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Nov.2,2011
Playing frisbee
October was a busy month at TIP. We had a family morning and potluck lunch party, had to say goodbye to two lovely classmates who have now moved abroad, started a new Unit Of Inquiry (P2 & P3), had soccer coaching from specialised coaches, and had a whole school Fall Festival with Halloween costumes, games, and our first ever school team games.
Now, as the weather is starting to cool down, we are concentrating on developing important hygiene habits at TIP. These include washing our hands thoroughly, and not putting them in our little noses and mouths.
Friends
Unit of Inquiry
This month, we started a new unit of inquiry into Who we are. Throughout this unit, we will explore our 5 senses (touch, sight, smell, taste, hearing) and how we use them. We will also look at differences among people’s sensory abilities. So far, we have been tuning into this unit and finding out what we already know. We have taken some senses walks through the forest, focusing on different senses each time (hearing, sight, smell, touch). Students have really enjoyed exploring our feely boxes that hold different kinds of textured items, and guessing what they are. They have also been using their sense of hearing along with creativity to make dances to go with different rhythms, drawing while listening to a rain forest soundtrack, and expressing what they hear in music through painting.
I know what this is!!
This is a hand!!! Like your hands!! We touch with it!
Art Inquiry
We have focused on mixing colours this month during art. Children have been experimenting with their own paint palettes, firstly with multiple colours, however they soon discovered that most combinations they made turned out to be shades of yucky brown. We then with experimented with just primary colours and white paint, and children began to make conclusions about which colours combine to make light, and also secondary colours. Last week, we shared the book “Mouse paint” by Ellen Stoll Walsh, which confirmed some conclusion children had made, and helped others to understand primary colours a little more. They then went ahead at making many shades of secondary colours and painted some mice to create a colourful bulletin board display!!
Making new colours!
Mixing colours!
Literacy
TIP children have shared lots of seasonal books this month, as well as some Kevin Henkes favourites. Children have started to recall names of some of our favourites authors and illustrators. They have also developed a lot of independence in literacy activities, such as their letter writing and journals, as well as exploring free choice activities such as name puzzles, word building with alphabet lego, magnetic letters, and making letters and words with pipe cleaners.
Building names with magnetic letters
In reading, P2 & P3 have been practising to read books independently and with friends, by memorising favourite stories, and reading pictures.
Building stamina during independent reading time
This month in phonics time, we have explored the letters Aa, Dd, Gg, Ss, Mm, and Nn.We learned a song and action about the Letterland characters and letter sounds for each letter, and also looked for words that begin with those sounds.
P1 students have combined their phonics exploration with developing essential motor skills, such as pencil grip, colouring, cutting and pasting as well as spatial awareness. This month some of the activities they have done are cutting and pasting to make an apple tree, and colouring and cutting to make a colourful snake!
P1 students make apple trees
Snakes start with sssssssss
Making a snake
Inquiry through the language of maths (P2 & P3)
At the start of October, we finished off our classification learning, sorting things by colours, shapes, kind, and our own rules. We organised our classroom toys using these skills, and also thought about which senses we use for particularly sensory experiences.
Sorting blocks by colour
Sorting classroom toys by our own rules
We also started a new maths unit on shapes. We have been identifying, tracing, drawing, and finding different 2D shapes around us. We also learned attributes such as how many sides, corners, and what kinds of lines make shapes, and used these skills to identify shapes in our feely boxes.
Searching for and identifying shapes around us
Making shapes from shapes
Making shapes from shapes
PSE
This month we continued to focus on being caring. Children drew pictures of what caring means to them, we brainstormed “What caring sounds like”, and took photos of “What caring looks like”.
During afternoon circle time, teachers and students have begun sharing their joys and worries with the class. This has turned into a much powerful exercise than I had anticipated, with children sharing all kinds of concerns and happy moments from their school day. Classmates are showing genuine interest and care, and quite enjoy the compliments that have been shared and support for concerns that are brought up.
