Exploring ‘Purpose’ and ‘Situations’

27th October 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

We wonder…

In what ways do we come together with others?
How did we feel in different situations where people get together?
What makes something a good experience?

This led to a conversation about the different situations that bring us together. The children explained that we come together to…

sing
dance
read
play games
talk
eat
learn

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.

Eli “I play superhero games with Daddy.”
Oliver “I play iPad games with Oskar.”
Wyatt “I play transformer fighting games with daddy.”
Liz “I play ‘I See’ iPad games with my brother.”
Morning “I play with the stuffed animals with grandma.”
Motong “I play Tiger Tag with Anika.”
Howie “I play hide and seek and build with blocks with my brother.”
Eunbyul “I play fighting games with my brother.”
Jeongyoon “I play fighting games with my brother.”

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:

Our Grade 5 buddies
The PYP teachers and students (G1-5)
The Ayi’s
Bus drivers and bus Ayi’s
The cafeteria staff
People from other schools; Mr. Lewis and ACAMIS volleyball team.
Activity teachers
Library teachers
Swimming coaches.

After swimming, we stopped to notice more people in the community we didn’t know a lot about.

The security
The maintenance staff
The front desk staff

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.

The Zones of Regulation

12th September 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

We read the story ‘When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry’ by Molly Bang. This beautifully designed picture book tells the story of a little girl named Sophie. Sophie is caught in a situation that makes her very angry. The detailed pictures in the story share her emotional learning journey.

What can we do when we experience big emotions?
How might recognising emotions help us regulate them?

We gathered to sort out some pictures that showed different emotions. We used coloured cards to help us explore the Zones of Regulation.

What are The Zones of Regulation?

The Zones are used to teach self-regulation by labelling all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience. Becoming more aware of our emotions can help us control emotions and impulses.

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 behaviour 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.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Be aware of own and others’ feelings.
Manage anger and resolve conflict.
Be self- and socially aware.
Be aware of own and others’ impact as a member of a learning group.
Use strategies to problem-solve.
Manage own emotions, feelings and resolve conflict.

social & emotional

Colours and Feelings

8th September 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

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.

: Green is Calm

: Blue is Happy

: Blue is Angry

: Red is Happy

: Yellow is Happy

: Black is Angry

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.

Creating Essential Agreements

3rd September 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

Over the last few weeks, we have been taking photographs and videos of the children engaging in different spaces around the Early Years. These images have helped us highlight and make observations visible.

At times, the images focused on celebrating learning, community and engagement. On other occasions, the images helped us hone in on challenges and problems that require attention.

Over the last few days, we have discussed these ideas in small and whole group situations, talking about what we see, think and wonder.

Link to Resource

See, Think, Wonder is a ‘thinking routine’ that places emphasis on the importance of observation as the basis for thinking and interpretation, through looking closely at an image, object or video.

After many discussions, we gathered to create our ‘Essential Agreements’. We noticed that the conversations often focused on the idea of feeling ‘safe’ in a ‘caring’ and ‘respectful’ environment.

Some of the key points were:

Expressing and communicating emotions in respectful ways and asking for an adult’s help when needed.
Being aware of how we touch others when speaking or playing with them.
Using manipulatives and resources in a safe and respectful way.
Moving our bodies safely in and around the different spaces.
Cleaning up after playtime to ensure we respect people, materials and spaces.
Using kind and thoughtful words to express ourselves.
Being inclusive by collaborating sharing and inviting others to play.

The key ideas by the children highlight the concepts of well-being, interaction, participation, belonging and inclusion.

As a learning community, we will continue to revisit our essential agreements to help us make appropriate choices that help us work and learn together as a community.

We are learning that by following agreements and sharing space we can participate safely in our community.

Welcome to K2A @NIS!

15th August 2023 shemogani Leave a comment

We are ready for yet another learning adventure with our NIS community. We wonder🤔 how our #curiosity, #courage and #passion will ignite our learning experiences this year.

We began by exploring the K2 and Early Years space, listening, learning and thinking about the different experiences we might have this year.

The children quickly settled in, connecting with old friends and building new relationships.

Throughout the day, we explored different routines in K2 that help us get ready for the day’s learning.

The children labelled their baskets, cubby, portfolio boxes and other resources to help them manage their belongings. Building independence helps children make informed choices and set them up for success.

In the morning, we sat together to eat our community breakfast. This is an important time for us to build community and good habits. Eating healthy snacks and making good choices with food helps children become more aware of the connection between our mind and body. Being responsible for classroom jobs and following classroom agreements helps us work and play in a positive, supportive learning environment.

During the day, Ms. Sue (Primary School Counsellor) and Ms. Dora (Mandarin Teacher) came in to greet and work alongside the children. The children listened to stories, played games and explored language and feelings through a range of activities.

The children play a central role in their learning and know their voices and opinions matter. We believe that our young learners are capable and naturally curious, able to pose and solve their own problems.

We believe that relationships (with people, materials and spaces) are at the heart of our programme. We believe the community plays a pivotal role in the development of our children. As we continue our learning journey together, we invite you to be part of our learning experience.

The Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

28th November 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

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:

using play equipment
getting lunch at the cafeteria
we wash our hands
using the toilet
waiting for snacks.

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.

The Zones of Regulation

27th September 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

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

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)

Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information.
Express oneself using words and sentences.
Participate in conversations.
Be aware of own and others’ feelings.
Manage anger and resolve conflict.
Be self- and socially aware.
Be aware of own and others’ impact as a member of a learning group.
Use strategies to problem-solve.
Manage own emotions, feelings and resolve conflict.

