mini story – Learning Stories…

The Octopus House: A Collaborative Design Project

5th March 2024 shemogani Leave a comment

A group of children have been working together to create a house, which they named ‘The Octopus House‘. They used their imagination and experiences to inform their art-making.

While building the house, we observed the group sharing and listening to ideas presented, then using a range of materials to improve the different elements in their creation.

Working on one creation can be challenging, problems require solutions and disagreements need to be worked out.

We saw the team work through these different challenges, persevering and then celebrating their final design. Finally, they presented their creation to the class. The architects were invited to keep a record of their design using their visual arts skills.

We noticed how they thought about and used shapes, colours and mark-making to record their creation on paper. These creative experiences allow the children to collaborate, persevere, listen, learn and have fun together.

Computers – What are they for?

13th December 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

Lydia and Liz have been creating and sharing ‘computers’.

Eli “Can we make one? Can I give my daddy one? Because it is a toy and he can play with the computer. I will draw on the screen and he can hit the letters and then play it.”
Oxford “I made it at home. I just draw circle and used a pen and drawing. Circles for drawing ABC.”
Oliver “I made a computer because it looks fun because you were playing on the computer its looks very fun. Ms. Shemo was using the words to play and make the computer work what you want it to do. The letters make it on the screen.”
Howie “Why computers can watch a movie on it?”
Eli “Because the computer screen, if you have some buttons it can turn and you can ask things and when you watch a movie you just write the word ‘movie’ and then they will give you to choose a movie and then you can choose and watch. It is better to first watch the add and then watch the movie!”
Lydia “I want to make a computer, I go home and give it to daddy. Daddy will play with it.”
Liz “I made the computer because I make the computer is fun. First, write the name. Then, draw and write ABC. And then colour the top.”
Wyatt “It’s so fun because it is so funny. Because friends like this. They play on the computer.”
Morning “Why can we use the computer to look at the movie?”
Eli “I watch Avenger.”
Oliver “On the computer I have to print out something. I just look what I want to draw and then it has no colours and then I can print it out. I push the button and it printed out. And then the robot is drawing the picture. The printer draws it and then the paper comes out.”
Oxford “Why computer inside can do so much things?”
Oliver “Inside the computer have lamps and electrics. Lamps make the screen work.”
Eunbyul “Have a batteries. No batteries no screen and no power.”

We wonder what stories they might create as a result of their design work.

Watch this space!

Engagement and Storytelling with Wooden Blocks

18th October 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

Focus: Engagement and storytelling in small group play situations.

Interesting aspects of the learners’ thinking or learning that the adults noticed.

The children were presented with two tubs of blocks. Each child began to look through the tubs to pick out the blocks. They appeared to be matching pieces, looking for connections between them. They created individual structures. They spoke in Mandarin to each other.

Shapes of animals captured one child’s attention.
Others with interested in the trees and nature blocks.
Some were interested in the vehicles and wooden moving blocks.
The children paused to let others know about their blocks. They did not speak to each other for a period of time and one child listened but did not engage in the conversation.

One child made connections with the blocks and what he knew about the world around him. When he made a connection, he enjoyed sharing this with an adult.

A second child demonstrated the ability to play and engage in collaborative play for extended periods of time, using language and storytelling to make connections with others.

O “L helped me. She turned my house to a hotel. She got lots of parts and turned it into a hotel. It’s because I like hotels.”
L “I helped O, O and me built house. Me worked together.“

One child was an observer, often pausing to listen and watch others as she created her story. She intentionally placed her blocks, appearing to create her story in her mind while she moved the blocks into her creation. She was welcoming of others even though they changed the structure of her play space.

M1 “I was making a house for bunny. Bunny needs carrots. The horse was playing with bunny.”

O2 “M1 looked at me building. She said yes, I can play here. Building a house because I want building house. O2 lives here. M2 said I can build there, I was happy.”

Language was used to request entry into play stories with others. When a request was denied, the child moved on to find other play experiences. The children were able to demonstrate the ability to play and engage collaboratively with others and to acknowledge when they have done something to upset their peers.

E “I was playing racing cars. I was building a house and the house have a bed and for parking. I made the roof. I put a chair behind the house because when we go outside we can sit on it. I was playing, putting cars in it.

E “That is the cars are driving up. That is fun.”

E “We are planning to play together (outside). I was faster a little bit. And yesterday I was fast. And today we were the same fast.”
H “Outside playing together. Running race.”
L (in Mandarin) “I said No to O1 because I thought he might put too many things in the space and I won’t have enough space to build. O1 says No putting then I don’t put it in the tub.”

M2 “This is a road. You can go to the house. This is the park.”

One child was non-verbal during play and seemed to prefer playing alongside others, observing and listening to play around him. He was thoughtful and intentional with his creation, choosing objects carefully to meet a purpose.

A the end of play, we reflected on the block play experiences. We asked the children what they they needed to do or think about when playing with blocks.

We need to remember:

Not to break it if there is a name. (Eli)
If you want some pieces, you can ask ‘who built it’. (Eli)
If we see no name on it, we look around it to see if there is a name. (Eli)
Keep the bocks clean. (Jeongyoon)
We can ‘be friends’ with blocks. We can build a city. (Oliver)
Put the blocks nicely on the floor. Use the blocks safely. (Eunbyul)
Build with the blocks. Gently touch the blocks so we don’t break them. (Howie)
Ask if you can join the play using kind words. (Oxford)

Exploring Patterns with @M

14th September 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

One morning during quiet exploration time, @M chose a piece of paper from the recycled basket to make a new creation. He began by (carefully) using a ruler to make straight lines to create a border. Then, he used markers to create pattern towers. This reminded the teachers of the pattern exploration the children had engaged in the day before, where they used Unifix cubes to create colour patterns.

We noticed how @M drew and labelled his ‘pattern unit’ for each new pattern. He had his own rules which were communicated using blocks with numbers and colours. @M tried to think of a unique pattern each time he drew a tower of cubes.

@M sat with his task till he filled his paper with different patterns. When he revisited the patterns and checked them for accuracy, he noticed some errors. He paused to think about the different ways he might correct the mistakes.

@M first strategy was to cross out the mistake. The next was to add additional cubes to continue the pattern correctly.

As he progressed with his pattern work, he began by creating the pattern unit before making the patterns. His two final patterns were red, orange, yellow, and red, pink and yellow.

Finally, @M drew a column of colours and a second column with question marks. This was to ask others if they could name the colours.

He explained that it did not relate to the patterns that were on the paper.

As we explore patterns in the world around us, we wonder which ones will capture @M‘s interest.

We wonder how he might document patterns in nature…

Our exploration continues…

Block Play with Howie and Eli

14th September 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

A group of children worked on their block structures over a sustained period of time, creating plans, solving problems and making changes to the initial design to suit their story. The adults observed the interactions and documented their play over time. When the children saw the video, they reflected on their play, discussing their initial plans and process.

Howie “This is we building blocks. And Mo Mo is helping us to build. And I put my name on the house and I was playing with my house. And we is building and we use which car to drive on the tracks.”

Eli “The pictures help me of looking how to build the hospital and the hotel and that is how I know which pieces is which pieces. I like the hospital and the hotel so I will build it the same as the picture. The building blocks and then putting racing car and then driving them around and then building the T Rex into the hospital and the T Rex mommy into the hospital and we build the all of the race cars and the race road and Mo Mo was helping.”

Howie “I was drawing because I want show us I build and someone comes and he sees my picture and then he can’t touch it. It’s the same make as my blocks because it’s hard to build but it has lots of blocks we can build.”

Eli “I have to remember to build the right pieces we have to write hospital and we have to write hotel. Writing help me learn how to write words. But they all look different (blocks). I think which block I need and then I know which blog I used.”

