The Last Show and Tell

 For our last day of Show and Tell, the students shared an object that they find interesting. They shared information about their favourite toy, their favourite book, favourite picture and others. Whether it is a small object or a big one, they shared equal enthusiasm to show it to their friends and tell information about it.

When students take the LEAD

 This week was an exciting week for the learners as they took the lead to inform their parents about their learning journey through the most awaited Student-Led Conference.

Prior to the SLC, Grade 1s together with their teachers discussed and planned what to include in their conferences given the time limit.

Each one got a chance to suggest what to do in each area (language, math, unit and specialists). Then we came up with the spelling challenge, reading, telling a story, addition and subtraction, shopping online, mirror on the wall activity and unit sharing.

To also help them reflect, the students also were given some smiley assessments which they can refer to as they reflect at home.

Overall, the students seemed to enjoy the activities prepared and were confident that they did well. 

Mirror Mirror on the wall - Symmetry

 This week in Math, we explored symmetry and patterns.

We did a mirror activity wherein they played the role of the mirror and they reflected my actions. It was fun to see them trying their very best to mirror the actions.

Then we investigated some letters, shapes around us and check whether they are symmetrical or not.

Then we created our simple piece of artwork showing symmetry and balance.

Unpacking the Central Idea

 One important part of a unit journey is to make the central idea clear to the learners. For Grade 1s, it is always a challenge given the limited vocabulary that they have. In this case, we try to paraphrase the central idea and write it in a simpler version which is child-friendly.

To do this, we start with highlighting the BIG words in the central idea. In this unit's case, they identified the following as BIG words:

- artists, styles, techniques, create, different, visual arts

Grade 1s went around the school to ask the community about their understanding of the BIG words we highlighted.

These are what they got:

Then we took note of the meanings of BIG words, came up with a simpler and clearer version that is friendly for kids.

ART as a result of perspective (pre assessment)

 This unit on How we express ourselves focuses on Visual Art as a medium of expression. In doing this, it is important that learners know what ART means.

To do this, Grade 1s were asked to cut out pictures and sort them into Art-connected and NOT connected. They glued the ones that they think are connected to ART inside the circle, and the ones NOT connected to ART outside the circle.

Below are some of their work showing varied perspectives:

Having a clear idea of what ART is for them, they now shared their perspectives to their friends through a buddy talk. The purpose for this activity is for them to see what others think of ART and hopefully widen their perspective about it.

Then we gathered new discoveries or realisations they found after the sharing. We also watched a simple video online showing that ART is a matter of perspective. One may consider a piece of work an art but others may not see it as such.

Briefly it was mentioned that ART is not limited to drawing or painting, but goes beyond pen and paper. This is what we will explore further in the coming weeks

Responsible Buyers at the Supermarket

 Last April 25, 2022, Monday, Grade 1s had the chance of showing and proving themselves responsible enough to be sent to the supermarkets to do the shopping for their families.

Over the weekend, they went through different things needed in the house. They listed them with their parents. They came to school with their list and with their money to buy them.

They were paired up with their buddies. Together, they bought the items on their lists. They finished the task with a sense of fulfillment that they did it right. ❤️

Natural Foods vs Processed Foods

We are almost done with our unit on How we organise ourselves. This week, we explored the line of inquiry that focuses on the concept of change:

' how can food be processed and changed'

Grade 1s looked at different foods on the table and sorted them out into two groups: natural and processed. After successfully grouping them, they came up with their own definition of what natural foods are and what processed foods are.

Natural Foods:

                'Fruits and vegetables are natural foods.' - Leon

                'Rice and grains are natural foods.' - Rosa

                'Natural foods are directly from trees and plants.' - Evah and Emily

                'Natural foods can also be from animals like fish.' - Leon and Keiichiro

Processed Foods:

                'Processed foods undergo steps that made them different.' - Evah and Rosa

                'Other ingredients were added to it like chemicals.' - Rosa

                'Processed foods undergo changes.' - Maelle

                'Processed foods are not directly from the trees. They are from factories and machines.' - Anton

On Monday, they will further explore these two groups of foods as we visit Toho supermarket to buy things for their homes. 😊