Sharing the experiences of lifelong learners…
Student-led conferences are a celebration of learning that involves the student and the family. On this day, students take ownership of their learning and share their learning journeys and progress with their families. The SLC’s encourage students to think and talk about their learning with knowledge and confidence. Students use a Student-Led Conference Passport, to help them navigate through the day.
During Assembly, the Grade 4 students shared what they had learned about waste at NIS. They shared the data they had gathered about food and power waste.
The teachers decided to ask the children what they thought about the Grade 4 presentation.
We shared a photograph of the EY lunch.
We decided to gather our own data on food waste as the Grade 4 students said that food waste in the Primary was higher than in the Secondary!
Observations and reflections from the children:
What happens to the kitchen trash?
We wonder what happens to the food waste after the cafeteria puts it outside the building.
We wonder if animals eat it.
Our inquiry continues…
We wonder…
This led to a conversation about the different situations that bring us together. The children explained that we come together to…
We documented our ideas on chart paper to help us think about the ‘purpose‘ and ‘ways‘ we come together. We decided to use photographs to document our thinking. Over the last few weeks, we collected evidence of when we came together, based on the examples provided by the children.
We wondered about one specific example, the children stated “We come together to play games at home, with our friends and family.”
We invited the children to share these experiences with us.
We were particularly interested in the children’s engagement as they worked with the Grade 5 students, to help them plan games for the children in the Early Years.
One child and his family created a video to share how they play superhero games at home
Another shared a photograph of him playing fighting games on the iPad with his brother and a third child shared many pictures of friends and family sharing many different experiences.
We decided to list all the people (or groups) in the community that we don’t know a lot about.
Who are they?
How are they connected to us?
Our list included:
After swimming, we stopped to notice more people in the community we didn’t know a lot about.
We wonder how we might build relationships with others to:
– support our well-being
– help us feel included
– develop a deeper understanding of participation and belonging.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Ms. Sue has been talking to the children about feelings and emotions, and the appropriate ways we can express these emotions to show how we feel. We read the story ‘The Color Monster: A Story About Emotions’ by Anna Llenas, to explore the connection between colour and emotions.
In this delightful story, a Color Monster wakes up feeling very confused. His emotions are all over the place; he feels angry, happy, calm, sad, and scared all at once! A little girl helps him sort through his feelings to help him define his mixed-up emotions. The images throughout the story helped us think about the different situations that lead to the way we feel. It led to a conversation about the different ways we can express our feelings and emotions through colour and storytelling.
The adults in the space captured the artists’ ideas and stories as they documented their feelings, emotions and stories through their artwork.
Yellow is Happy
From the artist…
Liz “This is yellow, it is happy. This is baby bird and mummy. They are eating fruit. This is small, small bird. Daddy bird is eat worms. Daddy is happy. This is tree. The bird house is in the tree. I am happy because I see the birds. I chose yellow because it is happy. I am happy when I play rabbit with Morning. Morning is the rabbit and I am rabbit mommy. Rabbit mummy plays with the rabbit. At home I am happy when I play with brother George. We play with toy mouse.”
Golden is Surprised
Green is Calm
From the artist…
Oliver “When I see green, I feel calm down. I think about playing games. My heart feels better. I chose green because it is calm. Bunny is calm because he wants to eat all the carrots. The carrots make him feel calm. The carrots are from the garden. Mr. Seth grows the carrots. There are clouds, they are calm clouds because the sun made them calm. And the sun is also calm because the moon makes him calm. It’s because he is strong, he can also make the sun calm. The dots are calm butterflies. It’s because the ants made them calm. Because they used leaves to make the butterflies calm. There is a farm where the cows live. And its also where you get milk. And the bunny wants to eat the carrots from the growing farm. And there is a rainbow because the day is calm down. Everything is calm down. It is good to calm down because its quiet. Others are learning so quiet is good. And the rabbit is a girl because she has long ears. And the sun are also calm down. The moon makes the sun calm down and the rainbow makes the clouds calm down.”
Pink is Love
From the artist…
Morning “I think pink is love. Love is love her mummy. I used pink and pink. It is love. Because he loves bunny’s mommy. Bunny’s mummy gives Bunny one watermelon. Bunny wants to eat so mummy gives it to him. Bunny and mummy love to eat together. Bunny is in a nest, mummy made a nest for baby bunny and it sleeps in a nest. Mummy closed the doors when bunny is sleeping. Bunny is very small and mum will put the light off and close the nest door. The bunny will cry if she doesn’t close the door because it thinks there will be a monster outside. Mummy keeps Bunny safe. Mummy sleeps in the big nest. If bunny is scared he can open the little window to see mummy. Grandma loves me. I sleep in a little small nest too. My mummy sleeps in the big bed. The bunny is me. The bunny mummy is my mommy.”
