Discovery Time

Every Monday morning we spend from 9-15am until morning tea with Discovery Time.  This is a hands on focus time where we emphasise one of the key competencies within the NZ curriculum. Today our focus was on thinking.  Encouraging students to think about what they are doing.  Students who are competent thinkers can solve problems and know how to seek and use knowledge.

Here are photo's of the students in their Discovery Time exploration.

These students were creating a town, giving consideration to what might be required in a town, and how the town layout might affect people's lives.

These students were thinking about colour and how they might express themselves .

Here the students are taking turns at teaching. Ella is setting out her requirements for appropriate behaviour on the mat.

With our focus on safety these students were thinking about how they safely move their cars and people around on roads.

These students were comparing the capacity of different containers to hold water.  Does a tall skinny container hold more than a short wide container?

These two were working out a new game, discussing the way it should be played.

Safety Module

Last week we started a 2 week focus looking at safety.  As part of this we had bike/scooter safety, looking at how we keep ourselves safe with basic maintenance, use of helmets and high visibility clothing.
On Friday we had a visit from St John's who introduced the students to the different responsibilities of Fire, Ambulance and Police. The students we able to engage in hands on activities with bandaging and viewing an oxygen cylinder. This week our focus will continue with dialling 111 and a safety focus walk with a Police Constable.
Below are photos from our time with Catherine from St John's.

Welcome Back!

We are back and into it! This is an action packed term and one where we really want to consolidate the students learning from the past two terms. Our Maths focus for the next two weeks is measurement.  We are focussing on mathematical language comparing different objects e.g. taller, shorter, heavier, lighter, longer...

Today for discovery time we had hands on activities comparing lengths and heights. Comparing objects used for holding water and their capacity. We joined hands and realised that with all our students we could make a chain that stretched from our classroom to the fence.

Here are some photos from our first day back.

Stoke Library Trip

This term it is my intention to take a walking class trip to the Stoke Library. Over the next week I will be posting information to assist parents/caregivers to get each student signed up with a library card.  The library experience is made all the better if the students have their own library card and are able to have books issued to them on the day of the trip.  Establishing a love of reading at a young age can be hugely beneficial for learning.