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22 April, 2011

Websites for reference

Construction of incenter
http://www.mathopenref.com/constincenter.html
Construction of circumcenter
http://www.mathopenref.com/constcircumcenter.html
Construction of incircle
http://www.mathopenref.com/constincircle.html
Construction of circumcircle
http://www.mathopenref.com/constcircumcircle.html

Also, the students who are working on the charts on Learner Profile, Attitudes, etc. need to write how exactly the group has showcased them and not just the plain list. For the concepts, you need to write the key questions. Please get in touch with me if any one has any doubts.

14 April, 2011

Homework April 14th

Homework for today:

A. Draw a scenery, a city or a dining room and show atleast one (Extension: 2/3) example  of
1. Line
2. Ray
3. Line segment
4. Parallel lines (Lines that never meet)
5. Intersecting lines (Lines that meet at an angle)
6. Perpendicular lines (Lines that meet at a right angle)
7. Acute angle
8. Right angle
9. Obtuse angle
10. Straight angle
11. Point

B: Find out about 'Anna Hazare' and why he is in the news lately.

Extension: Write your own opinion in your reflection journal/a sheet of paper. How can this be linked to your central idea?

11 April, 2011

11th April

We began the day with discussing the SWOT analysis of the education system in India. Students gave their inputs based on their homework. We also discussed in detailed concepts like corruption, crime, poverty, unemployment, etc. The students were asked to add more points in their graphic organizers. They then filled up the 'What have I learnt' section in the collaborative KWHL. We also decided which medium the groups will use for their performance component of the summative assessment. Another point of discussion was a fund raising event on the Exhibition day.

The students practiced and presented to the rest of the PYP a PPP on their exhibition unit.

They have received work based on angles in Math.

09 April, 2011

8th April - Friday


In English, we learnt how to interconvert abstract nouns and adjectives. Students have got practice based on this.
In Math, we learnt about lines, rays and line segments. We discussed many examples and how to label them. Students also constructed many lines, rays and line segments.
We had a guest speaker for our PYP Exhibition today: Mr. chalsani. He spoke to the students about the importance of equal education. He showed them many motivating videos. The students then filled the reflection sheet. They also brainstormed about their summative assessment – the tasks and the criteria for assessment.

7th April - Thursday


In English today we continue with the persuasive essay. The students wrote their drafts and edited them.
In Math, we came up with the definition of points and lines. The students were made to understand the meaning of ‘Dimensions’. We also looked at linear and non linear points and the labeling of points.


The students were made clear about the concept of ‘wholesome’ education through a guest speech by Ms. Aruna, our school counselor. She spoke about the two important aspects of a person: mind and body. The students understood the difference between ‘education’ and ‘literacy’. They realized that good education can help us to be psychologically strong and emotionally stable and that being a good individual is just as important as being knowledgeable. The speech was truly engaging and motivating for the students. They filled up a reflection sheet after the speech.

6th April - Wednesday


We began the day by some written work in English. The students were asked to write a persuasive essay. They were given three options: Adoption of animals, homework and addiction to smoking. They were also given different templates to plan for the write up.
We then did a collaborative KWHL by analyzing the central idea. On different post it’s, the students wrote what they knew about the central idea, what they wanted to know and how would find out the answers. The ‘L’ section will be filled as and when they learn new concepts.
We then spent some time to scaffold the central idea into three main parts to frame the lines of inquiry. This is what the students want to inquire into:
·         The importance of education for all
·         The meaning of whole some education
·         The effect of a good education system on world peace
Framing the central idea and the inquiry lines themselves has given them a lot of ownership of the unit. We are hoping the interest levels stay on the higher side up till the end!
We ended the day by having a pre unit assessment for our new unit in math: Points, Lines and Angles. The students were asked to complete sentence starters to show their prior knowledge of the topics in the unit.

5th April - Tuesday


Welcome back after a rejuvenating break!
We are getting back to our class blog from now on.. the reason being the ongoing PYP Exhibition. We had taken a break from the website due to regular updates being sent through newsletters.

By now you all might be aware of what the PYP Exhibition is all about. However here is an introduction yet again:

The Primary Years Programme (PYP) exhibition represents a significant event in the life of a PYP school and student, synthesizing the essential elements of the PYP and sharing them with the whole school community.

As a culminating experience it is an opportunity for students to exhibit the attributes of the International Baccalaureate (IB) learner profile that have been developing throughout their engagement with the PYP.

Students are required to engage in a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that involves them in identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems. The central idea selected must be of sufficient scope and significance to warrant a detailed investigation by all students.