We observed how the children used their experiences, imagination and theories creatively. Each stroke on their paper was intentional, showing the actions feelings and personalities of different characters in their stories.
‘The learning belongs to the students, not the teacher. We are supporting our students to take ownership of their learning and to be able to think and talk about their learning with knowledge and confidence. When students know how they learn best and are able to reflect on their learning, they are able to advocate for themselves.’ (Parent Survival Guide to Student-Led Conferences, NIS)
The Student-Led Conference is a special day in the school calendar. Throughout the year, the students have decided what learning stories they would include in their ‘treasure box’, that showcase their growth, learning and development.
It is a special day for the teachers, as they watch the students take ownership over their learning. In order to do this with purpose and confidence, they first practiced this task with a friend.
We had a wonderful time planning and then going on our Field Trip to the Insect and Reptile Museum. We wondered what we learned from our trip and what questions we have as a result of our learning.
The children began to put their ideas on paper. They used drawing and writing to share their ideas.
We gathered to talk about the different ways writers can plan and share ideas with others.
As we discussed what we noticed about each other’s writing, we documented the different ways writers communicate their thinking, planning and ideas.
We could:
– draw, colour, add details and make our pictures look ‘real’
– use our own ideas
– sequence the different events
– add feelings
– use thinking clouds
– add writing using words and sentences
– include ideas in different spaces across a page
– add labels
– show the weather
Then, we went back to improve our work, to share more details through pictures and words.
What we learned:
Questions we have…
The K2 inquirers will continue to do their research to learn more about insects and reptiles.
The children have been exploring different spaces around the school, thinking about the things they appreciate about the earth and how they might protect their environment. We decided to spend some time around the pond, listening to the water and watching the fish splash around us.
We took our notepads with us to draw what we noticed, to think about the environment and how we might protect nature.
We asked the children to think about nature and take a photograph to communicate an important idea. Here is what they had to say!
We appreciate…
What action will YOU take?
In Kindergarten and through the Primary Years Programme, we develop lifelong skills and dispositions through the Approaches to Learning. When planning units of study or projects, the adults, often in collaboration with the children, decide what we want to know, understand, and be able to do as a result of our learning. This helps us think deeply and plan carefully to create meaningful, authentic opportunities for learning.
Ms. Sonya ter Borg, the Design teacher at NIS, designed child-friendly images to help the children identify and connect with the 5 different Approaches to Learning; Thinking Skills, Research Skills, Communication Skills, Self-management Skills and Social Skills.
We often use these images to talk about the different skills we develop through our work, play and explorations at school. As the children considered these skills, we documented the connections they made between the Approaches to Learning and their own lives.
The children quickly made the connection between listening and speaking. They highlighted the importance of listening to each other, the teachers and parents. Listening helps us learn and know what other people are thinking. We listen to gather information and instructions. The children made connections between listening and emotions, explaining that when people choose not to listen to us we can feel sad. Taking turns allows us to listen and speak respectfully. It helps us stay connected as we play and engage as a community.
When discussing the images that focus on social skills the children explained that they feel happy when they share the toys and materials, care for and help each other.
They provided many examples of when they need to take turns instead of rushing or pushing. Turn taking is important when:
We paid attention to the way the children expressed their ideas. Some children shared their ideas in English, Mandarin and Korean while the adults took notes. Some students helped translate ideas shared by peers. One child noted his ideas in Korean and then reached out to a Korean speaking adult to help with translations! The adults acknowledged the children’s engagement and developing awareness of the value of their voice and the different strategies they used to ensure their voices were heard.
As the children saw the image ‘I am mindful’, they took a deep breath and paid attention to their bodies, recalling the different strategies to stay calm. The children made connections between being mindful and listening, caring and solving problems. Being mindful also means using kind words such as ‘HI!’, ‘I love you’, ‘I like you’, ‘I will share with you’ and ‘Thank You’.
When discussing the different ways we solve problems, the children shard examples of when they looked for solutions to ‘fix’ problems.
The children explained that drawing helps us share our ideas and thinking. It helps us think about, reflect and show ‘how’ we solve problems.
The children considered looking at the speaker an important listening behaviour. We listen to see, to help us learn and know what need to do.
When discussing skills that help us conduct research, the children made connections between thinking, questioning and documenting (recording). They shared the different ways we might record our learning, through pictures, words, symbols and writing as well as using technology to record ideas (iPads). Recording information ‘helps other people ‘know’ what and ‘how’ we think or imagine in our minds’. And asking questions helps us learn more about the things we don’t know yet.
In K2, we will continue to use the different icons/images to help us think about the skills we use as we learn, play and explore together.
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.
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.
We have been reading the story ‘How Do You Feel?‘ by Anthony Browne. This simple picture book provides examples of different emotions and how people may express them.