What brings us together?

9th September 2022 shemogani Leave a comment

We sat down to share our thoughts on ‘when and why’ people come together.

Morning Greeting, Morning MeetingEach morning, we come together to greet each other. We sit in a circle so that everyone can see the speaker. Our time together helps us connect with each other. When we greet our friends, we look at each other, use a calm voice and respectful language. Our names are special because it helps us identify each other. A person’s name can also have special meaning or story attached to it.

Kenan “Sit on the blue carpet because I need to make a circle and talk to friends.”
Patrick “We talk about ideas.”
Tracey “We are going to a circle to say ‘hello’. We said ‘hello’ with a butterfly. We wave hands.”[with action]
Noah “It’s Morning Meeting.”
Patrick “Every morning we say ‘hi’. We feel happy. When someone says ‘hello’ to you, you say and it will take you to a good place and you will be excited.” [points to his heart]
Olivia “Because say ‘hello’, and ‘good morning’, morning we go to school.”
Tae Woo “Ms. Eileen is greeting. Like a butterfly.”

Through this experience, we learn to value our diversity and appreciate our uniqueness. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to learn about our community and to find ways in which we might be connected.

The Fire Drill

This week, we had an announced fire drill. Before the drill, we talked about the different safety measures we take when the alarm goes off.

During the practice, we took a picture of K2A while they were sitting together silently.

The image was presented to the children. The children quickly explained “we know it means the fire is here. Not a real fire!”

Snack Time

Doho “Everybody is hungry.”
Sean “Eating snack.”
Kenan “Everybody is eating on the blue carpet.”
Patrick “We are on the blue carpet. We wash hands and then we take snack box and then we eat the snack. But now we eat in the book space.”
Olivia “Because eating fruits.”
Patrick “The trash is on the blue carpet so we need to tidy up and clean.”
Noah “We clean up. We fold the blankets. We put it where it belongs. Then we have Morning Meeting.”

Lunch

Chloe “Eating lunch. Wash our hands, its dirty. Wash hands in the toilet. Stand, line up. Lunch in the red box. Take it out. Eat the lunch. Drink the milk.”
Eunice “Finish and put it away. And line up. I put away.”
Kenan “First line up. Then go to lunch. Then, we can finish and then go back to class. Everybody cleans up because eating the food is everybody.”

Cleaning Up

Tracey “We are together playing.”
Mason “Clean up because too messy.”
Tae Woo “Cleaning.”
Olivia “We cleaned up because we played with block toys.”
Mason “If you don’t clean up the things will lost.”
Patrick “When you don’t tidy up other play it’s a mess and cannot use it to play. The people who play with the toys they go away. And now another people cannot tidy up it. We are happy then we can play again.”
Allen “Very tidy.” [in Mandarin]
Andy “Everyone is tidying up. After cleaning up it will be very tidy. And people will find the things they need easily.” [in Mandarin]
Sean “Tidy up blocks and animals. Animals in basket.”
Noah “If the toys are lost then we can’t find it. Then we lost them. We will feel sad because we lost one. We clean up so they don’t lost.”

We noticed that we come together:

to be with people
to talk to people
because it makes us feel good
to greet each other and share information
to be safe
to eat
to work and celebrate special occasions
to read and learn
to clean up after play

We wonder how we might create opportunities that bring us together.

What helps you learn?

15th September 2021 shemogani Leave a comment

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:

good feelings
thinking
finding ways to solve problems
talking and questioning
thinking about spelling
finding good spaces for learning
listening (to friends and teachers)
reading
maintaining a calm brain
breathing slowly and staying calm
being in school
looking at problems
having clear instructions

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

be self and socially aware
be aware of own and others’ impact as a member of a learning group

Self -management Skills

Mindfulness: be aware of body–mind connections
Perseverance: take responsibility for one’s own actions
Self-motivation: practice positive thinking and language that reinforces self-motivation

Learning Online

20th August 2021 shemogani Leave a comment

We began the year at a distance, finding ways to come together, to learn and grow as a community. Every school year is unique, including many opportunities to take risks, be creative and grow as learners. This year was no different, beginning with planning and rolling out a distance learning programme. We began by unpacking and discussing the distance learning framework at NIS.

Distance Learning at NIS:

is rooted in our Mission and Strategy
is based upon our existing curriculum
leverages existing blended learning platforms
prioritizes relationships and communication
remains adaptive to our situation and context

(NIS Distance Learning framework)

The goals of the program include creating opportunities for personalized learning experiences centered around the NIS curricular framework that allow students to learn independently and as a community. These experiences are aimed to nurture the dispositions and approaches to learning (ATL skills).

We began our online learning sessions by discussing agreements, and learning routines that will help us learn and work together. The students reflected on what a ‘quiet space’ for learning may look like, why this was important and how these agreements impact learning.

We created schedules for synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences, ensuring that students had opportunities to connect with each other and the teachers through regular scheduled sessions.

Schedules for synchronous and asynchronous learning.

During these sessions, the students were invited to collect resources and materials that they will need to complete activities. The students reflected on what a good space for learning might be and identified or created this space in their home.

The students introduced themselves to the class, sharing their favourite foods, sports, games, and other interesting details about themselves, through an activity.

Next, we paused to think how we felt about the week and documented these reflections through an activity.

The students ended the week by joining a whole class dance routine led by the teacher through a choice board!

