We have continued to have parents visit our class and read stories to us. The students were very proud to help to translate the stories from their home language into English and to make connections to other stories we have read at school. They were able to find similar characters and noticed how they were named in three different languages. As a provocation, the teachers acted out the story of The Three Little Pigs for both PS2 classes. In our version version, the wolf told the story from his perspective and the little pig told the story from her perspective. Following this provocation, through group discussion the students began to understand the concept of perspective. The students were then asked whose side of the story they believed and why. A lively discussion followed: We read different versions of familiar stories and discussed how the stories and characters were different. We also tried to put ourselves in the wolf’s shoes and considered how we might act and what we might eat if we were placed in a similar situation. Each time after teachers read a story, the students were encouraged to compare how the story was similar to and different from other stories we read. We also discussed the wise and unwise choices the characters made. Inspired by the different versions of stories, the students chose to express the stories from different perspectives. They were encouraged to split up into small groups and to tell their stories through role play and dance. In addition, some choose to express themselves through their drawings. The students were able to connect the stories to their own lives and shared stories from their own experiences. They also suggested some possible alternative choices for the characters of the stories we read. The students were fascinated by Kseniya Simonova’s sand art performance. They carefully observed how she used her hands and movement to manipulate the sand on a light table. Afterwards, they were encouraged to split into small teams to create and express their own stories using the light table and sand.
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We would like to say a big thank you to Mrs. Dora Elia Pinedo Hernandez, Nicolas' mother, to Mr. Abdurasul Khalilov, Abdubosit's father for visiting our class and reading stories in their mother-tongue. It was a good opportunity for students to make connections between different stories, discuss characters from stories from around the world, and to see parents (adults) as part of our learning community. The students were very excited to hear different languages and to try to work out what the stories were about by looking at the pictures. We try to teach the children to become internationally minded and we value the wide range of mother tongue languages spoken in our school community. As we are inquiring into different ways of expressing stories, students were engaged in using puppets to retell their favorite stories. We were very lucky this week to have a professional puppet theater group visit us to perform. The students were excited to listen to the music and songs accompanying the story. We have also been discovering other ways of telling stories, and tried to do so through drawing, music and dance. After listening to and watching different musical performances, we discussed the rhythm, events, actions, feelings and usage of musical instruments. The children tried to represent different characters from a story by playing musical instruments and creating movements and actions. It was exciting to watch and discuss the musical performance. Students shared their ideas about the rhythm and different musical instruments representing the characters. |