We gathered to sort out some pictures. We used coloured cards to help us explore the Zones of Regulation.
What are The Zones of Regulation?
The Zones is used to teach self-regulation by labeling all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four zones. The Zones curriculum provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of their emotions, improve controlling their emotions and impulses, managing their sensory needs, and improving their ability to problem solve conflicts.
BLUE CAR: TRAVELING TOO SLOW
The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness, such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored.
GREEN CAR: TRAVELING AT JUST THE RIGHT SPEED
The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone.
YELLOW CAR: TRAVELING ON A BUMPY ROAD
The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions; however, one has some control when they are in the Yellow Zone. A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone.
RED CAR: TRAVELING TOO FAST
The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions. A person may be elated or experiencing anger or explosive behavior when in the Red Zone. A person is described as “out of control” if in the Red Zone.
We had pictures of children and people demonstrating their feelings and emotions. After discussing each picture, we decided how we wanted to sort them.
We will continue to use the Zones of Regulation to help us monitor our own behaviour, to help us create a safe, caring and positive learning environment.
How do you express your feelings?
Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)
The children documented their play scenarios through their drawings, they presented them to the class.
We used this information to create a visual of the different games and groups the children played in.
The children began to talk about the different games and play experiences they had outdoors. Some of the children asked if they could join other games. The students thought about the language they could use to invite others or to ask to join a group at play.
– “Could I play with you?”
– “Can I play with you?”
– “Do you want to play?”
Next, we read the story ‘Strictly NO Elephants’ by Lisa Mantchev, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo. This is a story about a boy who has a pet elephant. When the local Pet Club won’t admit a boy’s tiny pet elephant, he finds a solution. The story focuses on The story focuses on friendship, inclusion and community.
We revisited the play scenarios chart to see how we might invite others to our play and games.
When the children went out to play, we noticed a change in the groups as they played and explored different parts of the playground. There were more children on bikes, less in the waterway and more playing imaginary games with new friends. We used a different colour (orange) to document what the children shared.
How might we communicate a powerful message?
How might powerful images communicate important information?
The students were invited to create the own powerful messages. They used their notes from previous research to think about the important information they wanted to share with others. The students were encouraged to reflect on the issue of ‘waste‘, and think about the action they could take as a result of their learning.
The students went through the writing process to create a first draft. Then, they revised and edited their writing in order to publish their final piece of work. Next, a drawing that communicated a powerful message was created. Finally, we used a green screen to produce a video. The students continued to work on speaking confidently, expressing ideas and information in order to inform and engage an audience.
WASTE
Student in G2 @NISChina reflected on the issue of 'waste', and presented their powerful messages through words and pictures. https://t.co/x4obYIehKm pic.twitter.com/YabHMrOMyk— Shemo Gani (@shemogani) May 30, 2022
What waste do you produce?
We took a closer look at our morning snacks to think about the different types of waste we produce. The students took a photograph of their snacks before and after they ate. Then, they discussed what they had noticed.
We paused to think about the different ideas shared. We decided to sort and collect our waste for the day.
We could see how the students were wondering about the journey of waste. They documented what they know about the journey of waste.
What happens to the waste we produce?
What is waste?
What waste do you produce?
The students noted down their initial responses to the two questions. All student responses were shared and a table was created to show the WHAT we waste.
A student in a Grade 5 was conducting a survey on single use plastics. We gathered to discuss and answer the survey, making note of the different types of single use plastic we use and the waste we create as individuals and as a community. We made a list of the items we might use.
Plastic:
We made a list of the waste we produce or the things we waste.
Then, we included this information on a graph to help us orgainse our information. We learned that the two things we waste the most are food and time.
We were looking at describing how and why we produce waste. We included some language to help us explain the reasons why using language for cause beyond ‘because’ (since, as, so, therefore) and language that helps us show contrast (although and even though).
The class came up with some wonderful ideas to improve their writing on the topic.
What happens to the waste we produce?
The students have approached and engaged in their research in many different ways. We noticed that some students dived right in, deciding on the living things they were eager to learn more about while a few students observed others engaged in research before deciding on how they might approach their own learning.
The students watched videos, read books and engaged in conversations with other children and adults to learn more about their chosen project (living thing). The students have been taking notes and then making plans on how they might share their learning with others. They used large paper to document their thoughts, questions and possible direction. Their notes included key information, drawings, facts and sketches that directed their next steps. They highlighted key unit vocabulary as they documented big ideas.
The children chose to share their learning in two different ways:
While engaging in their projects, the students reflected on the following:
We noticed that the students thought deeply about the interconnectedness and impact of the different living things in their project. As they planned, designed and created, the adults pushed their thinking further by asking thoughtful, provoking questions, and giving them feedback and suggestions.
