Science In Our Daily LivesThis week we focused on observing the world around us. To practice our scientific thinking skills, we posed questions about the environment and figured out ways to collect data. The heavy haze in the air in recent weeks made us wonder "what is haze?" and "how does it affect us?" We learned about the air quality index and decided to track this data and observe the impact of the haze on our bodies and the environment. Furthermore, we collected plant samples outdoors to observe possible affects of the haze on plant life. We know that science is all around us and impacts our environment. Sharing Our HeritageIn Grade 2 we understand that sharing our heritage foster appreciation and open-mindedness. This week Eiji shared his knowledge of origami from Japan. He prepared a presentation on the history and significance of the art of paper folding. We had lots of fun learning how to make traditional hats from Japan. Then we were inspired by "sakura", Japanese word for cherry blossoms, and created our own art using mixed media. We learned that heritage is connected to our study of Who We Are and can be an important aspect of our identity.
0 Comments
Shared Reading and WritingIn G2.1 this week we continued to discover the power of written communication in building meaningful relationships. We had a guest speaker, Ms. Anne, come and share her story about her pen pal. We discovered that through writing, it is possible to build meaningful relationships with someone who lives far away. We then took the opportunity to express our gratitude by writing our own thank you letters back to Ms. Anne. We also got inspired to draft our own pen pal letters to our friends from Kothari International School in Delhi. In G2 we understand that relationships are an important way to learn; whether it is sharing or favorite books with each other or celebrating our beloved authors, we grow together. ScienceThis week we continued our exploration of scientific thinking by making observations and collecting data. We gathered some plant samples outside by observing carefully and describing their properties. We integrate maths and science by formulating questions and figuring out the best way to gather the information we need. In G2, we know that science is all around us, and it takes curiosity to spark the questions that drive our discoveries forward. Unit of InquiryThis week G2.1 students inquired into the third line of inquiry: Characteristics of effective teamwork. We were presented with various recycled project materials, and asked to work in teams, to build objects of our choice. In order to experiment with various characteristics that go into creating effective teamwork, we were asked to use strategies other than speaking. We then worked in same groups the next day and utilized verbal communication in order to finalize our projects. During the group discussions we discovered that each of us had a preferred method of working and experimented with various communication skills. Even though each group worked independently, we discovered that each of the projects can be put together to create a larger collaborative piece. We thought our final piece resembled a city and named it "Lego Singapore". LiteracyThis week we focused on reading for information to strengthen our research skills. Ms. Ally, the librarian, shared a special lesson around non-fiction text features. We then searched for books, based on personal interests, to investigate the features on our own. Furthermore, we invited our K1/K2 reading buddies to share in our love of reading. We understand that reading has various purposes and can be shared to build our relationships. ISS House SpiritThis week ISS held its first "House Competitions". We showed our House spirit by showing up in our House t-shirts and competed in various actives: banner making, chants, and physical sports. In the end, we all had a great time by sharing in teamwork within our Houses and practicing friendly competition. Unit of InquiryThis week we explored our line of inquiry on "characteristics of effective teamwork." During a collaborative Grade 2 activity, we experimented with various strategies to effectively move objects across the upper playground. First we tried working independently, each carrying one object to and fro, to accomplish the task. We discovered that this took too much time, as well as a lot of physical effort. After several group discussions, and various strategies, we found that standing in a line together to hand the object to each other down the row, was the most effective method. We think that "communication and compromise" are very important for successful teamwork. ScienceThis week we practiced our observational and inquiry skills using parts of plants. We drew diagrams and labels inside of our science journals and noted our questions regarding what we observed. We can't wait to expand on our skills by carefully observing the plant life around school and our homes. Focus on HeritageContinuing our exploration of Korean heritage, we invited Ms. Song Pang who shared her knowledge of traditional Korean dances. We were delighted to learn more about Korean performing arts and integrated language by counting in Hangul (Korean written language).
Unit of InquiryWelcome to our class blog! This week we "tuned in" to our first Unit of Inquiry: Who We Are, and around the central idea "relationships are complex and require nurturing in order to prosper". For the next six weeks, we will be exploring the three lines of inquiry: different types of relationships; strategies for building and maintaining relationships; and characteristics of effective teamwork. To help us to think about our understanding of the central idea, we engaged in various types of cooperative games. We gathered together with 2.2 as a grade level to think about effective teamwork and the "ingredients for strong friendships" to make "friendship soup". MathsIn maths we began our inquiry around the strand "Number Sense" and the central idea "whole numbers have patterns and relationships that can be observed and described." We began the week by focusing on our problem solving skills and counting large numbers of objects we use in the class. We discovered that using "friendly numbers" such as groups of 5, 10, 50, and 100 made it easy for us to count, as well as organising our items into rows and columns. We will continue our exploration with Number Sense through place value and strategies for adding and subtracting.
|
The AuthorsThe G2.1 authors are a group of 7 and 8 year old students who attend ISS. We are passionate about learning together and enjoy sharing our journey with you!
Archives
June 2020
Categories |