Category: All Classes

This term, Walnut class have learnt about what makes them unique and individual. They have learnt that being different is a good thing. The children have looked closely at the human body and what makes our bodies work.

English

This term, Walnut class have been working on developing their writing skills. We have looked closely at the components needed to build a sentence. Focusing on structure and the use of effective vocabulary.

As a class we also built word banks before writing, this enabled us to share ideas as well as words with each other. Walnut class have learnt to add a range of adjectives, verbs and adverbs to their writing to extend sentences as well as to add description.

The class worked on developing their understanding of different words and their meaning to ensure that they are used in the correct context.

As a class we continued to develop our comprehension skills by applying them to a range of different activities. These enabled us to identify and apply skills that we needed to improve on.

Walnut class then applied a range of different writing skills to plan, write and edit a narrative. To complete this process the children wrote their narratives in sections allowing them to focus on each section and get the best from their writing process.

The children have also been working on developing their grammar and punctation skills and ensuring that they are using a range of both when writing. We have looked closely at using inverted commas, apostrophes, commas, prepositions and clauses.

On our return from France Miniature, the class wrote about their experiences from the day. As a class we discussed what we had seen and what was our favourite part of the trip. This enabled Walnut class to apply their knowledge and understanding of time conjunctions.

Maths

This term we started by developing our understanding about place value. We investigated hundreds, tens and ones and moved on to more complex partitioning. We represented numbers in different ways and developed our skills in counting in steps and learn to read and write numbers in numerals and words.

We also had the opportunity to practise our reasoning skills in a variety of different contexts, including through problems, puzzles and board games.

Furthermore, we used and recall addition and subtraction facts. We learnt different strategies to help us add and subtract numbers efficiently using concrete resources and jotting. We built up our understanding of commutativity and inverse relationships between calculations by finding all the possible family facts.

Besides, we started working on multiplication and division and learnt to use inverse operations to check our answers.

Besides, we started working on multiplication and division and learnt to use inverse operations to check our answers. We wrote multiplication and division expressions and calculations using a range of resources to deepen understanding of these concepts.

Science

This term we have been learning all about the human body, the different organs of the body and what is needed to keep us active and healthy.

First, we learnt about the different groups of animals and their definitions. The class were then set the challenge of organizing the animals under the correct headings.

The class then explored their prior knowledge of the human body. They were set the challenge of completing a human body by adding in parts of the body they were familiar with.

We then learnt about the human skeleton, naming all the different bones found in the body and how they are connected to one another. Then, we looked closely at the muscles, their names and how they connect to the bones.

The children learnt to identify and locate the different organs found in the human body. They also learnt about the importance each organ has along with its function within the working human body. This enabled us to gain an understanding of the importance of keeping our bodies healthy.

We looked closely at how the lungs work and the process taken to oxygenate the blood. From this, we constructed 3D models of the lungs.

Walnut class continued to develop their knowledge and understanding of the lungs by exploring its different areas. The class tested their knowledge by completing and coloured diagram of the lungs.

In another session, the children’s knowledge and understanding of the human body and its organs were put to the test. They were challenged to match the organ to the correct information box.

Becoming food experts! We learnt about the different food groups and how they all offer a range of nutritional value. Then, we applied our knowledge of the food groups and created our own healthy meal.

History and Geography

During our Geography sessions, we have been learning about the different continents and oceans of the world. Once we had done this we then located Europe on the map. From this, we applied our learning to piecing together a giant map of the world.

In History, we learnt about different types of technology and what it would have looked like in the past. We were set the challenge of sorting the technology into past and present.

Taking our learning further, we were set the task of identifying things that we see today in the classroom along with things that would be found in a classroom from the past.

Art

At the beginning of term we created half and half portraits of ourselves. First, we took close up photos of ourselves and then cut them in half. From this, we completed our faces by carefully drawing a matching side.

