The Step Ladder

Our new campfire has tall curved shelves. They are great for storing our resources and creations. However, we realised that we cannot always reach the top of the shelves. Even the teachers were not tall enough!  

We decided to order a step ladder from IKEA. It came in a box. It was in pieces! We had to fix it ourselves.

A few of the children took up the challenge. @S stated that she knows how to do it as her grandpa and grandma always fix the furniture in the house. She knows how it’s done.

@S wanted to be in charge of the screws. @F wanted to read the pictures in the instruction manual. It was decided that he would be the person telling the team where the screws fit, and which wooden pieces were needed.

The children wanted to know the name of the tools we were using. We invited @MrZachG the Design teacher, to come over to the Early Yeas space to help us. He told us the tool was a type of wrench!

The children talked about the pictures they saw in the booklet. They noticed the sequence of steps and the need to follow them.  

@F noticed that there are different kinds of screws. He looked closely at the different pieces of wood to see where the screws needed to be inserted. This was a challenge. There were so many different pieces!

He wondered in which direction the screws needed to be turned. After many attempts, @F said…

“Because it’s harder and harder, so I know I’m right.”

Others joined in to see how they can help. The project allowed for opportunities to learn through trial and error.

Conversations revolved around size, measurement, purpose and safety. We wonder what other tools people use to create different objects…

Through this project we had opportunities to …

  • Observe carefully.
  • Seek information.
  • Ask or express through play questions that can be researched.
  • Analyse and interpret information.
  • Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information.
  • Express oneself using words and sentences.
  • Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.
  • Understand symbols.
  • Understand that mark-making carries meaning.
  • Be respectful to others.
  • Play cooperatively in a group: sharing, taking turns, helping.
  • Choose and complete tasks independently.
  • Follow the directions of others.
  • Share responsibility for decision-making.
  • Demonstrate persistence in tasks.
  • Use strategies to problem-solve.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

 

The Step Ladder (Part 2)

The children have been working hard to finish constructing the step ladder. Felix suggested that we could paint it! Nina and Yoochan joined in. Together they sat down and had a discussion, they created a ‘plan’ and a ‘design’.

 

  • Felix “I want to colour it on. Red. The whole colour will go off if it’s raining.”
  • Yoochan agreed with the idea Felix presented.
  • Nina “I want to draw Tina on it.”
  • Felix “It’s for inside because there is nothing to play up outside. Everything is down. We have two, one for inside, the other one for outside. We don’t paint the outside one.”

After the discussion, the group put down their designs on the paper.

Nina “Ms. Tina, in the chair. Tina red. This is Tina’s dress. This is Tina’s head and shoulder and mouth. This is his neck.”

Yoochan “A dinosaur. Red dinosaur.”

Felix “I want to colour the whole and I use red, blue, shiny blue.”

Later, they went over to Ms. Karen’s campfire to look for the different coloured paints they had planned to use. They stated to decorate the step ladder!

Sewon and Jiwon showed an interest in painting and joined the group. They chose their favourite colour and painted the step ladder very carefully.

The next day, Felix, Sarah and Nina presented the painted step ladder to the group. They talked about the project, explaining the different steps they took to complete the job.

  • Nina “Painting.”
  • Felix “Build it.”
  • Sarah “With this one (pointing to the screws).
  • Felix “I didn’t know how to do this. Because, here is not one of these (pointing to a piece of wood that does not have a screw).
  • Felix “Because it is beautiful. To get up higher. Because you can get some things to play from.”
  • Sarah “Going high.”
  • Felix “It is for you to go high. For everybody kids to get higher. One for the teachers and one for the kids.”
  • Sarah “Teacher go high they go boom.”
  • Teacher “What other things can we make?”
  • Felix “A shelf. Shelf things.”

The children were so excited about the step ladder. They gathered around it and looked at the different project pictures that were posted, showing the stages of its journey. They gently touched the step ladder, testing the dry paint, discussing the colours they had used.

Through this project, we had opportunities to……

  • Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.
  • Express oneself using words and sentences.
  • Participate in conversations.
  • Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.
  • Use discussion and play to generate new ideas and investigations.
  • Demonstrate persistence in tasks.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

 

Children have AGENCY when they…

  • are actively engaged in various stages of learning, including: thinking about, planning, modifying and creating
  • are actively involved in discussion, questioning and by being self-directed in their creating (as opposed to passive receiving)
  • apply their understanding of concepts through the construction of their projects/play
  • have an active voice and stake in the classroom/community
  • face challenges and are given the freedom to independently overcome these or fail through trial and error or experimentation
  • are risk-takers
  • express their theories of the world and these are honoured in the environment
  • reflect on their actions and self-regulate.

 

The Step Ladder (Part 3)

We had a second step ladder in the classroom. But again, we had to assemble it!

This time we decided to ask our community to support us. We placed all the pieces of wood, screws and tools in the corridor, along with the instructions. We included a ‘message’ to the community.

A week went by. Nothing happened. The step ladder was still in the box. A few days later, we saw a student working on the project. He was assembling the step ladder during his lunch break.

The next day, a few other children joined in to help. A week later, the step ladder was completed. The community helpers posted their own ‘message’.

We decided to send them another ‘message’. We thought that they may like to paint the step ladder they have assembled. The quickly joined in to help.

