After Ceyone’s Show and Tell we decided to do some further research about how to grow mung beans ourselves. We asked ‘How much water will they need?’ ‘What should we grow them in?’ ‘Where should we put them?’ ‘How tall will they grow?’ Then we had to try and find out some more information, we used the ipads to search for videos about how to grow mung beans. After that we shared some of our findings and decided which way to try first. The students helped prepare the resources and set up the growing beans. Let’s see what happens!
0 Comments
To tune in to our unit of inquiry we were shown two orchids and asked if they were living or non living. We discussed our reasons and noted our predictions. One was artificial and the other real! Many of us thought this was the case. Then we touched each orchid to confirm which one was real and artificial. Next we sorted pictures of things into living and non living. Some of us decided there were things that were once living.
This unit’s Show and Tell is all about lifecycles. We are doing ‘Sharing The Planet’ with the Central Idea ‘Human actions can impact plant and animal survival. One of our lines of inquiry is ‘How animals and plants live and grow’. We are using the ‘flipped classroom’ approach - where researching the knowledge/facts at home allows for time to practice the communication skills needed for presenting the information in the class. The children are peer assessing each other using a simple rubric to check for eye contact, a loud voice and staying on topic. Ceyone explained the lifecycle of a mung bean using graphics on an ipad as well as real examples of bean plants. He showed us the little seeds inside of bean which can be planted to make the cycle continue. We discussed what the beans need to grow and wondered how tall they would grow. We also were interested in how they are eaten. Ceyone said he makes them into pancakes. Anjali presented a slide show about the Eastern Newt. We were interested in it's different colours and why it is orange when it's a teenager. Anjali had prepared a video which answered this! We discussed whether the newt is a reptile or amphibian - ask us what our conclusion was and how we know. Emma showed us her polar bear stuffy and then explained about the lifecycle of a polar bear. We were interested in comparing the weights of the baby polar bears to the adult ones. We also discussed why a polar bear is a mammal. Emma told us that the polar bear's habitat is under threat because the ice is melting, we had some initial ideas about what might be causing this and have decided to do further research on this.
As part of our ongoing year long unit ‘Who We Are’ with the central idea ‘Communities can be diverse’ we focused on the line of inquiry ‘How communities evolve’ by finding out about the different ethnicities that make up Singapore. We had a selection of photos of foods, clothes and people as well as languages. We had to group them into similar groups. We found the four ethnicities in Singapore and Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian. Next we want to find out how many of each ethnic group there are. Zooming into the Indian ethnic group of Singapore we learned a bit about the celebration of Deepavali. First we did a see, think, wonder thinking routine with some different artefacts, pictures and objects related to Deepavali. Then Ms Shradha gave the class a presentation about Deepavali which helped to answer some of our wonder questions. Next Mrs Hayward set up a Rangoli making activity with beans and lentils. We glued them in circular patterns on plates. Some of us also coloured in Rangoli patterns.
Our inquiries into light had many of us interested in rainbows. We wondered what made rainbows and why there were so many colours. Ms Hima and Mrs Hayward helped us make a spectroscope from a cardboard tube and CD which refracted the light so we could see a rainbow inside.
During the afternoon lessons on Monday to Thursday this week we have been doing lots of experiential learning activities. At the beginning of the week we set ourselves a goal for an ATL the we wanted to focus on. Each day the activity had a specific ATL goal to focus on and practise. Communication Skills: We had to make different rope shapes in groups. Two group members were blindfolded, so we had to listen carefully and give clear instructions. We took turns to lead the instructions and wear the blindfolds. Self Management Skills: In our groups we were given the challenge to create an object using only 12 blocks. The object had to have two different purposes. We had to cooperate, share ideas and come to agreements. At the end we shared all about our structures and answered questions from our peers. We practised being respectful listeners. Thinking Skills: We had to use thinking skills by carefully planning what pattern and picture we would like to make. First we arranged leaves, petals and blueberries on half a piece of fabric. Once we were happy with the design we folded the fabric on top and used blocks to smash the items between the fabric. The natural pigment dyes left many interesting markings on the fabric. We also visited the garden to gather leaves and used these to do leaf rubbings with crayons. This type of art is Japanese Hapa-Zome. Social Skills: Working in groups of 3 we had to plan a journey for an ant. We thought of stops it could take and made markers with mini flags. We mapped out the trail with string in the ground. We had to discuss ideas with our team members and work together to push in the flags and lay out the string.
|
AuthorGrade 1 - Learning together! Archives
March 2020
Categories |