Purpose
The PYP exhibition has a number of key purposes:

  • for students to engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry
  • to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate independence and responsibility for their own learning
  • to provide students with an opportunity to explore multiple perspectives
  • for students to synthesize and apply their learning of previous years and to reflect upon their journey through the PYP
  • to provide an authentic process for assessing student understanding
  • to demonstrate how students can take action as a result of their learning
  • to unite the students, teachers, parents and other members of the school community in a collaborative experience that incorporates the essential elements of the PYP
  • to celebrate the transition of learners from primary to middle/secondary education


Role of student
Students will:

• have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition from the outset of the process (guidelines and planning instructions should be provided by the teacher or mentor)
• participate in selecting a real-life issue or problem for the exhibition
• develop the inquiry by helping to decide on a central idea, lines of inquiry and student questions
• collaboratively plan learning and assessment experiences; these should involve independent and collaborative work and students should be involved in all stages of the planning and staging of the exhibition
• carry out an open-ended inquiry into a real-life issue or problem
• demonstrate an understanding of the components of the PYP, in particular the IB learner profile; the students involved in the exhibition should be given an opportunity to demonstrate their learning and the development of the attributes of the IB learner profile
• demonstrate an understanding of the five essential elements—knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes and action
• select and utilize a variety of strategies and resources to meet the outcomes of the inquiry; wherever possible, students should use a variety of source materials, such as first-hand experiences, interviews, surveys, field visits, artifacts, science investigations, working models, not just book and/or Internet research be academically honest when referring to their sources of information
• communicate effectively with teachers, peers and parents
• reflect on the components of and processes involved in the exhibition; they should keep a journal or portfolio of their planning, draft pieces of work, sketches and photographs of work in progress as well as the final product
• carry out self-assessment and peer assessment
• celebrate their learning by presenting the exhibition to the school community.

Role of teacher
Teachers will:
• have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition from the outset of the process
• initiate, facilitate and guide the exhibition process; teachers should facilitate the process of the exhibition rather than teaching directly, with the exception of particular skills and/or knowledge that is required in order for the students to proceed with their chosen inquiry
• provide support for student inquiries, enabling students to overcome any problems encountered in the process
• Plan collaboratively with other teachers
• communicate regularly with students, parents and other participants
• act as mentors as required or appropriate
• develop essential agreements with students regarding academic honesty to ensure that they are taking responsibility for their learning and being principled in the resources they are using; mentors and parents should be informed of these agreements
• encourage students to use a balance of primary and secondary sources; help students to access information; and ensure they know how to cite sources used in research
• ensure the participation of all students by considering their interests, accommodating learning styles and needs, and by determining prior knowledge
• empower the students to feel able to take action as a result of the exhibition
• assess the exhibition process ensuring all the essential elements are included
• keep detailed records of the processes involved including ongoing reflection
• encourage and join in with students to celebrate their learning.

Role of parent/guardian
Parents/guardians will:
• have an understanding of the purpose and requirements of the exhibition
• support and encourage students and teachers throughout the process of inquiry
• be informed by reading newsletters, attending meetings, checking school websites, talking with students
• help students to access resources—people, places, media and information
• provide expert subject knowledge where applicable
• act as mentors as required or appropriate
• encourage independent inquiry and respect student ownership of the process
• have an opportunity to reflect on and give feedback on the exhibition
• celebrate with the students by attending the staging of the exhibition.



Role of Mentor

Community members, older students, parents and teachers may be invited to act as mentors.

Some examples of mentor participation include the following.

The mentor’s primary role is to act as a guide and resource in the accomplishment of specific tasks during the exhibition process. Members of the school community are invited to mentor in one or more areas of interest or expertise, for example, research, writing, or information and communication technology (ICT). They are available at different stages of the exhibition. For instance, in the early stages of the inquiry, research mentors come in two to three times a week. Mentors have a purely advisory role, and while they do not participate in the summative assessment of the exhibition, they may contribute to formative assessments regarding their area of support, as well as reflecting on the exhibition process.

The mentors are encouraged to meet the students at least three times in the beginning stages of the exhibition but may reduce their involvement over time to increase student responsibility. They are not involved in formal assessment but are encouraged to make anecdotal observations and to give feedback to the students and teachers.

Staging the exhibition
It is a requirement that the exhibition is shared with members of the wider school community. There are many formats a sharing event could take, for example, an interactive display, a performance, a debate, or a combination of formats.

The exhibition should include the following:

  • Examples of written work in a variety of formats and styles: poetry, reports, persuasive texts
  • Oral presentations, individually or in groups, to the school community
  • Uses of technology including ICT, working models, designs, science experiments
  • Performances or compositions in any medium: dance, music, drama, visual arts, film, video, mixed media.





The first day after the Spring break, the students excitedly shared their activities with the rest of the groups. It was evident that they were highly enthusiastic and optimistic about their exhibition. They also had meeting with their mentors and discussed collaboratively their further action plan.

We then used a fishbone (cause and effect) graphic organizer to brainstorm the reasons for our action and the end results. The students realized that a good education system can solve many global and local problems. This lead to wording our central idea for our unit: “Equal and wholesome education can lead to a peaceful society”