Blog-May 7 to May 19, 2023
Unit of Inquiry
This fortnight we moved further with inquiry on homes under the transdisciplinary theme where we are in place and time. Students inquired about a pucca and kutcha house with a presentation.. The following guiding questions helped students find out more about these two types of houses.
- Which house looks sturdier?
- Where do you see houses made out of mud?
- Why are kutcha houses not long lasting or durable?
- What are the benefits of Kutcha and pukka houses respectively?
They watched the story of theThree Little Pigs. Later, reflected upon the materials used for building a house.
Students made connections with different structures and materials used in the construction of the houses. They also inquired into the climatic conditions of the place where the house is situated. They deepened their understanding of the geographical and environmental factors which influence the design of houses by writing the type of house, materials used, climatic factors, and illustrations of different types of houses in their journals.
Their inquiry and clarity deepened with the following guiding questions –
- Why do you see an igloo only in places that receive snowfall?
- How does the shape of the house protect the house from a lot of rainfall?
- If you go camping with your friends, what kind of house would you build to spend the night? Give reasons.
Students attended an interactive session, with Ms Mansi Thappa, an urban planner. She discussed ways in which sustainability can be incorporated into the design of houses. Students made connections by comparing natural resources to a candy jar which keeps depleting unless we refill it. Tips on small initiatives which can be taken to make our houses sustainable proved to be insightful. The speaker also covered different types of houses prevalent in India and the factors kept in mind while designing them such as climatic conditions, availability of local materials and location of the house. Students reflected on the session and wrote 3 interesting facts that they learned during the guest speaker session.
Students made the connection between local culture and conditions of houses in different parts of India by marking them on the India map.
- Kashmir- wooden houses
- Assam- stilt houses
- Rajasthan- mud/ clay houses
- Kerala- houseboats
English:
Students were introduced to singular and plural nouns with various hands-on activities such as Hoop One and Many where students took turns to put an object in the hoop after which another student added many more objects of the same kind in the same hoop.
Students were assessed on the concept of prepositions.
Students listened to the story ‘When Lightning Comes in a Jar’ written by Patricia Polacco to deepen their understanding of the word ‘culture’. This was followed up by a class discussion on the family culture and traditions followed by the students in their homes.
Math:
Students recapitulated the concept of reading time . They practiced the concept of doubling with manipulatives.They were introduced to the concept of subtraction with real-life scenarios. Later, they wrote vocabulary words related to subtraction and practiced solving subtraction equations on a number line. They practised subtraction using sub chart, number line , number line on graph. They did vertical addition -two digits numbers. They also understood the way to find the missing minuend.
Hindi:
Students attempted Summative Assessment on reading, writing and nouns which were followed by writing practice . They were introduced to ‘adjectives’ and ‘punctuation marks- alpviraam’ with various learning engagements. They also practiced different maatra words and followed this up with writing practice.
ICT:
During ICT classes, students continued to work on MS Paint. They learned to download pictures from the web browser and coloured it on the MS Paint application.
Furthermore, they were introduced to the term ‘Plagiarism’ and apprised about the importance of giving credit.
SEL:
Students had a very insightful session in which they learned about the importance of honesty and ethical responsibility. The session started with an audio-visual presentation on the topic “Honesty Is the Best Policy.” After the presentation, they had a reflection session where they discussed the experiences of being honest and appreciated when others were honest with them. It made them realize that honesty is not about telling the truth but also about being accountable for their actions, admitting mistakes, and taking responsibility for words and deeds. They all agreed that it was important to build trust and maintain relationships. The facilitator then gave them an activity where they had to write three things that showed their honesty. This was a great exercise that helped them think deeply about how they demonstrate their honesty in their daily lives. They also learned about the importance of ethical responsibility and how it is guided by developing ethical beliefs. We discussed how academic honesty, submitting work on time, and speaking the truth are some of the ways in which we can express our ethical responsibility.
P.E.:
Grade 1 students worked on their agility, speed and strength while doing Plyometric exercises and dodgeball in their PE classes. For skating, they worked on balance and speed while racing with skates.
Art:
Students explored a creative and entertaining strategy of jigsaw puzzle to learn ancient rangoli art. Students were given small sheets with geometric designs. They decorated the same by
colouring it. Later, students arranged their work on a huge sheet in the form of a traditional rangoli pattern. Once the pieces were mounted, they then attached the border strips along the edge to make the rangoli more cohesive.
Later, as an integration with the current unit on homes, students were introduced to ‘Worli
art’ as a medium to decorate their homes which reflects their beliefs and values.
Music:
Students were introduced to tempo and its different types wherein they learned
terms used for different types of tempo. They also sang Octupus’s Garden
song in their music lesson.
Dance:
Students were introduced to the idea of dance genres and their cultural relevance. Students researched traditional dance methods from many cultures and contrasted them with modern dance forms. It was encouraging to see how enthusiastically they adopted moves and immersed themselves in the historical and cultural contexts of each dance genre.
Library:
To evaluate students’ reading progress, their reading logs were assessed by asking questions about the stories they had read. The purpose was to ensure that they comprehended the content and could recall important details.
Crowned Owl ceremony:
Avid readers celebrated the Crowned Owl ceremony on May 17, 2023. The selected students who had read more than 70 books in the academic year enjoyed special snacks and activities in their comfortable night attire. This motivated and encouraged them to continue read more.
Blog-April 24 to May 5
Unit of Inquiry
This fortnight marked the culmination of the previous unit with a summative assessment. The beginning of a new unit under transdisciplinary theme, ‘Where we are in place and time’ commenced. Students watched a video to understand needs and wants. Students sorted picture cards related to needs and wants into the appropriate jars to help them understand the distinction between them . They understood the importance of homes as a means of shelter.
They enjoyed watching story, ‘Come over to my house’ by Dr Seuss .This was (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQgDgy14XzA) followed by a discussion enabling them to establish connections with the central idea ‘Homes reflect cultural influences and local conditions.’ This further aided them in appreciating the cultural influences and local conditions which any home reflects.
They acquired knowledge of map-marking skill and applied it to identify and mark their home country and city. To understand the importance of knowing one’s identity, they watched an award-winning film, ‘Soar’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n825fTxJ1ug).
English
Students practised independent writing and wrote 1st draft on topic chosen by them, which was followed by 2nd draft writing upon receipt of feedback on the 1st draft.
They were introduced to comma with a video story (https://www.getepic.com/in/app/read/65579) and prepared a concept map to summarize their learning. To stimulate their team spirit and gauge their understanding, some hands-on activities were conducted. These included ‘Punctuate with Pasta’ in which the students were needed to put macaroni in the right places in sentences given to them. They completed some grammar drill sheets based on punctuation which helped them revisit all the relevant concepts learnt so far. A learning assessment was undertaken by the children through which they demonstrated their understanding of language concepts
Maths- Anuradha
The students revised the concept of reading time on an analogue clock. They recapitulated time-related terms such as half-past, quarter-to, quarter-past and employed them daily to indicate the time of day. They understood the concept of ‘doubling’ through an interactive activity using objects present in class.
To assess their comprehension of calendars, a formative assessment was conducted.
Hindi
Students were introduced to ‘लिंग’ (gender) This was followed by writing practice. They also enhanced their vocabulary by using ‘लिंग’ (gender) words in sentences.
Students were introduced to ‘वचन’ (singular-plural) through an audio-visual ‘एक चिड़िया’ followed by various learning engagements.
Library-
Students celebrated World Book Day, by participating in ‘Character Parade’ a character from their favourite book. The parade was organized by the primary school librarian, who encouraged students to dress up in their favourite character costumes. The parade started with an introduction by students about who they represented from their favourite book which could have been a classic story, traditional tale, science fiction, or any other. The global concept of international mindedness and sustainability were deemed as the underlying theme of the parade where students were encouraged to put together a costume made out of reused or recycled materials. Each one of them received a badge of appreciation that awarded them the title of either the most innovative, extravagant, or environment-friendly friendly character. Students paraded around the school to bring much joy and colour to onlookers and adults.
ICT
During ICT classes, students were introduced to the graphic editor tool- MS Paint. They were encouraged to draw, colour and edit pictures using them.
Furthermore, they learnt to use different brushes, change the size of the brush, and use a colour palette.
Dance
Students discussed how to comprehend and combine isolations and movements for intricate choreographies. When we dance, we employ various isolations and actions to produce engaging routines. These components were combined to produce intricate choreographies that were entertaining to perform and watch. Understanding how to combine isolations and motions is a crucial skill for choreographing intricate dance routines. Students were able to design dynamic, aesthetically appealing routines by practising and mastering these skills.
SEL
The story of Nelson Forgives taught students about the importance of forgiveness, standing up for what is right, unity, perseverance, and hope. The story emphasized that forgiveness is crucial for building relationships, and standing up for justice promotes fairness and equality. Hope can overcome challenges and is essential for achieving goals. Furthermore, the story highlighted the significance of compassion. Compassion involves understanding others’ feelings and emotions, and forgiveness releases negative emotions, fostering growth and healing. By reflecting on negative emotions and practising self-compassion, students addressed the root cause of pain and moved towards a more positive mindset. Overall, the story of Nelson Forgives was a valuable lesson for students, providing guidance on navigating life and contributing positively to society.
Music
Students were assessed on their understanding of rhythm and melody wherein each student was asked to identify, name, and create rhythmic and melodic patterns on the instruments.
PHE
Students in their PE class practised chest and bounce passes in basketball. They also practised zig zag dribbling between the cones whereas in skating they practised the V start and stopping.
