This week we have continued to explore how technology can support our learning. The children have become familiar with reading and maths resources such as Spelling City, Mathletics, Storylineonline, Getepic and Raz-kids. We have used these to support our choices during Listen to Reading, Word Word and Maths on my own. During Daily 5, we introduced the choice of Read to Someone; practising sitting Elbow to Elbow and Knee to Knee and using the right level of voice so that both partners can see the book and the listener can hear their partner. Some Grade 3 students also came to help show us how to communicate using our new emails. We have also used technology during our Unit of Inquiry to connect with a school in India. We spoke with children from Grade 2 and asked each other questions. The children were able to reflect on how technology can help us communicate with people far away but that it can often be more difficult than communicating face to face. We will continue to build on the relationship with the other students. We noticed that the children all put their hands together and said "Namaste" when they introduced themselves. This led us to consider what "Namaste" might mean. The children quickly decided it was their way of saying "hello" in their culture. We then shared how we said hello in our own cultures, noting similarities and differences in words and body movements. In Maths, we consolidated our understanding of place value and how we can compare numbers. The children began using the symbols <, > and =. We have also been practising what combinations can make 10 using games individually and in groups. Finally, we started a class cafe where we can all enjoy eating together at lunch-time.
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This week we have been "unpacking" the Central Idea, Communication builds relationships. This involved thinking about each word in turn; what it meant and what we connected it to. We also translated them into our home languages and used dictionaries to support our understanding. The children used our class library books and identified examples of communication and different relationships that they could see. Some of the forms of communication they were able to find included speech, labels, facial expressions and body language. We explored what relationships the children have in their own lives by drawing a web showing close relationships such as family and friends and then spreading out to other relationships such as people in the school community, neighbours, bus drivers, doctors etc... Questions are crucial for our inquiry and we began exploring what questions we had about the different ways to communicate. We will also be connecting with schools around the world and ahead of this, the children began generating questions to ask the students from these schools. In Maths, we deepened our conceptual understanding of place value and what numbers are worth. The children used hands-on activities to explore the difference and connection between units, tens and hundreds. They created sculptures and pictures and continued to practise their estimating and counting skills. They also learnt a game called "Race for the 100" which also reinforced Place Value. We continued our Daily 5 sessions, introducing Listen to Read and Word Work as choices. The children also added to their own personal Ideas Lists which they use to help them get started right away, when independently writing.
Our reading strategy was Check for Understanding when listening to reading. The children were encouraged to actively listen and make sure they knew Who is in the story, What is happening and Where or Why it is happening. Lastly, since Hari Raya Haji was celebrated this week, Ms. Nisah shared her personal experiences and knowledge of this festival, which celebrates the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca. The children made sketches and notes on Hari Raya Haji and then thought about what special journey they would like to make- Mount Fuji, the Sun, Chocolate Land and Paris being some of the choices. This week we have been tuning in to our unit of inquiry and our new maths focus. The children had many opportunities to work collaboratively to create structures and complete challenges. They have also shared more about who they are through art and language. They explored number through the use of manipulatives, developed their understanding of estimating and created a number line from items in class. The children reflected on all the things we have done together so far and had some great observations about what our new central idea might be about. They identified that they had "used different things to build", "worked together", "talked", "used actions" and had to "agree". We introduced the central idea as Communication builds relationships and discussed what these words meant. Next week we will be exploring different forms of communication and the various relationships that we have within our family and communities. During our Daily 5 and Literacy sessions, we continued to build stamina when reading independently and practised how to choose a good-fit book to help us read for longer. We also began thinking about how we could write about things that have happened to us and started an Ideas List to use when writing independently. We also revisited the strategy of G.U.M (Guess, Underline and Move on) when writing a word we don't know how to spell. The children returned to school excited and motivated. We spent the week getting to know each other and becoming familiar with some of our new routines. Some of the things we did in class this week included: * Using Loose Parts in the Art room to create self-portraits * Visiting the Library * Practising three ways to read a book (Read the Pictures, Read the Words and Retell what it is about) * Researching Singapore ahead of National Day * Setting up our computers * Sketching and painting |
AuthorGrade 2.1 are a class of 7 and 8 year old students who attend ISS International School in Singapore. We learn together and play together and enjoy sharing our discoveries with you. Archives
June 2019
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