The class then discussed emotions and what they would be like if they were a colour. From this, the children used pastels to create a mode picture using a range of colours that best represents them and their feelings.

Both Birch and Walnut then explored the medium of Pop Art. The classes learnt about different artists that work using this particular medium. This provided them with the opportunity to express themselves using a different approach.

Inspired by the work of Andy Warhol the children created their own repeated image using a range of bright colours. From this, their journey continued as they explored the work of Romero Britto. They pursued the theme of bright colours adding the use of different patterns.

Continuing on this theme the class then learnt about the work of Roy Lichtenstein. The class enjoyed learning about the use of comic book art as well as his use of dots to create an image.

Applying all what they had learnt about of this term the children were set the task of creating their own pieces of Pop Art. They were provided with a canvas and asked to draw all the things that make them special individuals. They will then decorate them using bright colours and pattens.

Design Technology and Woodwork

We worked with different materials and carpentry tools to create our very own Sling Hockey Game.  We measured, estimated and solved real-life problems and most importantly supported each other on our challenging carpentry mission. The children realised how important it is to measure and re-measure. They now know that only when certain should we cut. We discussed and tested different ropes and elastic bands to create our perfect launching mechanism for the game.  

Fantastic work, Birch and Walnuts! You are our Design and Technology Dream Team. 

Woodworking projects are extremely important for developing children’s creative and critical thinking skills. Through these projects, not only do children get to handle and smell the wood but also learn how to use the different carpentry tools. They develop their mathematical thinking, broaden their scientific knowledge and, most importantly, acquire a ‘can do’ mindset. 

French

Beginners Group with Joanna

It has been a very busy first term for our class. We have started learning & revising a lot of vocabulary linked to ‘La Rentrée’ (back to school) & l’Automne (autumn), colours, days of the week, months of the year, numbers & many more new words. We have read books and then practiced our skills of reading comprehension & learned songs with our classmates & made our own posters helping us to remember key French vocabulary.

Joanna & Christine’s classes joined together to sing ‘Léon le Caméléon’, a perfect song to remember colours in French in a fun way:

Intermediate Group with Christine

During these past two months, we focused on various topics such as back to school, the presentation of the calendar on a daily basis which helps pupils to learn and ask each other questions about the days of the week, the date, the weather, the season, some activities, their mood… Everyone really appreciates this interactive activity which takes place at the beginning of each lesson.

With the method ZigZag1 we learned the French alphabet and started learning the basics of reading and writing of some words. We also started counting in French and learned about colours (named them and read them). Reading, games, songs, and manual activities to improve one’s language skills. We have read a large range of different stories, learned songs linked to the topics studied (and we have filmed two out of three of these songs: ‘The chameleon’ and ‘The alphabet’), played games such as bingo or hangman and manual activities (witch puppet).

When we come back from holidays, we will continue using the Zig Zag method with its characters who will take us to the farm. We will learn about animals, the masculine and feminine of some words, geometrical forms and numbers. The other main topic will be Christmas, which we will study by reading books, doing manual activities, exercises and Christmas songs. We will continue the daily presentation of the calendar which helps students with their oral training.

Advanced Group with Marie

Cette première période a été riche en activités et apprentissages. En effet, nous avons principalement lu 6 albums de jeunesse (en lien avec la rentrée des classes, l’école en générale et la saison de l’automne) :

De ces ouvrages, ont découlé différentes activités qui ont permis l’exploitation de ces histoires. Nous avons donné du sens à l’apprentissage des voyelles et des consonnes. Une façon plus ludique et une approche plus concrète d’étudier la langue française.

