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.
A group of children have been working together to create a house, which they named ‘The Octopus House‘. They used their imagination and experiences to inform their art-making.
While building the house, we observed the group sharing and listening to ideas presented, then using a range of materials to improve the different elements in their creation.
Working on one creation can be challenging, problems require solutions and disagreements need to be worked out. 
We saw the team work through these different challenges, persevering and then celebrating their final design. Finally, they presented their creation to the class. The architects were invited to keep a record of their design using their visual arts skills.
We noticed how they thought about and used shapes, colours and mark-making to record their creation on paper. These creative experiences allow the children to collaborate, persevere, listen, learn and have fun together.
The teachers noticed that a group of children had been interested in making their games during inquiry playtime. They often used recycled paper and cards to design and create their games.
Recently, the Grade 4 students visited K2, to ask the children about the arcade games. This was connected to their Unit of Inquiry ‘How We Organise Ourselves’.
First, the Grade 4 students conducted a survey, to learn more about the younger children’s interests in games. Then, they returned to create a list and gather feedback to learn “What might make the game fun?”.
We noticed that the children continued to refer to the ‘rules’ in a game. We wondered if the children were making connections with the games they play in their P.E. class, as conversations at the end of the lesson highlight important behaviours that make games fun and engaging. The teachers decided to dig deeper, to learn more about the children’s thinking. The teachers decided to ‘use the discussion to generate new ideas and investigations’.
Why do we need rules in the game?
The children highlighted the ‘function’ of rules in the ‘organisation’ of a game. Then, the children drew the games they liked on large chart paper. We noticed that many of the games had mazes. Was this something that interested the team?
We discussed the kinds of games the team would like to make for the other children in the EY. We wondered…
The team gathered to discuss their next steps. Could we use a survey or draw some graphs to show our findings?
Oxford chose to create a survey that included three games. He planned to ask the children in the EY to choose their favourite game, to help him decide which game he was going to finally make. The three games to choose from were ‘Whack-a-Mole’, ‘Maze’ or ‘Treasure Hunt’.
Motong chose to create a survey with three choices of games for children in the Early Years. His games were ‘Car Race’, ‘Solider Game’, ‘Code Guessing.
Jeongyoon chose to use the maze game and decided to write some questions that would help him find out how he could make his game fun for the children in the EY.
One child was excited about bringing his Nana to school one morning. She lives in Australia but visited him during the Chinese New Year holiday. Over the holidays he planned an activity that he could do with Nana in school. They decided to show the children how to make banana cookies.
He bought the ingredients with Nana and then tested his recipe at home. Then, he made a video to share his process with his friends. When school reopened after the holidays, the child invited Nana and his Aunty to school as they were the cookie experts.
Next, we had to work out how many cookies we needed.
Through their conversations, we noticed that the children were thinking about the operations of addition and subtraction and how they are related to each other.
The children were exploring the impact of temperature and how it could change textures and substances.
We observed the children using several ideas to share their ideas on paper. They used a combination of drawing and writing to narrate and tell about the events in the order in which they occurred.
We paused to talk about the K2 writers’ drawings. The children noted that some writers used numbers to show the steps needed to complete a task while others used spaces or drew around a picture to share the same idea (procedures/steps). Some writers used arrows to show ‘the next steps’ in the process. The children noted that including labels with the drawings helps others ‘read’ the information.
Some children used sentences to share their ideas and others used lots of details in their drawings, all important crafts that good writers use to share messages and information with others.
Ms. Eileen had placed an order for new crayons and markers. We were surprised to learn that the supplier also sent us a gift! The gift was a new easel. However, the easel needed to be assembled. We placed the materials and tools in the classroom for the children to decide what they wanted to do.
The next day, we left the materials on the floor and invited the children to problem-solve.
3 children offered their expertise. They gathered the materials and began to look at the instructions. The team of furniture assemblers began their work, taking turns, sharing ideas and tools and working to assemble the new easel.
The bell rang for break time play, but one child decided that he wanted to continue his work. He worked on the task throughout playtime.
The rest of the team came in after play and continued their work.
They persevered, looking through the instructions to learn about the different parts and tools to know how the easel was put together. In the end, they were excited to test it out.
The other children celebrated their accomplishments and thanked them for their hard work and dedication to the task.
We noticed the interest the children had in assembling and building. We noticed how they paid close attention to the instructions, and skilfully worked to assemble the piece of furniture.