Art
Rangoli is an Indian folk craft that has traditionally been used to decorate floors for festivals and other special events. Students began by drawing a basic rangoli design on paper. Students practised making borders as a sequence on a sheet. This was followed by making their chosen pattern on a fair border strip, colouring it with pencil colours and accentuating the patterns with black or white outlines.
Blog- April 10 to April 21, 2023
Unit of Inquiry
Students continued investigating transfer of heat through different materials by observing simple experiments conducted in class. Students applied their knowledge gained by considering why certain materials are used for making a particular item.
They developed their thinking skills by making predictions and reviewing their findings from investigation. Students also explored materials available around them in their environment to understand ways in which they have been changed as per needs. Students were assessed on their understanding of the first and the second line of inquiry.
They were tuned into the third line of inquiry – How materials can change through experiments on the three states of matter, solid, liquid and gas. They observed objects from the class and identified them as solid, liquid or gas. Further they explored physical changes that take place in a variety of materials by different procedures like freezing, melting, heating, cutting, boiling, dissolving, moulding, mixing, and squishing. They were introduced to reversible and irreversible changes in relation to physical and chemical changes. Students were introduced to the Sustainable Development Goal SDG12- responsible production and consumption which led to discussion on sustainable materials and practices. They also brainstormed how recycling and reusing lead to sustainable practices that assist the environment. Students reflected on their understanding on the third line of inquiry with an assessment.
English
Students practiced picture composition where they observed the picture in detail, framed meaningful and sequential sentences on it. They wrote their 1st draft in their journal. The facilitator gave feedback on it and students were then motivated to write the 2nd draft keeping in mind the feedback given by the facilitator. They recapitulated the usage of nouns, verbs and prepositions. They were assessed on their understanding for the same.
Hindi
Students were introduced to ‘लिंग’ (Gender). They practiced words related to ‘लिंग’ (Gender) through a poem ‘जंगल’ which was followed by a puppet show. They displayed their understanding and enhanced their communication skills through sentence making with words related to लिंग’(Gender). They attempted spelling challenge followed by writing work.
Mathematics
Students revisited how to read the calendar. They were engaged in different hands-on activities and written tasks in their journals related to reading the calendar correctly. They marked days, dates, holidays, and weekends on a blank calendar. They were encouraged to make real life connections between reading a calendar and their daily lives.
Library
Students are eagerly looking forward to the character parade scheduled at school to mark World Book and Copyright Day 2023 and their excitement is palpable. In their library lessons, they drew their favourite book characters in many ways, showcasing their creativity and imagination. From classic tales like Red Riding Hood to modern-day favorites like Harry Potter, the activity allowed students to share their thoughts on why the character was important to them and how it related to their own lives. As an extension, they also provided a learner profile for their favourite character.
Information and Communication Technology
During ICT classes, students continued their work on creating digital books on ‘Properties of materials’. They learned to create concept maps on properties of different materials on Book creator app integrating it with their unit of inquiry. They learnt to insert images, different shapes, text and text formatting options while creating their book.
Dance
As an integration to their current unit on materials, grade 1 students recently showcased their creativity by upcycling waste materials into props. They chose appropriate waste material like old newspapers, cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, and bottle caps, to create colorful and eye-catching pom poms, ribbons, fans etc. They also came up with ideas for creating costumes. Students have shown that with a little ingenuity and effort, waste can be turned into something useful and beautiful.
Music
Students explored and differentiated between rhythmic and melodic instruments wherein they learned the characteristics of melody and rhythm, later they sang a Mother Earth song in groups.
Art
During this fortnight as a part of integration to their current unit on materials students explored clay as a medium to create artifacts. They also recycled old newspapers to create small utility baskets.
Physical and Health Education
Students learned how to respond and execute passing and dribbling basketball while moving. They learned to change directions of the ball by practicing zig zag dribble. In skating they practiced quick start and stopping.
Social Emotional Learning
Students explored the concept of positive (helpful)and negative (unhelpful) talk to oneself and others. Insights were explored through real-life scenarios.
Students organized their thoughts about the real-life situations brainstormed earlier in a written task. They reflected about thoughts/ actions that led to a certain negative behaviour. Further they were encouraged to think about how positive thoughts might change the outcome. The goal of the lesson was to make students aware of positive and negative self-talk.
Blog: March 27 to March April 6, 2023
Unit of Inquiry
During the unit of inquiry classes, students continued to investigate properties of wood and fabric such as transparency, durability, texture, magnetic and non- magnetic. They also performed experiments to inquire if these material were good or bad conductors of heat and electricity. They recorded their observations in a booklet.
Later they revised the properties of the materials explored during the experiments. Properties of materials
They honed their thinking skills by reflecting on the properties of materials and recorded properties of the five materials covered during inquiry classes.
They were introduced to solids, liquids and gas . They also learnt about physical and chemical changes .
English:
The students read, identified, and spelled the split digraph ‘a-e’, and later framed sentences using them.
The students enhanced their listening and comprehension skills by listening to an audio passage. Later they attempted questions based on comprehension.
Students understood the structure of sentences by placing jumbled-up sentences in the correct sequence.
Math:
Students participated in a hands on activity where they filled various jars with liquids and noted capacity on an observation sheet to reinforce the concept of measuring capacity. Students acquired vocabulary like full, half, empty, liter, and milliliter while comparing the capacity of various containers.
Students practised word problems on measurement . They revised addition problems using various strategies like count-on strategy, number-line etc. They attempted an assessment on addition.
ICT:
During ICT classes, students were introduced to the coding concept of loops. They learnt to use the repeat loop and reduce the lines of code.
Furthermore, they are in the process of creating a digital book on the properties of material using Book creator application. They created the cover page of their book by adding background, images and text.
SEL:
Students played a silence game which gave them a sense of joy, achievement, and social spirit as they worked together to achieve a common goal. It helped students to learn self-control, which contributed to classroom effectiveness. The facilitator played the story link for students SELF-CONTROL. Students listed times and places where it is important to show self-control. They were offered insight into the skills of self-discipline and impulse control.
Self-control-Story
PE:
Students in grade one worked on different variations of dribbling and passing basketball. To improve their game, they also performed agility drills as warm-ups. In skating, students practiced balance on skates and participated in friendly races.
Art:
Soil and clay are versatile materials that can be used to evoke thought, evoke emotion, and explore ideas.
Students expressed themselves through art in a fun way! It encouraged them to be creative and helped them reflect on their experiences. They created beautiful artwork by combining various materials and techniques.
Music:
Students differentiated between rhythmic and melodic instruments wherein each one was asked to identify and name the instruments as rhythmic and melodic, later they played patterns and sang Mother Earth song.
Dance:
During dance classes in grade 1, students learned about different materials used in making dance props and costumes. Students understood that different materials have different properties and can be used to create different effects. Students were able to identify and describe some of the materials used for props and costumes. By understanding the properties of different materials, they have also begun to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills by thinking about how they could use different materials to achieve different effects.
Library:
Students were challenged to test their reading skills by exploring different genres of books in the library. From mystery and adventure fiction to science fiction, they had an opportunity to explore different types of literature and new authors. They were able to identify books to read and had the opportunity to discuss what they read. This challenge was a great opportunity for students to step out of their comfort zone and try something new.
Students found joy in reading genres they had never read before.. They also shared their experience about visiting the school book fair .
Blog: March 13 to March 24
The fortnight began with students tuning into the Transdisciplinary theme, ‘How the world works’. They watched a video called ‘Honda Cog’ to learn about the practical application of scientific principles on how things work. Students watched the new version of Aesop’s fable, The Three Little Pigs Design New Digs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB-DTLRt1gA), which prompted them to investigate why the wind could only blow off the house. This was followed by the creation of a word cloud containing phrases related to material and their properties. Students went on a gallery walk to observe view and feel the objects before recording their findings. This aided them in classifying substances as soft, hard, shiny, rough, smooth etc. An interactive discussion was held to gauge their understanding, using guiding questions such as the ones listed below:
- What do you already know about different materials?
- Use examples to back up what you already know.
- What do you wish to learn or discover?
Students understood the unique properties of metals such as lustre, magnetic, transparency, non-breakable etc, with experiments. They also learned about plastic and glass materials by holding them and comparing them to features they could feel or test in real-time.
English
Students learnt how to use prepositions of time to describe when events occur with the aid of flash cards. They constructed sentences using various prepositions related to time. As a recap, students engaged themselves in a hands-on activity in which they framed sentences based on their birthdate, the time a party began, and so on. Students completed written work on prepositions of time and position. They were tuned into the new topic of paragraph writing by learning to order sentences accurately and make connections.
Hindi
Students were Introduced ‘ऐ’ maatra words through various learning engagements. They enhanced their vocabulary of different ‘ऐ’ maatra words and also undertook writing practice.
Mathematics
Students began the week by reviewing the standard unit of measurement of length. They were able to determine the appropriate unit for measuring various lengths. As a reinforcement of the concept, they practiced measuring various dimensions of objects using a ruler. To strengthen the concept of weight, they participated in various activities such as sorting objects into light and heavy categories, among many others. They also walked to the exploration corner to weigh different items using standard weight of measuring units.
Library
Book fairs are a great way for little learners to explore the joy of reading. Students explored different types of books, ranging from picture books to classic favourites. They also discovered new books that they would like to read. During this reading skills were enhanced. They were excited to take books home to explore them on their own.
Information and Communication Technology
During ICT classes, students continued to work on the digital book creation application- Book Creator. They learnt to format the text, insert pictures, and add shapes on the page.
Furthermore, they learnt to download pictures from the internet on iPad.
