NTSIS PYP Primary Newsletter (11th November – 15th November 2019)
Transdisciplinary Theme: Where we are in place and time
We are about to wrap up Unit 2. Let’s have a look at what had been happening in the classrooms.
What a busy week…
Grade 1:
Central idea:
A city is a place where people work and live
Line of inquiry 1: Things that make a city
Line of inquiry 2: Differences and similarities of cities
Line of inquiry 3: Thoughts, words and actions affect relationship
We are nearing the end of the second unit. G1 explored the last line of inquiry on the development of cities. We looked at how some cities like Nantong, Shanghai, and Dubai changed through the years through photos and videos. We also visited downtown Nantong for a city walk about and identified key places that are important in a city, as we were unable to enter the museums. We then consolidated our learning by creating our city at the computer lab.
In Language Arts, we learned about comparative adjectives while in Math, we started 2-digit addition with regrouping.
We also witnessed Maahi exhibit the learner profile “principled” when she found a 100-rmb bill and turned it over to her teacher. We are thankful to have found the student from the Bilingual section and returned the money.
What a busy week!
Grade 2:
Central idea:
Connections between people are necessary for personal growth
Line of inquiry 1: How travel has changed the way we connect
Line of inquiry 2: Social connections
Line of inquiry 3: Opportunities to connect
We started Line of Inquiry 3: Opportunities to connect. In English/Unit, we have brain stormed various reasons and opportunities for people to connect with one another. All the children received an invitation to a “Plane Party” on Friday, and they had a ball. In Math, we continued to look at and practiced fractions, specifically subtracting and understanding equivalent fractions.
The children have also expressed their desire to have a Star Chart to visually see and be rewarded for good behaviour and excellent work.
What a busy week!
Grade 3/4:
Central idea:
A sense of interconnectedness and cultural awareness develops through analysing other cultures
Line of inquiry 1: Choices are influenced by geographical location
Line of inquiry 2: Difference between home culture and other cultures
Line of inquiry 3: Ways to be international-minded
The students had an oral presentation on their group projects about Africa, Europe and Arctic. We also started the inquiry into Japan, the United States, Thailand, China and India, where the students are from. Using non-fiction books and some online resources students were able to find information about their countries including population, location, spoken languages, popular food, traditions, famous people, popular activities and sports etc. We also watched videos and discussed what made our countries unique and different.
In Math lessons we worked on addition and subtraction algorithms – up to 4 digits. In language inquiry, we continued learning about different types of questions. At the end of the week, students wrote math, language and spelling assessments.
What a busy week!
Grade 5/6:
Central idea:
We are who we are because of immigration.
Line of inquiry 1: Migration changes cities
Line of inquiry 2: People of different cultures assimilate
Line of inquiry 3: Migration affects social and environmental conditions
Students roleplayed scenarios of some people who moved to another city by interviewing one another and fill up all the information on the sheet. We played an Air Bird Game to simulate a migrating bird using a balloon. Then we played a Flocking Together activity to model a flock of migrating birds and talked about the advantages and disadvantages of migrating in groups. In Math, we learned to find the area of a composite figure by dividing it into rectangles, squares or triangles. In Language, we learned about the first-person point of view and the structure of first-person narrative. We read the life story of Marco Polo and found out how he had travelled from Italy to China hundreds of years ago and how long it took for him to get there. We also investigated how water is transported in a celery stalk, made a plant transport model and analysed some plant problems and suggest solutions for them. Then we learned about the composition of air and test the effect of carbon dioxide on limewater. Phew! It was a lot for a week!
This week, we feature specialist subject: P.E.
G1/ G2
Throughout the Unit, we’ve explored the importance of connection for personal growth. Students have participated in a variety of cooperative activities that focus on the development of communication, interpersonal and physical skills. The activities required students to communicate effectively and cooperate with one another in order to solve a problem in different game contexts. At the end of classes, we’ve spoken about our game experiences and how these experiences have helped us to connect meaningfully with each other for personal growth.
G3 thru 6
Students have been exposed to a variety of team games and activities where the purpose is to invade the opponents’ territory while scoring points and keeping the opposing team to a minimum. They have learned about the importance of creating a coordinate team plan that best suits its team members, how to best attack and defend space, and the most important skills to learn and practice.