We wonder how they might use these skills in new situations.
Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)
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.
Mr. Andy, the Athletics Director at NIS, wondered if the K2 students could join the rest of the Primary school, to adopt and cheer for a team of participants taking part in the ASAMIS Volleyball tournament. We put this idea across to the children.
We shared a photograph of the TIS teams (International School of Macao) with the children.
We began to document our ideas, thoughts and suggestions on chart paper.
Oliver was not sure if he knew the game of ‘volleyball’. Lydia compared the two lines and noticed that there were more girls than boys.
We decided to share a video of NIS students playing the game.
We asked the children if they knew how we might support the TIS teams that come to NIS. They began to make a list of possibilities.
The TIE team need a place to keep their belongings. The children decided that we could ‘help’ the team and make them ‘feel welcome’. They need a place to keep their belongings! We noticed that their comments and suggestions were centered around belonging, care and friendship.
What do we do when we want to let others know that space or materials have been reserved for us?
We went around the classroom to look for this evidence. The children quickly noticed that we used a name tag to save space or show work in progress.
A name tag is too small. We decided to create a ‘BIG’ name tag!
The children were excited about creating a poster that can be used for this purpose, it will be displayed in the Hutong for the team to know where to leave their belongings.
A group of children from K2A volunteered to work on the poster. They gathered to share their ideas and make a plan with the teacher and the K2B volunteers.
First, they looked at the two chart papers.
What do you notice?
What are some similarities?
The children had many ideas to share. They were invited to draw to share their suggestions for the poster.
Then, they discussed their ideas. Deciding on the key information that needed to be included on the poster.
The poster group worked to create the pictures and colour in the pictures.
A second suggestion by the children was to create a map to let the TIS team know where to go. We could invite them to our class!
The Grade 5 student designers were looking for several design opportunities to serve our school community. Their plan is to design games for students and teachers. As we would like to have some student-designed projects for our class, we invited them to interview the children.
They gathered in groups, asking the children questions to learn more about their specific interests and the skills they would like to develop through the games. We look forward to their project ideas/plans and hope to see them in the near future!
Stay tuned for an update!
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:
We have observed some of the children exploring the new nest in the Early Years playground. We have noticed small groups of children gathering in or around the nest to play games and make snacks with ‘mud’.
At our Morning Meeting, we asked the children about the nest and the ideas they had for play in the new space. A few of the children did not know about the old nest and how it transformed into the ‘Rainbow Nest’.
The children explained that the old nest was:
Teachers: “But what ideas do you have for the new nest? How might we use this new space?”
We went outside to look at the nest, to sit in and around the space to visualise possibilities.
The children began to record their ideas in their notebooks.
We noticed that some of the children drew the nest, taking care to show the details in the woodwork and seating area.
Howie “Drawing the nest. I am sitting on the wooden planks.”
Others recorded the possible activities in the space.
When the children returned to class, they presented their individual ideas to the other children. We documented these possibilities on chart paper to help us look for the best and most frequent suggestions.
While presenting, the children speaking to the group practised using their voice (oral language) to share their perspectives while the audience worked on being active listeners.
Lydia “Me is talking about the drawing to everybody.”
The children identified five ways we can use the new nest.
We could use the space:
Oliver and Howie suggested making the Rainbow Nest ‘more beautiful’ by adding plants around the nest, on the ground and on the wooden structure.
Oliver “I want to add some decorations on the nest to look more beautiful.”
The children discussed the idea of using the space to have a morning snack. They began to suggest different ways to keep the space clean. As the nest is a community space in the Early Years, we wonder how they might work with the rest of the community to develop these ideas further.
A group of children worked on their block structures over a sustained period of time, creating plans, solving problems and making changes to the initial design to suit their story. The adults observed the interactions and documented their play over time. When the children saw the video, they reflected on their play, discussing their initial plans and process.
Howie “This is we building blocks. And Mo Mo is helping us to build. And I put my name on the house and I was playing with my house. And we is building and we use which car to drive on the tracks.”
Eli “The pictures help me of looking how to build the hospital and the hotel and that is how I know which pieces is which pieces. I like the hospital and the hotel so I will build it the same as the picture. The building blocks and then putting racing car and then driving them around and then building the T Rex into the hospital and the T Rex mommy into the hospital and we build the all of the race cars and the race road and Mo Mo was helping.”
