Last week as part of the Elementary School we celebrated International Mother Languages Day. At TIS we celebrated the day by emphasizing the importance of maintaining home languages, and appreciating the beauty and diversity present within our community and worldwide. We would like to thank parents for volunteering to read a story to students in their home language which students enjoyed listening to during the multilingual read aloud session. Later in the day we had a ‘drop everything and read’ session where students loved sharing the books they had brought in from home written in their home languages. Visiting the Railway Station Students’ inquiries about appropriate types of transportation led us to discuss which type of transport is convenient to use to get to different destinations. In discussing different forms of transportation available in Uzbekistan, students found out that trains are an exciting and easy way of traveling through the country. Teachers suggested a trip to Tashkent railway station and children were excited by this idea. After arranging the trip we talked about any wanderings students might have, and what they expected to see and find out during our trip. They came up with many different questions. Visiting the train station gave us a great opportunity to see how passengers were buying tickets. The children were also able to see how people went through the check in procedure and waited for their train. They discovered that there is a children’s room with a playground and some toys for children to play with while their parents are busy with the check in procedure. After the field trip the students were able to discuss and share their findings with each other. Exploration of MapsThrough our inquiries about journeys the children discovered that there are many kinds of maps. Inspired by their interest in maps, the students were given the opportunity to read a range of different books and explore a broad range of maps. The types of maps we have so far discovered are: city maps, country maps, and world maps. We also considered students’ home countries, and tried to find them on the globe or world map. We looked at a world map to see how far these places are from Uzbekistan. It was interesting to discuss which places are closer, and which are further away, and what form of transport might be most appropriate to use to travel there. The students were excited to draw maps of their houses, classroom or school. To have a clearer picture of the layout of the school campus, we took a tour starting with the ELC playground and moving on to include the gym, Elementary School building, The House (where Russian classrooms are located) the Secondary School building (where PS2 students go to have library and music), the school canteen, the big soccer field at the rear of the school and the secondary art building. Later on the students were able to create a view of the school using wooden blocks and also drew a map of the school.
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When students shared their travel journals and gave presentations about the countries they visited, they learned many things from their friends’ holiday stories. They found out that some of their friends experienced cold and snowy weather and enjoyed winter activities, while other students enjoyed summer-type activities, spending time on the beach. They found it interesting that all these events happened in the same time period. Students also found out that they used different kinds of transport, depending on how far they traveled. As we discussed how people around the world use different forms of transport to go to school, the students talked about how they travel to school, and also how they move around the city. They discovered that some of their friends come to school by car, by bus or by bike, while some students come to school in a stroller or on foot. Later they were encouraged to look at different photographs of famous places around the world. Some photos were of places that had been visited by the students during the winter holiday. The students were able to sort pictures of familiar destinations into sets of near and far. They also discussed the possible and less likely, or impossible, forms of transport which might be used to get to a particular destination. The book “This Is the Way We Go to School” by Edith Baer was very useful in helping the children to continue to learn about transport usage. The students also had an opportunity to talk about how it is important to plan a trip before setting out to travel. The students discussed how and where to get tickets and whom to contact. As a provocation, the PS2 teachers acted out the part of a travel agent and of a traveler. They demonstrated how to plan a trip; booking flights, reserving hotels and suggesting different leisure activities. After discussing travel agency procedures, the students were suggested to set up a class travel agency role play corner. On Monday, PS2 students will be able to set up a travel agency role play area together. How We Collect And Organize DataThe students were also introduced to the Venn Diagram and the bar graph throughout this week. They were asked to sort different activities according to whether they were appropriate for winter, summer or both. The students were invited to sort animal toys according to whether they are found on land, in water or both. They were then provided with insect and dinosaur counters and were encouraged to sort them according to the different attributes they themselves come up with. |