ISN Elementary Class has been investigating some very big questions! What if you were given an uninhabited island to live on for as long as you like? What would you do on that island? Who would you get to help you? How would you use the things on the island?
Our IB unit of inquiry is about geography. The transdisciplinary theme is “Where we are in place and time” and the central idea is “Geography influences how communities interact with their environment.” Students are investigating a scenario where they have to make their home on an uninhabited island. They must think about the things that are already on the island as well as the things they need to bring onto the island. Most importantly they must have a plan for the future. What do they want their island to be like in the future? Certainly this task in stimulating considerable thought and discussion. Students’ deeper understanding of the word “survive” and a deeper understanding of the importance of our natural environment is becoming evident .
This weekend students are taking their laptops home for the first time. Everyone is very excited to show their parents just what they have been learning in academics and in skills. The chargers will be left at school as the charge in the computer is enough for the activities students can choose to do: level one slideshows both personal tasks and class tasks; typing skills; and a writing, math, reading program called “Sumdog” which monitors each student’s progress and adjusts the level of the games and activities to suit each student individually. Students can choose which activities they work on, however they can also choose just to show their parents and not do any activities. We look forward to feedback from both students and parents.