Howie “I was drawing because I want show us I build and someone comes and he sees my picture and then he can’t touch it. It’s the same make as my blocks because it’s hard to build but it has lots of blocks we can build.”
Eli “I have to remember to build the right pieces we have to write hospital and we have to write hotel. Writing help me learn how to write words. But they all look different (blocks). I think which block I need and then I know which blog I used.”
It was time for us to gather at the Piazza, a gathering spot in the Early Years Centre where we come together to sing dance, listen and connect with others. This morning we began with the song and ended with a dramatic story. The teachers took videos and photographs of the Early Years gathering, to help the children reflect on the morning’s activities.
Next, the children were invited to draw what they saw, heard and felt while they were together as a community. We listened to the children’s ideas and wonderings. Some guiding questions encouraged the children to think about the purpose and ways we come together. We paid attention to common themes and ideas that the children presented through their drawings and discussions. When the children watched the video, they told the story of connection, fun and laughter.
We noticed that the children were beginning to talk about agreements and behaviours that would make the EY gathering a positive experience for everyone.
Some suggestions were:
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.
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.
Who am I?
Who are you?
Who are we?
The Grade 3 artists have created and shared self-portraits outside their classroom. We went across to look at their creative work with the hope of being inspired.
The K2 children sat quietly on the floor gazing at the drawings, thinking about what they noticed and how they might share their observations. The teachers documented their thinking…
Through the children’s conversations, we could see that the children:
Inspired by what we observed and heard from the children, we decided to give the children paper and black-line markers to create their own self-portraits.
Mirrors were at hand to help the children look carefully at their reflections, as they drew and talked about themselves.
The young artists looked at their reflections in the mirror, making faces and noticing interesting features of themselves that they did not pay attention to before.
They laughed and made fun of themselves and then used pen and paper to express their ideas and feelings through their drawings. The adults in the space listened to the conversation and captured their ideas as they drew.
Through the creative process, we noticed that the young artists were exploring how:
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.
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:
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.
Ms. Dora invited the children to create a self-portrait. They gathered their materials; cards, writing tools and a mirror, and sat around the classroom, ready to create their pictures.
@M looked at himself in the mirror. He carefully drew the shape of his face, being mindful of the space he had on the piece of card. He took his time, noticing details and drawing purposefully. Each stroke was a controlled line, curve or shape that was thought through.
@M had moved on to drawing his neck and hands. He looked at his hand in the mirror. He wanted to draw his right hand but he could not seem to position the mirror correctly. He thought about the problem for a while and then decided to move the mirror to the other side. He held up his right hand. He could now see his reflection clearly and was ready to continue his drawing.
After a few strokes on his paper, he would look back into the mirror, hold his hand in a particular position and then sketch what he could see. He continued this process until he was happy with his drawing.
@M carefully completed drawing his right hand. Then, he moved to draw his left hand. The position of this hand was different to the right. He moved his hands around, all the while looking into the mirror, till he was happy with the position. Then, he began to draw.
@M moved to draw the rest of his body. He chose not to take as much time with the parts of the body that were not visible in the mirror. Finally, @M used a thin line marker to trace his pencil lines. He carefully outlined his picture and held it away to check if he had drawn all the lines.
As @M finished his drawing task and coloured his picture, the teachers observed his focus and attention to detail. @M was able to enjoy, learn and express himself through the arts. He was responsible for the care of tools and materials.
We wonder how @M will use his deep observational skills and passion for drawing and art to document his learning in K2.
It was wet and muddy outdoors during playtime. The children were invited to play in the campfires. They moved around the space and explored the different spaces, inquiring with materials and discovering new friendships. Towards the end of playtime, the teachers let the children know that it is time to tidy up. A gong informs the children that it is time to transition.
The children heard the gong.
Oliver “It was tidy up. Everything was messy. Everybody played and they didn’t tidy up.”
Lydia “Here not good.”
Eunbyul “No beautiful. Everybody no tidy up.”
Eli “Every children play and didn’t tidy up and then the teachers said to tidy up. It is too messy.”
Eunbyul “Everybody make a circle. Tidy up.”
Eli “We talked about cleaning up the toys. And the classroom was too messy.”
Oliver “All the children come to somewhere near PreK-K1. Ms. Pat said can you tidy up in 10 minutes?”
The children worked together to clean up the EY spaces.
Oliver “We tidy up.”