A chaque début de semaine, vos enfants ont appris et chanté une nouvelle chanson (6 semaines = 6 chansons) :

C’est la rentrée, Chanson de l’alphabet, Un monde parfait, Colchiques dans les prés, Le monstre des jouets, La maison citrouille

 Les objectifs de cette période ont été de :

– se familiariser avec la langue française

– construire des phrases enrichies

– oser s’exprimer en petit groupe

– compréhension d’histoires lues

– connaître les voyelles et des consonnes (a, on, p, b, ou, oi, ch, et f/ph) ainsi que le principe du code alphabétique

– associer le nom de la voyelle au geste et surtout au son qu’elle produit, qui est complètement différent de celui en anglais (confusion entre « e » en anglais et le « i » en français/ entre « i » en anglais et le « a » en français…)

– entrer doucement dans la grammaire et la conjugaison: l’ordre alphabétique, la phrase (et ses caractéristiques), les formes et types de phrases (affirmative/négative, déclarative/exclamative/interrogative/injonctive), le sujet et le verbe dans la phrase, le nom (commun et propre) et le genre du nom.

– réciter une poésie “Les saisons”

– chanter collectivement une chanson

French IPC with Joanna and Marie

In French IPC the students began the term travelling around the world with ‘Le Loup Qui Voulait Faire le Tour du Monde’ (the wolf who wanted to travel around the world). They learned a lot of fun facts about certain countries like France, England, China, Brazil and the USA. They also made their own ID cards with the flags of their countries and then placed them on a world map. We learned 3 songs in French which you will be able to watch hereunder and Marie & myself are sure that your children will sing them for you.

We also read books related to the Halloween theme: Les 3 Sorcières and Halloween à l’école. The students had reading comprehension activities to do also.

The students also learned the song “La sorcière Grabouilla” which they loved as well as two other songs. Here are the videos:

Physical Education & Swimming

In Physical Education/Sports we focused on improving our coordination and our balance skills. We played and learnt new games that also helped us to realise that is very important to work as a team.

In our swimming we had develop our swimming skills and practised the common strokes such as crawl, breaststroke and backstroke. We also tried different ways to jump into the pool and played different games. We really enjoyed it.

Forest Exploration

This term, we have had many magical adventures in the forest. We have explored new areas, hunted for mushrooms and played games.

France Miniature

On Wednesday 26th October, the primary section of FISP made a visit to France Miniature. This enabled the children to apply their knowledge and understanding of landmarks from around France as well as provided them with the opportunity of seeing them up close, be it only miniature.

Who Am I?

We started by exploring parts of our body and that everyone has two legs, feed, arms, and hands; we all have a pair of eyes, ears, and mouth, and nose. In the forest, we collected natural items that could represent these body parts. We traced around two students and glued the representatives onto the big piece of paper.

We also studied how our body works and looked at the lunges and digestive system in more detail/more closely. We began with an experiment that showcases how the lungs expand and contract with every breath we take. No worries – every child got their own mouthpiece to avoid the spreading of germs.

Then we explored what happens to food when we eat it (small experiment with a toast) and created a visual representation of the digestive system.

Furthermore, we looked at maps and flags from around the world. We had a special focus on the different nationalities of our students and created a visual representation of how far these countries are away from France.

Numeracy

For numeracy, we worked on multiple skills. How to write difficult numbers such as 2 and 5, how to count up to 30, and even up to 100 by counting by tens.

Here the children were challenged to complete the number line and find representatives for each number as well.

Simple addition tasks were also introduced and practiced in small groups.

Literacy

In literacy, we covered different story books and engaged with their characters and themes in more detail (For example: asking the children to put the pictures of the story in the correct order). We also practiced handwriting by strengthening fine motor skills, tracing words, and writing freely.

We talked about what the children want to be when they are all grown up. They first laid the name of the profession out with wooden letters and then copied it into their notebooks.

The whole school participated in a writing activity where every class got the same intriguing picture as the prompt – in this case, a big elephant with beautiful butterfly ears. We discussed the picture and shared our thoughts, ideas, and curiosity about the creature. How did the elephant get these wings? Can it fly with it? Then, we decided on a short storyline, wrote it together on the whiteboard, and the children then traced the words onto a big, red paper.