We are excited to take our next steps together as a learning community. We look forward to the different learning experiences that will help us learn and grow individually and as a community.

Choices

29th September 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

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…

Choices and Interactions

23rd September 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

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…

Empathy

3rd September 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

What IS EMPATHY?

How do we develop empathy?

We read the story ‘Cleversticks’ by Bernard Ashley, illustrated by Derek Brazell.

This is a story about a little boy, Ling Sung, who hates going to school. There are too many things the other kids can do that he can’t. When he discovers everyone admires his ability to use chopsticks, Ling Sung is empowered.

The illustrations and story encourage the reader to reflect on feelings of helplessness, pride, discouragement and joy. The students retold the story using picture clues. We made a list of the characters in the story and discussed the setting (where the story takes place).

We talked about the beginning, middle and end of the story as well as the problem and the resolution (how the problem was solved). We created a ‘Story Mountain‘ to help us visualise and document our thinking.

We used a graphic organiser to document key details from the text.

This story encourages us to think about about how ‘Our choices affect our interactions with others.’

To explore this further, we discussed the different characters in the story. We wondered what message the author wanted to convey through this story.

I think the authors message is…

… we know that some people know some things and some people know other things. – Kavel
… everybody needs to be united. Friendship. Help each other. Learn from other’s strengths. – Sam
… do not laugh when someone can’t do something. Be kind. Be caring. – Sky
… letting us try things.- Hannah
… be helpful. – Miranda
… play kindly with friends. – Eunseong
… know different feelings and learn things. – Carlotta
… if you don’t know something you can keep on practicing and you will get better at it. – Elena
… nobody can do everything. – Ryder
… some people are good at writing and anyone can help to do writing. – Dohoon
… we also need friends. – Stella
… work at whatever you want. – Chanwoong

Next, the students used a thinking routine ‘I Used to Think… Now I Think…’ to document their initial ideas about the word ‘EMPATHY’.

What do you do when you feel sad or when something terrible happens? What would you do if you notice someone else feeling sad?

We listened to a story ‘The Rabbit Listened’ by Cori Doerrfeld

In this story, something terrible happens to Taylor. While he is trying to manage his feelings, his friends try to give him some solutions. One by one, the animals try to tell Taylor how to work out his feelings, and one by one they fail. Then the rabbit arrives and something wonderful happens…

After listening to the story, the students documented their thinking, reflecting on how and why their thinking changed.

I used to think ‘EMPATHY’ was…NOW I think ‘EMPATHY’ is…

What does empathy mean to you?

A New Start!

13th August 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

We are ready to start our learning journey in Second Grade! There are spaces to read, create, design, investigate and problem-solve.

This week in 2A, we have spent time settling in, learning new routines that help us stay safe and organised as we work and play together. We have been discussing our behaviour and actions that support our learning. We have engaged in activities that help us get to know the class community, and have visited some of our specialist teachers.

During class meetings, we have been talking about appropriate behaviour both indoors and outdoors. We have explored feelings and emotions using a wonderful story by Cherryl Kachenmeister titled ‘On Monday When It Rained’.

We have begun to gather and document our thinking, feelings and wonderings using different routines. Here is one we used to talk about what playtime might ‘look’, ‘feel’ and ‘sound’ like. We will continue to develop our ideas and add to our documentation.

We explored feelings and behaviours that help us learn and play safely. We discussed appropriate behaviour for different times in the day, places we might be in or the events we might be part of. We wondered and talked about how feelings change, and how we can regulate our own behaviours. Here are the ‘Zones of Regulation’ that help us manage these behaviours more independently.

Here are some strategies we can use to get back to the ‘Green Zone’, if we are in a different zone that is not helpful to us or the others around us.

We all agreed and signed the ‘NIS Essential Agreements’.

We are learning that being kind, feeling safe and being helpful, are essential to creating a positive learning environment.

We aim to work together to create a wonderful NIS experience!

Through our discussions and activities the children had many opportunities to reflect on their own actions and move between the different ‘zones’. In P.E. they were excited, and energised while playing games and taking on challenges. After outdoor playtime, they chose spaces of ‘calm’ and huddled with a book. We are learning that there is a time, place and situation where these emotions fit naturally.

Social Emotional Learning Resources

2nd May 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

Below is a collection of picture books to support Social and Emotional Learning.

‘Ruby Finds a Worry’ by By Tom Percival. Ruby loves playing and exploring the world around her. But one day, she notices a Worry hanging around. At first, she decides to ignore it, but it just grows bigger and bigger, and before long, it’s so huge that it’s all she can think about. An excellent teaching book about managing worry, which everyone has and which may come back sometimes but can get better if you share it with someone who can help you through it.

Here is yet another story about friendship ‘Little Elliot, Big City’ by Mike Curato. In this story, Elliot, a little elephant, lives in a big, busy city. The big crowded streets and tall buildings make him feel rather small. Little Elliot is good at finding solutions to problems when doing his chores at home. Elliot finds many wonderful things to enjoy and discovers something that is even better than cupcakes! What might that be? We wonder… what do you like to do with your friends? How do you have fun with your friends? How do you help and take care of your friends?

What do you do when you feel sad or when something terrible happens? What would you do if you notice someone else feeling sad? In this story, something terrible happens to Taylor. While he is trying to manage his feelings, his friends try to give him some solutions. One by one, the animals try to tell Taylor how to work out his feelings, and one by one they fail. Then the rabbit arrives and something wonderful happens… Let’s read ‘The Rabbit Listened’ by Cori Doerrfeld

What does it mean to be kind? How might acts of kindness bring us together as a community? Author Todd Parr explores this concept through his picture book ‘The Kindness Book’.

-Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

express oneself using words and sentences
practise empathy and care for others
be respectful to others
be aware of own and others’ feelings
use strategies to problem-solve

Kindness

20th March 2020 shemogani One comment

Online Learning

Focus: Social and Emotional Learning

What does it mean to be kind? How might acts of kindness bring us together as a community?

Author Todd Parr explores this concept through his picture book ‘The Kindness Book‘.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFzmydgwgwc

How were ‘you‘ KIND today?

-Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

express oneself using words and sentences
practise empathy and care for others
be respectful to others
be aware of own and others’ feelings
use strategies to problem-solve

Friendship

9th March 2020 shemogani Leave a comment

Online Learning

Social and Emotional Learning in the Early Years.

Many of the children explained that they miss their friends at school. Friendship plays an important role in learning. As children play with each other, they take turns, listen respectfully, share resources and develop a deeper appreciation for their own and others feelings.

This reminds us of a wonderful story about good friends. Let’s read ‘Big Bear, Small Mouse‘ by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman.

Here is yet another story about friendship ‘Little Elliot, Big City‘ by Mike Curato. In this story, Elliot, a little elephant, lives in a big, busy city. The big crowded streets and tall buildings make him feel rather small. Little Elliot is good at finding solutions to problems when doing his chores at home. Elliot finds many wonderful things to enjoy and discovers something that is even better than cupcakes!

What might that be?

We wonder… what do you like to do with your friends? How do you have fun with your friends? How do you help and take care of your friends?

Jiwon “I can play ball and role play with my friends and have fun. If you don’t make fun of each other for being small and don’t fight each other’s toys, we can all be happy together.”

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Social Skills: Interpersonal relationships

• Practise empathy and care for others

• Be respectful to others

• Help others

Community Storytelling with Props

6th December 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

A group of children were gathering the cushions, moving them around the space and propping them up together to create a story.

They all had different ideas on how the cushions should be used, how they need to be organised and who would be in charge of that job.

As they played and told their stories, they had to find ways to work together, share ideas and solve problems.

They laughed, read stories and enjoyed collaborating.

These cushions have been the source of play throughout the week.

Each group took turns to prop them up at different angles, arrange them in cozy corners, as they worked together to create and organize their stories.

Yet another group have been using blocks and small world toys (animals) to tell their stories.

These structures represent different habitats for animals. Each block is placed strategically, each stone serves a purpose and animals are sorted into different spaces, based on the ideas of the group.

Through their play, the children are using their creativity to design and express their ideas and stories through the ARTS.

Children learn how to:

Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information.
Express oneself using words and sentences.
Negotiate ideas with peers.
Take on pretend roles and situations.
Be respectful to others.
Play cooperatively in a group: sharing, taking turns, helping.
Be aware of own and others’ impact as a member of a learning group.
Follow the directions of others.
Share responsibility for decision-making.
Demonstrate persistence in tasks.
Use strategies to problem-solve.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

How We Express Our Feelings

4th November 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

What makes us happy?

There were many different pictures of children on top of the chart paper.

Teacher “How can we sort these pictures?”

Felix “We can just take out our pictures.”
Sarah “We can put together?”

Sarah gathered a few pictures to create a set.

Teacher “Why would we do that?”

Charlotte agreed with Felix.

Michelle “We can paste our pictures (in Mandarin)
Michelle “You sort out your pictures like this.”

Teacher “Are any pictures the same?”

Michelle chose a few pictures that she thought looked the same.

Michelle “Because I like this, Sarah like this Charlotte like this.”
Charlotte “All like this, like the flower.”
Sarah “I and Charlotte and Michelle the same.”

Teacher “But why would you make that face.”

Charlotte “Because I am happy.
Michelle “Because I am cute.”

Tyson chose a different picture and explained “Because I am angry.”

This led to the children sorting the pictures into two categories. Cute and angry.

Teacher “Can we find more pictures of angry?”

The children looked for more pictures of faces that may show the emotion ‘angry’.

Charlotte “Silly”

Yet another group was created of ‘silly’ pictures.

Charlotte “We found silly pictures. This is happy and this is cute.”

Sewon explained that there are some pictures of people crying.

Felix “How about scared?”

The children began to look for pictures that show the emotion ‘scared’.

They looked closely at a picture of Ms.Tina’s Feelings.

Teacher “What is my feeling when I am doing a ninja pose?”

Charlotte “Green Zone”

Ms. Tina explained that we will have books available for the children to make their own books on ‘feelings’. Ms. Tina created her own book of feelings. The children gave her suggestions stating that having a birthday might make her happy.

Ms. Tina continued to include pictures of the different experiences that make her happy.

The children were excited about creating their own feelings book. They sat in ‘bubble spaces’ to make their first page. When they finished, they sat together to share their books. Sitting in a circle, listening to others share their page.

NIS is an inclusive school, a school that celebrates our differences, our uniqueness, while helping us learn more about what brings us together. Our feelings and emotions can play an important role on our day as we play, learn and share a space together. Being able to recognise that we all have feelings and that we all express our feelings in different ways, helps us develop empathy and respect for each other.

As we continue to explore these emotions, we hope to explore how we can show these emotions in appropriate ways. Through these discussions and group activities, the children will continue to explore strategies that can help us deal with ‘big’ emotions (e.g. angry).