Lydia “Everybody tidy up.”
This experience presented the children with an opportunity to explore the relationship between spaces, materials and people, and our role and responsibility in maintaining play spaces.
What experiences might we have in our new space?
What are some exciting things that might happen?
The children began to share their ideas about the different types of play, and the materials they may use in the new nest.
Developing agreements for the space.
Next, we discussed the idea of food in the space.
After some thought, the children discussed the need for agreements. They didn’t want food on the floor as the nest would get messy and people would not want to sit in a dirty space.
The children went outdoors with Ms. Eileen and Ms. Jo.
Ms. Jo “How many people do you think can fit in the nest?”
in the nest at one time. The children used their mathematical knowledge to estimate.
They wondered how many children might be able to play
Over the next few weeks, we will continue to observe the space to document the play and learning experiences that take place in the Rainbow Nest.
Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)
We gathered to talk about what we love to do at school. We began by reading ‘The Pigeon Has to Go to School’ by Mo Willems.
Why does the Pigeon have to go to school? He already knows everything! And what if he doesn’t like it? What if he learns TOO MUCH!?!
In this wonderful story, the pigeon explores the different learning options and tries to decide why school might be important.
The story helped us think about the things WE do at school and why these routines or tasks might be important to us.
Does it help us explore new friendships? Does it help us learn about different materials places and people? Will it help us learn new skills?
The children were invited to think about their new space and what they might like to explore while they are at school.
They expressed their ideas through their drawings.
We wonder how these interests might help us learn more about ourselves, others and the world around us.
We wonder how we might stretch our ideas, perspectives and skills to learn something new.
Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)
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.
Every Friday afternoon, the adults and children gather on the green doughnut to sing, dance and be with each other. We took some time to reflect on the time we spend together.
The children discussed their ideas and then made their thinking and ideas visible on paper.
As a class, we took time to reflect on what the children said. We documented these ideas on chart paper. Next, we discussed suggestions for the EY gathering.
What would YOU like to do more of during this time?
Going forward, we wonder how we might use some of these suggestions to make our EY Gathering an exciting, fun learning experience.
An invitation to create and build.
A group of young mechanics went to the Design centre to look for experts who can help them assemble the new tricycles.
Mr. Danny and Mr. B volunteered to help them with their project. Their task was to assemble a bike that was safe and worked well.
The bike mechanics began by looking closely at all the different components that were needed to assemble the tricycles.
The expert mechanics Mr. B and Mr. Danny worked alongside the children, helping them find the correct parts, the appropriate tools and the nuts and bolts that held the structure together.
The tricycles did not include instructions on how to assemble them, therefore, the mechanics had to work together to solve problems along the way. We noticed that the young mechanics asked the adults questions in order to learn more about the process.
They were deeply engaged in their inquiry, collaborating, testing, and thinking as they learned and applied new skills.
Volunteers from the Early Years classes have assembled all four of the tricycles.
They were excited and proud to ride them in the Early Years playground during their breaks.
The process of assembling the tricycles helped the children explore the concepts; structures, materials, mechanics, tools, safety, purpose, design and collaboration.
Action!
Following the project, the children have begun to notice some maintenance issues with some of the bikes and trikes in the playground.
Attention was also brought to how the bikes are parked each afternoon (systems and organisation). We wonder what steps they would take to help keep the bikes organised and maintained. We wonder what action the children may take as a result of their experience (initiative).
(Function, Systems)
A few weeks ago, the children saw some Bee-Bots in the Design room. They were curious about them and wanted to know how they worked. Tracey and Patrick went to meet Ms. Jo to borrow a Bee-Bot from the Primary Design Room.
Ms. Jo gave them specific instructions on how to use the Bee-Bot.
When they returned to class, they wrote down the instructions and presented them to the class.
Paths and Maps
In the Secondary Design Centre, the children noticed the paths on the floor. They wondered if the paths were for the Lego robot cars.
We noticed that the Bee-Bots needed directions to help it move.
The teachers knew that the Grade 1 students had also created maps. We went over to take a look at their maps to see what we could learn.
We noticed a picture on the wall.
We were inspired. We wondered how we can create our own maps. The children wanted to include roads, a garden with flowers for Bee-Bot to drink nectar and more! The K2 cartographers began to plan their own paths and maps.
They used directional words to explain movement on the maps. Then, we watch how a group of K1 children had created a city a few years ago. We brainstormed new ideas. What more do we need on a map to make travel a safe experience?
