Posts by catherinebrannen:
Catchy Concerts
This week the children performed ‘Catchy Concerts’ for their parents and Grade 4s. This was a great opportunity for them to show off their hard work. Having only received their Toots and Doods six weeks ago, it is amazing how far they have come.
For their concert, the students had to choose their music carefully and practice with their groups. Additionally, they had to think about how willing they were to push themselves. All of the children took their instrument home and practiced. I am sure their parents were extremely happy when they first arrived in their houses! During the Music sessions, each of the students showed commitment and enthusiasm towards their concert. As the concert loomed closer, the panic started to set in. The students were practicing as hard as they could.
The concert was linked with the Unit of Inquiry that was Event Organisation and was a follow up to the Sports Day that they had all planned and reflected upon. They worked hard on the programme notes, advertising, art and backdrops. The concert was all they had thought about for weeks!
The concert day was upon us, one of the children said;
today is the big day!
They were right. Today was the big day.
As the parents came in, the nerves began to show. However, you would have never said that they were nervous by the way that they played. They played a great concert. Notes that they had been getting wrong in practices were played correctly. They worked cooperatively all the way up to the main event and it went off without a hitch.
A massive well done to all of Grade 5 for being risk-takers and showing their commitment throughout this process!
Grade 5 would like to say a huge thank you to all the parents who supported us on the day of the concert. We would also like to say thank you to all the parents who encouraged us to practice and be the best we can be. Lastly, we would like to thank the Grade 4s for being a fantastic audience. We hope to hear you play soon!
“We’re going on a field trip to Kenya!”
“We’re going on a trip to Kenya!” – A phrase that initiated a lot of questions in class this week.
On Wednesday afternoon, we travelled all the way to Kenya. We were inquirers as we took part in a Virtual Field Trip to the MEDF Teaching Farm in Kenya. This is a unique experience using Skype in the Classroom. Each experience is very different as our tour guide was answering questions live on the camera. Each of the children in the class created their questions and were able to ask him.
- We saw the fresh strawberries and different herbs and salads
- We saw the preparation of seeds and nurseries
- We learned about how they recycle water and reuse water that they have washed with, the use this again on the plants
- We learned that they have dry seasons and they store the water from the wetter seasons
- We saw the baby goats and the adult goats. With this, we learned how they are fed and that they use them for their milk.
- Lastly, the class loved seeing the bunnies!! There was an outbreak of “awwwww”.
This was a great learning opportunity that wouldn’t have been possible without the use of the technology! The children in the class were fully engaged and excited about what they were seeing.
Check out the MEDF Teaching Farm SWAY here: https://sway.com/XhTv0m15k0jtpdGC
Sharing our Culture!
Grade 5A have been sharing their cultures through literature in the classroom. All of the class were asked to bring a story/book/text that relates to their own culture in some way. They were paired up and had seven minutes each to share their own story and why it relates to them and their culture. They then had five minutes for a question and answer session.
There were so many different kinds of stories and each child had interpreted the task differently. It was great to hear all the inquiries that they were making.
Lastly, we played a game with the new ball that meant we could share facts and opinions about the different stories! The ball ensures that everyone gets the chance to speak and that they are the only person speaking at that time. Who knew that a simple foam ball could make participating so fun?!
Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra
On Thursday, all students in grade 5 went on a field trip to the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. Where they enjoyed many different pieces of music which was played right in front of them. The conductor made this an interactive experience and got all of the children very involved. He introduced some of the instrumentalists and told them what country they were from. He asked children from the audience to conduct the orchestra. He was really enthusiastic about his job and the children saw that. The bonus was, he was from Scotland and so is Ms. Catherine!!
All of the students seemed to enjoy it and benefitted from hearing all the different instruments, they were also taught what some of the instruments were called. A highlight was the instruments that sounded like birds. They couldn’t work out where the noises were coming from.
They also experienced beautiful architecture in the Qatar National Convention Centre. We took some photographs under a giant spider.
The whole morning was filled with sounds and sights the children won’t forget.
Here are some photographs from the day.
Grade 6 Visit
Grade 5 were visited by grade 6 Design and Technology class on Tuesday. The grade 6 students were showing their work, which was a mechanical hand. They asked the class what they knew about hands and how they work. They were put into small groups and the grade 6 students taught them about the movements […]
Reading Buddies
Reading Buddies has started in Grade 5. Learners in grade 3 have been partnered with grade 5 and they read their chosen book from the library. Taking turns they each read and talk about what is happening. Both sets of children are really enjoying this opportunity!
Inquiry, Research and Presentation
In Grade 5A we have been using the laptops to research Homing and Migration as part of our first Unit of Inquiry. Each student was given one area to research and created a presentation.