French

Durant cette première période de l’année, nous avons principalement lu 6 albums de jeunesse (en lien avec la rentrée des classes, les couleurs, les formes géométriques, l’automne…) :

De ces ouvrages, ont découlé différentes activités qui ont permis l’exploitation de ces histoires. Nous avons donné du sens à l’apprentissage, une façon plus ludique et une approche plus concrète.

A chaque début de semaine, vos enfants ont appris et chanté une nouvelle chanson (8 semaines = 8 chansons) :

Le coquillage magique, Un jour dans sa cabane, Dire bonjour c’est joli, Goute gouttelette de pluie, Colchiques dans les prés, Ani couni chaouani, Le monstre des jouets, La maison citrouille

 Les objectifs de cette période ont été de :

– se familiariser avec la langue française

– construire des phrases simples mais correctes

– oser s’exprimer en petit groupe

– tracer le bonhomme de chaque mois

– compréhension d’histoires lues

– reconnaître, nommer et savoir tracer les 3 formes géométriques (carré, rond, triangle)

–  reconnaître et nommer les couleurs (rouge, bleu, jaune, vert, noir, blanc, orange, rose, marron…)

– apprendre les nombres de 1 à 6 (savoir dénombrer une collection)

– réciter une poésie (“Il pleut des feuilles” de Anne Marie Chapouton)

– chanter collectivement une chanson

French IPC

Le thème de cette période était « who I am  ». Vaste question que nous avons tenté de répondre par le biais de différentes activités. 

Elles s’articulaient autour de plusieurs axes :

– « moi » en tant qu’être humain (fille/garçon, mes caractéristiques physiques, mes émotions…)

– notre corps, une véritable machine extraordinaire

Les enfants ont fabriqué un pantin:

– la manière dont on pouvait percevoir le monde qui nous entoure grâce à nos 5 sens

Activité sur l’ouïe: chaque enfant devait retrouver la bonne cloche qui avait été secouée alors qu’il/elle avait les yeux bandés.

Puis ils devaient dessiner les sons qu’ils avaient entendus (chien, voiture, mer…)

Activité sur le toucher et la vue: le jeu du Colin Maillard et des devinettes avec les yeux bandés

Activité sur l’odorat: les enfants devaient sentir 6 petites boîtes et trouver quelle odeur c’était (café, citron, menthe, chocolat, cacahuète, orange)

Activité sur le goût: les enfants devaient goûter différents aliments et les classer dans les 4 catégories de saveurs (salé, sucré, acide, amer). Ils ont beaucoup apprécié cette séance.

– le cycle de la vie (avec les différentes étapes ainsi que l’arbre généalogique)

Ils ont donc compris que même si nous étions tous différents physiquement, nous sommes quand même semblables : avec une tête, un visage, un corps, des membres, et surtout un coeur. L’expression des émotions (joie, colère, tristesse, et peur) et les différentes valeurs à savoir le respect, le partage, l’amitié, l’écoute, l’entraide…

Les enfants ont aussi appris ces chansons : J’ai 2 pieds pour marcher…, Jean Petit qui danse…, Ecoutez- moi (chanson sur mes émotions)

Nous avons lu les ouvrages suivants: J’ai la bougeotte, Noir comme le café blanc comme la lune, Les corps paysages, Le loup qui voulait changer de couleur, Mon petit coeur est un petit moteur…

Forest Exploration

The time in the forest we utilized for all kinds of different activities. Sometimes we were deepening some numeracy skills by organizing a number line or collecting and counting a certain amount of nuts/sticks/leaves.

Often, we used the time to create beautiful nature art or build houses out of sticks.

And, of course, physical education was important for us! We went for bike trips, built challenging parkours, practiced our throwing skills, or went for a nice mushroom hunt.

What a fantastic start! This term we learned all about ourselves and made new friends. We took advantage of the nice end of summer and autumn weather to spend as much time as possible outside and in the forest.