Dance
Students were introduced to a smooth transition from basic to more complex combinations and patterns of different parts of the body, allowing students to develop a deeper understanding and mastery of movement, which is important for continued growth as dancers. This was followed by correlating of counts, isolations, and levels (high, medium, and low) to understand multi-movements and different dimensions. Different body isolations were practiced, and students were taught their importance in developing technical skills in dance. Students were also taught about the importance of performance, and quality, which includes the use of facial expressions, stage presence, and energy. Finally, students were introduced to body isolations and how to use them to create movement combinations. A freestyle dance routine was started on a song named “better when I am dancing” which was a great success as the students were engaged and excited to express themselves through movement.
Music
Students were exposed to different melodic and rhythmic instruments wherein they differentiated between rhythm and melody and how they differ.
They sang a song named “Mother Earth” in their music lesson to improve their intonation.
Art
“I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own.” – Jackson Pollock
Students finished their pointillism art, using two colour hues for each design. Students saw a clip of artist Jackson Pollock’s artwork, in which they did a blow technique with paints.
Physical and Health Education
Students in grade 1 practiced low and high and V dribble in basketball. During their skating lessons, students did some stopping along with friendly races.
Blog: February 20 to March 3 , 2023
Unit of Inquiry
The week began with the recapitulation of fauna by sorting picture cards under the category- mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and fish. Further, they were introduced to the food chain and how every living thing is part of the large network, emphasizing the concept of interdependence. They inquired about the food chain using a variety of audio-visual resources and hands-on activities. Students were assessed on first line of inquiry, where they displayed agency by choosing one flora and fauna to write the characteristics of each.
Students in groups chose different materials like pictures, play dough, or puppets to show the food chain of their choice. To further enhance their understanding of the concept of interdependence they observed the food chain with one element missing from the it, thus delving into second line of inquiry. They reflected on this engagement using a fishbone analysis diagram to find the cause of missing element and its effect on the food chain. They also reflected on their role and responsibilities toward maintaining balance in the ecosystem as inappropriate human actions can lead to imbalance.
Students culminated their understanding of the unit during the UOI presentation.
English
Students continued to practice the usage of previously done pronouns (I, me, he, she, him, her, you, they etc) by engaging themselves in written and oral tasks. They were also introduced to the usage of the pronoun ‘it’ followed by written tasks. They were introduced to the digraph ‘ph’ vocabulary using flash cards and reading comprehension. They also listed the words in their journals and used them in sentences.
As an integration into the current unit of inquiry students watched the story ‘The Great Kapok Tree’ by Lynne Cherry. This story helped them understand their responsibility towards living things. As a follow-up, they played the role of the tree and explained why its life is so important for other living things.
They learned prepositions through an interesting activity.
Hindi
Students were engaged in practicing hindi poem for the upcoming UOI presentation. They also revised ‘ए’ maatra words followed by writing practice.
Mathematics
Students were provoked to the concept of measurement through an interesting engagement where they collected a variety of objects from the class and arranged them based on height, length, or weight. They were introduced to vocabulary related measurement like long, longer, longest, short, shorter, shortest; tall, taller, tallest; heavy, heavier, heaviest, etc. They learned about non-standard units of measurement and watched the story ‘How Big is a Foot’ to understand the need for standard tools of measurement. They observed a variety of standard measuring tools set in the exploration corner.
Library
During library lessons, students listened to the story “Amma, tell me about Holi” and joined Klaka and his family, who were gearing up for Holi, the festival of colours. They also inquired about the significance of the colour-filled Holi celebration. They were able to form personal connections and exchange ideas about how they would commemorate the festival.
Story link:
Amma, tell me about Holi!
Information and Communication Technology
During ICT classes, students were introduced to a digital book creation application, Book Creator. They are in the process of creating the cover page of the book by adding the different elements of the app like page colour, text showcasing the title and the author’s name, and using the different text formatting options.
Furthermore, they practiced typing through an online activity to enhance their typing skills.
Dance
Students of grade 1 rehearsed a dance routine for their UOI presentation and improved their physical strength skills. This also helped them develop teamwork, communication, and problem-solving abilities, as they needed to coordinate their movements with their peers and work together to create a cohesive performance.
Music
Students of grade prepared a song on the food chain for their unit presentation wherein they practiced in groups and learned to sing in unison and solo while maintaining intonation.
Art
Students continued their pointillism dot art with multiple brush sizes, pencils, and cotton swabs. Students create shapes, details, and even different colors by using tiny dots of red, yellow, blue, green, and white.
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Knowing which ones to keep is an art.” Scott Adams
Physical and Health Education
In their PHE class students learned and practiced balancing and walking on the balancing beam, jumping over the horse vault, and doing front rolls. In skating, they practiced stopping and balancing on skates.
Social Emotional Learning
Students brainstormed their thoughts and ideas about essential agreements to be followed in the dining hall. They displayed their writing skills and creativity by creating posters to express their thoughts about the same, for example-wait for your turn, taking small bites, chewing without making a sound, using please and thank you, finishing whatever is on the plate, and stacking dishes once done eating, etc. The goal was to make students aware of the consequences of their actions and develop the skill of accepting others’ ideas/ opinions/ perceptions along with taking responsibility.
Blog: February 06 to February 19, 2023
Unit of Inquiry
Students of Grade 1 went on field trip to Sunder nursery to enjoy a sensory experience while viewing different tree species, varieties of flowers, and birds in the park.
Students walked through the garden and explored the flora. The park provided a setting for an engaging experience rich in ecology, biodiversity, heritage, and enjoyment. There were specialized play areas for children, a wilderness zone replete with birds, butterflies, bees and dragonflies, where students learned about nature and plants. They gained rare insight into the wonderful world of spices and medicinal plants.
To build a connection between the experience of the field trip and the learning that they derived from it, students reflected using the three, two, one strategy.
Students inquired into animal classification through audio- visuals and flash cards. They learned about the life process of living things- movement, respiration, nutrition, growth, and reproduction.
Later they sorted the animal pictures under the categories of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and fish.
They also learned the life cycle of a plant and frog to deepen their understanding of flora and fauna.
English
They were introduced to pronouns as words that replaces nouns with a classroom engagement. They understood the usage and importance of pronouns such as I, me and my. Later, they wrote a few lines about themselves, and their family members to showcase their understanding using pronouns. They were also introduced to the usage and application of pronouns such as he, his, him, she, and her. They were appraised with ‘ph’ diagraph with the help of picture cards.
Math
Students used RUSC (Read- Underline Solve- Check) strategy to solve the word problems. They enhanced their critical thinking skills- ‘Organize information’ to recognize the problems and ‘Information transfer skills’ where they combined knowledge, conceptual understanding and skills to find solutions to problems. It also helped them creating word statements with ease.
They further strengthened the concept of addition by creating number bonds using story sums.
Hindi
Students practiced ‘उ’ and ‘भ’ letter words through writing practice. They were introduced to ‘ऊ’ and ‘ए’ maatra through various learning engagement followed by writing practice. They also enhanced their reading skills by reading paragraph on different matras.
SEL
Students watched an audio-visual presentation “A Whale’s Tale Hope Works”. They expressed their thoughts and ideas about the video. The goal was to make students emotionally aware of their immediate physical environment. Having learned to be more compassionate towards their environment, they developed the skill of Self-efficacy and the skill of accepting others’ ideas/opinions/perceptions.
A Whale’s Tale Hope Works
ICT
During ICT lessons students continued their learning on Microsoft word. They practiced adding bullets, numbers and insertion of pictures.
Furthermore, they were briefed on the importance of giving break to eyes while working online and the importance of taking regular breaks for their physical health.
Music
Students participated in vocal warmups wherein they did some breathing and vocal articulation exercises to improve their vocal quality, they sang the food chain song individually and in groups.
Dance
Students of grade 1 have developed an understanding of basic and elementary structures in choreography. This demonstrates a good foundation for further development of their skills in dance and movement. Students have progressed to applying their understanding of choreographic structures in a dance routine based on patterns. This shows their ability to put their knowledge into practice and develop their skills further in movement and expression through dance.
Art
Students learned about pointillism art and how it is formed. They drew multiple designs about daylight, backyard scene, sunflowers, trees, and so on, and began painting with old pencils and earbuds.
Blog: January 16 to February 3, 2023
Unit of Inquiry
The new term began with an exchange of new year’s pleasantries between the students and teachers. Students revisited essential agreements for term 2.
They were introduced to a new unit under Transdisciplinary theme, ‘Sharing the planet’ by tuning into the conceptual lens, ‘Interdependence’. To enhance their understanding, they watched a story about Earth, post which they shared their reflections by answering the following guiding questions.
● What did you notice?
● Who were there in the story?
● Who do we share our Earth with?
As a provocation to the unit, the students went for a nature walk during which they recorded their observations on different kinds of creatures and things they could see. .
Students unjumbled phrases to decode the central idea. They were tuned into the first line of inquiry with a sorting activity on living and non-living things. A concept-map was used to compile the key points.
Students listened to a story about living things to understand the relationship between plants and animals (https://storyweaver.org.in/search?query=story%20on%20plants%20and%20animals). This helped them connect the dots how plants support animal life and how animals contribute to supporting plant life.
Based on the nature walk, they could appreciate the differences between plants, based on their growth. Students categorized the plants as herbs, shrubs, and trees.
Taking the unit further, the students observed various animals and sorted them based on texture of their skin, the number of legs, habitat, and the number of babies each can produce.
English
An ice-breaking activity was undertaken in which students described their peers with positive adjectives. To revise the topics already covered, the children created a list of items they see in their vicinity and group them as proper nouns or common nouns. They chose chits with incomplete sentences and completed them using suitable adjectives.
