27th Feb

We had a quiz on Fractions today. The children were divided into two teams. Questions were on the white board. One child from both the teams would simultaneously solve the problem given. The child who solves the problem first would earn points for his/her team. After a few rounds, we stopped the quiz (as some children had forgotten the topics taught earlier in fractions). Time was given to the teams to make sure all the team members are proficient with the concepts. The teams then broke themselves into pairs and gave some practice to each other. The children have also received some practice problems that can be solved at home.

In Language, the children continued with their 'My Novel' project. Today, they spent some time to select a genre and then describe the setting of the novel. They also re - iterated 'prepositions' through an interactive PowerPoint presentation.

The Inquiry groups in 'Ancient Civilizations' began the procedure of collecting facts for their presentations next week. The groups read books related to their own civilization and took notes in their UOI books. They have taken some books home to read over the week end and collect more facts.

HAPPY HOLI!!!

26th Feb

The day was well balanced for all the fifth graders. We looked into the influence that ancient civilizations have on us. We did this by doing a comparative study between the Indus Valley civilization and the Modern India. Each child made a Venn diagram individually and then all the ideas were put together as a single Venn diagram for the entire class. Picture included.

In math, along with discussing the previous day's work, the children got more practice for division of mixed fractions. Again, this was done in groups, according to the prior knowledge and understanding of the children.

We have begun a project in Language today: The children will create a novel of their own. They will go through the stages of this over the next couple of weeks. They began today by analyzing the different genres and identifying the ones that they would like to focus on.

Here is a video of the girls dancing to a Punjabi tune during the Dance class.

25th Feb

The highlight of the day was the children of grade 5 creating a Ning network : www.grade5iish@ning.com

All the children joined this network and learnt how to use it. We will be using this one to share any information, thoughts, ideas and opinions regarding the PYP Exhibition. I recommend all the parents also to join this one as their inputs are also very important!

The children did an activity on Etymology. They divided themselves into 6 groups. Many words were put in a jar. Each group was asked to pick a word and find the origin of that word. The group which solved the maximum words would win.

In math, the children learnt division of fractions. They watched a video and tried to solve it through pictures. They then learnt the mathematical way of solving it and solved some problems on the board.

The children were also divided into groups in UOI. Now that they have got a wholesome understanding of the Indus Valley Civilization, each group will research into the essential components of one other civilization. The other civilizations are: Egyptian, Roman, Aztec and Chinese Civilization. Next week each group will present their understanding through 3 media: Written, Musical and technological.

24th Feb

The Inquiry groups presented their knowledge about the Indus Valley Civilization through the different forms. The 'Culture' group did a role play, 'Systems' group a model, 'Inventions and Discoveries' a PowerPoint presentation and the 'Interesting facts' group did a Visual presentation (chart). The videos and pictures have been included.

The children also did some more practice with multiplying mixed fractions. Along with this, the children wrote a story of their choice. They did the planning by using a 'mountain story planner'. The children who needed help sat together to get their thoughts organized. The rest chose a spot inside or outside the classroom to do the writing. This was differentiation of the process through physical space.

23rd Feb

The fifth graders were preparing themselves for the group presentations. The data they have collected so far regarding Indus Valley civilization will be shared with the others. Each group is presenting using a different mode. There is a PowerPoint Presentation (for Inventions and discoveries of Indus Valley civilization) , A role play (Culture), A model (Systems) and A visual presentation/Chart (Interesting facts).

The children were given feedback for the math assignment they received yesterday. They were given an opportunity to correct their mistakes and practice further.

We also looked into the parts of speech in Language. The children were given sentences and had been asked to group the words in each sentence according to the part of speech. This was discussed with the entire class and the children self assessed their work.

22nd Feb

The fifth graders took part in the Leadership camp assembly today. Each child chose his/her favourite picture from the Camp photographs and reflected on it by using the PYP Learner profile and attitudes. The video included.

In math, we began multiplication of fractions. We watched a video on Digitally and solved problems in groups.

18th Feb

The children got an opportunity today to portray their presentation skills to Ms. Monita from Indus International School, Bangalore. They explained to her how they made their story board. She also talked to them about their unit of Inquiry. She was indeed glad to see their enthusiasm and ability to make connections and gave some very positive feedback.

Our new unit is Ancient Valley Civilizations and we will be focusing on the Indus Valley Civilization first. There was a lucky draw today and the children have been grouped to work on different aspects of the civilization. They have to find answers to:

* What is the culture like of the Indus Valley Civilization?

* What are the inventions and Discoveries by the Indus Valley Civilization?

* What systems were in place by the Indus Valley Civilization?

* What are the other interesting facts of the Indus Valley Civilization?

In addition to this, the groups will also speak about the impact these aspects have on the modern society. Our central idea is "Contributions by the ancient Civilizations have shaped the modern society".

In English, we learnt a lot about 'Etymology' today. The children watched a very interesting video on the origin of the English language. We also had a quiz followed by this.

We also dealt with parts of wholes in fractions. A grid paper was used to make them understand the concept. They were then asked to discover a way to solve problems of this type using the four basic operations. This triggered their critical thinking skills and made them realize that there can be many ways to solve a problem.