Maths

This term we focused on numbers. We gained confidence in counting, reading and writing numbers and practised using the language of less than’ and ‘least’, ‘more than’ and ‘most’, and ‘equal to’ to compare numbers.

We particularly enjoyed singing and dancing the ‘Silly song’ to learn how to count from 1 to 100 and playing BINGO!

Taking our learning further, we learnt more about numbers by playing different board games to find ‘one more’ and ‘one less’ of any given number.

We also used different objects to sort them out depending on colour, size or shape and learnt to represent numbers in many different ways.

Furthermore, we have also begun to use pictorial representations as well as number lines and our fingers to help us add and subtract and use mathematical symbols to compare numbers.

Literacy

This term Birch class have worked extremely hard on developing their Literacy skills. They have enjoyed taking part in many different activities that support their phonic, reading and writing development.

We began the term by recapping and building upon or phonic knowledge and understanding, this enabled use to lay the foundations for reading.

As a class, we read the story of ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’. When reading the story the children decided to created actions to help them remember the different sections of the story.

In groups, the children were set the challenge of sequencing the story using pictures taken from the story. The children were able to retell the story using the sequenced pictures.

We have been working on our developing our writing skills and focusing on our use of punctuation to finish a sentence. We have also been working on developing our understanding of sentence structure and the order of which words appear in a sentence.

As a class we have also explored the story of ‘Whatever next?’. The children enjoyed learning about the adventures of baby bear and owl. From this, the children were asked to create their own adventure for baby bear to go on.

Taking their learning further, the children have applied their knowledge of sentence structure and written sentences including capital letters, full stops and adjectives.

Science

In Science, we learnt all about ourselves and how we have changed since we were babies. We compared ourselves and noticed that we are all the same but different at the same time and our uniqueness makes us even more special.

We sang and danced the body parts song and discovered the five senses. During Science we went to explore the forest but this time we had to use our five senses to discover it! We could hear the beautiful sounds of the forest and feel the smell of the trees and the wet ground.

Design and Technology

We worked with different materials and carpentry tools to create our very own Sling Hockey Game.  We measured, estimated and solved real-life problems and most importantly supported each other on our challenging carpentry mission. The children realised how important it is to measure and re-measure. They now know that only when certain should we cut. We discussed and tested different ropes and elastic bands to create our perfect launching mechanism for the game.  

Fantastic work, Birch and Walnuts! You are our Design and Technology Dream Team. 

Woodworking projects are extremely important for developing children’s creative and critical thinking skills. Through these projects, not only do children get to handle and smell the wood but also learn how to use the different carpentry tools. They develop their mathematical thinking, broaden their scientific knowledge and, most importantly, acquire a ‘can do’ mindset. 

Swimming & P.E.

In our swimming we had develop our swimming skills and practised the common strokes such as crawl, breaststroke and backstroke. We also tried different ways to jump into the pool and played different games. We really enjoyed it.

In Physical Education/Sports we focused on improving our coordination and our balance skills. We played and learnt new games that also helped us to realise that is very important to work as a team.

Forest Exploration

Forest exploration is a huge part of Forest International School. As always the forest is a great opportunity to explore, run, climb and play!

This term we particularly enjoyed going to the ‘bike area’ to experience speed by running up and down the hills. Likewise, we really liked bringing the skipping ropes to the forest and practice our jumping skills.

We shared some time in the forest with other classrooms so we could play, sing and dance altogether.

We were also interested in spotting mushrooms and learnt to stay safe when searching for them and that we may need a specialist to help us verify that it is is edible.

History and Geography

During our Geography sessions, we have been learning about the different continents of the world.

In History, we learnt about different types of technology and what it would have looked like in the past. We were set the challenge of sorting the technology into past and present.

From this, we were set the task of identifying things that we see today in the classroom along with things that would be found in a classroom from the past.

Art

At the beginning of term we created half and half portraits of ourselves. First, we took close up photos of ourselves and then cut them in half. From this we completed our faces by carefully drawing a matching side.