Students were introduced to the blend ‘st’ with pictures which they named. They came up with similarity in all words and mentioned the blend ‘st’. They recalled the words and wrote them in the journals and framed sentences using them. Using word cards, they were also apprised with ‘tw’ blend words. Each student was motivated to read aloud the words from the given resource and make sentences.
Going further, tenses were revisited through an audio/visual session wherein the story, ‘The Pizza Pets’ was read aloud. Students then identified the time frame it was set in. They used simple sentences to understand and differentiate between present and past tense.
Maths
The term started with the recapitulation of number concepts like expanded forms and increasing/decreasing orders through hands on learning experiences and class exercises. An activity was later conducted using a Teens board to revisit the concept of odd and even numbers.
The learners solved number stories in addition using the count-on strategy and used manipulatives like blocks and beads. The facilitator also apprised them with the basic properties of addition like equality of results irrespective of the order of addends in the equation.
Students later practiced number bonds using manipulatives available in the class. Their observations were recorded in a graphic organizer given to them.
Hindi
In their Hindi lesson, students talked about how they spent their winter vacation. They enhanced their vocabulary with a ‘शब्द-सीढ़ी’ activity. Students also revised matraas taught in term. Students wrote words and sentences with the same. They recited poem ‘मेरे प्यारे जानवर’ and also learned about animals and their homes.
Art
Students comprehended various patterns. They collected various leaves and coloured their impressions on paper.
After learning about Republic Day, children drew India Gate.
Music
Students were introduced to rhythm and its significance wherein they were demonstrated different patterns on different rhythmic instruments e.g. drums, congo, and shakers, and were asked to play back the same to hone their listening skills.
ICT
During ICT classes, students were introduced to document creation application Microsoft Word. They learnt various text formatting options like font, font size, text colour, making the text bold, italics, underlined.
Furthermore, they also learnt to insert bullets, numbering and pictures.
PHE
During their PE lessons students were introduced to Gymnastics where they learned to do vaulting on vault horse.
Dance
Students of grade 1 were introduced to a smooth transition from basic to more complex combinations and patterns of different parts of the body, allowing them to develop a deeper understanding and mastery of movement, which is important for continued growth as dancers. This was followed by correlating counts, isolations, and levels (high, medium, and low) to understand multi-movements and the different dimensions. Different body isolations were practiced and the students were taught about their importance in developing technical skills in dance. The students were also taught about the importance of performance, and quality, which includes the use of facial expressions, stage presence, and energy. Finally, students learned body isolations and how to use them to create movement combinations. A freestyle dance routine was started on a song named “better when I am dancing” which was a great success as students were engaged and excited to express themselves through movement.
Library
“Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible.” – Barack Obama
Reading aloud is one of the most powerful tools for change that we have. When we read aloud with others, we are not just strengthening our literacy skills and bringing communities together. We are also creating a culture of confident, engaged learners who know the power of their own voices.
During library lessons, students enhanced their language skills by participating in World Read Aloud Day activities. They chose a task card and read aloud the instructions on that in order to finish the task. They also read a book named “Giggle, Giggle, Quack” that reinforced the communicator learner profile attribute. They enjoyed the session by reading out loud to their class.
SEL
Students watched a short story ‘The Duck Who Didn’t Want to Share’ which was based on relationship building, nurturing bonds, and teamwork. After listening to the story, they communicated with each other effectively about their thoughts and feelings. The activity demonstrated active listening wherein students displayed their understanding of teamwork as well as made connections with their personal experiences from the story, ‘The Duck Who Didn’t Want to Share’- https://youtu.be/GGBYFn4iXtA
Blog: December 5 to December 16 , 2022
Unit of inquiry
Furthering their understanding of the various art forms under the transdisciplinary theme ‘How we express ourselves’, learners were apprised with the different mudras used in dance which resembled various birds and animals such as peacocks, deer, etc.
To convey that storytelling is a fascinating way of expressing our feelings, they had a storytelling session in which ‘The Library Lion’ (https://storylineonline.net/books/library-lion/) was shown.
During art, students used their artistic instincts to fill in motif spaces of Madhubani art using a plethora of patterns. They learned about the categorization of colours into two groups- primary and secondary colours. They used sketch pens to give fine details to their painting. Using the map of India, the facilitator told them about states to which the various art forms belong.
Drawing parallels with music, as reinforcement of the previously taught concepts, they were asked to identify distinctive sounds of instruments and vocals used in the rock and pop genre. They were motivated to compose a small music piece on xylophone and share their emotions using the same.
In dance lessons, to gauge their understanding of freestyle dance under the ongoing theme, they were encouraged to create a freestyle dance routine, portraying certain emotions on a music piece provided to them. As part of an icebreaking activity, each student performed some dance steps, displaying any one expression that the others had to identify.
English
To enhance their understanding of adjectives, the learners played a board game ‘describe me!’ in which on every move, some instructions pertinent to the topic had to be adhered to. An interesting activity was conducted in class where they got the opportunity to revise all the parts of speech covered till now. They learned about words containing ‘ck’ digraphs and ‘oo’ sounds and framed sentences using the same.
The students were introduced to ‘Tenses’ using a poster strategy. To familiarise them with their usual observations, the facilitator talked about verb tense ending in most sentences and helping verbs. As a reinforcement of the taught concept, they drew an anchor chart to simultaneously add verbs that they came across within their reading and writing pieces. In practice sessions, they chose verbs and framed meaningful sentences using them. A formative assessment based on verbs was attempted by children for analysing their progress and understanding of the topic.
Maths
A hands-on activity was conducted in which the students used manipulatives to practice single-digit addition based on count-on strategy. After dividing the class into two groups, the facilitator gave them some equations which they were asked to solve using a number grid.
The educator introduced them to the vertical addition table and gave instructions on its usage. The students were motivated to create their own word problems and ask their friends to solve them using any of the methods covered till then.
Hindi
They were shown a story named “Aalsi Tidda” and later asked to do story sequencing. They were able to retell the story in their own words.
Recapitulation of matra was done in class wherein the learners wrote words consisting of ‘अ’, ‘आ’, ‘इ’, ‘ई’, ‘उ’ and ‘ऊ’, and framed sentences with them. A spell bee was conducted to enhance and assess their vocabulary.
ICT
During ICT lessons, students observed ‘Hour of Code’ week. There were a wide range of coding lessons and activities from which students learned the fundamentals of coding. Students participated in coding games in which they arranged blocks of code to complete an assigned task. During this activity, the students developed their computational thinking skills.
Furthermore, they were made aware of the secure and insecure websites by identifying the icons and the websites which are ‘just right’ and ‘not right’.
They were also introduced to an online emoji maker application wherein they designed an emoticon to express their feelings and enhance their creativity.
Library
“Just make a mark and see where it takes you.”- Peter H. Reynolds
Students found joy in listening to the story named “The Dot” and celebrated the creative spirit in everyone. The story also focused on creative thinking, problem-solving, and imagination.
They were engaged in a “Blank Dot” activity as an expansion. They used their creativity and critical thinking abilities to express themselves during this exercise.
The story was also integrated with the current Unit of Inquiry. Students inquired into how art helps to express our thoughts.
Resource- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpmNXbkLu6c&feature=youtu.be
SEL
Students did a hat-making activity. The facilitator encouraged the students to think of some positive affirmations to build their confidence. They had drawn a confidence hat and wrote some positive affirmations. While doing the activity we observed students feel more empowered, especially when they feel shy or speak up in the classroom. Affirmations help students to gain confidence, contribute to a growth mindset, and help them truly believe in themselves. Kids need to hear what makes them special and strong repeatedly. Affirming positive messages are like acts of kindness and love towards themselves that build self-esteem and self-belief which will stay with them throughout their life. Students were guided to practice self-confidence and motivated to set different goals to accomplish. They developed the skills of self-awareness.
PHE
Students started their class with dynamic warm up exercises. Students practiced 50m flat race, 50m hurdle race and relay race. Students worked on the enhancement of the motor skills by performing various movements using circuits. In skating, students enhanced their balancing skills without losing balance in the middle of taking rounds.
Blog: November 21 to December 2, 2022
Unit of Inquiry
Taking further the unit under the transdisciplinary theme, ‘How we express ourselves, the learners were apprised with the term ‘expression’ and its verbal and non-verbal. They were made aware of what art is and how it might be represented in various ways, including performing and visual arts. Through brainstorming sessions held in specialized classes, the students were motivated to come up with new understanding about how music, dance and art may help us convey our feelings.
During their music lessons students were introduced to four different genres of music (Rock, Pop, Western classical and Jazz). They listened to four different tracks under each genre and wrote their emotions associated with each genre. By listening to various genres, they also enriched their understanding about the significance of song writing and lyrics. While learning about the genre– ‘pop’, students understood how upbeat pop songs affect one’s emotions.
Following are the tracks:
- Rock- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxDiQhNO780
- Pop- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0DM5lcj6mw
- Western classical- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgpJVI3tDbY
- Jazz- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3_3J3HstvA
Students were introduced to different dance forms and costumes related to each dance form. They were also shown a video of a shadow dance performance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkX_gAd-ga8&feature=youtu.be) and students were asked to interpret its meaning. Furthering their learning in dance, ‘gat’ was introduced to children through a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZfDJ4NmrfU&feature=youtu.be), wherein small stories are enacted using rhythmic movements. ‘Navras’ or ‘The nine expressions’ were introduced following which they were encouraged to weave a story consisting of all the learned expressions. This helped them enhance their storytelling and creative skills.
In art, students were introduced to different genres of art using artifacts and pictures of various artforms. Later, students were also introduced to Mithila art and its journey. Different patterns were created on the borders of a sheet and use of stencil was demonstrated.
