For more information, check out:
Click here: Bangkok Post article for more information on this event.
Due in class … Wednesday, February 10th!
Tags: plastic bags, Villa supermarket
Our new “Character” reading unit has been really interesting. We are focusing on getting to know the characters in our books better. Part of this is through talking about our reading - explaining our thoughts and making predictions or theories about a character. Today, we buzzed ….
Wow … who would have thought that analyzing seeds could have been this much fun!
We have began our second Science unit of the year - Structures of Life. This looks to be a great unit of study, and the students are very excited, although a little squeamish. Here is a brief outline of the unit:
1) Origin of Seeds … this sees us really try to understand seeds better through a couple of very interesting activities. Students will examine and sort selections of seeds, and investigate the effect water has on seeds.
2) Growing Further … students will examine germinated seeds, and look at the similarities and differences in the way they grow.
3) Meet the Crayfish! Next, we get a chance to get to know the crayfish better. A feeding and maintenance schedule will need to be set up, and behaviors observed.
4) Meet the Land Snail! Finally, a habitat for the snail will need to be established. What do they need to be happy? To survive? Structures and behaviors of the snail will be compared to the crayfish, and explanations explored.
Throughout this unit of study, students will be recording their learning using Voicethread. This will begin next week in class, and primarily be a homework activity. More info on this to come next week.
Tags: FOSS, Science, voicethread
Our second week back sees us launching a new unit of reading - Character. This will be approximately a 4 week unit which focuses on the following questions:
1) How do good readers understand the characters?
2) How and why do characters change?
3) How do readers grow ideas about their reading?
4) What lessons do good readers learn from their characters?
5) How do readers share their ideas?
Students will be working closely with their reading partners to get a better understanding of how to describe characters on the outside (appearance) and inside (personality), as well as how characters often change over time. It would be great if you could practice this at home as well, asking lots of questions about student reading and really focusing on getting to know characters better!
We are now 19 students … New additions are:
Ryo Eshita, from Japan
Sung Jun Yun, from Korea.
Stay tuned for more next week on student bloggers, a new Science Unit (Structures of Life) and Reading Unit (Character).
We did it!
Well, on the last day we managed to pull it together and reach our goal of 1000 plastic bags. It felt great doing the final count, and then handing them over to the local branch of Thai Craft representative. We calculated that the bags we gathered could be made into about 22 “recycled” bags. Great job everyone!
Tomorrow is the last day before end of semester, and a very well-earned break. I wish everyone a safe, happy, and relaxing holidays, and look forward to seeing you in January fresh and ready for a new semester, and lots of learning ahead.
A special farewell goes out to Matt and his family, who will be relocating to America during the holidays. It has been great getting to know them, and we all wish them the best in their new adventure.
Here are some more photos of us from this morning …
Tags: plastic bags, Thai Craft
Handbags Made from Plastic Bigs!
Today we had a chance to meet the people from Thai Craft, a local group that use recycled materials to make various hand-made products. The kids were really excited, and seeing what all of their plastic bags could be made into was really amazing. 40-50 regular plastic bags can make 1 really cool handbag! And, believe it or not, it takes about one day to make each handbag.
They will return to ISB next Thursday to meet with our students again. At that point, we hope … plan to hand over 1000 plastic bags to them. Students, and any parents that want to come along, will have a chance to buy one of these hand-made bags for between 150-200 baht, depending on the size and style. If you are interested, they will be at ISB on Thursday from 9:00 - 9:30, and set up next to the kindergarten rooms. Students that plan to buy one should have money at school on that day. It’s great knowing that our collection of plastic bags, which would normally just make its way to the garbage, will go to a good cause.
Also, don’t forget the Grade 3 Elementary Games are next Tuesday after lunch. Hope to see you there …
Have a great weekend!
Tags: plastic bags, recycle, Thai Craft
Tags: FOSS, minerals, rocks, Science, voicethread
Tags: FOSS, minerals, rocks, Science, voicethread
Tags: FOSS, minerals, rocks, Science, voicethread
