We explored our new Central Idea this week- "We learn about civilisations from what is left behind". The children initially thought about what we can learn from looking at things left behind- guesses included communities, the past, what people did, time, changes, trade, old ships, old Singapore, choices and the future! They also thought about who the "we", doing the learning, might be- students, scientists, artists, builders, thinkers and people were all suggestions from the children. They were also introduced to the words archaeology and archaeologist. Later, using Google Earth and photo provocations, they noted down their observations or any key words which came to mind. In the Library, the children applied their ability to find relevant sources of information and used a template to cite the books and authors. Later we sorted all of our selected books and noted questions the children had. During our research into what a CIVILISATION is, we used a video resource and our existing knowledge, to visually explain this word using a flow-chart and checklist. In Maths, we began thinking about multiplication and division. We thought about where we see groups of things in our real life and created our own maths problems for the rest of the school to solve. The strategies we looked at included repeated addition (5 x 3 = 5 + 5 + 5), drawing equal groups and finding patterns or rules when skip-counting (x2 products are always even, x5 products end in 0 or 5...). As part of World Maths Day, we spent time solving problems created by other students from K1-G5. As part of our collaborations with other grades, we also enjoyed the interactive performance which the Grade 9 students had written and prepared especially for us. They had come to meet the children a few weeks ago and their performance was all about Christopher Columbus and his discoveries and influence.
Independent Student Action: The class worked together to change the lay-out of the classroom. They added more resources to our Research Area (a work in progress), created a Collaboration or Group area, pair or small-group tables, Quiet Spaces and a Creative Space. To support this, Yuuki brought in her tent from home.
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As part of the annual ISS Literacy Week, the children have been immersed in reading and writing, with a visit from the author Fleur Vella Chang, numerous Mystery readers (including Grade 6 students, Ms. Ally, Mrs. Loadwick, Luci- Hugh's mum and Jackie- Erica's mum.) We also enjoyed the Book Character Parade (where we earned 2nd place in the Best Dressed Class Competition) and Book Swap. The children also completed the display boards which they had designed to share our recent UOI learning. We then began tuning in to our next unit by considering what we know about the past and beginning a timeline that we will add to as we go along. Using the concepts of Form (what is it like?), Function (how does it work?), Change (how is it changing?) and Connection (how is it connected to other things?), the children analysed various artefacts from the not too distant past. In Maths, the children created games of chance and consolidated their use of the language of probability (impossible, possible, certain, uncertain, likely, unlikely, maybe, chance). Hugh brought in his drone to share with the class and then we challenged him to try and land it on various targets in the playground. UN Sustainable Development Goal #12 Responsible Consumption and Production:
Book Swap supported responsible consumption and sharing our existing resources. In their final reflections about how exchange systems help our community, many children said that they would continue to donate goods, food and money to those in need. Student Voice: The children shared their learning during 3 Way Conference including their ideas on how their parents could help them achieve their goals. This week Grade 2 held their Mini-Market Day. The children had worked hard to plan, design, make and run stalls which brought together many aspects of our recent inquiries. Many had made or brought in goods to sell. Others had stalls which offered games to play. We also had one nail-painting service. The younger students who visited had a great time, as did many of the staff who dropped by to support Grade 2. The children experienced first-hand the excitement, pride and challenges of selling to real customers and handling money in an authentic situation. In their reflections, the following comments were made: "Market Day was busy. Next time I would smile more at the customers." Yuuki "It was hard because if one of us wanted to look at other shops then there was only one person left to help at our shop." Erica "It was fun to serve customers but hard to be a shop-keeper." Maria "I learnt how to use money. Next time I would do face painting too." Yuma "I learned to work together and help each other." Charlie "I learnt not to leave the shop, we should organise it." Hugh "I liked that many people visited our stall and they are all happy." Ray "I thought just 2 or 3 people would come but teachers and others came so I feel happy." Hyuga "I liked giving out my aquabead prizes." Sara "I learned to sell cookies by myself." Isabelle "I learned to give things and get money." Jiahna Afterwards, we counted the takings referring to our records from the day. We realised it can be hard to keep track of sales as you become busy serving customers and made connections to how technology can help with this. On the day, Grade 2 made a grand total of $363.40! We are discussing what we could do with the money. As we ended our inquiry into how Exchange Systems help our community, the children also finished their independent inquiries. They thought about how they could share all their learning and what action they might