The students paused to reflect on their own learning journey, thinking about the challenges and big ideas they have uncovered through their own research.
We noticed how the students engaged with the different materials and tools. They were thoughtful about the choices they made, seeking to find the most suitable materials and making conscious decisions about the way they present their ideas, to make sure that they can tell a story of living things through their project.
Through their work, the students are learning that research involves:
We have been discussing the sketchnote by John Spencer (@spencerideas) “What happens when students own their learning?” and documenting some of the ideas shared.
We wondered what it means to have a ‘Growth Mindset’.
“In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” ( Dweck, 2015)
To explore this further, we watched a short video.
Then, each student was given a statement on a yellow or white speech bubble. Each fixed mindset statement in white had a corresponding growth mindset statement in yellow. The students had to work out which statements could be paired.
Finally, we created a poster including all the statements. We discussed the ideas, statements and situations where we could use ‘self talk’ and and take action, to help us develop a growth mindset.
We continue to wonder how we can stretch our thinking, and explore and take more ownership over our own learning. We continue to remind ourselves that when we are actively engaged in various stages of learning (Including: thinking about, planning, modifying and creating) we develop AGENCY.
We are learning that information can be expressed as organised and structured data.
To help us explore this further, we looked for objects and collections that we can organise and categorise.
collections
Then, we recorded our data on a table and created bar graphs to show our information.
table
Next, we generated questions about the graph that we can ask others. We know that reflecting on our learning can help us become confident mathematicians.
We used two sentence starts to help us reflect on our data collection inquiry.
reflections
We visited 2 spaces on campus to help us launch our next Unit of Inquiry. The first was a Dark Room in the Early Years Centre. The second space was a small room by the previous Primary office. In the dark room, the students noticed an image projected on the wall. The students began to ask questions and react in different ways to and with the projected image.
In the second room we listened to a short audio recording.
After visiting each space, each group of students were invited to name the space. The Dark Room was referred to as:
The Primary Office room was named:
Each group explained why they had named the spaces this way. They all had to agree and vote on the names they had chosen.
Next, they reflected on their experience and noted their thinking individually. The following questions prompted their responses:
None of the groups shared their experience with each other until the final whole class discussion.
Whole Class Discussion:
Each student shared their reflections on the two spaces. We collated our thoughts on large chart paper.
Finally, we watched short videos of the different groups engaging with the images and continued with our discussion.
How do children share their theories? How might imagination and curiosity spark inquiry? G2 on the lookout for meaningful student-driven projects @NISChina pic.twitter.com/VDZvOiHIH6
— Shemo Gani (@shemogani) October 15, 2021
The two experiences, conversations and wonderings will help us plan our next steps as we learn more about the different ways we express ourselves.
Next, the students were presented with a Chinese character during their Mandarin lesson. They needed to reflect on the following questions:
Following the lesson, the students shared their thinking and feelings with each other. We documented these ideas on chart paper.
The students are curious about their next Unit of Inquiry!
We wonder where this inquiry might take us…
The students used their plan or mind map to help them write a rough draft. Then, they made changes to their work to improve their ideas and add more details. They organized their writing to create a second draft. After editing their work, they finally published their writing. Using the writing process helps the students think about the different stages of writing. It helps them revisit, revise and build on their first ideas.
Next, we thought about our personalities. Who are we on the inside?
To help us think about this further, we listened to the story ‘NO. DAVID!’ by David Shannon.
First, the students described David from the outside. What are his physical traits, or things we can see?
David:
Next, we thought about the inside. What can we learn about David by his actions, words, or thoughts? The students wrote their personality trait words on post-its and shared their reasoning.
The students explained that David is:
Next, the students described their own personalities. They included these descriptions to their portraits. Through our discussions, stories and work together we continue to learn about who we are as individuals.
Next, we wondered what other people know or think about us! The students wrote statements about their friends and included these on the community display.
As we continue to learn about ourselves, we explore the interactions we have with each other.
One of our friends are unable to join us in person, yet. She has been waiting to enter the country, but has been in touch with us virtually. The students frequently ask about their friend. They decided to give their friend a call to connect and learn about her.
@E’s Interview
documented by Ella
First, we all sat in a group and thought about some questions. We all wrote our questions on a paper.
Second, we interviewed @E because we wanted to know more about her. We interviewed her with Ms. Shemo’s laptop. We read our questions to @E. @E told us the answer of all of our questions.
Then, Ms. Shemo showed our class room to @E. Then we said bye bye to @E.
We hope @E comes to China in a few days.
The students wrote what they learned on speech bubbles. They included the information on their documentation panels.
Concepts: identity, empathy, friendship, Inclusion
Over the past few weeks, we have been digging deeper into the concept of ‘identity’. We have discussed and documented our identities as readers, writers, mathematicians, and learners. We understand that every person is an individual, and that knowing ourselves, can learn help us connect with others around us.
