Go-Go's

If I walk around my school's playground Iam constantly seeing groups of grade one and two students battling with their Go-Go's. I am new to this type of figurine. They are approximately 2 centimetres tall and come in a variety of shapes and colours. When I first heard the name I immediately thought back to the girl singing group! Similar to Pokemon, go-Go's are named based on their appearance. The excitement that goes along with the battles is infectious. I see students bring out signs that they have made to cheer on their classmates as they go into battle. Some students to help solve my confusion have offered to write out a how-to-play guide so that I will understand the rules. This is a great example of bringing a child's unofficial world into the classroom. Why can't I develop a writing unit that is inspired by these action figures? Speaking with a colleague in class one day she told me how based on an informal discussion with her grade one male students, she developed such a unit. this unit included a detailed written description of each character, a study of their habitat and then the creation of the city that they lived in. this is the type of freedom that needs to be encouraged in the classroom - a curriculum that is created based on the needs and interests of the students.