English
In a storytelling session, students were read a story, ‘The World of Music’ (https://storyweaver.org.in/stories/46670-world-of-music?mode=read), after which they labelled three musical instruments they came across in the story. They demonstrated a clear understanding of their verbal and comprehension skills by retelling the same in sequential order and identifying the main events of a story. Going ahead with blends, they decoded words with ‘ur’,’er’ and ‘ir’; interpreted their meanings and framed sentences with them.
They were also introduced to syllables through hands on activity and were apprised of the usage of syllables which helps to spell words and pronounce them correctly. Students acquired knowledge of adjectives to enhance their language skills.
Math
Students were taken for a gallery walk to explore/observe different shapes. Students
were invited to reflect upon the properties of 2D shapes. Taking this understanding further, they reflected on the properties of various 2D shapes like square, rectangle, triangle, circle, pentagon and hexagon. Students in pairs made different 2D shapes with ice cream sticks. Students were engaged in a fun activity where they drew shapes, cut them and put them together to create different objects/things of their choice. Taking the concept of shapes further, they were taken for a gallery walk around school where 3D shapes like cylindrical, cones, cubes, cuboids etc were identified. Student also learned the relationship between 2D and 3D shapes. To enhance their logical thinking skills, a sudoku activity was conducted.
Hindi
The students were introduced to स्वर ‘ई’, ‘उ’ and wrote words beginning with them in journals. They were introduced to व्यंजन ‘झ’,’श’. They learnt about the formation of the letters and framed short sentences with words starting with them. In order to enrich their vocabulary and develop the use of correct words, spell-bee was conducted in class.
ICT
During ICT classes, students created a document on the Microsoft Word application. They learn to type the text, change font, font size, highlight the text and change the colour of the text.
Furthermore, they were introduced to the basic coding skills using the repeat loop which enhanced their computational and thinking skills.
PHE
Students practiced fundamental skills of football such as passing, dribbling and shooting and also did some yoga stretches as cool down activity. For skating, they worked on start, moving and balancing on the skates.
Library
“Just make a mark and see where it takes you.”- Peter H. Reynolds
Students listened to a story about a girl named Vashti who was encouraged by her teacher to take a risk, which led her to make a better dot, and then another and another. She gained pride and confidence in her artistic abilities and displayed all her dot artwork at the school art show. When she sees a small child appreciating her work, he confesses to her that he has no ability to draw. Vashti encouraged the boy, as her teacher did to her, to “make a mark and see where it takes you.”
Students found joy in listening to the story and celebrated the creative spirit in everyone. The story also focused on creative thinking, problem-solving, and imagination.
The story was also integrated with the current Unit of Inquiry. Students inquired into how art helps to express our thoughts.
Resource- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpmNXbkLu6c&feature=youtu.be
Blog- November 7- November 18, 2022
Unit of Inquiry
To take the unit on health forward, students were assessed on their understanding of 3rd line of inquiry ‘choices we can make to keep ourselves healthy’. They created a booklet on the healthy habits that they follow. They were given a well-defined checklist at the onset of the task to make them aware of the expectations.
Students inquired into different kinds of food and recreational activities followed at different places through a presentation. Students marked different countries (like India, Switzerland, South Africa and Australia) on the world map thus enhancing their mapping skills.
The culmination of the unit was marked by a summative assessment where all the sections of Grade 1 came together to present a health fest for students of Grade 2. During the health fest, students presented all five factors that affect health and demonstrated yoga postures that help to keep the physical body healthy. Later, they used the VTR- head, heart, and hands to display their understanding of the unit.
- Head – What have you learned?
- Heart – How do you feel?
- Hands – What are you going to do?
Students were tuned into the new unit ‘Arts communicate in a variety of ways’. Provocation to the transdisciplinary theme ‘How we express ourselves’ was done with a performance by the art, music, and dance teachers. Later the students participated in a classroom discussion by answering questions like.
- What was the purpose of the performance by the teachers?
- How did you feel about it?
- What does it remind you of?
English
Students recalled the routine they had created and made a list of action words like sleeping, brushing, bathing, dressing, eating and wrote these words in their journals. They were made to understand that these action words are called verbs.
Introduction to phonogram ‘th’ was taken up in class. They were shown various flashcards on ‘th’. They were apprised of the two different sounds of ‘th’ and their correct usage. They recalled and wrote a few words with ’th’ sounds. As a follow-up activity, they attempted an activity sheet – to match the picture with the correct ‘th’ word.
Next, understanding and defining syllables were done with a hands-on activity wherein they learned to break the word into syllables using different strategies.
Math
Students were read a story ‘Shape circus’ to gauge their prior knowledge of different 2D shapes. Taking this understanding further, students reflected upon the properties of various 2D shapes like squares, rectangles, triangles, and circles. Students were engaged in a fun activity of creating different shapes using materials like ice cream sticks and strings.
Students practiced reading, writing and modeling numerals 50-99 using manipulatives like base ten blocks. They also practiced number names from eleven to twenty.
Hindi
Students were introduced to ‘ई’ maatra. They were shown a PPT of ‘ई’ matra words. In order to enhance their speaking and reading skills, students identified व्यंजन ड़ (vyanjan). They shared the words during class. Students also learned words with व्यंजन ड़ (vyanjan). Rhymes and stories were enacted and narrated for vocabulary development to enhance their listening, thinking and writing skills.
Art
Students were introduced to Madhubani art, a type of folk art, which is also known as Mithila art. They explored this art using natural colours and are represented by line drawings filled with bright colours. They started their work with different types of lines and found this art enjoyable.
Library
Little learners listened to the hilarious adventure story which began in Hong Kong, where the royal family was enjoying their winter vacation and Princess Easy Pleasy refused to drink the milk because it wasn’t like the milk she had at home. The Royal Packer is summoned, a diligent list is maintained and a cow is added to the next vacation to China. But, again, the food wasn’t like the food she had at home, so for the next vacation to Singapore, a chef with a pressure cooker, rice, and vegetables were added. And so, it went, vacation after vacation, till Princess Easy Pleasy asked for the same elephant from back home. In an absolutely inspired sequence of story and illustration, the elephant is stuffed into the airplane, the airplane struggles to breathe, and then it busts open, with exasperated adults and animals spilling out. In the end, the Queen agreed to vacation only on one condition, and so Princess Easy Pleasy learned to appreciate and adjust to different cultures.
The story also focused on creative thinking, problem solving, imagination, and caring for each other.
SEL
Students watched an audio-visual presentation ‘First Place – a story about self-confidence and friendship’. Self-confidence is liking yourself, feeling worthwhile and believing in yourself. Confidence helps them to move forward with people. Students build relationship skills. These are skills like sharing, taking turns, cooperating, listening to others, managing disagreements, and seeing other people’s points of view.
Dance
The dance class started with a cardio warmup to understand the cardiovascular activity. All students participated in the warmup. The class then moved on to learning some basic dance moves. The students were taught how to do a basic step, turn, and jump. They were also taught how to do a basic grapevine. The students were then put into pairs and given a minute to practice the moves they had just learned. After they had practiced, the students were then asked to perform the moves to the class.
ICT
During ICT classes, students were introduced to Artificial Intelligence. They played an online doodling game wherein the players were challenged to draw a picture of an object or idea and then it used artificial intelligence to guess what the drawing represents.
Furthermore, they were introduced to the basics of document creation application- Microsoft Word. They learned to change font and font size, make the text bold, italics and underlined.
PE
Grade 1 students in their PE lessons worked on improving their mobility and flexibility with the help of yoga and stretching exercises. Students also worked on their body balance and concentration with yoga postures such as tree pose and meditation.
Blog- October 17- November 6, 2022
Unit of Inquiry
As the fortnight welcomed national festivals, young learners at school participated in festivities with zeal and joy. To highlight the significance of light during Diwali, students were motivated to decorate diyas using artistic instincts. To tune them into the theme of health and connect the dots with festivals, students were made aware of the value of staying active and adhering to healthy eating habits, especially during festivals.
To deepen their awareness of hygiene they were shown an audio-visual presentation on personal hygiene and grooming (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5BtnvQqbWs) and were encouraged to brainstorm on the following questions-
- Why is it important to keep the surroundings clean?
- What happens when dirty water collects around the house?
- Why should we use dustbins?
Keeping in line with our belief that mental health is as important as physical health, children were engaged in discussion on ways to bond with their family and friends, they performed some fun-filled activities with their families.
To emphasize on the need for staying stress and fatigue-free, learners were briefed about ‘rest’ and a ‘good night’s sleep. A concept map pertinent to its key pointers was drawn in their journals.
The students were also probed on activities that they love doing in their spare time and how such ‘recreational’ activities help in enhancing physical and mental fitness. An audio-visual presentation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNJODL3krFA ) was shown to deepen their understanding of recreation.
English
An interesting story, ‘Maddie’s Fridge’ (https://storylineonline.net/books/maddis-fridge/) was shown where a girl named Sofia wanted to help her friend.
The learners recapped verbs with a fun-filled game- Charades, where one group of students identified the action word which the other group enacted. Students revisited their daily routine which they had recorded and used action words from it. Students also highlighted nouns in the sentences and used suitable symbol for the same.
As part of their vocabulary development, children were familiarized with the ‘th’ phonogram using flashcards. They were apprised of the two different usages.
Math
Reinforcement activities on ‘patterns’ were undertaken to extend learning. Students decoded various number patterns on a grid of 1-50. Various learning engagements were carried out enthusiastically to deepen their understanding of patterns.
Students were introduced to ‘Pictographs’ through a hands-on activity in which students interpreted the data.
This helped them enhance their critical and analytical thinking skills.