The class then discussed emotions and what they would be like if they were a colour. From this, the children used pastels to create a mode picture using a range of colours that best represents them and their feelings.

Both Birch and Walnut then explored the medium of Pop Art. The classes learnt about different artists that work using this particular medium. This provided them with the opportunity to express themselves using a different approach.

Inspired by the work of Andy Warhol the children created their own repeated image using a range of bright colours. From this, their journey continued as they explored the work of Romero Britto. They pursue the theme of bright colours adding the use of different patterns.

Continuing on this theme the class then learnt about the work of Roy Lichtenstein. The class enjoyed learning about the use of comic book art as well as his use of dots to create an image.

Applying all what they had learnt about of this term the children were set the task of creating their own pieces of Pop Art. They were provided with a canvas and asked to draw all the things that make them special individuals. They will then decorate them using bright colours and pattens.

French

Beginner Group with Joanna

It has been a very busy first term for our class. We have started learning & revising a lot of vocabulary linked to ‘La Rentrée’ (back to school) & l’Automne (autumn), colours, days of the week, months of the year, numbers & many more new words. We have read books and then practiced our skills of reading comprehension & learned songs with our classmates & made our own posters helping us to remember key French vocabulary.

Joanna and Christine’s classes join together to sing ‘Léon le Caméléon’, a perfect song to learn colours in French.

Advanced group with Marie

Cette première période a été riche en activités et apprentissages. En effet, nous avons principalement lu 6 albums de jeunesse (en lien avec la rentrée des classes, l’école en générale et la saison de l’automne) :

De ces ouvrages, ont découlé différentes activités qui ont permis l’exploitation de ces histoires. Nous avons donné du sens à l’apprentissage des voyelles et des consonnes. Une façon plus ludique et une approche plus concrète d’étudier la langue française.

A chaque début de semaine, vos enfants ont appris et chanté une nouvelle chanson (6 semaines = 6 chansons) :

C’est la rentrée, Chanson de l’alphabet, Un monde parfait, Colchiques dans les prés, Le monstre des jouets, La maison citrouille

 Les objectifs de cette période ont été de :

– se familiariser avec la langue française

– construire des phrases simples mais correctes

– oser s’exprimer en petit groupe

– compréhension d’histoires lues

– connaître les voyelles et les consonnes (a, é, i, o, u, f, s, ch) ainsi que le principe du code alphabétique

– associer le nom de la voyelle au geste et surtout au son qu’elle produit, qui est complètement différent de celui en anglais (confusion entre « e » en anglais et le « i » en français/ entre « i » en anglais et le « a » en français…)

– réciter une poésie “Les saisons”

– chanter collectivement une chanson

French IPC with Joanna and Marie

In French IPC the students began the term travelling around the world with ‘Le Loup Qui Voulait Faire le Tour du Monde’ (the wolf who wanted to travel around the world). They learned a lot of fun facts about certain countries like France, England, China, Brazil and the USA. They also made their own ID cards with the flags of their countries and then placed them on a world map. We learned 3 songs in French which you will be able to watch hereunder and Marie & myself are sure that your children will sing them for you.

We also read books related to the Halloween theme: Les 3 Sorcières and Halloween à l’école. The students had reading comprehension activities to do also.

The students learned the song “La Sorcière Grabouilla” which they loved as well as two other songs. Here are the videos:

Trip to France Miniature

On Wednesday 26th October, the primary section of FISP made a visit to France Miniature. this enabled the children to apply their knowledge and understanding of landmarks from around France as well as providing them with the opportunity of seeing them up close, be it only miniature.

Halloween

MAPLE CLASS

Term 5 – 2022

Thank you for welcoming me into the class! It has been really great getting to know the students and seeing their growth in many areas of their development. 