How do we make choices about the materials we use to create?
What skills do we need to create a story?
What skills do we need to work together?
How do we record our planning and thinking (making thinking visible)?
How can we share our creations and stories with others?

@M the Artist

24th August 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

Ms. Dora invited the children to create a self-portrait. They gathered their materials; cards, writing tools and a mirror, and sat around the classroom, ready to create their pictures.

@M looked at himself in the mirror. He carefully drew the shape of his face, being mindful of the space he had on the piece of card. He took his time, noticing details and drawing purposefully. Each stroke was a controlled line, curve or shape that was thought through.

@M had moved on to drawing his neck and hands. He looked at his hand in the mirror. He wanted to draw his right hand but he could not seem to position the mirror correctly. He thought about the problem for a while and then decided to move the mirror to the other side. He held up his right hand. He could now see his reflection clearly and was ready to continue his drawing.

After a few strokes on his paper, he would look back into the mirror, hold his hand in a particular position and then sketch what he could see. He continued this process until he was happy with his drawing.

@M carefully completed drawing his right hand. Then, he moved to draw his left hand. The position of this hand was different to the right. He moved his hands around, all the while looking into the mirror, till he was happy with the position. Then, he began to draw.

@M moved to draw the rest of his body. He chose not to take as much time with the parts of the body that were not visible in the mirror. Finally, @M used a thin line marker to trace his pencil lines. He carefully outlined his picture and held it away to check if he had drawn all the lines.

As @M finished his drawing task and coloured his picture, the teachers observed his focus and attention to detail. @M was able to enjoy, learn and express himself through the arts. He was responsible for the care of tools and materials.

We wonder how @M will use his deep observational skills and passion for drawing and art to document his learning in K2.

The Early Years Florists

5th February 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

A group of children worked with Ms. Hannah to create a flower arrangement for each class in the Early Years. This is an ongoing project that different groups of children work on every few weeks.

This time, the florists worked on creating a Chinese style flower arrangement with the focus of balance. Joon and Mason were our K2A florists for the week.

The florists had several pointy stands to use with their flower arrangement.

They decided who will use the different stands by pulling paper that were of different lengths.

Ms. Hannah showed the children how to place the flowers on the pointy stand.

Then, the florists had to choose one flower and put it on their stand. Thy had to consider balance, the length of the stems and how the flowers were going to be arranged.

When they placed the second flower, they needed to work out how they can balance both flowers. Then, the florists included the leaves. The florists had to take turns and collaborate, using their skills of observing, thinking and decision making to complete the arrangement beautifully.

The young florists stood back to decide if their arrangements were done well. Finally, they had to agree on which flower arrangements will be presented to the campfires and which ones will remain in the Atelier.

Joon and Mason proudly shared their arrangement with their classmates and placed it next to the class journal to welcome everyone to K2A!

The Sandpit

28th September 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

We noticed the Support staff clearing out the sandpit. We were curious and decided to investigate. A few of the children who frequently play in the area, building dams and waterways, went out to speak to the staff to inquire about the work being done.

Later, Patrick and Noah shared the photographs with the class and explained the situation to everyone.

Patrick “We want to make a river and we need water so we put the sand on the waterway. Then there were rocks in the river. They are cleaning the water way and put the rocks on the sand. There is big trouble because the waterway has sand.”
Noah “Everyone put the sand in the drain because we wanted to make a big river. He (the workers) are cleaning the sand. We are watching how they take out the rocks.”

Noah “The workers are taking out the rocks. The water is stuck. Don’t put the sand in the pipes because the water cannot go. They were telling not to block the way.”
Patrick “Ms. Shemo said, this waterway is not clean.”

When it was outdoor playtime, Patrick ran out to the waterway and began to clear out the drain and waterway.

Noah quickly joined in to help. Olivia and Kenan joined in.

When the water started running down the waterway, they all cheered and squealed with joy!

When children have agency they reflect on their actions and take ‘action’. They understand that they have an active voice and stake in their classroom and community.

A Research Story: The Paper Airplane

23rd September 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

@N has been trying to make a paper airplane using a piece of A4 paper. He approached the teacher and said, “Can you show me how to make a paper airplane?” The teacher noticed several creases on the paper, showing his many attempts at making the paper airplane. After some thought and discussion, @N decided to visit the library to see if there were any books that could give him more information on how to make paper airplanes. He met Ms. Tina in the library and asked if she could help. Ms. Tina showed @N where the books on craft and origami were in the library. Together, they began to look for the books they needed.

The first book on paper crafts and origami did not include directions on how to make a paper airplane. Ms. Tina looked for another book. She looked through the contents section of some books to see if she could find information about paper planes.

@N and Ms. Tina were excited to see that there was a book about paper planes!

@N checked out the book and brought it back to class. He quickly browsed through the pages. He was trying to decide on the type of paper airplane he wanted to make. Others came to see what @N was doing as they were curious about the paper airplane craft book.

@N first tried to follow the instructions to make a plane. He was not sure if he was following the directions correctly. He approached the teacher for help. @N and the teacher worked together to follow the instructions to make a paper plane. When they were both happy with the paper airplane, @N took his airplane outside to test it. A few friends gathered to see what he was doing. They also wanted to make the paper planes.

@N took the book home to try a few different models. We look forward to his paper plane creation.

We wonder which paper airplanes Noah might make.
We wonder how far his paper airplanes will travel.

Our story continues…

Morning Message

8th September 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

The children began to write the morning message. They volunteered to come up and write the letters that spell the words ‘Good Morning’. The children were encouraged to listen to the sounds in words to help with spelling. They will use this strategy as they write for different purposes and situations in K2. During the next few days, we will continue to add to our message.

Community Helpers

6th September 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

The classroom space belongs to the community. As in other community spaces, everyone needs to do their part. In K2, we all have a responsibility to keep the spaces safe, clean and organised so that we can learn and have fun together. We have agreements and routines that help us work together.

The teacher had placed an order for new cushions for our reading corner. These new cushions were delivered to the class last morning. Three children helped the teacher put the new cases on.

This was not an easy task as you had to hold on to the cover and push the cushion into the case. It called for coordination, and large muscle movement. The three children worked hard to get all the cushions ready. The team persevered till the task was completed!

Storytellers

30th September 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

Two groups of students read interesting fictional stories that included animal characters. We decided to share these stories with the rest of the class.

The students had to decide who would be involved and what role they would play. Some decided that they would be part of the props team, helping to create the setting and the props for the story. The students had to cooperate, find ways to work together and listen to each other’s ideas.

The Setting

The Characters and Props

We reminded ourselves of what a good audience might look like. We had to plan, prepare the props, run through a practice and then perform for others in just 50 minutes!

The Brick House

16th January 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

We have been listening to the story ‘The Three Little Pigs‘.

We retell and create our own stories using props @NISChina @TinaHua16112229 @heididean666 @NISPreKK1 How do you express yourself? pic.twitter.com/bRf6lHZk6A

— Shemo Gani (@shemogani) January 8, 2020

Leming approached the table that had bricks and wooden strips.

He began to create with the material. Leming noticed that each time he placed a piece of green wood across the two ends, it would fall inwards.

He decided to use bricks as a base, to hold up the falling wooden beams. He was able to solve this problem through experimentation. He explained that he was creating a house for a pig.

He gently placed the wooden beams, careful with his movements.

The last piece.

We wonder what Leming is thinking as he creates. What is his plan?

Leming explains that he has made the brick house, pointing to the props and the story we read. The pig is in the brick house and the green section is the fireplace.

We noticed how Leming has been thinking about the different houses as he built his own. He understood that the brick house had different spaces that were part of the story.

Leming is sharing his creativity through the use of props and stories.

Learning Outcomes:

use imagination and original ideas to create
explore and retell familiar stories dramatically
select tools, materials and processes for specific purposes

How do we capture a moment?

