This week, we have been thinking about the different habitats of the world in more detail, using the concepts of Form, Function and Causation to guide us. Form (What is it like?) What are the habitats like? How are they the same? How are they different? How can we describe them? What do they look like, sound like, feel like? What lives there? Causation (Why is it like this?) How are the animals suited to living there? What can happen to change this habitat? Function (How does it work?) How do the animals get what they need to survive? What are the food chains and food webs within this habitat? How do the animals and plants work together to maintain the habitat's balance? The students realised that habitats can differ depending on TEMPERATURE and amount of WATER and that these factors would affect the kind of animals that live there. They began noting down questions they had and researching using books and online resources. We connected our Literacy and Daily 5 lessons by continuing to explore descriptive language. Using a thesaurus, the children searched for alternatives to hot, cold, wet and dry. Later, using different parts of speech, we gradually built our sentences using rich and evocative words. Starting with a noun, we added adjectives, adverbs, verbs and time connectives. For example: bird--- a small bird--- a small bird sits warming her eggs ---- in her nest, a small bird sits warming her fragile eggs-- In the early morning, deep in her nest, a small bird sits quietly warming her fragile eggs. In Maths, we began looking at fractions. Many of the children were unfamiliar with what a fraction was.
After some discussion and hands-on practise, we defined fractions as "equal pieces of a larger whole". Then we explored when we might see or use fractions in our lives and decided that we often used fractions when we needed to SHARE. 10/14 of the children associated fractions with sharing food. We collected some more data about the class which we expressed as fractions. Later we connected our maths and UOI thinking and estimated what fraction of the whole world was made up of the different habitats. The children explored maps and presented this data using symbols and colour. We used a globe, our previous knowledge and some good thinking skills to make some decent estimates and then checked with some research. UN Sustainable Development Goal #12 Responsible Consumption and Production Many students took part in the Grade 3 Clothes Swap this week. Student Voice: "PE was fun this week- we played Flag Tag." Jiahna "I learnt that phytoplankton are plants that live in the sea." Yun Ho "I enjoyed Listen to Read this week." Sara "I learnt about habitats. My favourite habitat is the ocean." Evan Student Action: Maria and Charlie continue to work with other Grade 2 students on their book and video clips about "How to save the Earth". Ray and Hugh began creating a food chain game, taking turns to be an eagle or snake. During the thunderstorm on Wednesday, many children set up a little viewing area. They ate their snacks while watching the wind and rain outside.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
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
Categories |