The teachers observed the children using arrows to show direction, symbols and signs to share important information, buildings and places to meet the needs of the robots, and labels to help the reader understand key information.
Bee-Bot’s Maps
We look forward to observing how the children use their skills to complete their collaborative project.
A group of children worked with Ms. Hannah to create a flower arrangement for each class in the Early Years. This is an ongoing project that different groups of children work on every few weeks.
This time, the florists worked on creating a Chinese style flower arrangement with the focus of balance. Joon and Mason were our K2A florists for the week.
The florists had several pointy stands to use with their flower arrangement.
They decided who will use the different stands by pulling paper that were of different lengths.
Ms. Hannah showed the children how to place the flowers on the pointy stand.
Then, the florists had to choose one flower and put it on their stand. Thy had to consider balance, the length of the stems and how the flowers were going to be arranged.
When they placed the second flower, they needed to work out how they can balance both flowers. Then, the florists included the leaves. The florists had to take turns and collaborate, using their skills of observing, thinking and decision making to complete the arrangement beautifully.
The young florists stood back to decide if their arrangements were done well. Finally, they had to agree on which flower arrangements will be presented to the campfires and which ones will remain in the Atelier.
Joon and Mason proudly shared their arrangement with their classmates and placed it next to the class journal to welcome everyone to K2A!
The Showcase groups have been using the feedback they received from their peers and teachers to make their stories more interesting and exciting. Some groups have focused more on the characters, others on the sequence and events in their stories. They have noted these changes on a Draft 2 Storyboard.
We gathered to review our plans so far, reflecting on our goal: ‘to make an assembly with stories for the whole school and our families’.
We wondered what the stage might look like. The children said:
We knew we had to do some ‘imagining’.
Mr. Seth said, “When the curtains open, what is the audience going to see?”
The storytellers were invited to ‘imagine’ the stage. They could create their stage plans with a friend or work alone. The storytellers used pictures and explanations to share what the stage might look like during the Showcase.
Our next step is to present these individual or group ideas to Ms. Heidi, to receive her feedback. Then, we can collectively decide on how the stories are presented on the stage.
The storytellers have been discussing ideas and creating storyboards to plan the sequence of their performance. Over the planning sessions, we noticed how the storytellers collaborated with each other, making suggestions, taking turns and including everyone in the task.
Some of the groups were ready to present their initial storyboards with the intention of seeking feedback and suggestions for improvement. We used the T.A.G. feedback protocol to help the storytellers with this process.
The Story Presentation by Dylan, Patrick, Soohyeon, Jessie and Tae Woo
The Story: The ghost goes to the king’s castle. King goes to the ghost’s house. The monsters see the dragon.The good monsters and germs go to the king’s house for a party. They make the king feel better.
Story Presentation by Yilun, Mason, Kyle and Ethan
The Story: The snowman melts and the ambulance comes. The snowman melts in the ambulance. The monster comes and gives the ambulance driver a red packet. The driver makes a new snowman.
Story Presentation by Yeonwoo, Doho, Eujin and Jiu
The Story: Rainbow looks at the rainbow house. Rainbow finds a rainbow ghost in the house. Rainbow ghost goes to the roller coaster. A punching robot breaks the roller coaster. Another robot fixes it. Rainbow ghost finished the roller coaster and went home. Another robot goes to the rainbow ghost’s house. The end.
Story Presentation by Junot, Luca, Noah, Kenan, Allen and Tracey
The Story: The girl goes to the house and she sees a snowman. She sees a tree. She goes to the tree and sees a roller coaster. A princess is on the roller coaster and the unicorn is flying above. A dragon comes from the sea, and fights with the princess and unicorn. Then the dragon flies back over the sea. Then they have a party and then they see a rainbow. The dragon goes back under water.
Story Presentation by Yuha, Eunice, Sean and Chloe
The Story: This is water like a fountain. There is a unicorn heart and unicorn rabbit. This is the castle at Disneyland. This is me, this is my rabbit and heart unicorn. They go to the castle. The ghosts made the music. They ghosts are wiggly, wiggle and say “Oooooh”. The ghost is coming. They see a toy rabbit and it has red all over it and think it is blood. He goes “ah”, but it is jam. They lick it off. Then they go to see the fireworks. And then go into the house.