take themselves in the future. The class was then given the display board outside the classroom to design. After reflecting on our lines of inquiry, they decided to work together in groups to each design a section. Some are making collaborative slideshows, others posters or written pieces. Grade 2 Hula Hoop Competition- Joint 1st: Hyuga and Hugh, 3rd Olivia, 4th Erica, 5th Maria UN Sustainable Development Goal # 10 Reduced Inequalities Independent Student Action: Isabelle, Yuuki and Ray have all recently brought in treats to share treats with the class. Ray offered to help wash up after Market Day. Student Voice: We raised a lot of money. Maria Market Day was so fun! Jiahna This week saw the annual Lion Dance at Paterson Campus. The whole school community gathered to watch the dancers usher in good luck for the new year. Back in class, the children enjoyed being the lion themselves and then worked in small groups to explore how headings or titles can help us to focus our discussions and writing. Each group chose a heading related to Chinese New Year. They shared what they knew about this and each wrote a sentence to create a short paragraph. We then brought it all together to create a simple report, adding an introduction, conclusion, pictures and captions. In other writing, we explored using different inspirations. As part of our Maths Writing, the children chose a receipt to use as a starting point to plan and write a story. We continued to plan and prepare for our Mini-Market Day. The children have been busy designing and making items to decorate their stall or sell on the day. They have considered what they still need to do, how they will organise themselves and keep track of money and whether they will make a profit. The field trip to the Maritime Museum was a great source of information about the exchange systems of the past and how these have and continue to benefit Singapore. The children were able to hear about important explorers from the past, walk through recreations of ports along the Maritime Silk Route. They saw examples of the goods that were traded and the dangers that the merchants and traders faced. Back in class they were able to sketch, note and discuss things they had noticed from the museum and how trade has changed.
We also revisited some of our previous questions and added to these. The children then spent some time finding more relevant books and researching their questions. UN Sustainable Development Goal # Life below water: This connects to Fedor's inquiry question which we will discuss as a class next week, when we reflect on the unit and think of related actions or changes we can make. Independent Student Action:
The children have been busy writing reports this week. They published their short reports on different jobs, choosing to either type or handwrite the finished piece. They also brought together their questions, research and notes on their chosen ISS exchange system to write the final report. We focussed on grouping connected ideas or information to make paragraphs. We also collaborated as a class to create a report on the Salvation Army Donation Drive that happened last week. In UOI, the children were excited to begin planning their Market Day event. We discussed why having systems for exchanges is useful and how we might organise our Market Day. The children came to the conclusion that having a system helps to make things EASIER and CALMER. Some of their comments include: We need systems for exchanges so... "it is respectful" (Yuuki) "it is not crazy" (Hugh) "it is not a mess" (Charlie) "it is fair and everyone gets a turn" (Yuuki) "it is organised so that people know what to do" (Maria) "it is safe" (Fedor) "it is pleasant for people" (Ray) They then worked to decide what they wanted to sell, what research they might need to do, what they would need to buy or prepare etc.. We then visited our target audience (K1, K2 and G1) to gather information on what colours, flavours and games they liked. Alongside this, we began exploring our third line of inquiry: How exchange systems affect Singapore. The children investigated where some items in the classroom had come from and we started a chart to record this information. This led to a discussion about how the goods reach us and how this might have changed over time. We learnt a little of Singapore's maritime past and noted down key words from a video resource. We summarised what we had found out together: Singapore is in a good location. It is in the ocean where many shipping routes pass. It was a dangerous place in the past because there were many pirates who raided passing ships. Boats had to pass through the "Dragon's Teeth" to get to Singapore. When the British came they made it safer by building light-houses. We will continue these exciting inquiries on our return from the Chinese New Year break with our trip to the Maritime Museum which showcases the Maritime Silk Route. In the meantime, the children may begin to notice container ships, the Singapore Port or light-houses around Singapore. In our Maths learning, we developed our facility with using coins. Ahead of Market Day, we practised paying, giving and getting change. The children created their own Price Lists during Maths Writing and then role-played buying and selling with a partner. As a class and in small groups, we also examined word problems involving money. We used the strategies of: highlighting key information; deciding what operation to use and then using number lines or column notation to solve the questions. UN Sustainable Development Goal #12: Some students volunteered to feedback what happened during the Salvation Army Donation Drive with the Elementary classes. They worked to prepare a short speech and then visited each class. They also showed the certificate we were presented with.