4th December 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

Felix was excited as he came into school. He said that he found ‘ice’ on the grass. He said he had it in his hand and was sad that he could not bring it to class. He was invited to see if there was any more ice on the grass in the EY playground. His eyes lit up. He quickly put on her coat and ran outdoors. He came back with a piece of grass in his hand.

He looked sad.

He stated that there was ice on it ‘just now’. When asked what he thought might have happened, he explained that it has melted because the “inside is too hot”.

What if we did not have to bring it inside?

We thought about this for a moment.

What if we found a way to capture a moment? A picture?

Felix quickly chose an iPad and went back outside to document his observations. He came back with a beautiful picture of frost on the grass. He was simply beaming with pleasure that he was able to share what he experienced in the morning.

Felix “I got it! Ice.”

Conducting Research – Mini Story

22nd November 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

Felix had a magnet in his hand. The magnets were frequently used on the whiteboard in the campfire. He held it close to the container where the markers were stored and was excited that the magnet was drawn to the container. He stated that the magnet was ‘getting stuck’ on the bucket.

Teacher “What other things might the magnet get stuck onto? Maybe you can take some pictures while you collect the information?”

Felix took on this task with excitement. He held onto the iPad and magnet and walked around the campfire testing his theories and collecting evidence of his research.

We wonder where this inquiry might take us…

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

observe carefully
test generalizations, strategies or ideas
use discussion and play to generate new ideas and investigations
seek information
ask or express through play questions that can be researched
gather information
document information and observations
demonstrate persistence in tasks

What does it take to get a job done?

31st October 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

@S and @C had an important job. They were in charge of creating the pop-up labels for the garden plot. They sat together, side by side and delegated jobs to each other. Ms. Tina demonstrated the act of taping, and the children quickly took over the task.

First, @C looked for the end of the tape. It was hard to find the corner which would unravel the tape. @S waited patiently, giving @C the opportunity to try.

Once @C found the end, she gently pasted it on the edge of the table. Then pulled on the tape to let it out. @S helped her paste the end down and prepared to snip a piece of the tape.

The tape came away from the table and they both worked together to quickly fasten it on to the table once more. They moved their hands around each other, deep in thought about their next move.

One helped as the other positioned the tape on the table top.

Now it was time to snip away the piece they wanted. @S hesitated for a moment as she decided how big the piece of tape needed to be.

@C watched over as @S used both hands to keep the tape from sticking to everything! She concentrated on the task at hand.

The chopsticks were positioned over the board and sign and @S gently placed the tape over the wooden sticks.

When the task was completed, they both looked at their work with pride.

Both children showed great care and focus while they completed their task. They knew the job required skill and patience. They were persevering as they continued to work with the tape, even when it kept sticking back down and unraveling when they did not want it to.

Through this small moment, we witnessed noticed how the children had opportunities to:

Observe carefully.
Discuss the steps that need to be followed in order to complete a task.
Complete tasks independently.
Share responsibility for decision-making.
Demonstrate persistence in tasks.
Use strategies to problem-solve.

Approaches to Learning

What does it take to get a job done?

Persistence, cooperation, communication, thinking and problem-solving.

The Journey

31st August 2019 shemogani 2 comments

Three children were creating a story about their journey to Yangzhou. They moved through many different scenes during their play. They created different characters and used all kinds of props to extend their story. They listened to and built upon each other’s ideas.

https://twitter.com/shemogani/status/1167389797377167360

Never JUST LEGO!!!

30th August 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

@L and @T were creating with Lego. They worked alongside each other, speaking in Chinese, sharing stories about their creations.

@T “Ms. Shemo, this is swimming.”

Teacher (pointing to the row of blocks around the blue base) “What is around ‘swimming’?”

@T “No, running.”

@T could be connecting with his experience at the NIS pool, where the swimming coaches talked to the children about safety at the pool.

@B joined in to play with the Lego. He began telling @T about his creation. They had a long conversation in Chinese.

@F decided to join the group. They continued to work alongside each other.

@F made a plane. He was proud of his creation and used the iPad to take a picture.

While at ‘play’ the children are learning how to…

Listen actively and respectfully to others
Express themselves using words and sentences.
Take on pretend roles and situations.
Play cooperatively in a group: sharing, taking turns, helping.
Demonstrate persistence in tasks.
Use strategies to problem-solve.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

The House

20th August 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

Sarah and Charlotte have been working on a project over the last few days. Together they were creating a house using blocks and loose parts.

Their house had many different features and special rooms.

Michelle was back in school and together they began to add more to their creation and story. They moved around the space, speaking in Mandarin and English to share and extend their story. Their stories were built upon the ideas of others.

Charlotte “This is animals. And this is tigers.”
Sarah “And ducks and giraffes.”
Charlotte “And cats.”
Sarah “And cows, and the mini pig!”
Charlotte “Because I like.”
Sarah noticed that parts of the plastic horse were broken. “Ms. Shemo…I am sorry, he has no leg here.”
Michelle “Everyone building. We 3 building. The house. Everyone and animals. Charlotte me Sarah and Michelle. Animals, tigers and everything. Everyone is living here.”
Charlotte “Very, very, very big house.”
Sarah (while adding small stones) “His lunch!”

While building and creating with loose parts we are learning how to…

Observe carefully.
Use discussion and play to generate new ideas and investigations.
Ask or express through play questions that can be researched.
Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information.
Express oneself using words and sentences.
Participate in conversations.
Take on pretend roles and situations.
Practise empathy and care for others.
Be respectful to others.
Play cooperatively in a group: sharing, taking turns, helping.
Share responsibility for decision-making.
Use strategies to problem-solve.

– Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

The Metro

16th May 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

During our discussion about the trip, we wondered if we can travel to Golden Eagle on the Metro. We shared what we know about the metro.

Michelle “Train, this train go this way (They go in different directions). No can running, because lie down (fall down).
Si Hyun “Here tv, here and then everybody watch there and then train is coming and then everybody to there. And then no go to park. Another no go. And then go to here.

Sarah (in Mandarin) “We have to take our luggage if we go on our train. What if we lost our luggage? So we have to take our luggage on the train.”
Jooeon “And the train and one this way and one this way.” (they travel in different directions)

Jasmine “We need to get on the train and then we need to stay and another people go up and then another people can sit on the train. We need to get up the train, so we can get on the train. Then we can go anywhere we want.”
Seungbin pointed to the train station and explained that the train goes there (in Korean).

Amber “When I, my small I go to here, and I this, I go in here and here and up and up. Go inside.
Amber (In Mandarin) “There is a stairs here. So you can go from here. Then the train comes. Then you can get on the train.”

Charlotte (in Mandarin) “There are some cars here and some cars here. And some bicycle and motorbikes. We have to inside here. And there is an escalator there. And, you have to go on the escalator there and you have to go on the train. This is the first floor. This is the second floor. This is the place where you can wait. One train goes and another train comes. And you can get on the train and the train takes us to travel. And bicycles and motorbikes can be on the road. The sign, this one can show us which road you can go.”
Ethan (in Mandarin) “You have to inside here and you can get on the train and you can go where you want.”
Felix “We go there and there are escalator and steps to go up to the train. There is trains will drive here and we can wait and here we can go down and then right up here. And here the escalator to go up there and we can go to the metro.

Ruby “We go walk, and then you go to train station and then you go here. And here is train station and you go and sit down and wait and then when the train came you go in the train. And here you bike. And here you can’t go on top.
Alejandra “Have two pieces here for two trains. So, two trains can go. We can just go there and then we go there. We can go inside and then walk, walk inside. Then we need to go our train and then we go.
Chaewon (in Korean) “Here go to the top and then go to train.”
Frieda “Then we go here go on the escalator We have to watch our step and when we go inside we have to go all the way here one train also goes here, this way.”

What is the best way to travel to Golden Eagle?
How does a Metro system work?