All the groups have presented their storyboards. The audience have shared what they liked, asked questions to learn more about the story and offered suggestions for improvement. We noticed that the children became more familiar with using the T.A.G. feedback protocol with each presentation. They were becoming more aware of how questions, suggestions and feedback can help the storytellers improve their story, setting, characters and plots.
When we return from our holiday, we will begin to think about the different ways we can present stories.
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.
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.
We have noticed the children engaging in different types of play outdoors. Following on from our discussion on safe and kind playtime, we decided to ask the children more about their play. The children took their sketchbooks and pens outside to think and document the experiences they have during outdoor playtime.
The adults took note on the ideas the children shared through their drawings. We listened for recurring themes and different perspectives on well-being, interaction, participation and inclusion.
The children began to show and explain their drawings. We noticed how they showed ‘action’ and ‘engagement’ with peers.
Common interests such as hide and seek, imaginary games and construction with sand and water brought them together.
Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)
Social Skills
Writing How can I tell others about my drawings?
The children included writing to share information about their drawings.
Through this process they:
Finally, they shared their drawing and writing with the class.
The children have become more comfortable with their outdoor spaces and are curious about the different options for play. We have noticed the children play hide and seek, race around on the tricycles, make dams and waterways with sand and water. They have been playing creative games, climbing, running, and taking care of the plants in the EY garden.
Today, the children approached the teachers with some playground concerns. They were wondering about the different games and agreements they had for play. After listening to the children’s views, we called a class meeting.
The teachers posted a picture of the children playing and it led to a group discussion about the way we wanted to feel in the playground. The children shared their perspectives, stories and offered suggestions. At the end of the discussion, we made a list of the most important ideas.
When we are playing outdoors, we:
We will continue to encourage the children to think of ways in which they can have fun and play safely in all the different community spaces we use.
The Language of CLAY
“Children have an innate need to inquire into the world around them, to try to make sense of it and learn about it. Often this important inquiry takes place in children’s play.” Almon and Miller, 2011
Nothing lights up the brain like PLAY. The children were invited to ‘play’ with this wonderful material that works so gracefully in the hands of the creator. These experiences help the children develop a predictable cognitive sequence they can apply when they encounter anything new: to observe, question, explore, reflect and repeat, to develop understandings about materials and their possibilities.
First, the children got their aprons on. They helped each other with the challenging velcro strips and moved over to choose their clay.
Then, the children prepared their spaces for research. They chose table top potters wheels, a number of clay tools, wet sponges and rolling pins. The child sized potions of damp clay were wrapped in wet cloths and kept in a plastic tub to maintain the texture. 
Time is of great value. The children were given plenty of time to explore the clay. They used their fingers and tools to dig, pat, poke, roll, crumble and mould the clay.
Children need to have time to be confident with the materials so that they have time to formulate hypotheses and then test their hypotheses.
After an extended period of play, the children were invited to use the tools and materials at their fingertips to create clay portraits. They had previously used card and black-line markers to create self-portraits. They looked carefully at their sketches and were excited to use a different medium to create their own clay models.
When it was time to clean up, the children worked together to wash the tools and clear away the resources and materials they had used. Maker-centered learning experiences give children agency and empower them to take responsibility over their own learning.
We will continue to explore the possibilities of this wonderful, creative and versatile material.
Through these experiences, the children had opportunities to:
We sat down to share our thoughts on ‘when and why’ people come together.
Morning Greeting, Morning Meeting
Each 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.
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
Lunch
Cleaning Up
We noticed that we come together:
We wonder how we might create opportunities that bring us together.
The classroom space belongs to the community. As in other community spaces, everyone needs to do their part. In K2, we all have a responsibility to keep the spaces safe, clean and organised so that we can learn and have fun together. We have agreements and routines that help us work together.
The teacher had placed an order for new cushions for our reading corner. These new cushions were delivered to the class last morning. Three children helped the teacher put the new cases on.
This was not an easy task as you had to hold on to the cover and push the cushion into the case. It called for coordination, and large muscle movement. The three children worked hard to get all the cushions ready. The team persevered till the task was completed!
We continued to talk about and learn more about the people in our community. Following on from our self-portrait projects, we began to explore family.
The children were eager to draw and share information about the members in their family unit. We noticed that the children included themselves, parents, siblings, grandparents and pets in their drawings. They used written symbols, letters and numbers to express their ideas.