Student Voice: I liked doing the research from the video. It was so dangerous! (Sara), I'm looking forward to the field-trip. (Fedor), I liked planning for Market Day (Hyuga), I liked asking K1 and K2 questions (Yuuki), I liked making the game for Market Day (Shoichi), I liked working with my group (Maria). We started this week by sharing the information we had gathered about our family members' jobs. In pairs, the children had to listen and report back to the class what their partner had told them. We agreed that sometimes it is hard to know what people who work in offices do and that there are so many kinds of jobs that we don't even know exist. The children then had some time to research other jobs using books and online resources. We brought our findings together and from this list, they chose one particular job to write a simple report on. In our Literacy lessons, the children edited and then published this piece. We had two special visitors this week. The first, M. Lebon (our Middle School Drama teacher), shared how he and his students had given performances to various people from communities in Singapore and Cambodia (Singapore General Hospital, Eurasian Society and Sok Sobay). We discussed what had been exchanged and why. M. Lebon led the Grade 2 children in some activities aimed at brightening their mood and making them smile, which had been the aim of the Middle School performances. It was a good reminder that money is not always needed for exchanges that help our communities. Our second guest speaker was Hugh's dad, Marcus. He managed to demystify banks for Grade 2, explaining how deposits, loans and interest work with fun role-plays and real money! The children really learnt a lot and were able to later show their understanding through web-mapping. Their comments in our I used to think, now I think routine included: Banks take and give money, I need to pay interest if I borrow money, banks can help me/people, banks are cool for giving you interest, banks can lend money to customers. Some children began building their own bank and coin sorters during free time. In Maths, we consolidated our adding of money using column addition, counting money and making target amounts in different ways. I would encourage the students to get involved in paying for things and finding the correct change when they are out in the real world. In UOI, the children formed groups or worked alone to deepen their questioning skills. They wrote questions based on our concepts to ask various members of our school community who run exchange systems. This included: Mr. Shen (canteen); Ms. Kate (Book Swap/Book Fair); Ms. Ally (library) and Ms. Jasinska and the G5 students (Grade 5 Market Day). This information will be used to write reports on these ISS Exchange Systems. UN Sustainable Development Goals
#12, Responsible Consumption and Production: Our Salvation Army Donation Drive was a great success. Thanks to all who donated. #3, Good Health and Well-being: On Friday we also had the ES Fun Run which was a great way to end the week. This week we started by sorting some examples of exchanges that we had come up with. The children quickly agreed on three main groups: things we get for money, things other people do for us for money and things we give away that can make us feel good. We explored how people decide how to spend their money and discussed the difference between a need and a want. The children shared their information about how members of their family earn money, which we will follow up next week with independent research. The children also connected their inquiries with our Maths explorations into money. We looked at the names and values of coins (with a Singaporean focus), how we write amounts of money and useful strategies to use when counting money (including making groups of 10 or $1, organising the groups of coins in rows, making notes as you go and physically touching the groups as you count). The children revisited the game Roll to 100 as Roll to $1 and also analysed receipts to see what they could discover. In our Literacy and Daily 5 lessons, the children began using the Typing Club program to develop their keyboarding skills. They are trying to improve in both speed and accuracy. Mrs. Vaughan also led a sentence activity with a focus on using adverbs and how they can add detail to our writing. New vocabulary for this unit, this week included: goods, services, earn, spend, needs, wants, job, buy and sell. Lastly, we visited the Grade 4 Body Exhibition to see what they have been learning upstairs. UN Sustainable Development Goal #12 Responsible Consumption and Production
Grade 2 have organised a Salvation Army Donation Drive, which we have created posters for and announced in assembly. The children returned happy and rested and ready to go. We chatted and caught up with our friends over our Holiday Doodle Sheet. Over the week, the children also worked together to create mini-obstacle courses in class. The children began to explore money, sharing what they knew and investigating different currencies that they had brought from home. They developed their observational skills by using magnifying glasses and doing coin-rubbings. We used the I see, I think, I wonder thinking routine and also explored currency exchanges.