We wonder…

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Thinking Skills

Considering new perspectives

Seek information.

Communication Skills

Listening

Listen to information.
Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.

Speaking

Participate in conversations.
Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.

Spiderwebs

30th April 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

Over the weekend a student noticed a spider creating its web. He often stopped and rested as he created his home. She shared her theories with the class and then invited the students to share their comments and questions.

https://twitter.com/NISPreKK1/status/1123599396644409344

Nicolas “I was in my school. I saw spiderweb that big. It was a real one. It was fat.”
Alejandra “This spider eat like some mosquitos.”
Ethan “Spider Chinese is ‘Zhizhu’.”
Jiwoo “People eat spiders.”

Ruby “When you cook it, it turns lobster.”
Freida “I saw some spiders, she was climbing everyday.”
Si Hyun “You are drawing a picture.”

The student drew a picture of her observations. She shared her picture with the class. The students looked closely at her spiderweb.

https://twitter.com/NISPreKK1/status/1123563217437937665

Student “I was drawing the spider. This is one that with the markers.”

We wonder where our questions might lead us…

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Thinking Skills

Analysing

Observe carefully.
Find unique characteristics.

Generating novel ideas

Use discussion and play to generate new ideas and investigations.

Research Skills

Data gathering and documenting (audio recording, drawing, photographing)

Use all senses to observe and notice details.
Record observations—drawing —using emergent writing skills, when possible, to write comments, annotate images, and so on.

Communication Skills

Listening

Listen to information.
Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.
Ask for clarifications.

Speaking

Express oneself using words and sentences.
Participate in conversations.
Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.

Reading, writing

Understand that mark-making carries meaning.
Use mark-marking to convey meaning.
Document information and observations in a variety of ways.
Communicate using a range of technologies and materials.

Storytelling with Loose Parts in Nature

12th April 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

A group of students were keen on making things with natural materials. They were designing, discussing and having fun during their break time.

The Story

Felix “We make island here and this is the tree house, there we there is some eggs and animals there. And this is beautiful stones there are in the sand and this one to lay on it. We talked about what do we need to do on the island. We need to have trees and food and some. Circle we can put it in.”

Nicolas “That’s why we were thinking. Just build something. That’s a jungle in Himalaya. Those are jungle, that the tree. That’s a baby egg there and the baby egg is lie on there. The sand is lying because of the wind. That’s a tree. A normal Himalaya tree. That’s the sea. The line is the sea. There are crocodiles in the sea you can’t swim there.

Ruby “We are making a desert to island. This round thing is the sea, the leaves are the bushes, and also these are called the garden and also these has some beautify flowers on it and we put on some leaves. The blue one is castle. The bamboo for the people who come to go into the garden.”

SLO’s

tell their own stories using words, gestures, and objects

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Communication Skills

Listening

• Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.

Speaking

• Express oneself using words and sentences.

• Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers.

Social Skills

Interpersonal relationships

• Be respectful to others.

• Play cooperatively in a group: sharing, taking turns.

A New Baby

25th March 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

Michelle has a new baby brother. She took some pictures of her brother to share with us. We had a very interesting discussion about what we know about babies, what a baby needs and what can we do to help a baby.

What do you KNOW about babies?

Felix “Sleeping on the bed.”
Seungbin “Baby.”
Si Hyun “Me house baby, so small.”
Freida “The baby is sleeping in the big bed.”
Nicolas “This picture looks funny. Because he is sleeping and eyes closed in the bed.”
Charlotte “Baby sleeping is very funny.”
Amber “我看到Michelle和弟弟。” [I see Michelle and her brother.]
Lawrence “我觉得baby哭了是因为他不想喝奶，刚生下来不习惯喝奶，我小时候也是这样的。” [I think the baby cries because he doesn’t want to drink the milk. When the baby is just born, he is not used to drink milk. I was like that when I was a baby.]
Freida “The baby is crying.”
Ethan “Michelle坐在沙发上，抱着宝宝。” [Michelle is sitting on the sofa and cuddling the baby.]
Jiwoo “Baby, here, eating milk.”
Alejandra “Michelle 在帮弟弟喂奶。” [Michelle is helping feed her brother the milk.]
Michelle “在医院的时候我帮助喂奶。” [When I was in hospital, I help feed the baby the milk.]

What do babies NEED?

Jooeon “Eat and rice.”
Lawrence “He need milk.”
Felix “My brother likes chocolate, he (referring to Michelle’s baby) doesn’t.
Jasmine “He needs eat the rice.”
Alejandra “他没有牙齿，所以他不能吃饭，只能喝奶。然后像我们一样长很多牙齿，然后可以上学。” [He doesn’t have teeth, only drinks milk. He will have many teeth just like us, then he can go to school.]
Ruby “Only milk because he hasn’t had teeth to eat food.”
Michelle “Baby 没有牙齿，他就可以喝奶，不可以吃饭。” [Baby doesn’t have teeth, he can only drink milk, he can’t eat rice.]

What can we do to HELP the baby?

Jasmine “我帮助George换衣服，我和弟弟玩车车，我还帮弟弟洗浴缸，我还帮弟弟推推车，我还帮弟弟抱着玩。Me and George play card.我们还玩芭比娃娃。Me and George, we play Jiwoo. Jiwoo with the car, Jiwoo together, he plays my home with me.” [I help George change clothes, I play cars with him. I help him by cleaning the crib. I help him push the pram, I cuddle him. Me and George play cards. We play with the dolls.]
Felix “I like broccoli from mummy, Simon like broccoli from Ayi. I play cars, building with Simon. When Simon don’t know where the folder, I show him.”
Alejandra “我们可以帮助换尿布，到台湾的时候，我就有两个妹妹，然后我就要帮她换尿布，喂奶，换衣服。” [We can help to change the diapers. When I go to Taiwan, I will have two sisters, then I will help them change the diapers, feed the milk and change the clothes.]
Jiwoo “Baby sleeping the house. Baby sad, mummy coming in.”
Charlotte “可以喂奶，就像我们一样长得很高。也可以帮助他做一个玩具，然后Michelle的弟弟可以长得高高的，像爸爸一样。等我们长大，我们就会变成妈妈。” [We can help feed the milk, and he will grow as tall as us. We can make a toy for him. Michelle’s brother will be as tall as daddy. When we grow up, we will be mothers.]
Lawrence “我们可以帮助baby换衣服，还有也可以给baby喂奶。” [We can help baby change clothes and feed the baby milk.]
Nicolas “I have a baby and actually in Germany. When he wants to eat, I show him how to be responsible. I help him to be responsible.”
Michelle “如果他哭了，我可以给他唱歌，他就好了。” [If he cries, I can sing a song for him and he will be fine.]
Si Hyun “My baby like milk. Me and baby play car. And me house so many cars. Baby milk finish, sleeping. Me go to zoo and baby sleeping and me do it, push the car.”
Sarah “我和妹妹在围栏里玩得很开心。有一天妹妹不小心掉下来，我帮助告诉爷爷。阿姨一个人搞不动那么多东西，是我阿姨喂妹妹，因为我抱不动，她一岁了。” [My sister and me paly nicely inside the fence. One day my sister fell down by accident, I help by telling my grandpa. Ayi is too busy to handle so many things by herself. Ayi feeds my sister because she is 1 year old and I can’t hold her.]
Michelle “我长大的时候帮他换尿不湿。” [When I grow up, I will help him change his diapers.]

Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s):

their roles and responsibilities within the family and class
who their caretakers are and turn to them when needed
that everybody has a family
that not all families are the same
that a sequence events from their routines, life and personal histories can be put in chronological order
the importance of people in their lives
the ability to take care of things – animate and inanimate
their thought for others
a sense of wonder and curiosity

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s):

Communication Skills

Listening

Listen to information.
Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.