@M “Zoo, when I go to the zoo. Because I like the giraffe. This is me I like to meet her, the giraffe. I give her leaves. This is me and my mummy go to school, because I like it.”

@S “When play with friends. Maybe with blocks. I and Michelle and Charlotte in the swimming pool. And this is my birthday. I and Michelle and Charlotte look at Michelle, Charlotte and me picture.”

@C “Because I go to the new zoo. Too many animals. This is bad zoo. Not good zoo, he was monster in. My daddy and my mummy and my brother. I see elephants, zebra, giraffe. Have some lion and tiger. When I am happy, I smile like this.”

@Y “Elephant happy. Cake, me happy. Turtle, happy.”

@J “Daddy, Jiwon, brother, mummy, house, happy.”

@F “When I get a birthday cake, I feel happy. When I get blue-tac, I’m happy. When I see a rainbow, I’m happy. When I get some ribbons, I’m happy. When I have balloons, I’m happy. When I see a new plant, I’m happy. I’m feeling happy when I go to the beach.”

Next, the students helped create the labels to name the different feelings.

Approaches to Learning

Communication Skills

Listen to information.
Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas.
Express oneself using words and sentences.
Participate in conversations.
Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.
Use mark-marking to convey meaning.

Social Skills

Be respectful to others.
Play cooperatively in a group: sharing, taking turns.
Be aware of own and others’ feelings.
Explain possible causes for their different feelings and emotions
Recognize that everyone has feelings, emotions and perspectives that may differ from their own

Developing a Sense of Community

18th September 2019 shemogani 2 comments

We gather as a group each morning to welcome the day, to greet each other, to share news and to talk about the projects that we might want to follow or complete.

Our Morning Meetings are a time to learn about each other. A time to share our individuality, diversity and common aspirations. We sit in a circle, where there is no hierarchy. We are all the same in this space. Together we find ways to create a democratic environment where we respect, care and learn about each other’s perspectives.

During this time, a member of the community checks in with others to place the lunch order. While completing this task, we learn each other’s names. We learn how to listen to others, respond to questions and collect data.

One member of the community then goes over to the cafeteria to deliver the cards to the staff, placing the order for lunch. They bring back the fruit snacks, which we eat together at the snack table.

At lunch time, a few children go over to the kitchen to set the table, to prepare for our meal together. We all sit together to eat our ‘school’ and ‘home’ lunches. We focus on independence, encouraging and learning good table manners. We pass the food platters around, serving only what we can eat, talking about balanced diets and good hygiene. We discuss waste and care for the environment. After lunch, we pack up all the cutlery, crockery and clear away the dirty dishes. Taking responsibility for the spaces we use is an important part of our learning together.

Being caring and accepting others is one of our Essential Agreements. We seek out and celebrate instances when these agreements come to life in the community.

The teachers frequently sit together with the children, sharing what they have noticed.

Making invisible actions public and celebrating instances when the community have been able to solve problems together through dialogue and collaboration. These are great opportunities to highlight the role of kindness, empathy and care in communities.

The children frequently create with blocks, loose parts and other materials in the classrooms. Sharing the materials as we create can be a challenge for some of us. It is important to be able to capture instances when we act as a community.

In the picture below, the students noticed that there were many people crowding around the library check out counter.

When the teacher shared her observations, the children quickly lined up behind one another, waiting patiently for their turn to check out their books. Being mindful and respectful of different behaviours in different places helps us create a calm and positive learning environment.

In order to make this happen we spend a lot of time, learning about ourselves; our actions and behaviours, how they affect us and the others around us, how we can manage these emotions.

The Zones of Regulation help us visualise and verbalise emotions. We refer back to this language to help us learn how to manage our feelings, emotions and actions.

Here are some examples of kindness in the Early Years.

We aim to seek out opportunities that bring us together as a community. In order to celebrate our PreK-K1 community, we worked together to bake muffins that we then shared with our friends.

Our community is more than just our PreK-K1 friends. The children frequently visit the other campfires in our Early Years space, to play with the other children and explore the different centres. In the picture below, a K2 student reached out to a K1 student, when he could see that she was unhappy in the playground.

Caring for others helps us develop a safe, kind and positive environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to learn.

Central Idea: What we do matters to others.

Lines of Inquiry:

how we behave towards others (perspective)
appropriate behaviour in a variety of settings (connection)
the impact of our behaviour on others (responsibility)

Key Concepts: connection, perspective, responsibility

Related Concepts: acceptance, relationships, attitudes, behaviours

The Zones of Regulation

11th September 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

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 Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness, such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored.

BLUE CAR: TRAVELING TOO SLOW

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. Being in the Green Zone will help students be successful in the classroom.

GREEN CAR: TRAVELING AT JUST THE RIGHT SPEED

YELLOW CAR: TRAVELING ON A BUMPY ROAD

The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions. A person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, explosive behavior, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone. A person is described as “out of control” if in the Red Zone.

RED CAR: TRAVELING TOO FAST

We had pictures of children and people demonstrating their feelings and emotions. After discussing each picture, we decided how we wanted to sort them.

How do our feelings and emotions affect our behaviour? We explore this further with the #zonesofregulation @NISChina @TinaHua16112229 @CalKelly13 pic.twitter.com/ErjwgDfcQa

— Shemo Gani (@shemogani) September 11, 2019

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)

Organize information.
Listen actively and respectfully to others’ ideas and listen to information.
Express oneself using words and sentences.
Participate in conversations.
Be aware of own and others’ feelings.
Manage anger and resolve conflict.
Be self- and socially aware.
Be aware of own and others’ impact as a member of a learning group.
Use strategies to problem-solve.
Manage own emotions, feelings and resolve conflict.

