Our students are currently learning about Products and Its Origins. In this unit, they are also learning about the changes a natural product goes through. In our school’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) learning is different from that of a traditional classroom. We do not hand out lists for children to learn. Instead, for every task we list out Lines Of Inquiry (LOI), because our teaching is inquiry-based. In the current unit, our LOI is how a natural product goes through different stages to reach our tables.
So first, we talked about milk and its products. For this, the children were asked to bring a milk product from home along with their lunch. I was surprised to see how much thought these tiny tots put into the task. The next morning, I had a table full of eatables, ranging from the obvious ones like butter and milk to kheer (“because it’s made out of milk”), rasgulla (“made out of paneer which is a milk product”) and even pizza (“it has cheese on top which is a milk product”). I was glad we were on the right track. We also made a collage with pictures of all these products.
Next up was wheat. Again, the children brought products made out of wheat. So first we had wheat flour. Then our enthusiastic bunch got to knead the dough. Since we always discuss with the children how we will go about a topic, which is a very scientific approach, they had come prepared with aprons. Faraaz had even brought a rolling pin! So once the dough was ready, they learnt how to roll out chapatis. At school, we had already arranged for an induction cooktop and the chapatis were cooked under my supervision. “Ma’am, it smells like popcorn!” said Rishita and Aanya. The entire activity was such fun that some older children, who were passing by, couldn’t resist joining in. The more, the merrier, I thought, and allowed them.
While all of this went on, Nabeel, who had set his heart on cooking a chilla, did so. As a teacher, it is heartening for me to see that what we are working so hard for is bringing the desired results. Because just a couple of days ago, when the class XI were organizing their farewell and my class was out, playing, they watched the food being prepared and even talked to the cook about how the paneer he was using was a by-product of milk. That’s how education should be, making our children inquirers for life and training them to connect the dots themselves. They don’t forget their lessons once they’ve left the class.
“How we express ourselves?”
Learners of grade 5 were tuned in to the new theme How we express ourselves through the activity called ‘Jumble Words’ wherein the learners were given words of the central idea and they were asked in groups to frame the sentence and write its summary relating it to the theme. It was interesting to see most of the groups were able to frame the correct sentences. They related the central idea with the theme descriptor and explain the reasons for their connections .They were able to demonstrate Communication Skills and Social Skills.
Healthy sandwiches made by grade V
Vidyatree Modern World College believes in all around development of the students. A sound health is the product of healthy cooking! To make them aware of this fact and to experience the self – management and social skills, students of grade V were taught to make healthy sandwiches. The importance of cooking without fire to conserve energy was realized by the learners. They enjoyed making sandwiches and of course loved eating them too!
Grade Nursery explores life cycles of animals
Students of grade Nursery were engaged in the reading of The Very Hungry Frog. They got exposed to the life cycle of a frog under the theme ‘Sharing the planet’. The little learners were very enthusiastic and demonstrated the attribute of inquirer and communicator throughout the session. We discussed questions like:
- Where did the egg come from?
- What changes did the caterpillar go through on its way to becoming a butterfly? What surprised them?
Students watched video which showed the changes that happen to several different organisms over the course of their life cycles. They saw a tadpole develop into a frog. They were asked to pay close attention to the changes that occurred. Later the students watched the video again and then arranged the life stage cards in the correct order to show the life cycle of the frog and a hen. Finally, the students coloured the worksheet given to them which showed the life cycle of the frog and the hen.
Looking forward to the IB PYP Exhibition
Art is used to express ideas
Children enjoying painting
Children working on their exhibition hand book
Art is used to express ideas
PYP exhibition is the most important part of grade 5 curriculum. It involves deep understanding of Transdisciplinary themes to make our children life long learners. This is the last week of exhibition inquiry children devoted their day for inquiry, painting and various activities.
Grade 6 Learning Living Science
Students were engaged doing the activity for the identification of different types of leaves. As they explored different leaves and observed what is the arrangement of leaves ? what is the type of leaf? What is the venation in leaves?
It was the group activity so students had learnt cooperation and developed social skills too while doing the activity . They had discussed the structure in their group , pasted in the A-4 sheet and wrote the full description on it. Students prepared the scrapbook for the same.
Exhibition Inquiry
children in groups presenting their findings
Students presenting their findings
PYP Exhibition is an important part of grade 5 curriculum .It involves deep inquiry by the students into their own chosen topics .Their Research skills ,Thinking skills ,Communication skills , Social skills and Self-management skills are improved and children relate their understanding in solving a real-life problem .This Monday was devoted to the research and presentation of their first Line of Inquiry .
Little wonders of grade KG find out the by products of milk.
The students of KG Green did an interesting, hands- on activity under the theme ‘How the world works’. The young, enthusiastic toddlers decided to research on various products that can be made from milk. For this, they collected real artifacts and presented their understanding through a beautiful chart with the help of their homeroom teacher. Most interesting part was the discussion that took place in the homeroom where Jigisha, came up with an amazing fact that “cow gives us milk but first, the cow herself eats green- green grass in order to give rich creamy milk”. ?
Grade 7 students research insectivorous plants
Grade 7 students, in groups of two, researched insectivorous plants using iPads in the Inquiry Lab. Thereafter they presented their findings and had an amazing session of knowledge sharing.
When students research in teams and then present their findings, they automatically develop their self-management skills, social skills, research skills, thinking skills and communication skills. All these skills are important for children to be successful in life.
The purpose of a school is to prepare children for life. Vidyatree Modern World College not only focuses on imparting knowledge to a child but it ensures that each child becomes an independent learner so that he/she can face any challenge in life.
The school’s mission is to make each child an independent thinker so that his/her knowledge is not just restricted to the text given in the book but he/she develops a deeper knowledge and understanding of the subject.
Students of Grade IV inquire about different forms of energy
Students of grade IV Blue, Green and Red inquired about different forms of energy and energy sources to get the better understanding of their first Line of inquiry “Different forms of energy sources” under the theme- ‘How does the world work?’ and the Central idea- “Energy may be converted, transformed and used to support human progress”. After deriving significant information, they made a presentation on the paper showcasing their understanding of the topic.
They thoroughly enjoyed this activity and learnt more than what a textbook could offer.
Little Yogis