Speaking

Express oneself using words and sentences.
Participate in conversations.

Social Skills

Interpersonal relationships

Practise empathy and care for others.
Listen closely to others.
Help others.

Creating a Flower Arrangement

6th March 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

A group of students expressed an interest in creating flower arrangements. It was a way in which they expressed themselves.

A small group of students gathered around a table, there was a large box on the top of the table. The students were curious about what was inside the box.

Ms. Hannah opened a box carefully. There were some flowers inside.

Ruby “That’s very cool, I like this flower. Because expressing ourselves for flowers. In Australia, I have some sour stems of the flower. They are yummy.”
Sophia “I like to eat flowers.”
Lawrence “I like to eat flowers too.”

Ms. Hannah posed a question “Why are the flowers wrapped in a plastic bag?”

Ruby “Nobody can open it.”
Lawrence “因为拔出来有刺，会把教室弄脏。” [Because if you pull it out, it has thorns that will dirty the classroom.]
Zhisong “因为刺刺的。”[Because it’s spinous.]
Sophia “我同意。”[I agree.]

The students took turns to touch and smell the plastic bag that covered the flowers.

Lawrence “软的，湿的，青苔的味道。”[It’s soft, wet and has the smell of moss.]
Ruby “It smells like stems.”

Ms. Hannah carefully took the flowers out of the bag and placed them in a vase. She asked the students if the arrangement was nice or not, and why.

Lawrence “No.”
Zhisong “剪下来，因为太短会歪。”[Cut it off, otherwise it’s too short.]
Lawrence “这样不好看，因为歪了。”[It doesn’t look nice because it’s slanting.]
Ruby “I like it.”

The students explained that the stems were too long. Therefore, the flowers did not stand upright.

Ms. Hannah explained to the students how to cut off the stems and leaves nicely. She showed them two different ways of cutting the stems. The first was a vertical cut and the second a diagonal.

“What’s the difference? Why do we cut it like this?”

Sophia “一个尖的，一个不尖的，这个劈掉了。”[One is pointy, one is pointless. This one has been split off.]
Lawrence “为什么要斜着剪？” [Why do you cut like that?]

After a short discussion on why the stems were cut in a particular way, the students took turns to cut the stems and leaves.

One student cut off all the leaves of a flower. Ms. Hannah noticed this and picked the one without any leaves and another one with many leaves. She asked,

“What’s the difference?”

Ruby “Maybe it’s already broken.”
Lawrence “还有土壤，种子。”[And soil, seed.]
Sophia “叶子会死掉。”[The leaves will die.]
Ruby “I think if you put into water, it can still grow.”
Lawrence “叶子放水里会死掉，因为叶子在水面上有浮力。没有空气。空气就是风，一下小，一下大。”[The leaves will die if you put them into the water. No air. Air needs wind, sometimes it’s big sometimes it’s small.]

The students compared two flowers, the first had withered, and the second was a fresh new flower.

Ruby “This one is black, this one is not. They feel sick.”

“Why do you like to arrange flowers?”

Lawrence “我喜欢插花，剪花，还可以用来做手工。因为我本来不喜欢的，但是我看到我的姐姐剪花，插花，我就会越来越熟悉。我插花的时候想着姐姐会和我一起，我的心情是很开心的。”[I like arranging and cutting flowers, also you can do handcraft. I don’t like to do this in the beginning until I saw my sister was cutting and arranging flowers. I got more and more familiar with that. When I’m arranging the flowers, I feel like my sister is being with me, I feel so happy.]
Ruby “I like to play normal flower and also smell it because I like to eat flower. I like the sour. I like to cook it. We break the flower and put it in the pan then make sour juice. It’s super yummy. It’s like Batman drink! The flower is white and got the green stem. It has to be big and the small one. The small one is not ready. The big one is sour, and I like sweet and sour.”

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Thinking Skills

Analysing

Observe carefully.

Communication Skills

Listening

Listen to information.
Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.

Speaking

Express oneself using words and sentences.
Participate in conversations.

Expressing Ourselves Through Storytelling

28th February 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

We have been exploring how we might express ourselves in different ways. The students sat in a circle. At the centre of the circle lay a coloured card and some tubs of loose parts. The students were eager to play the new game. Ms. Tina explained that we were all going to be storytellers. The students were excited.

How would they do this?

Ms Tina shared some important things to remember when playing the storytelling game:

The first person starts the story by including an item in the centre, beginning the storytelling process. Some beginning story starters might be…
- Once upon a time…
- One day …
- A long time ago…
The second person needs to include an item and continue where the story stopped last.
The story continues to grow as the items are included.
Everyone gets a turn to tell part of the story.
Each person can include 1 item in the centrepiece at one time.
We needed to listen and take turns.

The story…

SLO’s

listen and respond in small or large groups for increasing periods of time
tell their own stories using words, gestures, and objects

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Communication Skills

Listening

• Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.

Speaking

• Express oneself using words and sentences.

• Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.

Social Skills

Interpersonal relationships

• Be respectful to others.

• Play cooperatively in a group: sharing, taking turns.

Self-management Skills

Organization

• Follow the directions of others.

Chinese New Year Celebrations

26th January 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

The students have been singing and exploring culture through music during their regular Mandarin classes. As the Chinese New Year celebrations commenced, the students gathered on the Early Years stage, to sing their favourite Chinese New Year songs to the parent community.

After the performance, the students and parents gathered to create lanterns and make Baozi. The students worked the dough and created 2 delicate buns. Then they were sent off to the cafeteria to be steamed. The students enjoyed their delicious Baozi!

Another group of students joined Ms. Cherry to create Chinese lanterns. They used letter shapes, Chinese characters, sequins and other decorative material to create their lanterns. The parents joined in, to help their children create these beautiful pieces of art.

https://twitter.com/NISPreKK1/status/1088775527039524864

SLO’s

know that Chinese New Year as an important Chinese celebration
know that Mandarin as the main language of China
use their imagination and experiences to inform their art making
explore the important traditions and practices of their own family and community
know that there are people with more than one cultural identity/nationality
know why a particular celebration is important in his/ her life
explore how rituals and traditions contribute to own and others’ cultural identity
develop their sense of identity and self-worth
positive acceptance of diversity
open-mindedness
participate in performing and creating performing arts pieces both individually and collectively

Candles

17th January 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

The students had a discussion about fire. A few months ago Ms. Angie received a gift bag of tea-light candles. We wondered how candles were made.

https://twitter.com/NISPreKK1/status/1057924053925691392

We sat down to share our prior knowledge about candles.

Ethan “It is white, not rainbow.里面不能放玩具。” 【Can’t put toys inside】
Alejandra “It smells like chocolate and Orio. If you put paper on fire it will go away. The paper will be black.”

Si Hyun “Fire here. Happy birthday to you”. [in Korean] “When the wick catches fire it bends. It’s turning red because of the fire.”
Jiwoo “Fire is here. Water is here.” Explaining that there is a liquid when the fire burns the candles.
Lawrence looked closely at the match stick and explained “It’s black too because its fire. Have green, blue, red. (He has green, blue and red match sticks at home) Because my home have fire. Because in night I go Ruby’s party. Because I don’t see.” [Lawrence explained that you need candles to help you see in the dark]
Ruby “The water melts fire. On the candle. If you put fire inside the cup, it will cut the cup. It will crack. If you touch the fire, you burn your hands.”
Jasmine “Fire. And this we have fire in this one. And water is here and fire is no. 火放上去的时候，里面会变黑，火会把你的手烧掉的。” 【When the fire is put on, it will turn black and the fire will burn your hands.】

Nicolas “When you put fire in the candles the glass don’t broke, because the fire can move like this, it just wiggles. Because it is so hot when you put paper on it, the paper will get black. The fire gets up in a hole. The fire goes bigger.”
Lawrence “Put fire in, and water in and this cup is broken. Because water and fire is really hot. Water in here, fire in here {pointing to the container} and cup in here. This blocks be black. Because fire and water….water is really, really like fire. Because paper black, the blocks black.” [Lawrence was explaining how paper and blocks both turn black when they burn.
Nicolas “Its not water, it’s gas of the fire. And it gets black. When it was the fire, it was white [the wick), now when you light it, it turns black.”
Amber “如果把杯子放上去，也会烧掉。Because of the fire.是因为火会把杯子融化掉。 ” 【If you put the cup on it, it will burn out. Because of the fire. Because the fire will melt the cup】

We wonder where our inquiry will take us…

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Thinking Skills

Analysing

• Observe carefully.

• Synthesize new understandings by seeing relationships and connections.

Generating novel ideas

• Use discussion and play to generate new ideas and investigations.

• Make unexpected or unusual connections between objects and/or ideas.

• Practice some “visible thinking” routines (Ritchhart, Church and Morrison 2011).

Considering new perspectives

• Seek information.

Research Skills

Data gathering and documenting (audio recording, drawing, photographing)

• Gather information from a variety of sources (people, places, materials, literature).

• Use all senses to observe and notice details.

Communication Skills

Listening

• Listen to information.

• Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.

• Ask for clarifications.

Speaking

• Express oneself using words and sentences.

• Participate in conversations.

• Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.

Social Skills

Interpersonal relationships

• Listen closely to others.

• Be respectful to others.

The Scientist

9th January 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

What is the Learner doing?

Learners:

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
make connections to the real world by taking past experiences into their play worlds
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

https://twitter.com/NISPreKK1/status/1083215496428699648

Take a Vote!

21st November 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

A student wanted to play with the coloured sand while there were hammers at the table, so she asked her friends if they want to play with sand or hammers. All students and teachers took a vote and there were 11 people that chose sand, 5 chose the hammers. Therefore, we got to change the table activity to sand play!

Agency: Through these experiences students are learning that they have an active voice and stake in the classroom and community.

SLO’s

Data Handling

Record observations using simple tally marks (1 line/1 object)
Be able to explain data using simple language such as same and different/more or less/most or least

The Accident

16th November 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

Felix “What is it? Ms. Cherry, she is in the room.”
Nicolas “Did she break her leg?”
Alejandra “Ms. Cherry!”

Alejandra shows Freida the picture.

Jasmine “That’s Ms. Cherry.”
Ruby “Ms. Charry has a broken leg because she has something on her foot.”
Amber “Because he hurt his leg.”
Alejandra “It’s because Ms. Cherry looking for some people for the window. Someone broke the window and Ms. Cherry go to say something and some pieces fall from the window and fall on her foot and all the foot.”

A few days before we had spoken to the students about a broken window in Ms. Cherry’s class. It had broken when a student threw a stone.

Felix “I think when the window come then its broken then the foot.”
Nicolas “She is smiling and her foot is broken!”
Charlotte “Its broken.” In Mandarin “Ms. Cherry bones are broken.”
Alejandra “We can give to Ms. Cherry some flowers and chocolates.”
Teacher “How do you know she will like to have flowers and chocolates?”
Alejandra “Flowers. Because I love!”
Felix “In the house then it is broken and then it came this. She fell in house.”
Poli “Ms. Cherry and doctor and here and here and doctor.

Nicolas “Maybe she go to the house upstairs and lies down and then she fall down from the bed and then she went out and looked to the window and then she falled down to the ground.”
Freida “Ms. Cherry will sit on…”
Ruby “Wheelchair.”
Frieda “Ms. Cherry go on a wheel chair and then she goes to a doctor on the wheelchair.”

Ethan “Ms. Cherry is hurt, and her legs are in some straps. I don’t know what happened.” 9in Mandarin)
Ruby “Its bandages.”

The teacher explained that she had no money. How can we earn some money to buy some flowers and chocolates. The children suggested we ask Ms. Angie because she had money. She used money to buy things from the supermarket when we went to buy things.

Nicolas “We can make our own chocolates. We can pick flowers from the garden. From the playground where there is a spider web.”
Alejandra “Ms. Cherry comes to the nurse and see its broken and she sits down to the doctor and she can push her and the chair in the office. He can call her doctor to help to push.” (the nurse will help to push the wheelchair)
Lawrence agrees that she needs some chocolates and flowers.
Felix Ms. “Cherry comes a doctor.”
Poli “Ms. Cherry and doctor and pillow and house and put on floor.”
Alejandra “My mum and me go shopping I can first say to mum, ‘Can I buy some flowers for Ms. Cherry’. Because I like. My mum has some money to buy.”
Lawrence “Girls like Chocolates and flowers. Boys no.”
Nicolas “I like flowers.”
Ruby “Maybe in the window, someone threw the rock in her window and I saw the crack and then maybe it fell and hurt her foot. Also she go to the doctor and go get a plaster, and also why did someone crack her window?
Alejandra “It’s because in her house, so many bad guys go to her house, it’s a fire and then she hurt her leg.”
Poli “Ms. Cherry and doctor and house and home and flower and chocolate.”
Lawrence “It’s boys no like flowers. Girls thinking, boys is boys thinking.
Ruby “Boys like chocolates and girls like flowers. Boys don’t like smelling things. I know because you know Ms. Cherry has flowers, it will make her feel better.”
Freida “I wasn’t to bring chocolates and flowers. I have money for buying fruits and vegetables.”
Nicolas “Wait!!! I have money in my bank! Remember my small money!”

We wonder what action students will take…

The next day we discussed our ideas. We checked with Ms. Angie about getting flowers from the garden, but we have not seen any. We know that there are flowers growing in the garden plots, but those do not belong to us. The students explained that, “We can’t take things that do not belong to us.”

We then wondered if we can make our own flowers. Ms. Angie offered to help us create our own flowers. We could use paper, card, tissue paper, pipe-cleaners and glitter. Nicolas was concerned that the flowers won’t smell like flowers. He suggested that we spray perfume on our flowers.

https://twitter.com/NISPreKK1/status/1064459094642180096

What would you like to say to Ms. Cherry?

The students went to see Ms. Cherry with their flowers and notes.

Ethan wanted to know how Ms. Cherry broke her leg.

Jasmine wanted to know why Ms. Cherry was not getting better.

The children wished Ms. Cherry a quick recovery and then went back to class to have snack.

https://twitter.com/NISPreKK1/status/1065870247196950528

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Social Skills

Interpersonal relationships

Practise empathy and care for others.
Listen closely to others.
Be respectful to others.

Social and emotional intelligence

Be aware of own and others’ feelings.
Be self- and socially aware.

Mushrooms

12th November 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

Ethan “它们不能吃，吃了会肚子疼。” “We can’t eat it, otherwise our tummy will feel hurt.”
Felix “I think this is a superman.”
Freida “I think it’s mushroom.”
Alejandra “This is we can’t eat it because it’s not wash. If we eat, tummy hurt. We need wash and cook.”
Amber “我觉得是蘑菇。切切切，洗一洗，煮一下，然后洗手吃掉。” “I think it’s mushroom. Chop, chop, chop, wash, wash, wash, and cook it. Then we wash hands and eat it.”
Ruby “Sometimes you touch the mushroom in the forest, your finger hurt.”
Jiwoo “Small one.”
Nicolas “I’ve seen on in the forest. I have one mushroom at home. I was thinking we could eat it.”
Ruby “I hold it gently. Then we bring it home and we wash it and cook it and then we eat it.”
Felix “I think this we need a map.”
Alejandra “If we open the cap, the white and black fall down.”

https://twitter.com/NISPreKK1/status/1061838105945067520

We are wondering…

What does it feel like?
Can we eat them?

The students drew pictures and created stories about mushrooms.

Nicolas “I made a story about mushrooms. There are different shapes of mushrooms. Animals eat mushrooms, and when they finish, they have many shapes. I’ve seen mushrooms in the mountain, dinosaurs live there. And when the mushrooms grow up, they become apple trees.”

Jiwoo “Mushroom! Big mushroom, small mushroom!”

Thinking Skills

Analysing

• Observe carefully.

• Synthesize new understandings by seeing relationships and connections.

Generating novel ideas

• Use discussion and play to generate new ideas and investigations.

Considering new perspectives

• Seek information.

Research Skills

Formulating and planning

• Ask or express through play questions that can be researched.

Data gathering and documenting (audio recording, drawing, photographing)

• Gather information from a variety of sources (people, places, materials, literature).

• Use all senses to observe and notice details.

Communication Skills

Listening

• Listen to information.

• Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.

Speaking

• Express oneself using words and sentences.

• Participate in conversations.

Morning Meeting – Leader of the Day

12th November 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

Morning Meeting is a special time for the students. It is a time when students greet their peers and adults by name, and prepare to settle in to play, explore and learn together. Morning Meeting activities help build a strong sense of community and sets the students up for success. Students are encouraged to listen, look at the person who is talking, and manage their bodies, which sets the tone for a respectful and trusting learning environment.

This morning, one student was in charge of the lunch order.

I asked Nicolas, “School lunch or home lunch?” Because he needs to eat.

Letter ‘s‘ is for school lunch and letter ‘h‘ is for home lunch.

Alejandra “We put it into the packet and then we put it on the door.”

Each morning, the students will be responsible to place the order.

We wonder, how many students will eat lunch tomorrow?

Self-management

• Complete tasks independently.

• Follow the directions of others.

• Follow classroom routines.

• Share responsibility for decision-making.

Candles

6th November 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

Ms. Angie had a gift bag. We were curious and wanted to know what was inside. Ms. Angie showed us the gifts.

They were tea-light candles!

https://twitter.com/NISPreKK1/status/1057924053925691392

How are candles made? Can we make our own candles?

We wonder…

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

use discussion and play to generate new ideas and investigations
seek information
ask or express through play questions that can be researched
select information sources and digital tools
gather information from a variety of sources (people, places, materials, literature).
use all senses to observe and notice details
participate in conversations.
negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers

Snack Time Provocation

14th September 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

The teachers suggested all 3 PreK/K1 classes have a picnic. We all went out into the Early Years common space with our snack boxes. The students were invited to sit wherever they wanted, with whomever they wanted.

When snack time was over, the students reflected on why and how they made their choices.

Ruby “Luke was sitting next to me. I like to sit with Nicolas because he is my friend. He invites me home. We like drawing superheroes. I like drawing with Poli. He draw something I don’t know.”
Felix “Snack with Poli. I like to play with Poli with the dinosaurs!”
Poli “We are Korean friends. We like eating together. We were in the same Kindergarten before.”

Alejandra “Everybody is here for snack. Because they are my friends. Because I have 3 there. We like to play with them. We play outside playtime. I played with Audrey a different day.
Michelle “Audrey opened the box and saw a mooncake and she was very happy.” [in Mandarin]
Sarah “I was eating with everybody. Because we said we want to sit together.” [in Mandarin]
Freida “I sit here. I am peeling my egg.”

Jasmine “I am eating lunch with Amber, Lawrence, Charlotte.”
Amber “Eating snack, it’s so yummy. Lawrence, Charlotte, Jasmine.
Jasmine “I like them. Because they play with me. Cars, balls and train.” [in Mandarin]
Ethan “Because Jasmine is my friend so we sit together. I don’t have other friends. When I came home by grandma is my friend.”

The students appeared to gather together based on their spoken language or interests. We wonder if these groupings are the same in other learning spaces…

We continue to explore how Individuals come together to form a learning community.

Central Idea:

Individuals come together to form a learning community.

Eye-colour Graph

11th September 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

Photo story

How are we similar? How are we different?

The Countdown!!

10th September 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

Ruby “That is Amber and a teacher. I wonder what Amber is doing.”
Alejandra “She wants the number 0 and 2.”
Ruby “She is standing on the stage.”
Amber “I hold that paper. I showed it to my mummy. It is a little bit broken.” [in Mandarin]

Amber explained how she tore the paper.

Jasmine “Before it was like that and now it is like this.”
Alejandra “Amber ripped it. Because she wants to rip the paper and look Ms. Shemo and go to the classroom with the paper.”
Amber “Me, everybody look.” [She wanted to show everybody]

We wanted to know what the big number was. Ruby said it may be the number 12. Alejandra said it might be 25. Ruby took the number 12 and placed it next to the big number. It did not match.

Ruby “It is not the same.”

We had to solve the problem!

A group of students began to sign their name on the paper. It was special. The paper represented the countdown to the school’s 25th birthday celebration.

Lawrence “I am writing my name.” [in Mandarin].

The teacher gave the students a pack of number cards.

Ruby “We are both putting up the number on the cards. Because we did not know which number name it is. We started from 0 then 1,2… She is helping me count all the numbers.”

Ruby “Then we counted it.

Alejandra “2 and 0.”

We found the matching number!

It was 20!SLO’s

read, say, count and order numbers

Have you played in the rain?

23rd August 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

A group of students gathered to create raindrops for a mobile using wax crayons and wax paper.

: Working in the Atelier with Ms. Angie

Molly “I like rainy days and I can splash in the puddles.”
Alejandra “I like this, I like rainbows, orange and yellow and blue and purple and green.”
Michelle “I like this [pointing to rainy picture]”
Jasmine “I like rain and I like rainbows in the sky.”

Over the course of the week, the students continued to make paintings of rainbows.

How do you feel on a rainy day? What makes a rainy day special?

Another group of students decided to create rainy day pictures.

Nicolas “I like the rain. You can play in the rain. I play football in the rain but not in a storm.”
Felix “In stormy weather everything can fall down, even trees.” [in German]
Paul “When there is a little bit of sunshine and a little bit of rain, it can make a rainbow.” [in German]
Nicolas “One rock goes very fast. It can break a tree but not houses. I’ve made a fireball. I’m making a picture of the dinosaurs and when the fireball came it was raining.” [in German]

The discussion encouraged the students to talk about how they feel on a rainy day. The conversation between the students provided insight into what the students knew about safety. Nicolas also made connections with a previous conversation we had about extinction.

We wonder where this conversation will lead us…

A Visit to the New Space

8th June 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

The students have been discussing the move to the new space. We were excited to finally go on a field trip to see the space, currently under construction at the school. The students were amazed to see how the gym is transforming. Mr. Arek talked to us about safety. He showed us the safety signs and explained what they meant. The students wore hard hats. Abby said “We have to protect our heads if bricks fall!”

Abby “Mr. Arek said that we must not be silly.”
Reggie “We must not go in there by ourselves.”
Kai “Don’t go in there when there is an emergency because it is dangerous.”
Ryan “But we have safety helmets.”
Kai “Because it is for safety.”
Amber “No hat…take it off” [Don’t take the hat off]
Abby “Don’t wiggle it.”
Ryan “Don’t’ hit on it.”
Kai “And don’t play with it wibble wobble.”
Vincent “It was really fun but we didn’t have any toys.”

The students noticed that the floor was not blue. Mr. Arek explained that they have not put the flooring in yet.

Abby “There is no paint. Because it does not have a colour.”
Vincent “And because it is not finished yet. They are going to paint the colour when they are finished.”

Reggie “We went to our new classrooms. There were no toys there because they were still working on it. The classroom had no toys in. And also there was a stage there, the stage had no light. There was stuff on the stage they need to move it off.”
Abby “Why the stage was too tiny? It does not have have any room for more kids. The stage does not have any paint. They will paint it.”

