This week we began our new unit on How We Express Ourselves, thinking about the Central Idea that Images Express Meaning. We started off by looking at common signs and symbols that we see around us. This sparked great interest with the children spotting these kinds of images everywhere they went! They began to make connections between signs used for safety and signs that tell us that we must or must not do something. Over the weekend, keep a look out for lots of different signs and symbols all around. Does everyone in your family know what they mean? Why do you think that is? Here are some signs we created ourselves. Can you work out what they mean? - ISS Fun FairThank you for such a good response to the bake sale for the Fun Fair on Sunday 13th March. If you would still like to help out by bringing in a cake or manning the stall for half an hour, don't forget to complete the sign up sheet here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/15TdRM7pNGUBpzBqYmK7_ZTaKHq6hL3H8vRjghOaBszU/edit We love ISS!Finally, I wanted to share a wonderful piece of persuasive writing completed by Jan. He shares his love of ISS and writes a very compelling argument for why children should go to school here! I'm so glad that he loves our school so much!
0 Comments
What an incredibly busy and productive week we have had this week! We had a successful trip to the National Museum of Singapore where the children showed enthusiasm to find out why so many cultures are found in Singapore. Once we had organised our thinking of the different cultures, we applied that to the structures we see around us and it was great to see so many of the children realise the connection between the cultures in Singapore and why we see so many different styles of structures here! The field trip really helped to pull together all of the learning throughout this Unit of Inquiry and showed the children's understanding of the Central Idea that Structures Reflect the Culture that Creates Them. This week we also tied together our understanding of features of different structures from around the world. The students have been working hard in groups to collect information, record it, organise it and then present it. In small groups the children had to choose their own method of recording information and then collaborated with the whole class to choose a good method of synthesising and presenting their information. They did a fantastic job and showed great inquiry, team work and problem solving skills. See the pictures below to see the process. We also spent time exploring shape this week. Using 2D shapes, we investigated tangrams and how to position them to create different shapes and pictures. This led to lots of interesting conversations including a conversation about commitment. The students really had to use their problem solving skills and once or twice I heard the statement "I'm going to give up." After talking about commitment to learning, the children decided that they were not going to give up and instead, work as a team to solve the problems. They felt a real sense of pride when they completed the tasks and agreed that they should stay committed to their learning!
I hope that you all had a good extended weekend and great Chinese New Year celebrations. Here are a few photos from our short week at school. Next week is Author Week where we will receive a visit from a real life author on Wednesday. Children are welcome to bring in books by their favourite author to share their opinions with the class. Please write your name on the book to ensure that it does not get lost.
We completed this week with a field trip to Bayfront, next to Marina Bay Sands, to observe the structures that we see around us in Singapore. The students noticed that there is a big contrast of older and newer buildings in the skyline and that these can be identified by certain features such as the colours used, the shape of the structures and the materials used to make the structures. This led to some interesting questions such as "why do they make buildings so tall now and they didn't in the past?" "Why are so many buildings made from glass now?" We will continue to explore structures in Singapore and to think about how different cultures have influenced their design. Gong Xi Fa CaiHappy New Year to those of you who celebrate and I hope that you enjoy the extended weekend. I look forward to seeing the children back at school again on Thursday 11th February dressed in either red or Chinese style clothes to enjoy the Lion Dance. Book Character ParadeOn Friday 12th February, students can come to school dressed as their favourite book character to celebrate the start of Author Week the following week. There will also be a Book Fair in the Library on Friday from 8am until 4.30pm. See the flyers below for more information.
This week we concluded our work on measuring by exploring weight and capacity. One important concept we have been thinking about is estimating and how we can make our estimations more accurate. After a lot of investigating, we found that our estimations were becoming more accurate by the end of the week. We also found that we are becoming more accurate data collectors and that there are many different units of measurement beyond those we have looked at in class. Many of the students were keen to take their measuring knowledge from class and transfer it to different measurement opportunities at home and around them. This week we also spent time inquiring into coding with Mr Gallagher. We applied our knowledge of measurement and shape to explore making different 2D shapes using the programme, 'Scratch'. It was incredible how quickly the children were able to transfer basic coding knowledge to create multi-step instructions for the character to follow. Finally, this week we were sad to say goodbye to Amrit. The students recognised his principled behaviour and nominated him for the Learner Profile Award. A lovely way to feel recognised on his last day. We wish Amrit the best of luck in his new school.
|
AuthorGrade 2.2 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. School BlogsMr. Pinchbeck - Principal
Ms. Janienne's Blog Ms. Dell and Ms. Sophie's Blog Ms. Caz's ART Blog Elementary PE Blog Ms. Marnie's MUSIC Blog VisitorsArchives
June 2016
Categories |