Building Relationships through Kindness and Cooperation

21st August 2019 shemogani Leave a comment

The children have been creating homes and trains with blocks and loose parts. These creations live around the classroom, and the children frequently revisit their creations to build upon ideas or reconnect with the stories that live within them.

Felix “They are building the house. I was building an animal train.”

A train that carries animals

A home for animals

The children use ‘people blocks’ (wooden blocks with pictures of the children on them) to signpost important structures or ongoing creations that need to be protected. Unfortunately, as the children played around the classroom, the creations were knocked over. The children were sad.

Sebastian “Breaking.”
Michelle “Sad, because it’s broken.”

They wondered what they could do to help.

Sebastian “Fixing. Me”

We had pictures of what the structures looked like before they were knocked over. The children looked at the pictures and began to recreate them with the blocks. They worked together and helped rebuild all the broken sections of the structure.

Felix “I take the thing on the animal train and build from Sarah, Michelle and Charlotte.”

While working together, the children were able to show empathy towards others. They had opportunities to talk about their feelings and the different ways they can express themselves.

The children continue to show respect for others through their actions and language. These are wonderful opportunities for us to talk about the essential agreements we create as a community, that help us have fun and stay safe.

Through this exploration we had opportunities to…

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

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

• Express oneself using words and sentences.

• Participate in conversations.

• Practise empathy and care for others.

• Be respectful to others.

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

• Be aware of own and others’ feelings.

• Be aware of own and others’ impact as a member of a learning group.

• Use strategies to problem-solve.

-Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Kelso’s Choices

14th November 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

We read the book ‘Big problems and small problems’ and had a discussion to decide if the different situations were big problems or small problems. We listened to students’ perspectives.

Charlotte “杠子，要用的。” [He has to use it.]
Ethan “因为人家要用它。” [Because he needs that.]
Nicolas “Big problem. He can’t walk if somebody get it and pushing him on the floor.”
Alejandra “他已经走不动了，他还抢他的。” [He can’t walk. He’s snatching that.]
Ruby “It’s a small problem. Because he is pushing him.”
Poli “Big. Look!” (Pointing to the stick.)
Jiwoo “Hit.”

Ethan “大问问题，会压死的。” [Big problem. He will die because of the push.]
Amber “大问题，她坐在他的身上。” [Big problem. She is sitting on him.]
Charlotte “小问题，因为摔倒是小问题。” [Small problem. Falling down is a small problem.]

Nicolas “Big problem. Because they are laughing.”
Ruby “I agree.”
Alejandra “He can tell his mummy and daddy.”
Jasmine“他们在嘲笑他，大问题。” [They are laughing and making fun of him. Big problem.]
Poli “Big. The are no play.”

Sarah “大问题，在打架。”[Big problem. They are fighting.]
Jasmine “Big problem. They are fighting.”
Jiwoo “Big. (showing the action of hitting.)
Sarah “大问题，因为他在凶那个男孩。” [Big problem. He is very aggressive to the boy.]

Ethan “大问题，因为红色的是血。” [Big problem because the red is blood.]
Charlotte “小问题，因为红色不是血。” [Small problem, because the red is not blood.]
Amber “他抓住了他。” [He caught him.]

Ethan “因为他把那个男孩弄哭了，小问题。” [Because he made the baby cry. Small problem.]
Poli “Big.”
Lawrence “因为他抢玩具但没有受到伤害。” [Because they are snatching toys, nobody is hurt.]
Jiwoo “Small.”

Ethan “小问题，他们在抢东西。” [Small problem, they are snatching things.]
Charlotte“他们在拔河，小问题。” [They are playing tug-of-war, small problem.”
Jiwoo, Poli “Small.”

Ruby “It’s a small problem because they are doing like this.”
Sarah “他们在生气。” [They are angry.]
Nicolas “I think it’s a small problem, he just make that.”
Alejandra “Big problem because they are doing like this.”
Amber “他想要黄色的笔，她也想要。小问题，因为他们没有打人。” [They all want the yellow pen. They are not hurting.]
Lawrence “他们在生气。” [They are angry.]
Amber “打人才是大问题。” [Hitting is big problem.]

Jasmine “他们两个在抢东西，没有受伤，所以是小问题。” [They are snatching things. Nobody is hurt, so it’s a small problem.]
Amber “不同意，因为她头上受伤了。”[I don’t agree because she is hurt on her head.]
Lawrence “大问题，同意Amber。”[Big problem. I agree with Amber.]
Jiwoo “Small.” (Jiwoo and Poli used a wood block to role play the situation)

Students went through the pictures and explored ‘Kelso’s Choices’. They listened to the story Willow Pond and chose the strategy they wanted to use if they had a small problem. Then they coloured the strategy they chose.

Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)

Social

Interpersonal relationships

Practice empathy and care for others.
Listen closely to others.
Be respectful to others.
Play cooperatively in a group: sharing, taking turns.
Help others.

Social and emotional intelligence

Be aware of own and others’ feelings.
Manage anger and resolve conflict.
Be self- and socially aware.
Be aware of own and others’ impact as a member of a learning group.

Self-management

Mindfulness

Take responsibility for own well-being.

Perseverance

Use strategies to problem-solve.
Manage own emotions.
Manage feelings and resolve conflict.