Hindi
During their Hindi lessons, students honed their reading and writing skills by reading words with व्यंजन ड़ और ढ (vyanjan). They shared the words during the class. They listened to the story ‘मुर्गा और लोमड़ी’ using audio and visual aids. To bridge art and unit of inquiry information, they created designs of ‘Satya’ or ‘Swastika’ symbol as part of Diwali celebrations. They also listened to a story to understand the importance of ‘Diwali’. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrD0lzJrfFQ&feature=youtu.be).
Art
Students were introduced to the idea of poster making. Students learned major elements of poster and its purpose. Students also saw some examples of poster on healthy habits.
Music
Students in grade 1 learned the concept of time signatures in music wherein they were demonstrated how different time signature’s function.
They also sang different songs to make the lesson interesting.
ICT
During ICT classes, students showcased comparison between healthy and junk food through sketchpad.io app. They used different elements of the app like text, background and clipart to show the comparison.
PHE
The students revisited the fundamentals of cricket and upgraded their skills by practically demonstrating certain moves. They also participated in skating activities and honed their balancing, turning, and speeding skills. They practiced ‘braking’ or ‘stopping’ while speeding.
Dance
Students of grade 1 were commenced with basic warm up routines focusing on their joint rotations. A Freestyle Dance Routine was also performed in small groups in front of the peers on song name stay. Students were also introduced to Jazz walk on different types of music.
Library
During library lessons, students listened to the story “Hurray for Diwali ” and joined Gittoo and his family, who were gearing up for Diwali, the festival of lights. The whole family was involved in clearing the house, removing unused and old stuff for upcycling, making sweets, and gearing up to receive family from outstation for the festival. They also listened to Gittoo’s mother, who explained the story behind Diwali and the Laxmi Puja that marked the festival. They were able to form personal connections and exchange ideas about how they would commemorate the festival.
SEL
Students celebrated the month of October as Mental Health Awareness Month. They were taken through a powerpoint presentation and made aware of the importance of mental health for living a healthy and happy life. Students learned to practice kindness and compassion towards others. Points like healthy eating, sleeping, exercising, meditating, engaging in the activities that make us happy were reiterated for a healthy mind and body.
Blog October 3 – October 14, 2022
Unit of inquiry
Students were tuned into the unit on health. In order to gauge their prior knowledge, they were asked to create a routine/ timetable for a day. They drew a symbol/ object to represent an activity or wrote about it. Facilitators noted if the essential elements for good health like rest, recreation, exercise, food and hygiene had been included in the routine they made. They enhanced their organizational skills as they used their time effectively while performing the activity. They also developed their critical thinking skills as they learned how to make informed decisions that promote good health.
They were introduced to the first and second lines of inquiry, balanced lifestyle and the factors that contribute to health respectively.
A connection with National Nutrition week was established through a class discussion on farm-to-table learning engagement wherein the importance of local and seasonal food was emphasised. An extension activity was also taken up using Brain POP Jr video.
Later, they probed into the following questions-
- Why should you eat healthy foods?
- What is junk food?
- How can you choose healthy food for breakfast?
They understood and realised the significance of healthy food. They could differentiate between the food items that helped them feel energetic and the food items which could not satisfy their appetite.
They were introduced to a healthy food plate and food pyramid. They were able to identify the various food groups and discussed their significance- BrainPOP Jr –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv9TgpcPsroe. They were introduced to keywords related to food groups. Example- carbohydrates – energy. To make their understanding deep-rooted, they were shown videos on the same topic.
As a follow-up activity, they labelled different food groups on a given food pyramid.
They visited the school’s herb garden to understand the health benefits of various herbs like mint, tulsi etc. In order to assess their understanding, there was a class discussion on the same topic. The entire class participated with a lot of enthusiasm.
English
Indefinite articles were introduced to students through a provocation. They revisited consonants and vowels through a hands-on activity using the ‘Large Movable Alphabet’ box.
Introduction to ‘ee’ words was taken up through the ‘ee’ story. Later, they attempted various activities to strengthen their understanding and usage of ‘ee’ words.
Students enhanced their speaking and presenting skills students as they participated in, ‘Just a minute’ activity. They paired and selected cut-outs of various picture cards from different categories – ‘who’, ‘doing what?’, ‘where?’, ‘when?’. Thereafter, they created simple meaningful sentences.
Spell bee for ‘sh’ words and sight words was also taken up in class.
Math
Recap of counting backwards and comparing numbers, subitising, place value, and ordering numbers were taken up using hands-on manipulatives.
The concept of estimation was introduced through a provocation wherein different estimation stations were created in the classroom for estimation practice. First, students verbally recorded the estimation of objects. As a follow-up activity, a Powerpoint presentation was shared which was followed by a discussion on what they could see and what their estimate could be?
The teacher explained estimation by creating and using estimation jars. They learnt the keywords- almost, close to, meaningful guess. Then they wrote/ drew their understanding of estimation and formed a real-life connection about what they were estimating. This helped in honing their critical thinking skills.
They understood estimation using ten frame card array. At first, they understood the ten-frame card as equal distribution of objects into rows and columns. A fun activity on linear estimation was taken up wherein they were asked to guess the dots on ten frame cards. Students understood strategies for counting arrays using ten frame cards to guess the quantity.
Introduction to patterns was taken up. They recognized, created, copied and extended patterns. They were introduced to patterns by playing a fun game using rhythm/sound cards. They used loose parts like bottle caps, marbles, coloured tapes etc and created their own patterns.
Skip counting of 2’s, 5’s, 10’s and odd and even patterns using the number grid was taken up.
Hindi
Students were introduced to ‘इ’ maatra. In order to enhance their speaking and reading skills, students identified the व्यंजन ड और ठ (vyanjan). They shared the words during class. They listened to the story ड और ठ (vyanjan). Rhymes and stories were enacted and narrated for vocabulary development as their listening, thinking and writing skills were enhanced.
Art
After understanding different patterns of mandala art on graph paper, students began to draw mandala art designs without using graph sheets. Later, they painted the design and highlighted it with a black pen.
Music
Students in grade 1 learned to sing the song, ‘She’ll be coming around the mountains, in groups wherein they were asked to focus on the intonation and pitch.
PHE
Students in their PHE lessons learned fundamental skills of cricket such as bowling, batting and fielding whereas in skating students worked on speed, balancing and turning on skates.
Dance
Students commenced with warmup for mobilizing joints and strength. This was followed by a freestyle dance routine on a song name “dynamite”. -Students also performed walk and freeze across the floor with the music to improve hand and leg coordination.
Library
“Reading a good book is like taking a journey…”- Emma Gulliford
Students were exposed to a wide range of storybooks in the library. They selected culturally diverse books which helped them to discover and make connections to their own life experiences. Reading aloud helped them to use comprehension strategies that are important when reading independently.
September 19 – October 1, 2022
Unit of Inquiry
Students reflected upon their learning from the unit under, “How we organize ourselves”, using the visible thinking routine 3-2-1.
A new unit was commenced with the introduction of the transdisciplinary theme: “Who we are”.
Central Idea: Leading a balanced lifestyle helps us stay healthy.
An inquiry into-
- A balanced lifestyle (Form)
- Factors that contribute to health (Causation)
- Choices we can make to keep ourselves healthy (Responsibility)
To tune students into the new unit, a station was set up wherein students observed different objects under the categories of exercise, food, recreation, rest and hygiene Later, they recalled and shared their observations with peers using the ‘Donut strategy’.
A follow-up activity, “I, ME, MYSELF” was taken up wherein students used the template to depict themselves visually with the help of some guiding questions-
- What do you like to eat?
- What are your hobbies?
- What do you like to do?
- What makes you happy
- Which is your favourite place to go on a holiday?
Students were familiarized with the TD theme, ‘Who we are’ and were explained that the unit is about who we are because of what we do (personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health).
Provocation to the unit was initiated by forming connection to previous knowledge with new learning. Thus, students were encouraged to share their understanding regarding good and bad habits based on 5 elements (food, hygiene, exercise, rest, and recreation). They observed and sorted objects as per their understanding and explained the criteria for sorting the pictures. They also formed connections to their recent learning during National Nutrition Week. As a follow up activity, students shared their understanding of health on a concept map ’.
English
Introduction to articles, ‘a’ and ‘an’ and the symbol (small light blue coloured triangle) was done through a provocation, wherein the facilitator shared the alphabet with students and they recalled and identified vowels. Thereafter, the facilitator introduced articles, ‘a’ and ‘an’.
They understood the difference between a phrase and a sentence with an activity wherein they first read a certain group of words then later, matched those with another set of words to make meaningful sentences. A follow up activity was taken up they read some jumbled up words and then unjumbled the words to create meaningful sentences. They also highlighted the nouns and articles with appropriate symbols.
Digraphs ‘ch’ and ‘sh’ were revisited wherein students found and circled all the words which began with ‘ch’ and ‘sh’. They also recalled and wrote the words in their journals.
Students attempted a worksheet on reinforcement of nouns, articles and punctuation and capitalization and a period. They also attempted a crossword puzzle with ‘sh’ words.
Math
Students learnt counting backwards with a hands-on activity. They practiced drawing number lines (1to10) and (11to 20) on a graph paper and understood how to use a number line. Their critical thinking skills were honed as they practiced recap of counting backward and comparing numbers with a number line.
Their understanding of number concepts was strengthened with hands-on activities using various manipulatives. Recapitulation of the concept of place value, odd and even, expanded form, comparing numbers and backward counting was taken up.
The concept of estimation was also introduced with the aid of estimation jars. They guessed and recorded their estimation and were introduced to the keywords almost, close to.
