Curious minds, big questions

This week, the preschoolers visited various school community members to gather information about their roles and responsibilities to help make our school run smoothly.

The preschoolers used their developing research skills and engaging communication skills to conduct their interviews. Even when they felt a little shy, they used their knowledge of what we practiced to help guide them through the activity.

Thank you to the school community members who so happily and patiently answered some of our burning questions!

Since we had a very short week at school, the preschoolers took the time to reflect on the memories they made during their silver week holiday cluster. The preschoolers used photos that our parents provided us with and some of them drew pictures of their special moments. Everyone was very excited to share what they got up to, with their classroom community.

Have an awesome weekend, everyone!

Ms Theona

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Research preparation

 This week, the preschoolers continued inquiring into roles, responsibilities within different communities. They have been taking the necessary steps to prepare for their finding out stage, by becoming  principled researchers!

To prepare themselves for the role of interviewer, the preschoolers spent time practicing basic interview etiquette with their partners. The practiced how to greet the interviewee, how to introduce themselves and how to conclude the interview. They seem just about ready to interview members of their family and school communities. 

The Busy Bees have also been spending time speaking about what makes our classroom community a happy, working and positive space. They all agreed that showing kindness and care is a responsibility that we all share in making our hive a happy one. They shared lovely ideas for how they can be a good friend to their classmate.

As brave risk-takers, the preschoolers took part in our first earthquake drill for the school year. They showed wonderful listening skills in an effort to practice what we do in case of an earthquake emergency. Well done Busy Bees, for understanding your responsibility in helping us all keep safe!

We were very happy to welcome a few special guests to our classroom this week, students from Pre-K and K1! The little learners came to gather information about how their preschool friends get to school every morning, as they inquire into different modes of transport. It was so special having the youngest learners in our school come visit us!

Next week, the Busy Bees will conclude their research and reflect on the results of their school and family community research tasks.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and the national holidays coupled with the weekend, too!

Ms Theona 

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Roles and responsibilities

 This week, the preschoolers dug further into our unit of inquiry by sharing who they know (and don't know) in our school community. A lot of questions were raised about our school community members during this activity, which the preschoolers will seek to answer in the coming weeks!

In order to further understand our central idea, we discussed the differences and similarities between 'roles' and 'responsibilities'. While one preschooler noted that both words begin with the /r/ sound, we established that they are two quite different things.

 A role is the job or position that someone has in a particular place, while the responsibilities are the actual tasks or duties that the person is expected to carry out. The preschoolers were tasked with matching the appropriate responsibilities to the specific roles of different people we find in our communities. This prompted a discussion about how some responsibilities may be carried out by more than one person. The preschoolers showed impressive teamwork while working with their group members.

The preschoolers enjoyed their first posture class with Mr Didier! As a knowledgeable physiotherapist, Mr Didier shared helpful tips and exercises with the preschoolers about how they should take care of their bodies, to ensure good posture. The preschoolers showed him how knowledgeable they are by telling him about how important enough sleep, regular exercise and healthy eating is for keeping their bodies fit and strong.

Next week, the preschoolers will start sharpening their research skills while finding out more about the roles and responsibilities in our school community and in their own home communities.

Have an awesome weekend, everyone!

Ms Theona

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How We Organise Ourselves

 This week, the preschoolers continued to tune into their How We Organise Ourselves unit of inquiry. They were all eager to share what they know about our big idea, involving roles, responsibilities and different communities.

We explored what responsibilities mean, which came at the perfect time as we kicked off our classroom helpers system! They showed how knowledgeable they are by sharing that responsibilities are "very important" and that they are the jobs or tasks that we are all supposed to do.

Which communities do you belong to?

The preschoolers shared what they know about the different communities they belong to. They walked around with their photos and placed a photo at the community that they think they are a part of. This activity provided interesting conversation about what makes a community and why we all belong to different ones. 

People in our communities

As developing thinkers, the preschoolers enjoyed using their descriptive language when we played the "Who Am I?" game about different people in our community. By giving clues about what they know about the community member, the preschoolers helped their friends to guess who was pasted on their forehead.

Next week, we will move onto the finding out stage of our inquiry. We look forward to seeing how the preschoolers use their research and social skills to gather information about how roles and responsibilities help organizations to run smoothly.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Ms Theona

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