Ms. Manuela

We had a really lovely time learning a bunch, having lots of fun, and building great relationships Here is an in-depth exploration of some of the important aspects we addressed during the last term of the school year:

Independence 

During this term we concentrated on encouraging the children to be more independent and to have agency over their learning and school life. It is immensely important for the children  to build a strong foundation for the future as whatever they learn now will carry through to the rest of their learning careers. Self-sufficient students are not only better prepared for academics but also will have the ability to build their own self esteem and relationships. For these reasons, there was a special emphasis in providing plenty of opportunities for the students to practice skills that will aid their everyday lives; dressing themselves, caring for their own belonging, practicing good hygiene, following rules and routines, and being aware of social expectation where amongst the many competencies the students got to implement everyday this term. Some of the main ways in which we encouraged autonomy were through a mindful classroom set-up, providing clear rules and routines, promoting leadership and friendship, allocating time for free play and exploration, and most importantly by making everyday fun!

Classroom environment

We created a Montessori inspired classroom where we included learning activities that addressed Math, Language, Sensory, Practical Life, Geography and Fine motor skills. It was a priority to provide a calm classroom environment that was fit for concentration and harmony. Maintaining a neat classroom was also an area of focus and we used music and positive reinforcement to give the student opportunities to take responsibility for keeping the classroom clean and tidy. Every activity had a rightful place, which helped the students know where to return the materials after they were finished with them without needing adult assistance. We also provided floor mats as well as extra table space to ensure that each student had plenty of room to to set up their work and not be distracted by clutter or too much sensory stimulation.

During activity time we encouraged the students to work independently and use indoor voices to avoid sound pollution and allow concentration; the goal being that their nervous systems and brains could be more settled and able to learn better. We played classical music such as Mozart and Vivaldi as well as other types pf concentration music. 

We also made an effort to clear the walls and shelves from as much visual stimuli as possible in order to not distract the students their work and learning. Instead we clearly displayed some of their best work at the front of classroom (and at eye-level) so that they could clearly see what they had accomplished and be able to feel proud. 

Leadership

It is very important that every student had plenty of opportunities to practice being good leaders. We often asked them to show their peers how to do a “good job” rather than telling them; so often the children would role model for one another and got positive reinforcement for it. We gave them a chance to take be the classroom “leaders” when transitioning in and out of the classroom when going to the forest or another part of the school. This became a sought-out position and those who were chosen on that day took pride on their role and made big efforts to carry our their “leader” duties successfully. Towards the end of the term the students started to join together to share the responsibilities of being the “leaders” and it was a very pleasant surprise to witness them taking the initiative to work together so well. 

We also gave the students the opportunities to be classroom “helpers” by doing more than the standard upkeep of our shared space. For example, if an area had been left particularly messy the classroom helper would take the initiative to tidy it up and receive a special sticker for it. 

Friendships

Many students this age are usually learning to navigate more complex relationships with their peers as they are developmentally more social than when they are toddlers. For this reason we worked on this aspect of their education almost daily. We provided many verbal tools that the students could use in order to express their wants and needs. For example we encouraged them to use phrases like “I don’t like it when you…”, “can I please have a turn with…”, “I feel happy when you…”, I feel sad when you…” etc. We also helped the children understand the importance of respecting other’s personal space; for this purpose, they were presented with Ms. Daisy (our puppet lamb) who taught us about how to ask for permission if you want to give someone a hug or being more aware when our behaviour is affecting those around us (e.g., when we are too loud, others may be dislike it or when we give unwanted physical touch to someone, it could make them uncomfortable). Ms. Daisy and friends was a very effective method as we started to see change right away and at the end of term when we reviewed her lessons, it was evident that the retention was there because the students were enthusiastically discussing what we had learned from her. 

French

Here is a special message from Christine and Joanna, our lovely french teachers:

Forest

We scheduled time to visit the forest twice a day and we had a lot of time to explore, sing, dance, learn, and play. Here are some of our highlights from out time in the forest:

Swimming

The students had a great time learning new swimming skills on Fridays!