Hindi
In their Hindi classes, students revisited ‘i’ swar (इ स्वर). They read sentences and wrote words of the same matra. They watched a story ‘फूटा घड़ा’ (phoota ghadaa) and to express comprehension they did visual imagery of the same. They recited a poem ‘सभी फलों में सेब है न्यारा’ (sabhi phalon mein seb hai nyara). They read ‘i’ maatra(इ मात्रा) sentences and made pictures of the underlined words.
Art
Students learned different patterns of Mandala art using gird format to understand the scale and proportions. Furthermore, students used the same method to create a mandala art design using their knowledge of the patterns they learned.
PHE
Students explored different sports as well as recreational games in their PE lessons. They actively played Football and Cricket, as well as performed drills which were essential to building speed and endurance. Whereas in skating students were able to refine their stance and did some friendly races among themselves.
Dance
Students of grade 1 commenced warmup exercises for mobilizing joints and this was followed by a small presentation on a jazz dance routine to a song name “hall of fame” in front of peers in house group. Students also performed basic walk across the floor with the music to with improved hand and leg coordination.
Music
Students of grade 1 learned how to create beat and rhythm. They were divided into groups to create five different patterns using different instruments (e.g. Congo, Shakers, Bongo, etc) to show their understanding. They also sang a song named “Ants go marching” in groups.
ICT
During ICT classes, students were made aware about the various input and output devices of the computer/laptop.
Furthermore, they were apprised about the private and personal information, rules to behave online, importance of not sharing information online and identification of secure and insecure websites.
Library
“Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting.” – Edmund Burke
The importance of retelling stories is that it allows students to learn to organize and describe events, which enhances reading comprehension. Story retelling provides students an opportunity to analyse stories and build oral language as they acquire related vocabulary.
The five fingers retell approach was introduced to students during library lessons. This was intended to aid students in identifying the five essential elements of a story. The setting, characters, problems, events, and solutions are the five main elements of a story. They were given a visual explanation of the method using an anchor chart. The lessons were reinforced by reading stories like The Ugly Duckling, The Magic Porridge Pot and Chicken Liken. They were able to retell the story by identifying the elements presented in the story.
SEL
Students were able to feel grateful for little things in their lives through gratitude jar activity. Gratitude jar is a way to remember all the things, people, or experiences for which they are thankful. Students had done colouring on a given sheet for what they are grateful for in life. They wrote a word on a slip of paper to thank the most important person in their life and placed in a jar of appreciation. Students appreciated teachers and helping staff in class and the students could see the happiness on their faces. This is the perfect activity that helped students develop an attitude of gratitude. Expressing gratitude is one of the simplest ways to demonstrate a caring attitude towards other individuals. Moreover, research shows that expressing gratitude has the added benefit of raising our happiness levels, making us more productive and healthier, especially if we make gratitude a habit.
September 5 – 18, 2022
National Nutrition Week was marked at school from September 1- 7, 2022. The theme for this year celebrated the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction.
Students were engaged in weeklong activities that focussed on-
- Analysing data for areas of food wastage
- How wastage could be reduced by storing food items in their correct spaces in the fridge
- Understanding wastage in the journey of food from farm to table
- Receiving insight into the essential nutrients required for a well-functioning human body
- Avoiding over purchase of fruits and vegetables
- Creation of posters on how to stop wastage of food
Unit of Inquiry
Students explored the functioning of hospitals, banks and hotels and further comprehended how these public institutions meet our needs. To deepen their understanding, they undertook a virtual trip around hospital and a bank and shared their post visit observation using a graphic organiser. Students also shared their understanding about a hospital on a concept map. They observed various pictures related to challenges faced by people at these public places. Furthermore, they used placemat strategy to collectively record their observations.
They were assessed on 1st and 2nd lines of inquiry which entailed their understanding of different public places and the challenges faced there. The ‘Donut Strategy’ was used for assessment and the facilitator used ‘Anecdotes’ as the assessment tool.
As a provocation to library, museum and a hotel, three stations were set up to provoke students. They observed various pictures and talked about their responsibilities and different ways to maintain them. The discussion and activities aided in developing their social skills: interpersonal relationships and social-emotional intelligence.
Students of grades 1 went for a field trip to Grand Hyatt, a 5-star hotel in Gurgaon. The purpose of this visit was to understand the functioning of various departments in a hotel and the challenges these departments face in their day to day working. Students visited some important departments such as housekeeping (laundry and uniforms), kitchen (vegetable chopping section), bakery etc.
English
Students understood and co-created a list of common and proper nouns as they were read stories. In their journals they listed the nouns and put the symbol of a noun above each relevant word.
They delved into few guiding questions like:
- Can you identify a writing pattern and why is it so?
- Why are the names of person starting with capital letter?
- Why are the names of city, country or a specific place is starting with capital letter?
Students played games like sort in the jars, scavenger hunt and matching pairs to recap common and proper nouns. These activities gave students the opportunities to enhance their social skills by working cooperatively in a group.
They used, ‘Arm tapping strategy’, to read sight words. Some of them embarked on framing sentences using words in the story and underlined the blends. Students also participated in an activity called, ‘Sentence Shuffle’ wherein they rearranged words and created meaningful sentences with appropriate punctuation and capitalization.
They also revisited the digraph – ‘sh’ and wrote associated words in their journals.
Math
Reinforcement of the concept of place value and expanded form of numbers was done through various hands-on activities such as base ten blocks and graph paper.
Strengthening their understanding of odd and even numbers through place value strategy and ordering of numbers was undertaken. As an extension of the activity students were given opportunity to connect with real life scenarios with the help of some guiding questions like-
- Let’s observe today’s date. It is odd or even?
- Which month is this? Count it in numbers. Is it odd or even?
Students were assessed on number concepts using material. They were assessed using rubric.
Students also practiced writing number names1- 10in their journals.
Hindi
In their Hindi class, students revisited ‘i’ swar (इ स्वर). They enhanced their listening skills by listening to a story and learned ‘i’ matra (इ मात्रा). They wrote words related to the same. They honed their reading skills by reading the same matra words. They celebrated ‘Hindi saptaah’ (हिंदी सप्ताह) to mark the importance of Hindi language (हिंदी भाषा). They played various games like ‘शब्दों की शब्द-सीढ़ी’, ‘तोल-मोल के बोलो’, ‘शब्द-शब्द में नया शब्द बनाओ’ etc and enhanced their thinking and speaking skills.
Art
Understanding the aspect of mental health and well-being, students were introduced to Mandala art. By using graph paper students learned how to draw different patterns of mandala art which enhanced their understanding of design.
ICT
During ICT classes, students created an infographic on a graphic designer tool PicCollage on a public place of their choice. They were introduced to the input and output devices of the computer system. They also reiterated the math concept of number system.
Furthermore, they were introduced to the meaning of private and personal information.
Dance
Students of grade 1 were introduced to 15 Surya Namaskar poses for mobilizing joints and strength This was followed by introduction of a jazz dance routine on a song name “hall of fame”. Students were introduced to basic walk across the floor with the music to improve hand and leg coordination.
Physical Education
Students were introduced to proper positioning and stance for fielding as well as the stance for batting in cricket. Students got familiar with the start position and racing on skates with bending and balancing the body weight in their skating lessons.
Music
Students learned a new song named “She’ll Be Coming Around The Mountains” wherein each sang it individually, later they differentiated between beat and rhythm.
Library
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss
International Literacy Day was marked during the library session. This annual initiative aims to raise global awareness of the value of literacy. Students in grade 2 participated in the celebration by listening to the story “A Monster Surprise.” The story about animals in the forest, who noticed that their food had gone missing was interesting. They started to accuse each other of stealing. They were clueless that a monster in the woods had been gathering their food for a secret dinner party, so they were in for a monster surprise.
After listening to the story, students discussed whether the monster was justified in stealing food?
As an extension, students provided a learner profile and a key feature for the monster. The activity, helped students to develop their vocabulary, fluency and communication skills
Social Emotional Learning
Students shared their thoughts about daily routine. It helped them to understand themselves better as they personalized their individual routine.
Students also brainstormed on how the sleep schedule and bedtime habits affect their performance, emotional well-being, and energy levels during the day. They understood how to maintain a consistent time for waking up and going to bed.
Students wrote a few words related to their morning and after school routine. They learnt many good things from each other like brushing twice a day helps them maintain their oral hygiene. Better health is a result of just a little extra planning.
Students learned self- management skills as they drew illustrations about their daily schedule (morning – night) as a comic book on an A4 size sheet and how they felt at that hour. They were able to relate with every picture and state whether they were happy, sad, excited, or exhausted.
August 22 – September 3, 2022
Unit of inquiry
Taking their inquiry further, students inquired into public place- supermarket, through a story Going to market
Students recalled their visits to the supermarket and illustrated different sections of the supermarket.
Later, they analysed various picture related to supermarket which took the inquiry forward. Students brainstormed and discussed questions such as:
- Why do people visit supermarket?
- Who are the people who work at the supermarket?
- Why do we have a different section for different products?
- What will happen if things are not arranged properly in the supermarket?
Students came up with challenges faced by different people and shared them using illustrations.
They also inquired about airports. They recalled their previous journey and their visit to an airport. They drew the different sections of the airport that they remembered.
Students were narrated a story- Bessie goes to the airport authored by Alyssa Liang.
This gave them insight into different sections and areas at the airport. Students used a concept map and illustrations to share their understanding of airports.
English
Students listened to the storyA day at the park and listed nouns from it. They further created sentences using them.
They were also read The curious garden after which they participated in class discussion on the following questions:
- Who are the people who maintain the garden?
- What are the different departments involved?
- What is the importance of a community garden or park?
- How does it impact the community?
- What is our responsibility towards community gardens or parks?