“Mummy and Daddy love” explained one child, drawing a heart between the two figures to communicate the concept of ‘love’ and ‘caring’.
“I am so happy because I have mum and dad. Mummy is so happy because she has Daddy and me. Daddy is so happy because he has Mummy and me” explained another child.
The concept of belonging, relationships, play, joy and love were emphasised as the children discussed and shared stories about their families.
Communication Skills:
During the first weeks of school, we take time to explore our own identities and learn about others in our community. This helps us develop strong, positive and safe spaces for play and learning.
We began to unpack the following:
We read the picture book ‘Lots of Feelings’ by Shelley Rotner, to look at all the different ways we show our feelings and emotions on our face.
Then, the children used black markers on white card to create self-portraits.
The children looked at their reflections in the mirror, making faces and sharing details about themselves as they drew their pictures. They gave each other feedback about their pictures. They laughed, shared stories and their wonderings about their drawings.
“I have many hair on my head because I am not bald. Bald will change into a silly. OK good bye…”
Learning Outcomes:
The students went on a field trip to ‘月亮院子’ ‘Moonyard’ to learn more about words and images. Moonyard is a cultural center in China that showcases calligraphy.
The teacher introduced the students to the space, showing them many different images displayed around the gallery.
The students were invited to choose an image that they want to learn more about. They were fascinated with the colours, shapes, pictures and presentation of ideas. They walked around, sat alone or with groups to take a closer look at the images, and put their thinking down on paper. They used the thinking routine ‘See, Think, Wonder’, to document their ideas and questions. Then, they gathered to share some of these ideas with each other.
Ella “Are these characters from a long time ago?”
Grace “Something is like a wall. It looks like thunder. Why is the thunder that shape?”
Ethan “It makes me think it looks like water, like a river.”
Diego “It looks like an elephant.”
Alejandra “Why is there a line? It looks like an eye. Wonder why the line is in a different place.”
Hyun Seo “I think it is a deer.”
Yuchan “I see an eye but the eyelashes are not good.”
The teacher explains “All the ancient Chinese characters, they copy a model of what they see, like a picture. That is how it starts. As time passes by, we are getting smarter so the character becomes more modern. So the modern characters are more detailed. There have been 5 different changes. This is a picture of a head. Our eyes exist in the body of the head. The top is the hat! If you put it together it is a man with a hat travelling on a road!”
Ella “It looks like a flower and might mean ‘beautiful’. Why do the ancient Chinese characters look different from the new ones?”
Teacher “This is fire. If you do not have the dots it is a tree.”
The students were very excited about creating their own copy of their favourite image or word. They were given a choice of materials they could use to create their image.
After having a quick snack and thanking the teachers for the exciting experience, we came back to school.
We are learning about the Power of 'Images' and 'Words' @NISChina with @BellaZhangBo #culture #inquiry pic.twitter.com/LaG3fGWXXg
— Shemo Gani (@shemogani) November 2, 2021
The students reflected on what they had learned through their experience and included this on their activity sheet. We gathered to share our reflections with each other.
Our learning journey continues…
An exploration into: Powerful Images, Powerful Words
What does power sound, look and feel like? The students drew pictures to share their thinking.
What is an image?
The students shared their thinking. We recorded our ideas, questions and connections on large chart paper.
Then, the students worked with their ‘Learning Buddies’ to find ‘IMAGES‘ that show ‘POWER‘.
Their task was to:
They looked for images in books and magazines. As they looked through the different material, they shared their ideas and thinking.
A group of students had chosen an image of deer fighting. They shared their assumptions and made connections with what they already know about deer.
“Fighting shows ‘power’, they exclaimed.
The deer could be fighting to protect their territory, it was the way they show their power. We gathered as a group to think about the word ‘fighting’.
Teacher “How is fighting powerful?”
The students were encouraged to connect with the image using their own lives. They talked about how they feel when they see fighting. People fight with their hands and legs, hitting and kicking each other. “Fighting can also be with words”, they explained. They shared some examples of these powerful words.
Teacher “When you hear these words or see these actions, what does it make YOU feel like doing?”
“It makes me feel angry”, “It makes me feel sad”. They talked about the effect these ugly words had on them. The discussed the strategies they might use if they were in such situations.
The students began to create different sentence starters to help them develop deeper understandings about the concepts power, connection, and perspective.
In the coming week we will continue to explore:
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.
We began by brainstorming what good writers do. Students made connections with ideas and strategies shared by the group, to help them develop their own identities as writers.