Self Portraits
We understand that people communicate feelings and ideas through the arts. Therefore, the students were invited to create self-portraits using different materials. First, they drew portraits on large card. Then, they chose different mediums to complete their artwork.
Next, we reflected on the questions:
The students began to gather their ideas on paper, drawing and writing to express their identity.
What helps you learn?
As we explore our new learning space, the materials and resources we use, the interactions we have with each other, we wonder how this helps us learn. We spent some time thinking about how ‘we’ learn, as individuals and as a group. We wondered what helps and hinders our learning.
The students reflected, noted their thoughts on post-it paper and then shared their ideas with the class. As we discussed each idea, we noted key behaviours or strategies that help us learn:
We noticed how each person was different, they had different needs. We documented these ideas to help us honour and be mindful of how we learn as a community.
Next, we read the book ‘On Monday When It Rained’ by Cherryl Kachenmeister. The students reflected on their own feelings and emotions and recalled instances when they too might have felt sad, happy, worried, embarrassed or frustrated.
Then, we discussed what we can do with these feelings and how we can regulate our own body and mind, to help us maintain a positive and supportive space for learning.
The 4 different coloured cars prompted a great discussion on self-regulation.
The red car travels very fast, students highlighted and drew pictures of when they might feel like they are in the ‘red zone’. We continued with the blue, yellow and green cars, discussing ways we can get back to the green zone if we felt like we were not ‘ready to learn’. We acknowledged that these feelings were not ‘BAD’ but that they may be appropriate at different times or in specific situations. The students agreed that thinking about how we manage these feelings and behaviours help us as a community.
Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)
Social Skills
Social and emotional intelligence
Self -management Skills
In Second Grade, we continue to work towards creating an environment where reading is valued, promoted, and supported.
We began by discussing the behaviours of readers.
Then, the students reflected on their own reading behaviours. They wrote their ideas down on paper.
Next, we came together to share and document these ideas on chart paper.
We discussed the different ways we can ‘read’ and ‘choose’ books. We used the strategy ‘I-PICK’ to think about why and how we make choices about books.
Discussing the different feelings we have when we read books, helped us think more about ‘JUST RIGHT BOOKS’.
Then, we went to the library to practice these skills. We continue to work on developing our own reading behaviours, to learn and celebrate reading and learning through books.
We continue to wonder how we can create rich environments for readers.
We talked about a perfect reading spot. What might this look like? We created a choice board to help us stay focused as we read each day.
The story ‘The Rabbit Listened’ by Cori Doerrfeld, is a wonderful picture book about ‘empathy’. The character Taylor doesn’t know where to turn and what to do when something terrible happens. One by one, the animals try to tell Taylor how to process this loss and frustration, and one by one they fail, until the rabbit arrives to just ‘listen’.
At the end of the read aloud, the students were encouraged to think and share their own experiences of when they may have felt frustrated, angry, or sad.
Connecting with a text is a critical reading comprehension strategy that helps students make meaning of what they are reading.
Student Reflections:
Approaches to Learning (ATL’s):
Interpersonal relationships
Social and emotional intelligence
The students wondered:
After the read-aloud, the students were introduced to the ‘Literature Circle’ role ‘The Artful Artist’. The job of the Artful Artist is to draw something about the story that interested them and explain why it was chosen. This could be about…
In the next few weeks, the students will be introduced to other Literature Circles roles to help them think and connect deeply with the texts they read.
Approaches to Learning (ATL’s):
We have begun to explore ‘small moments’ writing during our literacy sessions. First, we read the ‘The Roller Coaster’ by Marla Frasee. Through this text, we began to think about the way authors write about ‘small moments’ in their life that are meaningful to them. We looked closely at the images, the feelings and actions expressed through them.
How did Marla Frazee write about a small moment? What did we notice?
The students explained:
We wondered how we can use these different ‘craft moves’ in our own writing.
We thought about all those special ‘small moments’ we have had. Some were about the people in our lives, the places we go to frequently or the things we do all the time. Some first-time experiences and some were things that happened at the end. This led to the students creating their own list of small moments.
Next, we chose 1 small moment to write about. They used a graphic organizer to include their thoughts, emotions, words, people, places, and things that are to do with the small moment.
Then, the students began to put those ideas together to write about their own small moment. We know that good writers continue to improve their pieces of writing by refining their ideas and checking their writing.
The students were introduced to a Narrative Writing Checklist. After assessing a sample piece of writing, they used the checklist to self-assess.
SAMPLE
This process encourages students to evaluate their own work, while identifying and setting goals for further improvement.
Writing – Conceptual Understandings:
We are wondering how knowing ourselves and others can help us build strong trustful relationships.