We began tuning in to our new unit of inquiry by playing a trading game and thinking about personal experiences of giving and getting. We unpacked the Central Idea of "Exchange systems help our community", and analysed some exchange systems around school. We also visited the Library to find books that connected to money or exchanges. There was also time for a spot of hula-hooping! It has been a wonderful semester, full of learning, laughter and the children's hard work. We celebrated International Day last Friday. As a whole school, we enjoyed watching various musical and dance performances and the International Parade. Each Elementary class was then paired up with a High School class to explore one UN Sustainable Development Goal in more detail. We were joined by Ms. Sit and some lovely Grade 12 students to think about Goal #10 Reduced Inequalities. In pairs, the students randomly drew coloured shapes which determined what resources they had access to. They then had to make a picture that represented what International Day meant to them. Later we raced- boys against girls, Grade 12 against Grade 2, hopping against running. Then the students reflected and made some pledges based on what they had learnt. Comments included: being fair, letting everyone have a turn or a chance, letting everyone run, sharing what you have, teaching others what you know. We don't have to all BE the same but we should all have the SAME CHANCES was what we agreed on in the end. The day ended with the usual delicious buffet- a definite highlight of the year. This week the children have shared their picture books with K1 and K2, their poetry with G5, including attending their poetry recital. We also enjoyed visiting the G5 Market Day which showcased all of the Grade 5 students' creativity and dedication. Back in class, the children have explored symmetry. They spent time creating their own symmetrical designs, sculptures, games, patterns and art-works and then shared these in a small class gallery. We added feedback to art displays around the school and finally reflected on our unit and semester. We sadly bid farewell to Julien and wished him bon chance for his move back to Belgium. We will miss his quick smiles and laugh, his knowledge, ideas and energy. Finally, who could forget the joint Grade 2 end of semester dance party! The children have begun to explore the connection between words and images, as well consider the purpose behind them. They have been asked to create a picture book for K1 and K2 and are working to decide: 1. what kind of book they want to make (information, persuasive or entertainment) 2. what kind of text they will use (poetry, comic, story, explanation etc..) 2. what kind of images they will use or create (paint, drawing, collage, photo etc..) As a group we created a picture book using our tangram characters. In groups the children thought of what might happen at each stage of the story and then individually illustrated sections of the text. We explored similes and adjectives as a way to add detail to our writing and create images in the reader's mind. Here are some of the similes we came up with: "I'm crazy like a dancing snake." Fedor "I'm a climber like a monkey." Hyuga "My mom is as busy as a bee." Jiahna "A cheetah is as fast as the speed of light." Hugh "I am as hungry as a panda and a lion." Julien "Daily 5 is as peaceful as the sea." Yuuki "A shark is as dangerous as poison." Shoichi "My dad is as quick as a cheetah." Yuma "The Earth is as lovely as heaven." Maria "I'm as funny as a monkey." Charlie "I am as sleepy as a koala." Erica "A volcanic eruption is as shaky as an earthquake." Sara "The construction site is as dangerous as a poisonous snake." Ray The children have also been independently inquiring into different forms of poetry including shape, acrostic, diamante, rhyming couplets and limericks. This has been supported by our thinking about Word Choice and how we Organise our writing. In Maths, we used 2-D shapes as templates to create a 3-D image. The children all showed fantastic concentration and perseverance as they worked on these beautiful creations. They were also observed being supportive and helpful as they figured out what to do together. They continue to develop their use of specific geometric vocabulary to name and describe shapes, through shape bingo and other games. We were invited to a Grade 7 performance this week, where we enjoyed both solo and group songs. We also joined in with the Global Hour of Code by first exploring what a code is. The children described code as "tell something or give information", a "pattern", "like in Egypt" (hieroglyphics), "a computer code".
They first created their own Morse Code initial sign and then connected their thinking to the Scratch app on the ipads, which requires the students to give a series of sequenced instructions to move a character. |
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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