Unit 1 - Who We Are

Central Idea: Central Idea: Understanding the way matter behaves can help us to use it for our benefit. 

Lines of Inquiry:

Function: Transformation of matter from one state to another

Change: How energy is transferred through matter

Responsibility: How we use our knowledge of energy and matter.

Key concepts: function, change, responsibility

Related concepts: matter, transformation, energy, development

Learner profile: knowledgeable, inquirers, thinkers

Approaches to Learning: thinking, research

We started our new unit of inquiry: Who we are, with an activity making mind maps of our prior knowledge. 

We looked at body systems, beginning with the skeletal system. Students put together a skeleton using reference books in our classroom library.
Students then learned about the muscular and digestive systems, using books and online resources. 

They formed their own questions, then researched those questions presenting the information by creating posters sharing what they had learned.  

For their Action project, students chose a group in the community in need. With Social Development Goal 3 in mind (good health and well-being), they identified the elderly, and researched ways to help them to be healthy, either through food or exercise. They then made videos and to showcase their findings. These were compiled into a video and was shown as part of the Celebration of Learning.

You can see the final videos they created here.

English 

We talked about genres and students worked on narrative writing, compiling their stories into a class book. The students were given a picture of a dark forest as a writing prompt.

They all worked very hard, writing, editing, typing and illustrating their stories. We also continued to develop our understandings of spelling skills, grammar and vocabulary as well developing our reading comprehension skills.  

Math

We practiced verbalising our strategies for problem solving basic equations. We talked about counting on, counting back, using algorithms, and using repeated addition to work out multiplication problems when we get stuck. Students created posters explaining the rules for rounding numbers, and determining if a number is odd or even.

We implemented a classroom credit system. Students earn credit from achievements, as well as their classroom jobs. They can use this credit to buy prizes. We are keeping track of these daily and update our accounting ledgers, using our understanding of the number system to solve problems involving money.  

Special Events: Family Picnic