Last week we went on a field trip which helped us compare different types of movement. First we walked to the Somerset MRT which has a skate park on top of it. Then we took the MRT train back to Orchard MRT which is very close to our school. We didn't see any skateboarders in the park, so we got to play on the ramps! Before and after our trip, we completed parts of a Harvard Project Zero Visible Thinking Routine called 'I Used to Think, Now I Think' to collect our ideas about the MRT. Here are our thoughts about the MRT from before and after our trip: After our trip we also reflected on the experience in our journals and discussed which we thought the better way of moving between our school and Somerset was: walking or MRT . . .
Our emergent interest in game invention has continued in our main classroom and PE time. We've used a range of different materials and equipment to inspire and support our movement games. Last week in PE we invented some new games. We worked in small groups and Mr. Nathan interviewed us to see what we invented. Dillon, Phoenix & AdrianMax, Caileigh & ManaLibby, Cailynne & OlympiaIsaiah, Elliot & Aarna
One of the things that we are a little bit confused about is the difference between 2D and 3D shapes. All of us thought that Isaiah's bus toy was a rectangle. We will continue to explore the 'flat' nature of 2D shapes as we continue our inquiry into shapes.
Last week we went on a field trip to the road near our school as part of our 'How we organize ourselves' inquiry into movement. Before we left school we prepared for our trip with a presentation from some students in K2 about safety. They have been inquiring into safety in their own classroom and made a movie for us about road safety. Later we discussed as a class how we could be safe:
Mrs. A also read us a story called Look Out on the Road which prepared us for some of the things we might see on the road, including signs and different types of movement. On our trip we practiced what we had learned about road safety. We were also looking for the different types of human and traffic movement we could observe, as well as the patterns and shapes we noticed on the roads and street signs. When we returned from our trip we reflected on what we had experienced by viewing the photographs, discussing as a group, and drawing and writing in our journals. Here are some of our thoughts:
We're also continuing to construct a representation of what we saw on the road using different materials which we are using for visualizing our memories and of course...play! In the coming weeks we will continue to view photos of the road and signs from our trip to see what shapes and patterns we notice.
Cailynne: A pattern of light blue and dark blue. Adrian: Light blue, dark blue, light blue, dark blue . . . Olympia: It's a straight pattern but a bit wobbly because it's made of cubes. Caileigh: It seems a bit too long. Phoenix: It's a pattern of light blue, dark blue. After our discussion, we went on a pattern hunt around the school to see if we could transfer our existing knowledge of pattern to new spaces. We did a great job, photographing the patterns we saw and describing them through voice recordings using the Explain Everything app!
We came up to the computer at different times to show things we were playing with and things that we thought were important in our classroom. After our Skype Play date we discussed our experience and many questions emerged about our new friends. We decided to make a list so we could remember our questions and ask our friends the next time we Skype:
We can't wait to chat with our new friends again soon through Twitter and Skype!
Currently we are exploring the PYP Transdisciplinary Theme 'How We Organize Ourselves' through the central idea 'We move in different ways and for different purposes. Ms. Alison noticed that during our free playtime we were often playing and inventing games that involved movement. She recorded a few of these on video and showed them to us, following up with two questions:
We were really excited by the second question and immediately started discussing our ideas during a class meeting. We separated ourselves into groups based on our interests in specific games that were proposed during our group conversation:
Planning Our Games First we worked in our groups to plan our games through discussion, drawing and writing. Each group then met with Ms. Alison to have a conversation about the games which we recorded using the Audioboom app. Through the conversations, some of us decided to make changes or additions to our games. Later that week, all of us agreed that the games were ready to be played! We moved around to different parts of the school that the groups thought were the best spaces for playing the games. The groups then presented the rules and format of their games and we played! Game 1: Crab WalkingGame 2: Jump on the MatsGame 3: Throw the PancakeContinuing our Interest in Games The next week in our PE lesson we wanted to show our games to Mr. Nathan. Since then, we have continued to pursue our interest in inventing and playing games that involve movement. In our main classroom and PE classes we've been encouraged with different equipment and materials. Stay tuned to our blog to see how we're continuing to make the connection between movement and organizing ourselves through games!
Our most recent Star Name was Phoenix. We were already familiar with Phoenix's name because our our time spent in the writing centre creating letters to send through the mailbox. Though Phoenix's name starts with a 'P' it actually has the 'F' sound! Some of us even realized that Phoenix actually starts the same as 'phonics'...which Phoenix told us the the nickname her family calls her at home! Phoenix Phonics! In most of our discussions though and in our Literacy Rotations, we focused on the sound 'P' usually makes. |
About Us
We are a group of Kindergarten 1 students at an IB World School in Singapore. Our teacher is Miss Alison. Follow us on our blog and Twitter to see how much we're learning and growing! More Blogs to Follow at ISS:Archives
June 2015
Elementary Principal (Mr. Pinchbeck)
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