A student created a whirligig to demonstrate his personal journey.

After studying Paul Fleischman’s novel Whirligig and viewing Pay it Forward, students were asked to make their own personal whirligigs, mobiles or ya-ya boxes that demonstrated their personal journeys.

This project demonstrated that students can be aware of who they are, and students may or may not articulate how they shape themselves or how others shape them.

The teacher provided the following instructions:

Create your own version of a whirligig that represents who you are and what you want to be known for.  A mobile would have items hanging from it that represent your likes, dislikes, accomplishments (what helped you achieve them), and future goals (what you need to achieve them).  A ya-ya box would have images or things that represent who you are on the outside, or how people see you, and what/who helped shape you; and then, the inside of the box would represent what people don’t know about you and/or your future aspirations, and what/who will help you achieve them.

The student’s work illustrates self-determination, and to an extent, self-regulation. He shows self-awareness, and understanding of how people saw him versus how he saw himself.  He included what he liked and didn’t like, and demonstrated acceptance of the path he experienced.

The whirligig can be found at

http://prezi.com/zwlbrdsfwogo/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share