Week 11

Welcome to Week 11! We hope you had an enjoyable break and rest during our two week holiday. Another 7 weeks and we will be into our December break!

Unit of Study: “Where We Live Shapes How We Live.” 

During this inquiry, we will explore the types of homes people live in and different locations. The children will investigate the way different climates and cultures affect people’s perspectives and the way people live, and how people’s lives are connected across the world. 

The children have been playing creatively with the open-ended materials in our K2 Pod area and in class and here is a small snapshot of what their play looks like...

As part of tuning-in, the children are looking at photographs of their own homes and  sharing them with their friends (Please send/email us a photograph of your home if you have not already done so). We have started to interview them about their homes and their lives, and asking the following questions:

• What kind of home do you live in?

• Who lives with you?

• What is your home made of?

• What is the weather like where you live?

• What do you need everyday to survive and be happy?

We then ask them to select a photograph of another home (from a selection of different homes around the world) and to imagine that this is their home. We  then repeat the interviews, asking the same questions. Their responses will be discussed in the coming week and used as a base for further inquiry. 

Mathematics

In Mathematics, we have been exploring non-standard units of Measurement by comparing objects by length and sorting objects into categories according to length. We used a tower of ten multilink cubes and sorted a variety of objects according to whether they were shorter or longer than the tower. We have also been using vocabulary to describe attributes of length such as, long, longer than, short, shorter than, equal to, etc. 

Reading and Writing Workshop

In Reading Workshop, we have started to explore how “Readers Use Strategies To Work Out Words.” We convince the children that they have ‘super powers’ that help them to read tricky or unfamiliar words. These ‘strategies’ include matching words to pictures, sounding out words, pointing under each word, reading on, re-reading, using Snap Words (the, is, and, so, be, to, of, etc.), asking our partner for help etc. 

In Writing Workshop, the children have been learning to plan and write “True Stories.” We have started this by thinking of our stories and retelling these to our partners before writing them down. We have been guiding our children to look at the beginning, middle and end part of their stories during the writing process. 

Diwali

On Friday, we celebrated Diwali in class and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all! A huge thank you to our moms for organising this for us. Our children listened to the story of Diwali, tasted traditional food, decorated divas (lights) and a rangoli pattern.

Our first cooking lesson, Mystery Reader session and swimming lesson were a success! A big thank you to our parent volunteers for making this possible. Your involvement and commitment are much appreciated.