To inquire into this further, we read the story ‘The Best Part of Me‘ by Wendy Ewald (photographer).
This wonderful story includes beautiful pictures of children. As the children in the picture book talk about their bodies, we were reminded how unique and diverse we are. Through discussion, the students began to appreciate the many different ways they experience the world through their body and senses.
A follow-up activity invited the students to share ideas and thoughts about the best part of their own body.
We wonder how these stories help us think about our feelings and interactions with each other.
Approaches to Learning (ATL’s):
Social Skills – Interpersonal relationships
Communication Skills – Writing
Reflections on the Colour, Symbol, Image Thinking Routine:
The students reflected on the different ideas they shared through the thinking routine. They spoke in detail about the concepts cause and effect, impact, ecosystems and responsibility.
The concept of WASTE was another key concept they students shared. We noticed that they were beginning to think of some action they could take through their learning.
The Web – Making Connections:
We collated the different ideas shared through the activity ‘Connect the Images’. They students noticed how the images connected to each other in many different ways.
The discussions focused on consumption, waste, impact on the environment and humans. Throughout the discussions, we wondered how ‘WE’ could use our knowledge to make better choices.
How might I use my knowledge to make better choices?
The students began to share the action they could take individually or collectively. They began to organize their ideas into four quadrants.
We wonder what action the students may take as a result of their learning and reflections…
What important messages are conveyed through these texts?
How might picture books help us uncover and inquire into different concepts?
What are ecosystems?
What is a lifecycle?
We read the text Salmon Stream by Carol Reed-Jones illustrated by Michael S. Maydak. This wonderful picture book tells the story of a the life cycle of salmon. Against staggering odds the eggs hatch and grow, travel to the ocean, and eventually struggle upstream to their birthplace again, to spawn a new generation.
While reading the story we discussed the concepts lifecycle, connection, causation, food chain and interdependence. The students wondered:
After discussing the text, the students used pictures and words to capture their thinking. They shared their own ideas about the different concepts, thinking deeply about the lifecycle of the salmon.
Next, we read the story The Wolves are Back by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Wendell Minor. This picture book tells the story of how, over a century, wolves were persecuted in the United States and nearly became extinct. The students stopped at every page, discussing the impact the wolves and the different animals had on each other. They noticed how the ecosystem thrived when there was balance.
While reading the story, we brought attention to the different concept words change, causation and responsibility. We discussed change over time, cause and effect (impact) and our responsibility towards the different environments around us.
We used picture cards to help us see the connection each living thing had with another. The students discussed the food chain (grass -> elk -> wolf) , interdependence (<->), growth, lifecycle and impact.
They stumbled upon new words and attempted to uncover what they meant by tapping into their prior knowledge, breaking words up into smaller words to look for clues, and looking for clues in the beautiful illustrations.
Then, the students created their own graphic organiser using the app Popplet. They used the pictures and information they had gathered to discuss the connections they made and explain the concepts they had uncovered.
We continue to wonder about other ecosystems.
– How are they different from one another?
– What animals live and thrive in these habitats?
– What is our responsibility in protecting these ecosystems?
– Why is this important?
Next, we read the story ‘Where’s the Elephant?‘ by Barroux. This picture book is about a game of hide-and-seek that takes on a new dimension as a growing city encroaches on the jungle the animals call home.
The students spoke in detail about the pictures, and the messages conveyed through them. They shared the feelings the story evoked and why they fest that way.
– I feel sad because the animals have no home.
– I am worried that the jungle near my home in Germany would be cut down like that.
The students used shared their thoughts on ‘EXIT Tickets’ a the end of the read aloud.
This powerful text helped the students discuss concepts about change, impact, habitats and responsibility.
BIG IDEAS:
After listening to the story, we noted the different things that we found interesting, important, or insightful. We used the Thinking Routine ‘CSI‘ to help us distil the essence of ideas non-verbally.
The students shared their ‘CSI’ with peers and discussed the key ideas that resonated with them.
Our journey continues…
Over the last few weeks, the students have been creating their prototypes based on their design plans and related research. They have continued to add more details and descriptions to their initial plans, thinking deeply about the different materials that are available and how they might use them to create the ‘MOST CHALLENGING‘ part of their design. The task would need to meet the following criteria.
Design Plans and Prototypes
The House with a Pool (Challenge: The waterfall)
The Hotel on the Water (Challenge: The Slide with 2 loops)
The Prototypes
The students have been moving between the design rooms and the classroom, testing and choosing from a range of materials to fit a purpose. The students persevered, working at their own pace, talking to others about the challenges and how they were learning through trial and error.
Personal Reflections
The students have been documenting their learning journey, reflecting on challenges and how they have found solutions through the design process.
