Growing independence

Independent Inquiry is an activity we do in the 'Uniters' class every Thursday. During this time, students are free to manage their own time and direct their own inquiries. Of course, they still have responsibilities to complete ongoing assignments and inquiry tasks, so it's an excellent opportunity to practice time management and reflecting on priorities.

Sule drew a meaningful graphic to remind herself to be balanced.

During the Peace Crane Project, one of our partner schools in South Africa was under a postal strike. They couldn't mail their peace cranes to us! Finally, the strike was resolved and the cranes arrived this week.

Seeing the students lackluster efforts during marathon a few weeks ago, I decided to set a goal that each one of us would run or 'fast walk' twenty five laps around the track every week. We have a goal sheet in the classroom. Thus far, we've run 384, but we're behind schedule!

Today, since we didn't have marathon due to Pika Pika Keyakki, all of the grade 5/6 students were completing their laps during recess. Miray's extra challenge was to bring a little friend along with her!

The class is digging deeper and deeper into 'points of view and how they change'. Suheda started a brilliant project of building a periscope to explore the scientific aspects of changing perspective.

Next week will be devoted almost entirely to inquiry as we begin exploring 'the links between world events' and 'how we record history'.

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Feeling connected and building independence

While it was a fun and important learning experience to create and send peace cranes, it is somehow more fun to receive them! Recently, large packages arrived from Arizona and Hawaii packed with origami cranes.

The students are busy creating beautiful posters to remember this inspiring project.

We also connected with other sixth graders by using Skype. Several weeks ago, Japanese language students at the Mid Pacific Institute asked us our complaints about living in Tokyo. This week, they presented their design ideas to try to solve our problems.

Their ideas included litter cleaning robot dogs and indoor aquaponic gardens!

This week, the Uniters have also been reflecting on their previous inquiry. Each student has an Inquiry Task Organizer which they use to document their learning. This is an important tool to learn data and self management skills that will be critical for their Exhibition.

I look forward to sharing and discussing them with parents on Monday! Below are my slides for the Coffee Time presentation. I look forward to seeing you there!

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Smile Week

This was a busy and exciting week for engaging with our school and local communities. First, we began receiving Peace Cranes and Peace Doves from other classes. Our first package arrived from Massachussets, USA. It was strong motivation for us to pack our own envelopes and send them around the world!

To share with the Shibuya Ward Office about what we did for Peace Day, the students created a fantastic poster describing the project. We entrusted our work to the Grade 4 class to deliver to the Mayor of Shibuya.

In Tuesday's school assembly, Suheda told everyone that Friday was Smile Day. I had an idea to put little smiley faces all around the school. This led to the class making necklaces with smiley face pendants on Friday for everyone at school.

For one inquiry period, they became a smiley face factory!

Because of the caring action of the Grade 5/6 students, this Friday truly was Smile Day at JIES.

The students have also been busy collaborating on our Class Rights and Responsibilities.

There are still a few details to sort out, and I'm very proud of how they worked together, both in face to face discussion and on Google Docs, to synthesize their ideas into meaningful essential agreements for our expectations for the school year.

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Peace Crane Club and Suheda's snack tries to eat her

Last week, the Uniters officially started the Peace Crane Club for the Peace Crane Project. I have contacted five other teachers in the USA and South Africa and we will exchange cranes and wishes for peace with them soon.

The class enjoyed teaching the younger students how to fold origami cranes.

Sule drew this lovely illustration to represent our class and I thought it was so fantastic, I just had to share. This kind of independent and inspired work is exactly what we want to encourage and celebrate this year!

I'm glad to see the students getting so busy on their research, writing, and creating. Please visit our student blogs at kidblog.org/JIESGrade562014-15 and leave a comment as a 'guest'. We have had a few teachers around the world leave comments, and look forward to more interaction with students in other schools.

Of course, it's also important to have some silly fun once in a while. Evidently, Suheda's snack was hungry and bit her before she could eat it!

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Inspired & Independent

Activities this week were designed to inspire the students to pursue their inquiries with independence. While we maintain rigorous routines for language and mathematics skills building, we also use plenty of time for research, making, sharing, and reflecting.

Sule used some of her independent inquiry time to refine her sewing and doll making skills. She was very shy at first to discuss her project, but we were all excited to hear that she was making toys for her brother!

After school on Wednesday, Bushra and Suheda were joined by Busra from Kindergarten for some dance practice! Fantastic to see our 'Uniters' enjoying learning and setting a positive example for younger students.

We took our first trip to the public library. After exploring the 'pop up' books, Miray also visited the third floor to research about animals.

Suheda works on a blog post about human rights with her notebook on her lap. 

One of my goals for this year is to see the students actively following inquiry models, use their notebooks to gather ideas and research, then transfer their learning into digital format for editing and publishing.

Another addition this week is our ACTION organizer. This chart helps us to think about and share our actions in different ways, and use a model to turn our ideas into meaningful action that has an impact on the world around us.

Of course, we have been utilizing our ActivBoard extensively, especially in Mathematics. There is something special about a two meter long virtual ruler!

It seems my efforts to get the class inspired to pursue their interests are working! On Friday, they decided to build a small stage in the front of the class out of cardboard and PET bottles. Of course, they need to ask for donations of plastic bottles, so they are conducting a marketing campaign with posters and planning to make an announcement in the school assembly on Tuesday morning.

Next week, we look forward to hosting the school's Peace Crane Club. The Uniters will read aloud Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes and teach younger students how to fold origami cranes to exchange with other schools around the world in the Peace Crane Project.

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