Next, the students began to brainstorm topics, themes, and ideas that they would like to write about. They included this information in their ‘Writers Workshop Folder’.
Through discussion, the students identified goals for writing. As the weeks progress, they will reflect on these goals to help them strengthen their identities as writers and communicators.
During quiet writing time, the students practice their writing skills. They think, plan, draft, and write. They revise, edit, and make plans to publish their final pieces of work.
Through this process, they learn to appreciate and understand that a good piece of writing takes time and effort.
Approaches to Learning (ATL’s)
Communication Skills – Writing
Self-management Skills – Organisation
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
We began our ‘ON CAMPUS’ Second Grade school experience by connecting with each other. We took some time to think about who we are as a community.
We acknowledged those who were in class with us and those who cannot be with us ‘yet’. Then, we discussed and shared our ideas about ‘kindness’; what it looks, feels and sounds like.
We talked about agreements for learning and engagement, respect and care. We had a great first day at school.
We look forward to a wonderful year in Second Grade!
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):
The students listened to a favourite story by Todd Parr ‘It’s OK to be Different’. Todd Parr continues to inspire and empower children around the world with his bold images and positive messages.
After the read aloud, the students were invited to create their own page for a class picture book that would communicate thoughts, ideas, and messages of appreciation for our individuality and diversity. They could use different mediums or materials to design their page, which also encouraged their creativity.
Conceptual Understandings:
Students understand that:
(PSPE)
(ARTS)
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
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:
(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.
Our next step in creating the Memory Book was to decide on the layout of the stories. The students suggested that the stories should be presented in ‘alphabetical order’ (student names).
They shuffled their bodies, standing one behind the other, organising themselves into the correct space.
When the students checked their list, they realised that they had not included the 3 students that had left NIS at the end of the last semester. The adjustments were made.
Then, we included the final page with the ‘Author Interviews’. Each student decided what they wanted their readers to know about them and their stories. The interviews were included with photographs of the authors, as suggested on the plan. 
Next, the students dictated the information that would be included in the blurb, on the cover at the back of the book. They discussed their ideas, deciding on the most relevant information that would hook the readers. A photograph of the mural was included on the back cover.
Then, the page numbers were included, and the contents page was created.
The Draft Memory Book has been completed. We were ready to send it off to the printer!
The Memory Book and Mural Project encouraged the students to see themselves as authors, illustrators, readers, and decision makers. Through this journey, the students developed an awareness, and an appreciation for different forms of expression. They have worked collaboratively to create artefacts that celebrate the culture, values, and community of Second Grade.
Theme:
How We Express Ourselves 2020-21
Central Idea:
Communities come together through expressions of culture.
Lines of Inquiry:
Key Concepts: form, connection, perspective
Related Concepts: Expression, communication
We have been creating stories that we want to share with our community. These stories are significant as they have a message or an important idea to communicate to the reader.
The students used a story planner to help them decide on the important elements of their story.
Then, they wrote their stories and shared them with the class. After making changes and editing their writing, they were ready publish their work. Many of the students decided to create their own short stories. These stories will be included in a Grade 2A Memory Book.
The class had discussed the idea of creating a collaborative piece of art or artifact, that communicates our stories and culture to the community. We had a large piece of canvas in the classroom. We wondered how we could use this piece of canvas to create an artifact.
We made a plan. The students shared their ideas and perspectives. What if each student drew a picture from their story, on the canvas? We would have 16 stories!
The students wondered how big each section would need to be. One student measured the width of the canvas and shared his suggestion for dividing the canvas.
The students agreed that each section would be 35cms. wide. But what about the length?
The students began to suggest different lengths. 45cms in length? 50cms. in length? We created a chart to document the data as the students voted for their choice.
Then, we drew two of the most popular measurements on paper.
Next, the students voted to decide on the best length.
An agreement was reached. Each section of the canvas would be 35cms. X 55cms.
We will have 16 sections and 16 images that share what we value as a community.
We are finally ready to divide our canvas and begin to draw our stories to create the mural.
We have a plan to guide us as we create together.
The students used Book Creator to publish their short stories. These stories will be included in a Grade 2A Memory Book.
Here are a few published books:
Each student painted an image on a mural that represented their individual story. The students enjoyed this collaborative project that tells a story about the culture and values we share as a community.
Our Learning Story continues…