We consider reflection an import part of the learning process. Therefore, students were encouraged to document their own learning journey while reflecting on the following:
The students are working on putting together a Design Journal to share their individual learning story. These will be presented at their final presentation to the community.
Conceptual Understandings: Students understand that:
Students were able to:
The students have been conducting their research, discussing their findings and making plans that will help them create prototypes of their structure designs.
They continue to reflect on and document their own process of learning.
The students have been reading books, watching videos about structures, forces, energy and materials to help them make decisions on their own plans.
The students put their initial ideas on paper. They made plans, using words, diagrams and information that they would require in order to create their prototype. Their aim is to create a prototype; an early sample, model, or a product built to test a concept or process.
Throughout this process the students will have opportunities to:
The students worked in groups to create a structure with newspaper. They first planned and tested the materials and then reviewed their plan before building the structure. They had to built the newspaper structure within 30 minutes.
The next day, the students were tasked with discussing and documenting their learning during the activity.
They needed to: –
We wonder what we might do next…
We sat together, to gather our thoughts, to explore where our learning has taken us.
What have we learned through our research?
Over the last few weeks, we have been diving deep into our Unit of Inquiry. We have been generating ideas, sorting through information, conducting our research and making connections between concepts and ideas. Together, we have developed a deeper understanding of our unit under the Transdisciplinary Theme ‘How We Express Ourselves’.
The students have been asking questions, reading books, conducting surveys, documenting data, presenting findings, sharing ideas and taking action.
We took a closer look at our Central Idea ‘Communities come together through expressions of culture’.
Our deep dive into the different themes, vocabulary, concepts and ideas, have helped us uncover the Central Idea.
The students quickly made connections with what they have been learning. We documented our thinking on chart paper.
We wonder how we might take ACTION!
The students were excited and energised from the Tug-of-War team activity. They laughed and shared their feelings with each other as they came back into the classroom.
We gathered to reflect on our experience. We watched a short video of the team game. How did we feel? Why did we feel that way?
First, each student wrote down their own reflections on paper. Then, while each child shared their ideas, we captured the main points on chart paper. Together we made our ‘thinking visible’.
The students continued to expand on each other’s ideas. One student said, “We do it because we want to be all together!”
Next, we wondered what ‘all together’ meant. We decided it could be a ‘community’. The students began to add their thinking.
“We are together as a class. As a family, as a country, as a whole world!” They explained that it was important to be together.
Why is this important?
Watch this space to learn more…
Thinking Skills
Communication Skills
We have been sharing stories, discussing scenarios, solving problems at play and reflecting on feelings and emotions, to help us explore ‘how our choices affect our interactions with others’. We have been wondering how ‘our actions’ might make others feel.
We assembled to have a class meeting. Our task was to discuss and share what we knew and thought about the different words that make up the Central Idea. What are choices? What are interactions? What does the word ‘affect’ mean? What does it mean to have empathy?
We used different strategies to document and share our thinking. We used whiteboard drawings, partner talks and post-it note groupings to share our ideas. We reflected on our own behaviours, feelings and emotions.
We documented all our suggestions and ideas on chart paper to help us connect and explore the different concepts that we have been focusing on throughout this unit.
We continue to discuss the concepts behaviour, agreements, feelings, choices and consequence, while listening to the perspectives of others.
Our learning journey continues…
We have been exploring ‘how our choices affect our interactions‘. We decided to read ‘When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry…‘ by Molly Bang.’
We first read the Title and the Back Blurb.
How does THIS book want to be read? What does the author want us to feel? How might the author want us to connect with the story? We reflected on a few different feelings/emotions.
We used paper and markers to document our thoughts and ideas as we read the story. What do the characters feel? What choices do they make? How do their choices affect their interactions? Were they choices that help people feel/stay safe?
Then, we cut up our sketched emotions and assembled them on a Story Mountain/Story Arc. We talked about the Beginning, middle, problem, resolution and end. The students talked about the different zones (Zones of Regulation) the character may be in. The students connected with the story, sharing personal experiences of when they felt like Sophie.
Next, we retold the story in our own words, using the story planner. We reflected on the Choices and Interactions the characters experienced in the story.
How do YOUR ‘CHOICES’ affect your INTERACTIONS? We wonder…
Two great stories helped us explore feelings and emotions.
‘A Cat and a Dog‘ by Claire Masurel
‘On Monday When It Rained‘ by Cherryl Kachenmeister
The students reflected on their own feelings and emotions. When do they feel angry, scared, sad, lonely, or proud?
They documented their ideas using pictures and sentences. They provided examples of when they experiences these feelings in real life experiences.
Next, we used a selection of pictures to discuss events/ incidents and resulting feelings and actions.
The students worked in teams to document their thinking. They were tasked with appointing a scribe. They had to work out strategies for listening, speaking and documenting. They discussed collaborative agreements they would need to be able to work together to accomplish the task. The students had to decide if the events in pictures were deemed ‘accidents‘ or ‘choices‘.