Essential Agreements

24th August 2018 shemogani Leave a comment

The students shared their ideas about feelings and emotions after listening to the story ‘The Feelings Book’ by Todd Parr. We discussed how these emotions may affect how we feel, and how we react to these different feelings.

This led into a conversation about behaviour and agreements. To be safe and feel happy, we all need to work together and support each other in our learning spaces. These spaces may be within a classroom, the playground, the toilet or even at the lunch room.

We noticed the Essential Agreements created by the class of 2017-18, displayed in our new classroom. We reflected on what the words ‘Share’, ‘Play Safe’ and ‘Be Kind’ mean. The photographs displayed along with the words, were good examples which helped our discussions.

How might our ‘Essential Agreements’ help us when we are at home, on the school bus, at the supermarket or swimming pool? We wonder…

Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s):

Mental and Emotional Development:

explain possible causes for their different feelings and emotions
Identify positive thoughts and attitudes in themselves
Identify and explore strategies that help them to cope with change

Social Development

recognise that everyone has feelings, emotions and perspectives that may differ from their own
identify themselves in relation to others
discuss similarities and differences between themselves and others

Group Dynamics

interact, play and engage with others
take turns
listen respectfully to others
share their own ideas and feelings in an appropriate manner
celebrate the accomplishments of others

Growth and Development

communicate with others in order to experience relationships and make friends
reach out for help when it is needed for themselves or others
identify when their actions have impacted on others

How do you feel?

22nd August 2018 shemogani 2 comments

We read the story ‘The Feelings Book‘ by Todd Parr. We discussed the emotions angry, sad, frustrated, nervous, happy, or embarrassed.

We then gathered in small groups to talk about what makes us feel angry, sad or happy. The students were encouraged to share their ideas in their preferred language. It was important to respect and acknowledge the feelings and views the students shared. Therefore, teachers listened, documented and helped the students talk about these big emotions.

HAPPY

Sarah “I feel happy when I have many dresses at home.” [in Mandarin]
Lawrence “I felt happy when I got chocolates.” [in Mandarin]
Amber “I felt happy when I shared my chocolate.” [in Mandarin]
Sarah “When I feel happy, I will cut my tomato into two pieces and share it with my friends.”
Sarah “When I feel happy I will dance and sing.” [in Mandarin]
Jasmine “When mum took me to the amusement park and bought me toys. I felt happy.” [in Mandarin]
Ethan “When I recovered from my cold I felt happy.” [in Mandarin]
Amber “If I get a pair of beautiful shoes, I will be happy. If I have a delicious chocolate. I’m happy.”
Alejandra “When dad took me to the park and did the rope skipping with me. I felt happy.” [in Mandarin]
Charlotte “When I go to the supermarket and sit in the trolley, I felt happy.” [in Mandarin]
Nicolas “When I am not hurt I am happy. When I play with my friends.”
Audrey “When I go to school and make friends. It makes me happy. When I am colouring with my favourite colour pink. I paint flowers.”
Ruby “Building with blocks in my room makes me happy.”
Felix “When I play with my Lego and Playmobile. Play Duplo with my mama.” [in German]
Paul “I will be very happy when my container arrives, because then I will have my toys and my drums. I like to play the drum. Lego makes me happy, especially if I play with my papa. [in German]
Poli “Before I fell asleep with my dad, mom, and brother. (In fact, Poli’s father often say that “I am so happy when lying down before I go to bed🤣🤣”). I want to be with my family when I am happy.” [In Korean]
Jooeon “I Really like to travel and I feel happy when I go to new place, meet new people, eat delicious food and have new experiences. I like to play with blocks and sing a song. When I feel happy I smile, talk a lot and jump.” [In Korean]

SAD

Ruby “When something big falls on me and it’s big and oval and it cracks on my head, that makes me feel sad. When my bones break, the superhero sticked a needle in me and it hurts me. It makes me cry. When someone pulls my hair.”
Nicolas “When I bump my head I feel sad. Then I cry. When I fall down, when I spring (like jumping), it makes me sad.”
Amber “When I couldn’t find a dress, then I will cry.” [in Mandarin]
Sarah “When I couldn’t find my shoes, then I will cry.” [in Mandarin]
Amber “When the doctor pulled out my teeth, then I will cry.” [in Mandarin]
Sarah “When I lost my bag, I felt sad. And also when I lost my water bottle, I felt sad.” [in Mandarin]
Audrey “I cry when somebody hurts me.”
Ethan “When somebody hits my brother, then I felt sad.”
Jasmine “I don’t feel sad because I always feel happy.”
Charlotte “When people yell at me I feel sad.”
Alejandra “When people yell at me I feel angry.”

Audrey explained how she felt sad when her cat died. He fell from the 16th floor when he slipped from the balcony. She explained how emotional it was and that it made her family sad.

