Break
20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity
While learning more about the chosen figure, you and your student will create a fact sheet of the information you learn. Use paper, the BigBlueButton (BBB) whiteboard, or Google Slides (1-2 slides/pages). Remember to be curious and creative!
- First: Select an image of the chosen figure.
- Next: Place the image in the center of the page/slide.
- Then, add fun facts, quotes, and dates around the image. You can also add more
images or draw pictures representing what you learned.
5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity
Ask your student to describe meeting their chosen historical figure in person.
Discussion & guiding questions:
- What would it be like to meet this person?
- Where would you meet?
- What are you still curious to learn?
- What questions would you ask?
- How do you think the historical figure will act?
- How will they sound?
More complex discussion for middle / high school students:
- Do you agree with this person’s views/what they did?
- What can this person teach you about yourself or your community?
If it feels comfortable, student and tutor can close their eyes to visualize as they discuss.
Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.
What’s going on?
Sometimes the curious path leads you to experience the unexpected!
5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity
With a curious mind, read these “Weird But True!” facts and explore the slideshow of interesting facts with your student.
Discussion questions:
- Which was the weirdest/biggest surprise?
- Are there any you are curious to learn more about?
- Do you know of any facts that you think should be added to this list?
5 min: Session review & preview
Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2025 Community Padlet.
Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.
Preview the plan for today.
15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)
5 min: Break
20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity
What is going on?
First, look through the What is going on? slideshow of images with your student. Choose one image that piques their curiosity.
Next, ask your student to describe what they think is happening in the image. To encourage curiosity, ask open-ended questions such as:
- Why or how do you think this happened?
- Where or when do you think this image was taken?
- How do you think the people in the image are feeling?
Use what you have discussed and choose one of the options below:
- Write a caption and paragraph explaining what you think is happening.
- Choose one person in the image. Pretend you will get to talk to them and create a list of interview questions or write them a letter about what you are curious to know.
- Design a flyer inviting people to participate in what is happening in the image.
Option for middle & high school students:
Your student should choose one video that piques their curiosity from this “Explanations” Youtube playlist.
Next, ask your student open-ended questions such as:
- What was the most surprising fact you learned?
- Does this make you curious about anything else?
Use what you have discussed and choose one of the options below:
- Write a paragraph describing what else this makes you feel curious about.
- Create a drawing, flyer, or infographic based on what you learned.
5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity
Now that you have stretched your curiosity and creativity muscles, it’s time for some breathing and stretching exercises. Tell your student that when we are nervous or excited to learn something new, breathing exercises can help refocus our minds!
Choose one or try them all. Feel free to adapt to fit comfort levels:
- Breathe like a snake: Make your mouth into the shape of a little “o”. Take a long breath in like you’re breathing through a straw. You can also stretch as you inhale. As you let it out, hiss like a snake. Make the “sssss” sound last as long as you can! Repeat 2-3 times.
- Quick breaths: Sit up tall, and hold your body still. Relax or stretch out your arms. Take quick, little breaths in through your nose like you are smelling something: “Sniff sniff sniff sniff.” Then let all the air out through the nose or mouth, whichever is most comfortable. Put one hand on your belly to see if you can feel your belly muscles working as you continue to “quick breathe”. Repeat 2-3 times.
- Rounded Back Stretch: Sit up tall. Stretch your arms straight out in front of you, turn your palms outward so they face away from your body, then interlace your fingers as if you’re holding your own hands. Take a big breath in then let the air out as you round your back like a cat stretching. Repeat 2-3 times. You can also unclasp your hands and rotate your wrists as you stretch.
Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.
Curious Future
You never know what the future will bring, but it’s fun to imagine!
5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity
To prompt curiosity throughout the session, start by asking your student one of the questions below.
The goal is to get creative with their answers. These questions do not have a “right” answer, but they
do help encourage imagination and can be fun! You can also come up with a question related to
their interests.
- What would you do if you could change one thing about the sky?
- Before cars, people traveled by horse. How do you think we will travel in the future?
- Imagine you’re a food critic. What foods are you interested in trying? What do you think they will taste like?
- What will technology allow us to do in the future? (e.g., AI, virtual reality, conservation technology)
5 min: Session review & preview
Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2025 Community Padlet.
Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.
Preview the plan for today.
15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)
5 min: Break
20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity
Help your student feel curious about their future.
Ask your student to make a list of things they like, are interested in, make them happy, etc. You can write or draw on the Curious Future worksheet, on your own paper, or use the BBB whiteboard. High school students: Add your values, skills, and interests to your list. You can write or draw your notes on the Self-Assessment worksheet, a sheet of paper, or the BBB white board.
With a curious and creative mindset, discuss ways to make a career involving something they like from their list. Search online through a job search engine (like indeed.com) or have fun inventing a position. High school students: Look for positions that you may want to apply for in the future and use the Search Engine Review worksheet to organize your notes.
- For example: If your student enjoys ice cream, they can be an ice cream flavor creator, new flavor tester, or even work at Ben & Jerry’s and create unique flavor names!
BONUS: Your student can draw a picture of themselves doing this job, design a business card, or write a paragraph explaining why they would be the best candidate for one of the positions. High school students: Option to review & discuss the Mini Networking Guide.
5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity
*This reflection can be a conversation or silent, written down, drawn or doodled… However you and your student prefer to reflect.
Quote reflection (choose one):
- “Curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” – Walt Disney
- “Be curious, not judgemental.” – Walt Whitman
Discussion & guiding questions:
- What do you think the quote means?
- Have you ever been curious before and it led you to like or do something new?
- How does curiosity help us get to know someone better?
- What is something you still feel curious about? What can you do about it?
Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.