Kelso’s Choices
At our Class Meeting we reviewed Kelso’s Choices. We talked about ‘BIG’ and ‘small’ problems. We discussed different scenarios and the strategies we could use if we had a small problem.
Goals:
• To help students learn a lifelong conflict resolution tool
• To help students develop and sustain the belief that they are strong enough and smart enough to resolve their own small problems
The students gathered to discuss ‘WHY’ we read.
We talked about the following statement:
‘Readers read to get smarter, and to learn about themselves, other people and the world.’
‘我们阅读，为了变得更聪明，可以了解自己，了解其他人和这个世界。’
‘독자는 더욱 똑똑 해지기 위해 또한 자신, 다른 사람들 그리고 세상에 대해 배우기 위해 읽습니다.’
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Goal: to become fluent readers
Strategy: Read Appropriate-Level Texts That Are a Good Fit.
Why Children Need This Strategy: “In order to read fluently, all readers need texts that they can read with a high degree of accuracy and automaticity. When readers are provided with texts that are too difficult, fluent reading is impossible” ( Allington 2009a, 26).
Next, we created two anchor charts to help us make good choices.
‘3 Ways to Read a Book’
‘IPICK’
During our time in the Library this morning, we provided students with time to find ‘good fit’ books.
We encouraged the students to reflect on the information we shared during our group discussion. Our goal is to encourage the students to makes these choices independently.
We talked about a perfect reading spot. What might this look like? We created a choice board to help us stay focused as we read each day.
Students were introduced to their R.E.D. Log Book. They will use this book to record and reflect on their daily reading each day.
Their R.E.D. Book Log needs to come into school each morning.
Each day, we practice reading in the classroom. We understand that the best way to become a better reader is ‘to read‘. We know that reading can be fun and exciting!
We Identified the behaviours of ‘Read to Self‘ and created a chart to help us become more independent with our reading.
What are some of YOUR favourite books? What reading strategies work for you?
We are proud to be part of the Second Grade community. We are excited to be here and ready to learn, share and have fun together. We wonder who ‘WE’ are as individuals. How are we the same? How are we different?
We began to collect some data about the people in our class. We began by organising ourselves by height. Who is the tallest in the class? Who is the shortest? This was quite a challenge as the children had to get themselves in line without using spoken language. They quickly began to use gestures to help each other get into place before the timer went off!!!
What about our names? Maybe we can organise our names in Alphabetical Order! Through trial and error we managed to come to an agreement about the order our names should be in. These discussions help the children justify their thinking and express their ideas with confidence.
Our next challenge was to create a portrait of ourselves. The children were introduced to the ‘atelier’ in the classroom. This is a space in the classroom that acts as a ‘workshop or studio’. This space is home to many different tools and materials that the children can use to design, create and express their ideas and learning using a variety of mediums.
The children quickly got to work, looking at themselves in mirrors and then creating their self-portraits.
What makes us unique?
Then, we gathered to brainstorm ideas for writing about ourselves. The brainstorm would guide our thinking and help us as we generate ideas for writing.
We used a rubric to talk about the different ways we can make our writing better. Adding more details to our pictures and sentences, being mindful of punctuation and using interesting words can improve our pieces of writing.
Here is a checklist we used to help us remember to check our punctuation, spacing and presentation.
The students wanted to collate their writing and create a book about themselves. When they have completed their books, they will be ready to present them to the class.
We displayed our ‘All About Me’ books because we want everyone to know who WE ARE!
We wonder who YOU are. What makes YOU unique?
The students worked independently to ‘show’ their number. They were encouraged to think about how they would place the manipulatives/materials.
When all the students had completed the task, we did a ‘gallery walk’ to look at all the different ways we can create a number.
Next, we worked in groups to talk about what we already know about MATH. The groups documented their learning.
Then, we gathered to discuss and document the MATH we see around us? How do we use Math in our world? The students explained that we need MATH when we:
We discussed how Math can make us feel. We talked about the different zones we could be in when we learn something new, and the experiences that make us feel as if we are stretching our brain, thinking and learning.
They each reflected on their own abilities, skills or knowledge. What warrants a star and what they wished or hoped to learn in the future.
How do YOU feel as a Mathematician?
What hopes and dreams do we have for the coming year? What do we wonder about Second Grade?
We discussed some of the hopes and dreams we have for Grade 2. When the children began to document their ideas, we noticed how most of them started with a drawing. Drawing can help us capture and build on ideas. A few children talked about their pictures with a friend.
A popular hope and dream was to make new friends. Here are a few more…
As the year progresses, we wonder how our hopes and dreams may change…
What are your hopes and dreams for the new year? We wonder…
