Hello to all out readers! 🌻
It has been two weeks already since the last blog post and our classroom is as eventful and as bursting with energy as ever!
After committing to improving their focus in class together, students have been sharing their experiences of going to bed earlier and eating bigger meals in the mornings. They have also been enjoying the various “focusing” games we have been playing every day. These range from old favorites such as taboo, charades, pictionary, red light/green light to new games made up on the spot like “word ball pass” or “shopping list”. The students seem to enjoy them a lot. 🏀
Relating to the Unit of Inquiry they are currently exploring, the class has followed the voyages of Ferdinand Magellan, the first man to sail around the World, and Jeanne Baret, the first woman to do the same thing through a series of surprising adventures. ⚓
They also discussed the different goals that explorers have, their motivation and the equipment they might carry. The students worked in groups to design their own inventions that might help explorers, and came up with unique ones such as a tent that stays stable in space, a personal GPS device and a device that makes drinkable water out of water in the air.
This week, the students experienced the excitement of exploration themselves through a treasure hunt which led them around the classroom looking for clues. The students managed to crack the clues and discover their prize and felt inspired to tackle next week’s inquiry, which will show that Great explorers aren’t just historical figures, but that they are everywhere around us and that every day is an exploration.
As part of this, the students will go on an excursion to the Shiga fossil museum, where experienced scientist will share the details about their jobs with them. 🦕
The students have been exploring the world of botany and gardening as well. It all started when we decided to propagate one of the classroom’s plants to make 12 baby plants, which the students excitedly named.
Following this, we received a generous donation of four carnivorous plants. The students researched the best way to take care of these sensitive plants and carefully looking over them every day. 🌱
They have also enjoyed choosing the seeds, mixing and preparing the soil and planting their own little part of the school’s garden, which they can now enjoy on the school’s balcony. The students are dedicated to watering the plants and our first sprouts have already started growing. Many interesting weeks of gardening seem to be ahead.
In afternoon lessons, the students continued learning about Ancient Chinese society structure, warriors and the famous terracotta army by making clay models of the above. In health, they discussed the importance of proper died and understanding food labels, while in art they learned about Grant Wood and are currently painting a portrait of a typical person and landscape representing their city. In Math, they are dedicated to practicing their knowledge of angles, while Science saw them dabble in physics by discussing gravity. 🧮
Have a lovely weekend!