Paul “I get upset when somebody gets angry with me. I got sad when someone had to go to the hospital after an accident on the football field.” [in German]
Felix “I get a bit sad and scared when I see animals running around (wildly).” [in German]
Jooeon “I feel sad when I read a sad story book and I am not allowed to do what I want to do. When I feel sad I start to weep.” [In Korean]
Poli “When adults scold me. I want to play with my mother when I am sad.” [In Korean]

ANGRY

Amber “When I want to play alone but other people want to play with me, I feel angry.” [in Mandarin]
Sarah ” I feel angry when other people hit me.” [in Mandarin]
Lawrence “When I want to play with Amber and other people squeezed in, I felt angry.” [in Mandarin]
Amber “When other people refuse to give me toys I get angry. I will stamp my feet when I get angry. I will hit other people when I feel angry.” [in Mandarin]
Alejandra “When I play with my friends and they run faster then me then I feel angry.” [in Mandarin]
Charlotte “When other people don’t play with me then I feel angry.” [in Mandarin]
Ethan “I will ask grandma to take me to the supermarket when I feel angry.” [in Mandarin]
Alejandra “When I feel from the motorcycle without a helmet, I felt angry.” [in Mandarin]
Freida “Cornelis gets angry when he falls down. Then he say ‘I’m OK!'”
Ruby ” I don’t get angry at home. When someone hurts me then I cry, and the teacher puts a plaster on me. I don’t cry, I be brave.”
Paul “I don’t really get angry.” [in German]
Nicolas ” I don’t get angry. When someone hurts my friends, then I get angry because I don’t like it. When I get angry then I just go away and play with my other friends. I don’t hurt friends.”
Poli “When my friend take my toys or hit me. I want to play with mother when I am angry.” [In Korean]
Jooeon “I feel angry when someone interferes with my play and ignore my opinion or thought. When I am angry I say “I’m angry”, and sometimes I start to cry or shout.” [In Korean]

What makes you happy, sad or angry?

In the coming weeks, the students will inquire into communities; how to be part of a community and the agreements communities have.

Care and Empathy

28th August 2017 shemogani Leave a comment

As the weeks progress many examples of how students grow as a community become more visible. Helping each other navigate through tasks, showing concern and empathy for those who are hurt and supporting each other emotionally helps create a safe, caring and thoughtful learning environment.

One student holds an ice pack for another who is hurt, while another helps to tie up an apron.

Students help rebuild a broken wooden tower.

https://twitter.com/NISPreKK1/status/900297029338906625

SLO’s

communicate with others in order to experience relationships and make friends
reach out for help when it is needed for themselves or others
identify when their actions have impacted on others

We Are…

20th August 2017 shemogani Leave a comment

During the last few weeks the students have been settling in, getting to know their peers and exploring their new learning environment. How do they demonstrate the attributes of the Learner Profile?

They are…

Inquirers

“What will happen to the water bead when I put it into the water?”

We ask questions.
We like to learn and discover new things about the world.
We are curious, we will carry this love of learning throughout life.

Risk Takers

“I can help you get the money out.”

We have the courage to try new things.
We are not afraid to give it a go even if we feel shy.
We try to solve problems in a lot of different ways.

Thinkers

“We are trying to make the marbles travel through the pipes.”

We are thoughtful.
We try to solve problems and make good decisions.
We do this by thinking about things and by learning from our mistakes.

Open-Minded

“We like listening to stories read in different languages.”

We know that people are different and may do different things.
We know that not everyone will think like us and that’s fine.
We listen and try to understand others.

Knowledgeable

“I can create a picture using these shapes.”

We have learned many things.
We can tell you about these things and we can show you.
We can use this information to solve problems in life.

Reflective

“How does this story make you feel?”

We think about what we have learned, what we are good at and what we can improve the next time.
We take the time to think about our actions and their effects.

Caring

“Can we water the garden?”

We care for other people and try to help others.
We care about everything around us.
We want people around us to be happy and we are sensitive to their needs.

Communicators

“I can draw a picture of ME!”

We talk about our ideas.
We are able to express ourselves in more than one language.
We can also communicate using mathematical language, symbols and drawings.

Principled

“I can share the money with you.”

We always try to do what is right.
We are fair and follow rules.
We are honest with ourselves and with others.

Balanced

“I like to create tall towers.”

We eat healthy food and we exercise.
We like to learn about different things.
We understand it is important to have a balance of work and play.

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We read the beautiful picture book ‘A Sick Day for Amos McGee’ by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead.

In this story, Amos McGee is a friendly zookeeper who always makes time to visit his good friends: the elephant, the tortoise, the penguin, the rhinoceros, and the owl. While reading the story, we:

Next, the students used a thinking routine ‘I Used to Think… Now I Think…’ to document their initial ideas about the word ‘EMPATHY’.

Online Learning

Online Learning

Central Idea: What we do matters to others.

Lines of Inquiry:

Key Concepts: connection, perspective, responsibility

Related Concepts: acceptance, relationships, attitudes, behaviours

Mr. Cal came in to share a story with the students. He asked, “If somebody is mean to you, over and over again, who can you tell?”

Being aware of the different Zones helps us regulate our behaviour.

How do we treat each other?

What are our responsibilities?

How might our ‘Essential Agreements’ help us when we are at home, on the school bus, at the supermarket or swimming pool? We wonder…

HAPPY

SAD

ANGRY

What makes you happy, sad or angry?

In the coming weeks, the students will inquire into communities; how to be part of a community and the agreements communities have.

Can you guess what these feelings are?

They students used the iPads to take pictures of their faces as they expressed different feelings/emotions.

They used card and paint to create faces that show different feelings.

While reading the story, the students made connections with the Zones of Regulation posters displayed in the classroom.

What makes you happy, sad, angry…? What do you do when you are happy, sad, angry…?The students brainstormed ideas about different emotions.

The students drew pictures to share what makes them happy.

The students will begin to explore how they can express themselves through different art forms.

During the last few days we have been sharing our ideas about appropriate behaviour in a variety of settings (Responsibility). We had a new picnic mat in class and this encouraged a discussion on how we can work together as a community.

They are…

Inquirers

Risk Takers

Thinkers

Open-Minded

Knowledgeable

Reflective

Caring

Communicators

Principled

Balanced