Sharing Our KnowledgeThis week we began to share all of the information we found while collecting research about our ecosystem. We organised the information in books and slide presentations and shared them with our friends at ISS. We discovered that we were already very knowledgeable about various habitats and the animals that live within them. We understand that ISS is a community of learners and sharing what we know will help us grow. Maths: Inquiry into Problem Solving StrategiesThis week we used our knowledge of adding and multiplying to count large numbers of items. We worked together to decide on the best strategy for counting and recorded our models so that they could be shared. While sharing our maths work, we discovered that all of us used our skip counting strategies; 5s, 10s, and 100s, along with corresponding multiplication number sentences that show our thinking.
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Sharing The PlanetWe began this week by going on a field trip to Kent Ridge Park. At the park we made observations and recorded data on various habitats we saw, and the animals within the ecosystem. Before the trip, we hypothesised that there would be insects, reptiles, and birds, living in ponds and trees at Kent Ridge. Once we arrived, we noticed that insects were the most prevalent and visible to us. We also saw some construction work of new buildings happening near the park and wondered if this had any affect on the ecosystem we observed. We asked "is there a way that humans can build shelter without harming the environment?" After returning back to school, we continued with our inquiry and researched further on various imbalances within the ecosystems. Some of us began to build models to share what we discovered through our independent research. Everyone used what they discovered during the field trip to add to their inquiry projects. Sharing The PlanetThis week we actively engaged in "finding-out" more about the lines of inquiry: needs of animals, food webs, and imbalances within habitats. We visited the library, conducted research, and recorded what we found. We also thought about the way we wanted to share our knowledge and were introduced to a "project choice board" containing a list of possible project ideas. For example, we could create a poster, design a game, or a webpage. We can't wait to share our final projects with you at the end of the unit. UOIThis week we tuned into our new unit of inquiry; Sharing The Planet. For the next 6 weeks, we will actively construct our understanding of the central idea "animals and their habitats are connected." To begin our journey, we thought about what we already knew about the three lines of inquiry; needs of animals, food webs, and imbalances within habitats. We then brainstormed, and classified the characteristics, of living and non-living things. Through the discussions we decided that living things must grow, use energy, reproduce, and adapt. We knew that all living things need air, food, water and shelter to survive. Furthermore, we concluded that living things depend on non-living things to survive. We will build on our knowledge in the coming weeks to learn more about ecology and the complex relationship between all living and non-living things within various habitats. MathsThis week we continued to extend our knowledge of fractions and problem solving. We created fraction kits using circles and applied our understanding to solve a problem involving cakes. We had to figure out how we can cut a circular cake to get 18 equal slices. We discovered that dividing the cake in quarters wasn't the best solution, and tried other models by dividing the cake in halves, and thirds. In the end, we figured out the best way to get the exact number of slices we needed was by diving the cake into thirds, and ninths, and eighteenths. It was a delicious way to explore fractions. National Museum of SingaporeThis week we took a trip to the National Museum of Singapore to expand our knowledge of the central idea: we learn about civilisations from what is left behind. At the museum, we saw many types of artefacts and thought about the significance for Singapore's history throughout the decades. Grade 5 Exhibition,This week we went to the Grade 5 Exhibition with our K1 reading buddies. We were able to learn about a variety of topics such as; mindfulness, animal abuse, and travel, from the Grade 5 students. Unit of Inquiry: Where We Are In Place And TimeThis week we closed our UOI by creating an original play. For the past few weeks we've been busily conducting a case study on the ancient Mayan civilisation. We decided that the best way to show how much we've learnt was by creating and performing a play. It is fun to show our learning in various ways. Explorations in Maths!This week we extended our knowledge of multiplication and division through coding and fractions. We began the week by exploring the concept of equal parts and creating our own fraction kits. We discovered that fractions is like division because it's about equal parts of a whole or equal parts of a set. We also used our knowledge of arrays to create a pathway for the "bee-bots". Our task was to program the "bee-bots" with set of codes to move through a maze that we designed. We had to use our understanding of grids and arrays to design a map. It was fun to work as a team and problem solve to accomplish our task. Reader's TheatreThis week we became actors in a play by performing plays using "reader's theatre". We read our scripts and chose the characters we wanted to portray. We learned that plays take teamwork and remaining in character at all times. We practiced our lines, experimented with various body movements, and voices, before the final show. Next week we will continue our work with plays, and create our own, using what we know about past civilisations. Where We Are In Place And Time: ArchaeologyThis week we became archaeologists on our very own excavation site. We worked in teams to look for artefacts buried deep within the sandpit at ISS. From our past research into archaeology, we learned that archaeologists always dig square holes; they are scientists who rely on organization and accurate record keeping. We used rope to create a grid over the sandpit and decided to work with a single square at a time. It was hard work digging ,and working through the sand, but we did not give up until all of the artefacts were found. After locating the artefact, we then took it to our "lab" to measure and record our findings. We learned that archaeologists work hard, and persevere, in order to discover clues to past civilizations. Maths: Exploring Multiplication and Division ConceptsThis week we continued our exploration of multiplication and division concepts. An example is how we used our knowledge of arrays and decided to measure the area within our learning spaces. After reading the book Sneaker Squares written by Nat Gabriel, in which the main character solved his problem by walking around the perimeter to measure the area of various spaces, we were curious to know the measurement of our class. We worked in teams to walk around the perimeter of our class and created an array. We then talked about how using an array can help us to figure out the area of the space we use everyday. Our work with arrays was also important in creating grids for our archaeology dig in the sandpit. Spring Into Music: Spring Concert 2019!On Tuesday, March 12, K-5 students held our annual Spring Concert at the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) concert hall. It was an evening filled with inspirational songs and showcased the musical talents of all the students. The concert ended with a whole group performance of "Seasons of Love." MathsGrade 2.2 have been hard at work exploring the connection between multiplication and arrays. We discovered that "arrays are like skip counting because you are putting equal rows and columns over and over again." We love to multiply "because it helps us to count faster." We decided that the way we sit on the big carpet was in an array, and this inspired us to explore with various rows and columns with our bodies. With 14 of us, we discovered that 2x7 is the same as 2 rows of 7. Then, we began to create our own arrays by using tiles and writing down the number sentences to match. Where We Are In Place And TimeThis week we started on the inquiry process with a new UOI: Where We Are In Place And Time. We began the week by "tuning-in" and explored the first line of inquiry; archaeology. To activate our background knowledge we examined various items from the past. It was interesting to see how the items evolved over time and helped us appreciate the advances made in technology. We learnt that archaeologists study past civilisations through artefacts they discover. We think that "they are like detectives who look for clues to solve a mystery." To enhance our understanding of archaeology, we created a mini excavation site in the class and placed artefacts inside. We can't wait to continue next week by examining case studies of past civilisations. Literacy Week!This week we celebrated our love of reading by participating in Literacy Week. We enjoyed hosting mystery readers, authors, book swaps, and dressing up in costumes for the "book character parade." |
The AuthorsGrade 2.2 are a class of 7 and 8 year old students who attend International School of Singapore (ISS). We learn together as a community, and enjoy sharing our journey with you.
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