The learning engagements helped students to develop critical thinking skills as they synthesized new understandings by finding unique characteristics; they formed relationships and connections with the unit of inquiry on public places.
Math
Reinforcement of number concepts (number sequencing, odd and even numbers, comparison of numbers, and place value) was done through various activities.
They practiced the representation of numbers on a place value mat and abacus. They represented numbers on the abacus.
They chose numbers from a mystery bag and performed various tasks with the chosen numbers.
- Arranged the numbers in ascending order.
- Represent them on an abacus.
- Write them in expanded form
Hindi
In their Hindi classes, students enhanced their reading skills by reading an ‘aa’ matra(आ मात्रा) poem ‘नाना आए, नाना आए’. They wrote rhyming words from the poem.They honed their writing skills by writing ‘aa’ maatraa words and also read sentences related to ‘aa’ matraa. Students enjoyed listening to a story ‘कबूतर और चींटी'(kabootar aur cheentee) and arranged the pictures in order of sequence from the same story. They honed their speaking skills by retelling the story in their own words.
ICT
During ICT classes, students learned the importance of infographics in public places. They created infographics on a public place of their choice on the creative tool Pic Collage. They learned to add text, background, and pictures. They also learned to search and download pictures from the internet.
Music
Students learned about beat wherein they played back basic patterns in groups to have a better understanding of beat, later they sang the “Ants go marching” song to improve intonation.
Dance
Students of grade 1 commenced activities for mobilizing joints, strength and balance building exercises and different types of isolation. This was followed by continuation of a freestyle dance routine on a song name Toca Toca. Command game activity – students followed the command given by the teacher and act accordingly. Command words used were drop, stop, jump, crawl.
Library
Students explored the library’s fiction section and read books of genres featuring mystery and adventure, animal stories, fantasy, folk tales, and non-fiction. They also discussed the essential characteristics of nonfiction and fiction.
Art
Students were introduced to an American pop and graffiti artist Keith Allen Haring. Students observed and made a drawing inspired by his work. This class engagement helped students to gain knowledge about an international artist and learned about his style of working.
PE
Students in their PE classes practiced fundamental skills of basketball such as dribbling from right and left hand while moving forward as well as the technique for chest and bounce pass. In their skating lessons students focused their attention on balancing and turning on skates.
SEL
Students focused on factors that are important for healthy living. The aim of the activity was to understand how they can start organizing themselves. It helped them in completing tasks and how it empowers them to direct their activities and behaviour effectively. Students communicated their thoughts and ideas using oral and written communication. They discussed their morning and afternoon routines. They developed their skills of self-management and self-organisation.
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August 8 – 18, 2022
Unit of Inquiry
Students were tuned into conceptual lens – responsibility with a story where they were apprised of their responsibilities at home and at school.
They shared their responses to questions like- What does responsibility mean to you? What is your responsibility in the classroom? What is your responsibility at home?
To understand the central idea students attempted a task where they drew places that they visited during their summer vacation and later sorted pictures under categories of public and private places while giving appropriate reasons.
Their prior knowledge was assessed with an activity in which they were given real-life scenarios to match with pictures of public or private places.
As a provocation students went for a school tour to observe different departments like the accounts department, library, music room, office of the head of the school, soccer field, art lab, etc.
English
Students continued to learn new blends and wrote words starting with the blends in their process journals.
They were introduced to the concept of nouns by playing the game- person, place animal, and thing. They were introduced to the geometric symbol a black triangle to denote nouns. Later they sorted words starting with different blends into different categories of name, place, animal, and thing.
Math
Students practiced the concept of odd/even numbers, place value, and the ordering of numbers.
They were introduced to an abacus. They represented numbers on the abacus.
They chose 5 numbers from a mystery bag and performed various tasks with the chosen numbers.
- Arranged the numbers in ascending order.
- Wrote the biggest number from the given numbers.
- Wrote one odd number.
- Wrote the numbers in descending order.
- Wrote the smallest number.
Hindi
In their Hindi classes students honed their reading skills by reading ‘aa’ maatraa (आ मात्रा) words and sentences. They enhanced their writing skills by writing words of the same maatraa. They also did an activity ‘शब्द रचना’ shabd rachna using large moving alphabets. They also enjoyed ‘bingo’ activity based on ‘aa’ maatraa words.
ICT
During ICT classes, students were introduced to a creativity app PicCollage. They were introduced to the different elements like adding text, text formatting, adding background and pictures to the design.
Dance
Students were introduced to strength and balance building exercises and different types of isolation which was followed by continuation of freestyle dance routine on a song name Toca Toca. Students discussed what is flash mob and places we can execute the form,with the assistance of video.
PHE
Students of grade 1 were introduced to dribbling, passing, agility, and speed drills in basketball, which they thoroughly enjoyed and picked up quickly. In skating, students are learning to walk and balance on skates.
Music
Students of grade 1 learned about beat and its usage in music wherein they all were demonstrated a steady beat pattern and were asked to show the same on the drums.
Art
Students learned how to write their names in graffiti style. They completed their work by decorating their names.
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Welcome to Grade 1C (2022-23)
21 July – 5 August 2022
Learn to learn week
The onset of the new academic year gave lots of opportunities for students to interact with their peers, establish new bonds and strengthen the existing ones.
To break the ice and know each other better students shared information about themselves with the 3 2 1 strategy where they shared
- 3 things that they like about coming to school.
- 2 books/movies/places they read or watched or visited during the summer break.
- 1 thing they would wish for if they had a magic wand
They have narrated stories: Max the Brave and Olivia’s New School. The learner profile traits exhibited by the characters in the stories were later discussed by the students during reflection sessions. Students gave themselves learner profile attributes that they display.
They participated in a discussion about feelings and the importance of a healthy mind. Following this, they drew pictures of happy and special moments from their lives. Later, they created a memory box/well-being box. They collected their drawings in the box. This activity is an ongoing one. When a student feels the need they take out drawings from the box that make them feel better.
Basic etiquettes were discussed, and these were reinforced as dining hall/ table etiquettes, classroom, corridor, and washroom etiquettes, handling of classroom material, and journal etiquettes. Later student agency was used to create essential agreements for the class where students agreed to abide by agreements co-constructed by them for the year.
They were also engaged in a variety of fun-filled activities like Scavenger hunt, Mystery bag, 2 stars and a wish, Who am I, clap patterns, etc. to ensure a smooth transition into their new class routine.
Unit Of Inquiry:
Students deconstructed the transdisciplinary theme- How we organize ourselves.
They began their learning journey with a provocation where they entered a disorganized classroom. They discussed several strategies for organizing the classroom and brainstormed on different ways to organize their immediate surrounding spaces. With this activity, students enhanced their interpersonal relationships and social and emotional intelligence as they listened closely to others’ perspectives.
Students later improved their research abilities by participating in a read-aloud session of the story titled -A Little spot of Organization by Diana Albert.
Students were thereafter introduced to the conceptual lens of ‘responsibility’ with the help of guided questions.
Math:
Students started with understanding the concept of place value through bundling and grouping, using kidney beans and manipulatives.
Students explored the relationship between ones and tens by creating their own bars of tens.
They found answers to provocation questions.
- How can we represent numbers greater than 9?
- What is the relationship between tens and ones?
- How can we represent tens and ones?
- Why is place value mat necessary?
- How do we use the place value mat?
- What do ones and tens represent?
English:
Students recapitulated vowels and consonants. They wrote CVC words and made sentences using these words. They also recapitulated sight words. They read story books to enhance their vocabulary.
Hindi:
In their Hindi classes students honed their communication skills by participating in an activity ‘discuss-pair & share’. They learnt about their hobbies, favourite food, colour, story, and place for vacation of their peers and shared it with the rest of the class. They watched a story called ‘cake ka inaam’ (केक का इनाम) and discussed the characters from the same. They discussed the learner profile ‘caring’. They wrote the first letter of the things and characters from the same story. They revisited the letters(ब, स, न, ल, घ, र, क, म,ह,च,द , व, फ, थ) and wrote words starting with those letters. Students played a ‘bingo’ game of two and three letter words and enhanced their listening skills. They enhanced their reading skills by reading simple sentences.
Art:
Students were introduced to essential agreements while working in the art room. Students discussed about international tiger day and made tiger skin texture by tearing and pasting. Further students were introduced to graffiti art or wall art and learners how to write their names in different fonts.
P.E.:
Students in their PE classes were introduced to skating. Dynamic stretching and some fun activities such as modified agility drills with cones markers and hurdles were introduced too. Students also learned static cool down exercises at the end of the class.
Dance:
Students of grade 1 began strength and balance-building drills and different types of isolation exercises that were followed by an introduction to a freestyle dance routine on a song name Toca Toca. Students discussed about flash mob and where they may be performed.
Music:
The students participated in a singing session wherein they sang the “Peace like a river” song with actions in different groups. They also played a fun game to make it more interesting.
ICT:
Students began their ICT sessions by setting some essential agreements to be followed during classes. They were introduced to the various parts of the laptop and iPad, identifying how to use them.
Furthermore, they reiterated the concept of CVC words through an iPad app.
Library:
The Taste a Plate activity was performed by first graders, which opened up our library collection to them. At the same time, students were presented with a variety of genres and subgenres available in the library. They did a hands-on activity in the library by arranging the books in the right genre.
Students extended this activity by learning more about the subgenre named folktales. They listened to the folktale “True friendship” and learned about its characteristics.
SEL:
Social-emotional learning is the process of developing the self-awareness, self control and interpersonal skills that are very important for school life. Children start to understand who they are, what they are feeling and what to expect when interacting with others. They enjoyed the class activity with drawing social places and related emotions. Children wrote a few sentences about happy feeling.
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