Kai “You wont have fun there, because it is not done.”
Abby “The classroom looked like a old classroom because there was too much ugly paint on it.”

The students began to decide what they wanted to take to the new space.

Big lego – Vincent
Small Lego – Ryan
Train track – Franz
The drawing table and puzzles – Abby
The colouring things – Ruby
The blocks – Reggie
Play dough – Nicolas
Our baskets so we can put what we have made. – Abby
The buildings and the blocks. – Tyler
The trolley – Mia (With the ‘Writers Workshop’ materials)
Sand – Alejandra (colourful sand in tubs)

The students also decided that they needed to take the home corner. They suggested that it could look different.

We are SO excited about our new space! @NISChina @arekowczarek @shemogani @marinagijzen @AdamADodge @JunlahMad pic.twitter.com/0b1W4qo89L

— NISPreKK1 (@NISPreKK1) June 8, 2018

The students watched the video and reflected on their visit to the new space. They wonder…

Ryan “We don’t know where the toilets are yet.”

The NEW Space

5th June 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

We gathered together to talk about our big move to the Gym in the coming school year. The students wondered what the space may look like. We looked at the designs for the space and shared our thoughts.

The students discussed what a stage was for. Some students explained that it was like a theatre, where people go to watch performances. The students noted that the circular stage will allow more people to watch the performance. They observed the reflection of the classrooms on the blue flooring. They thought that it looked like the classes were in the water!

This was exciting. One student explained that it looked like the sink in the movie ‘Harry Potter’! Students were excited about the number of toilets and that many children could wash their hands at the same time. They wondered where the soap dispenser would be…

This is a classroom?
Where are all the toys?

The students discussed what they would need in the new space.

What would we take?
What would we pack up?
Which toys do we want to have in the space?

We wondered if we can see this new space.

Who should we ask?

Abby explained that we should ask Mr. Arek. We decided to prepare a letter for him. The students dictated the letter…

Mr. Arek,

Please can we look inside the new classrooms? Please can we go this week?

Reggie “We need safety helmets.”
Alejandra “We won’t put paper on the floor.”
Nicolas “We won’t get over and under the tables.”
Abby “We won’t be wild over there.”

All the students agreed that they will not ‘not run and jump’ as we need to be safe.

Abby wondered who will move all the boxes to the new space.

Kai wondered if there were going to be any new teachers.

We discussed how some children may stay at NIS and some move to other schools, some move classes and grades. Therefore, some students may have different teachers next year.

We decided to invite the K2 teachers over to play with us.

We look forward to hearing from Mr. Arek…

The Field Trip

5th June 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

Abby “This is a house. All the people went in the water. Because the building was breaking.

When we work together to create stories with loose parts @NISChina @shemogani pic.twitter.com/thXjeM8d2n

— NISPreKK1 (@NISPreKK1) June 5, 2018

This is the house. But the chimney is too smoky. Because they are making a house. They are going on a field trip and they fell in the water. They tripped and they fell.

The field trip is to the restaurant.

They are scared of the thunder. Because the earth is shaking. Because of the dinosaurs. The dinosaurs were marching and they saw it was too high in the Earth and they crashed in the Earth, and the people and the cats were scared.

This is the restaurant. They are dancing in there. Some of the people in the water are dead. The party was starting almost.

The people fell. They were under the water and they didn’t float.

The stones are making a chicken. These things are how they made it.”

Get Well Soon!

25th May 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

Ms. Angie was away from school for a few days. The students gathered together one morning and a discussion emerged about why Ms. Angie was away. The students decided that it would be a good idea to make a card for her.

Reggie and a group of students began the project.

Reggie decided to use purple card as it was Ms. Angie’s favourite colour. He used a tick list to make sure everyone had the opportunity to sign the card. Some students drew pictures, others created art to include in the card. Hannah wrote ‘From PreK/K1C!

Reggie took the card home to Ms. Angie. She was very happy to receive the card! We hope to see Ms. Angie SOON!

Weaving

3rd May 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

Ms. Angie had some new equipment brought in. Over a few days the students played with the unopened box, using it as a computer in their ‘play’. They were not sure what was in the box. It was time to unpack it.

Cornelis “What is it? It looks like a guitar.”
Reggie “It’s a xylophone.”
Cornelis “Maybe it’s a net, a giant net.”
Cornelis “If I go here it looks like a house. What is it really?”
Teacher “What do you think it is?”
Cornelis “Definitely a giant net.”
Amber {In Chinese} “It goes up, like the front of a wall.”

The students helped Ms. Angie unpack the item. They helped her assemble it.

It was a weaving loom!

“It’s Beautiful!”

Next the students worked on creating their own individual weaving projects using smaller looms.

Perseverance, focus and creativity through weaving projects @NISChina @shemogani pic.twitter.com/tb6Cb9Q6aM

— NISPreKK1 (@NISPreKK1) May 26, 2018

While weaving students:

develop better strength between the thumb and forefinger (stronger pincer grip for writing)
develop hand-eye coordination because it encourages them to use the visual information to coordinate the movement of the hands
develop concentration and perseverance
learn how to help and support others

The Train

14th April 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

T was drawing trains.

Learner agency: express their theories of the world and these are honoured in the environment.

T “Drawing the train. It is beautiful, it’s so beautiful. It is to give the mummy. It is a street car. It is the teacher train street car.”

This is the track.

T “This is transportation. This is the beach. It is raining, it is the kuchug, kuchug when it goes to the beach water. Wheels this noise is be careful.”

T “This is the Teacher Train, it goes here, there, here, there. Here it is no go.”

T “This is the Teacher Train, it is the night sleeping. Here is the bed [pointing to the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th car]. Here is the driver. Here is eat the food. [pointing to the 2^nd car]. This is the shining forest [pointing to the 1^st car].”

T “This is the rest station.”

T “This is ambulance is pee, poo, pee, poo, it goes to the hospital. Cars so many they no go to hospital.

The 2^nd This is the bus go vvvvv.

Next is police cars for the stranger.”

Learner Agency: When students make connections to the real world by taking past experiences into their play worlds.

Through his creation, the student ‘T’ was explaining the complex transportation system we have in place. His explanation provided details about a journey by train, the safety services available at rest stations and the importance of safety during travel.

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How are candles made? Can we make our own candles?

We continue to explore how Individuals come together to form a learning community.

Individuals come together to form a learning community.

Photo story

How are we similar? How are we different?

We had to solve the problem!

The teacher gave the students a pack of number cards.

A group of students gathered to create raindrops for a mobile using wax crayons and wax paper.

How do you feel on a rainy day? What makes a rainy day special?

Another group of students decided to create rainy day pictures.

We wonder where this conversation will lead us…

The students began to decide what they wanted to take to the new space.

The students watched the video and reflected on their visit to the new space. They wonder…

What little creatures do you see around you?

Our Grade 2 buddies came to help us gather some data on the different minibeasts we have in our garden. They helped us record our information using tally marks.

We look forward to hearing from Mr. Arek…

Abby “This is a house. All the people went in the water. Because the building was breaking.

This is the house. But the chimney is too smoky. Because they are making a house. They are going on a field trip and they fell in the water. They tripped and they fell.

The field trip is to the restaurant.

They are scared of the thunder. Because the earth is shaking. Because of the dinosaurs. The dinosaurs were marching and they saw it was too high in the Earth and they crashed in the Earth, and the people and the cats were scared.

This is the restaurant. They are dancing in there. Some of the people in the water are dead. The party was starting almost.

The people fell. They were under the water and they didn’t float.

The stones are making a chicken. These things are how they made it.”

Reggie took the card home to Ms. Angie. She was very happy to receive the card! We hope to see Ms. Angie SOON!

The students helped Ms. Angie unpack the item. They helped her assemble it.

It was a weaving loom!

We wonder how animals live and find their food in their different habitats…