PE with Mr. David Ohuoha
During October, TIP children participated in a lot of soccer practise during PE class, including activities with visiting soccer coaches. The aim was for children to have fun and learn to cooperate with one another through team work. The children learned techniques in expressing themselves with the ball.
Next month, Mr. David is planning for children to create fun-loving games through which the children can learn to be creative as individuals and also to cooperate as a team.
Japanese with Mrs. Hiromi
P1-P3 enjoyed some seasonal activities in Japanese class this month. They used their sense of touch to explore different sized sweet potatoes from Mrs. Hiromi’s garden, and then painted their own. Students also learned about the cosmos flower which is currently in season. Children took great care in dipping traditional Japanese paper into water colour paint, and then cutting it into the flower shapes once dry.
An assortment of blooming cosmos flowers
Japanese with Ms. Akane Kono (P3)
P3 students began weekly Japanese language classes with Ms. Akane Kono this month, and have been practising Japanese class routines, remembering important manners, and practising everyday Japanese language. They have been participating in vocaublary building activitoes, focusing on fruits, vegetables and animal names. Ms. Akane has also shared the following stories with her class, all available to borrow at the TIS school library:
- おかあさんどーこ? (Where is my mother) → An enjotable story which we read to practise our good listening skills
- かぞえてみよう (Let’s count)→ A book about counting 1-10
- こわがりうさぎホッペル (A rabbit who is timid) → A book to help us learn the names of animals
P3 children have also been learning to recognise and read Hiragana chracters through group play activities such as puzzles.
Violin with Mr. Craig Coleman (P2 & P3)
Music with Mrs. Jenifer Sadler
We explored the concept of a steady beat as we clapped to songs and explored rhythm with the use of pictures. (eg. apple = two claps, frog = one clap, cat = one clap). Jenifer claps a simple rhythmic pattern,and have them echo or clap it back to her. Ms. Jenifer has a drum called the Talking Drum which she usse to practice rhythm with our bodies, (e.g. tip-toe, walk, turn a round, gallop, jump etc.).
We sing a “Hello Song” in each class and students echo back “Hello” as I call out different people. We sang “Hello Girls”, “Hello Boys” and they sing when they are called. One time the teacher even tried “Hello Windows!” but they all noticed that there wasn’t a response!
We continued movement to music with Mozart’s variations on “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, moved to a song that had slow and fast sections, and last week we moved to the sound of rain (we tip-toed) and wind (with scarves).
We started have started to explore senses through music to tie in with TIP’s current UOI. Children are learning a song called “What Can You Hear?/See/Taste/Feel/Smell?”.
Looking forward…
- Upcoming “Show & Tell” topics for the weeks beginning the following dates are:
November 7th- something starting with n and/or l
November 14th- something starting with h and/or t
November 21st- No “Show and Tell” this week
November 28th- Winter
December 5th- No “Show and Tell” this week
December 12th- No “Show and Tell” this week
Important dates
Wednesday November 2nd – Open School Day 9:30am, Parent Circle 10:30am
Thursday November 3rd – School Holiday (National holiday)
Thursday November 10th – Health checks with Dr. Ono, at TIS
Friday November 11th – Ms. Skye & Mrs. Hiromi attending PYP Early Years workshop at Tokyo International School (Ms. Meirav filling in)
November 21st & 22nd – PYP in-school Workshop for Teachers, School holidays
Wednesday November 23rd – School Holiday
Friday November 25th – Shoes home
Wednesday November 30th – First term ends, TIP Portfolios go home
Thursday December 1st – Professional Development Day, School Holiday
Thursday December 8th – Open school day & Parent circle (pm)
Wednesday December 14th – Volunteer day (AM), Winter festival (PM)
Friday December 16th – Shoes & emergency suppies go home
Friday December 17th to JAnuary 4th – Winter Break
Thursday January 5th – Back to School