This week, Grade 1s tried another way of calming down, using the calming bottle.
Together, Grade 1s created their calming bottles. They looked at the bottles to calm themselves down. When they are too excited or full of energy, they can shake the bottle, take a look at the glitters that float and watch them settle down the bottom of the bottle.
It is interesting to see that kids are always enthusiastic to share information especially about items they value so much.
This week, we got the chance to meet Evah's toy zebra, Leon's toy sloth, otter and teddy bear, and Nako's special Alice in Wonderland pencil case.
They shared information about their items and even answered questions about them such as how did they get it, how long has it been with them, why they liked the toy, and others. 😊
Last week, when the class did the Group challenge - Building the tallest and strongest tower, they encountered conflicts with their group members.
As a class, we listed the problems on the board. When summarized, the problems were condensed into three:
1. One member takes control of the group, follows only his/her ideas and does not listen to others.
2. Some members not working; instead they do other things not connected to the task.
3. One member stands as the boss, telling everyone else what they should do.
After the reflection, the class worked in groups of 5 members. Each group was assigned to one problem. They were asked to create a role play and show ways on how they will solve the problems.
The main way they came up with as a first step to solve the problem is by communicating. They need to say what they feel and give suggestions on how to make the group work better.
If the first step does not work, then they approach a trusted adult and ask for help.
This week, our Grade 1s cheerfully shared one item they found really interesting. They showed the items to the class. They also described them and told them what the items are for. They moved around to allow their classmates to have a closer look at their items.
Not everyone got their chance this week. Because of that, we will modify the schedule of our Show and Tell form next week.
In this activity, the Grade 1s reflected hard on their ideas of a good friend. Each of them chose six important qualities of a good friend. They glued those descriptors on their 'good friend' template.
Afterwards, they moved around and shared their work to their friends. They were asked to explain their own opinion about the qualities.
When we were done, we had a class reflection. Some of them found out that their ideas of a good friend are similar. But one thing came out unanimously, everyone in the class wants a friend who does not hurt, instead takes good care of others.
How about you? What qualities are you looking for in a friend?
This week, we listened to the read aloud of the story, Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
This week, Grade 1s were given a challenge to accomplish. The class was divided into 4 groups. Their challenge is to build the strongest and tallest tower. They were all given equal number of plastic straws, one roll of tape and a generous amount of clay. To make the challenge more interesting, they have to complete the tower within a given time limit.
During the process, a lot of conflicts between and among members came. Some were taking the lead and not giving others the chance to share their ideas. A couple of members were just letting the others do all the work while they read books or draw on a paper.
The main purpose of the activity is not really to build the tower, but to see what problems may happen and different ways they applied to solve the problems.
Next week, we will reflect on this activity and see how this can help us with building relationships.
This week, three of our Grade 1 learners shared information about an interesting object they own or a certain favourite item that they have. They brought the item in the school, sat in front of their classmates and shared at least 5 interesting facts about them.
Our Grade 1s truly are great communicators! They are confident speakers too. Great job, Grade 1!
In one of our unit activities, the students worked in groups, looked at the picture prompts and discussed possible actions to solve the problems.
After sharing of ideas, they drew and write ways on how to handle situations in a positive way. Together as a group, they shared their work to the class.
The next step is, how they will put these ideas into practice when they face these types of challenges.