The step ladder was beautiful.

The children in PreK-K1C were excited to see the green, white and silver step ladder.

What other ‘messages’ can we send them?

The students began to share their ideas. Can we ask them to help us again?

  • Felix “Can you please build a tree house? We can bring trees. We can bring small trees (sticks). Put something sticky.”

  • Michelle “Could you please build a garden? Put leaves and flowers. And keep garden books. Chairs here. People can make lion in garden.”

  • Tyson “大椅子。很多木头。” [a big chair. Many pieces of wood]
  • Teacher “How will the Grade 4 students know what type of chairs we want them to make for us?”

The children used paper to draw their designs.

They collected the material the community may need to use to create the different items. Craft sticks, twine and scissors for the tree houses.

Play dough for the garden.

Pieces of wood, a hammer and nails for the chairs.

  • Felix decided to move his tree house close to the bulletin board. “They can see what my tree house looks like.”

Will the community see our messages?

We wonder what will happen next…

https://twitter.com/shemogani/status/1174867793679773696

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s) 

  • Observe carefully.
  • Use discussion and play to generate new ideas and investigations.
  • Present information in a variety of modalities.
  • Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information.
  • Interpret visual, audio and oral communication: recognizing and creating signs, interpreting and using symbols and sounds.
  • Express oneself using words and sentences.
  • Participate in conversations.
  • Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.
  • Understand that mark-making carries meaning.
  • Use mark-marking to convey meaning.
  • Share responsibility for decision-making.

 

The Design Projects

The community have been spending time during their breaks, creating different items using the different materials provided by the children. 

They have used wooden blocks, clay, glue and nails to create a variety of items.

Some of the projects were in the ‘construction’ stage, some of them were completed and labelled.

The children frequently visited the space to see the many projects being carried out.

They discussed the projects and decided to share their thinking and questions with the creators.

Felix “Thank you for build tree house.”

Sebastian “A car. A tool for pushing the car. Then the car put there.”
Tyson “这个是车子。谢谢。因为你们给我们做了很多东西。”[This is car. Thank you. Because you help us make a lot of things.]

The children were inspired, they wanted to create their own projects. They used the materials to make iPhones, iPads, vehicles and houses.

“这是一个美国的飞机。” [This is an America airplane.]

Felix “This is a ipad. You can measure everything how heavy it is. And it can look under the floor.”

We wonder what else we can make with the different materials we have around us.

How might you be inspired to create?

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

  • Observe carefully.
  • Seek information.
  • Ask for clarifications.
  • Express oneself using words and sentences.
  • Participate in conversations.
  • Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.
  • Choose and complete tasks independently.
  • Demonstrate persistence in tasks.
  • Use strategies to problem-solve.

 

The VOTE

We have two step ladders. We had to decide which one we would keep to use in the classroom and which one we would give away to someone who needs it. The children called them ‘benches’.

  • Charlotte “PreK-K1 made this one. Because my think so (coloured bench).”
  • Felix “And grade 4 made this (the green bench).”

  • Felix suggested that Ms. Karen could have the second bench. “But we could make more for every class. But maybe we can make more!”

We were not sure if we could make more benches at this point, but we know that we do not need two in one space.

We suggested that we give one away.

  • Charlotte “Ms. Hannah.”
  • Nina “Ms. Krystal.”

We made a list of the people who might want a bench.

Ms. Karen

Ms. Tasha

Mr. Cal

Mr. P

Mr. Dodge

 

Felix “But then we have to make so many!”

 

Ms. Ai

Ms. Pat.

Ms. Jo

Ms. Mad

Ms. Anna Mila

 

  • Charlotte “Maybe it’s too many!”
  • Felix “Maybe we should count them cause we know how many we have to make.”

We counted to see how many people we had on the list. There were 12 people on the list! BUT we did not have 12 benches.

Next, we had to decide which bench we wanted to keep in our campfire. The children voted for the bench they wanted to keep by standing behind their chosen bench.

The children counted to see the results of their vote.

We had 4 children choose the green bench and 8 children vote for the coloured bench.

It was decided that we will keep the coloured bench.

Next, we had to vote on who would receive the second bench.

One by one the children called out the name of the teacher.

  • Felix “But there are two 4’s!”

Ms. Anna Mila and Ms. Pat had received the same number of votes. We now had to decide what to do about our results.

  • Nina “We can make another one!”
  • Felix “We only want 1 more.”

Making one more bench was one option.

  • Sarah “Share!”
  • Charlotte “I think sharing with people teachers.”
  • Michelle “Sharing is caring.”

Some of the children agreed that we can ask them to share the benches. But Felix insisted that making one more bench was a better idea when he said, “Because I like to build.”

We wonder how we might solve this problem…

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s) 

  • Organize information.
  • Draw conclusions and generalizations.
  • Seek information.
  • Gather information from a variety of sources (people)
  • Record observations—drawing, charting, tallying
  • Sort and categorize information and materials; arrange into forms or order, for example, with graphs, marks or symbols using emergent writing skills.
  • Analyse and interpret information.
  • Express oneself using words and sentences.
  • Understand that mark-making carries meaning.
  • Share responsibility for decision-making.
  • Use strategies to problem-solve.