HOLIDAYS!!

I'm sure you all are waiting for the vacation as much as I am! I hope we all enjoy our time to the fullest and come back fresh as lemons..

As usual, I'm going to assign SOME work so that you don't forget all that was learnt during the session. For some of you, these tasks might help you in being occupied during the break.

Things you should do: (For everyone)

* Math worksheet on word problems
* In your math notebook, write the different examples of lines (lines, line segments, rays, parallel lines, perpendicular lines and intersecting lines) that you see around you. Try to draw them in your notebooks with accurate or approximate measurements.
* English -  Any three tasks from the Reading Bingo and Comprehension passage
* UOI: Prepare a presentation (Using any tool) on some famous buildings and structures around the world. Include information about the design, the reasons why and how it was built and any other speacial features. You may also talk about it's history, if applicable.

Due date for all the Homework: October 10th (Wednesday)

Things you MAY do: (Extension)

* Solve more problems on www.thinkingblocks.com
* Create puzzles based on famous buildings/reading book/current events, etc.
* Create your own buildings on MS Word
* Explore web tools on www.cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com
* If you visit a place outside Hyderabad, you can find out about the culture of that place and speak to you classmates about it when you come back.
* Play games: http://www.freeonlinegames.com/tag/building
http://www.shockwave.com/gamelanding/demolition2.jsp



Feel free to communicate with your teachers through email/blog comments.

HAVE FUN!!!

Sai Priya's glog

Homework

Homework notes for this week:

Math: Worksheet on mixed operation
English: Reading BINGO (any two tasks)
UOI: Conduct research on the symbols of peace in different cultures (In Japan, a bell is a symbol for peace)

A Rendezvous with the Nizams

The grade 5 students were taken for a field trip to the Chaumahala palace and the Nizam's museum on the 18th of September 2012.

It was a warm and sunny morning and we left the campus at 9 am; all the students and two teachers safely seated in a big, comfortable bus. It took us around forty-five minutes to reach our destination. Before entering the palace, the students sat under a shady tree at the front enterance to write a pre - reflection. They were asked to think about the things they will see inside. After a while, with our caps on, we marched enthusiastically through the lush, green gardens preseeding the pearl white structure.

As we climbed the tiny steps, we were greeted by a smiling gentleman in a guard's uniform. Behind him was a luxuriant, spacious hall. It looked like a court with an enormous throne placed in the center of the wall opposite to us. Numerous opulent looking chandeliers were dangling  from the high ceiling. I simply couldn't stop taking pictures!

Our curiosity and indulgence kept growing as we walked through the well-laid galleries. It was interesting how the museum answered all our queries in it's own serene manner. Halls after halls, galleries after galleries, courtyards after courtyards, we kept looking at at our surroundings in awe. There were artefacts that told us about the Nizams' clothes, language, food, music, travel, lifestyle, mannerisms and hobbies. While their belongings were carefully preserved and displayed, we only wished the organisers had put up more informative boards around the pathways and dioramas.

Our discovery of the culture of the Nizams continued when we visited the Nizams' museum around noon. We were fortunate to find an expert at the enterence who voluntarily guided our tour. Most of the artefacts displayed in this museum were silver objects gifted to the seventh Nizam  on his silver jubilee. The most amazing feature was a  never-ending wardrobe which is arguably the world's biggest! The museum is managed by the oldest grandson of the Nizam who lives in Paris.

The trip ended when we reached school a little after 2 pm. Exhausted and saturated, the students completed their field trip booklets, reflected on the trip and started waiting for another one....

Homework

As you all must be knowing, the school is closed tomorrow. We have set up some work for the students to do at home.

There is a 'Reading Bingo' sent home. The students need to complete 3-4 tasks in their reading journals.

For Math, the students can practise word problems on http://www.ixl.com/math/grade-4/add-numbers-up-to-millions-word-problems and on http://www.mathplayground.com/NewThinkingBlocks/thinking_blocks_addition_subtraction.html

Use mental math as far as possible.

PRIMARY WALL HOMEWORK

http://bit.ly/UaFg2Q 

Fantabulous fourth week!

This week, the students were engrossed in digging deeper into the central idea and the second line of inquiry: 'How artefacts symbolize beliefs and values'. There was a 'Show and Tell' session where all the students and teachers brought an artefact and shared the beliefs behind it. There was a wide variety of artefacts from various cultures: Gujarati, Ismaili, Hindu, Christian, Chinese, Buddhist, etc. The students also wrote reflections on their learning. Another interesting learning engagement was the 'Jigsaw Reading'. Both the classes were divided into six groups and each group read an article from the book 'Religious articles'. The groups were then shuffled into four groups so that there is one person from each group in all the groups. The students then used a graphic organizer to make connections between all the religions. For example: The Bible is the holy book for the Christians and the Quran is the holy book for the Muslims. The Hindus light Diyas on Diwali and the Jews light candles on Hanukkah.
Some pictures from the UOI lessons: 

In English language, apart from guided reading, we had an assessment. The students were given prompts for descriptive writing and they used the writing process to independently write a descriptively written passage. The criterion  for assessment were given to them, but it was a self assessment.

In  Math, we revisited rounding off big numbers as some students were a little unclear with the concept. Students learnt to add numbers using the concept of place value. They understood the actual meaning of 'carry over'. They solved some problems on addition by expanding and contracting numbers. We did mental addition too.

In IT, the students praticed using MS Excel to create graphs.

Rounding off practice

Rounding off easy explanation: http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/rounding-numbers.html
Rounding off small numbers: http://www.free-training-tutorial.com/rounding-games.html
Rounding off big numbers: http://www.helpingwithmath.com/printables/worksheets/numbers/4nbt3-rounding01.htm Solve in math notebook/plain sheet of paper.
 

Guest speakers, Adjectives, Rounding off and BOLLYWOOD!!!

This week, the students enjoyed learning more about the traditions, rituals and artefacts of different cultures and how they portray their beliefs and values. Their understanding was consolidated through guest speeches by teachers from the senior school: Ms Susan, Mr James, Ms Yasmin and Ms Alex. The two sections were divided into four groups and each group had a different guest speaker. Each speaker spoke about their own cultures. After the speech, the students reflected on charts and then shared them with the other groups. This engagement helped the students to actually comprehend the central idea and connect with the key concepts. 

Something very interesting the students did was watching bollywood videos to see the traditions and rituals of different cultures. For example: tomatina festival from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Lagori game from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Khwaja mere Khwaja from Jodha Akbar.

They also visited British Museum's website to view and analyse artefacts. The students are creating a 'museum box' on culture which will be shared on this page once completed.

In Math, the students solved some critical thinking problems on place value. There was an assessment in the form of a quiz. We then learnt rounding off numbers using stories and manipulatives.

In English language, the students did a bit of descriptive writing. In groups, they read a descriptive passage visually represented their understanding through posters. They also added adjectives to a story and did guided reading. 

Few pictures from the week: