Did You Know?
A BOB That Sparks Curiosity While Deepening the Learning
In any content area, there’s always room to deepen understanding through curiosity. The Did You Know? BOB (Building Outside the Blocks) project invites students to take ownership of their learning by choosing a topic connected to the unit of inquiry through their own lens of interest.
In less than fifteen minutes of class time, with no more than three presenters on a given day, students bring new knowledge, insights, and perspectives to the room. What begins as a simple inquiry — “Did you know…?” — becomes an opportunity to take a deep dive into and drive their learning.
This BOB doesn’t require extra teaching time or complex planning. Instead, it extends the learning organically. Students personalize their inquiry, communicate what they’ve discovered, and listen as their peers share new dimensions of the same topic. Over time, the class builds a collective understanding that’s broader, deeper, and more meaningful than what the curriculum alone might reveal.
I created the Did You Know? (totally open to better names btw!) because I was teaching Science to Grades 7 and 8 for the very first time, and I was terrified. Whenever I feel unsure about what I’m teaching, I build a BOB. This project, which came two years before I even realized I had created a teaching approach that I later named BOB, offered my students an entry point into our topic of inquiry.
In the Grade 8 Fluids unit, for example, students explored fluids ranging from the contents of Axe body spray, that infused our hallways at the time, to how shampoo works — from what’s really in hand sanitizer to the ingredients in a lethal injection. Every fluid was a possible topic. Each presentation gave the class a new window into the science behind something they recognized from their own lives. It let students learn, share, and deepen their understanding of an inquiry through curiosity and choice.
When the Grade 7s studied Pure Substances and Mixtures, students researched their Sephora favourites, the science behind their beloved foods, or the materials used in their preferred activities — like how basketballs are made or the best grasses for golf. What emerged was authentic engagement. This work in Science didn’t feel abstract, but personal, relevant, and meaningful.
What I learned from those early experiences is that when students get to follow their curiosity, learning takes on a life of its own. They move from compliance to genuine engagement, from memorizing to making meaning. Their self-directed learning, then, deepens their understanding of the topic while contributing to a learning community who shares their findings and grows from each other’s contributions.
The Did You Know? BOB is simple to launch, powerful in practice, and endlessly adaptable. Whether you’re teaching Science or Social Studies (History/Geography) — or any subject that invites exploration, this project helps students connect personally to the content while building transferable skills in research, communication, and critical thinking.
Try it with your next unit. Have students share a“Did you know…?” Then, watch curiosity transform your classroom and engagement flourish.
