Kindergarten
Welcome to Kindergarten!
On this page you can find information about our units of inquiry.
- UOI 1 Who we are
- UOI 2 How we express ourselves
- UOI 4 How the world works
- UOI 5 How we organize ourselves
Contact:
Lois Harris and Holli Vining
Unit of inquiry 1
Interdisciplinary theme
Who we are
An inquiry into the nature of the self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.
Central Idea
People in communities play to learn, explore and have fun.
Lines of inquiry
The reasons we play
Playing fair
What we learn through play
Key concepts
Function
Connection
Learner profile
Communicator
Principled
Attitudes
Cooperation
Independence
Integrity
Our unit of inquiry has been about ‘Learning Through Play’. This has been a social skills program teaching students how to express feelings and ideas in an appropriate manner in addition to learning strategies for conflict resolution.
In maths the students have been learning about numbers. They have been developing number sense and counting skills through games and hands on activities. Pictographs and T charts have been created in chance and data and each day the students observed the weather and made predictions for upcoming weather conditions. Measurement activities included calendar work and exploring measurement by comparing lengths. In addition, the students have focused on what makes a pattern and the different ways to make, describe and record a pattern.
The students have also been focusing on learning the sounds and letters of the alphabet and the meaning of print. They have listened to, and responded to stories read to them.
In Mongolian A the students are learning about family. While exploring the poems ‘My family’, ‘The Hedgehog’ and the song ‘The One’ they made a little book that contain the poems’ descriptions. They listen and respond to stories, follow classroom instructions and can express their ideas in simple conversations.
In PE (physical education) the students have been inquiring into strategies and skills needed for games and similarities between games. They are developing coordination skills, balance and spatial awareness through participating in simple lead-up games. The final assessment will include ball control and describing how to improve certain skills.
In the crazy hair project, students integrated art and literature (“Crazy Hair” by Neil Caimen, Dave McKean) to create a crazy hair portrait. In this project the students explored different types of lines by using pipe cleaners and shaping them into crazy hair on their portraits. Currently students are working on puzzle pieces by making finger print pictures and designing the background using a rubbing technique to create textural effects. This work will give them a clear example of how they learn through play.
In music the students have been learning to listen to rhythms and echo them back to the teacher by clapping, walking and dancing. Listening skills are an important aspect in every class lesson. They have learned ten songs, focusing on the alphabet, personal hygiene, personal space and the world around them. They are also working on songs for the musical, ‘Alice in Wonderland’.
Unit of inquiry 2
Interdisciplinary theme
How we express ourselves.
An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.
Central idea
People have their own traditions that make them unique.
Lines of inquiry
Where people in our class come from
Traditions
Celebrations
Key concepts
Form
Perspective
Learner profile attributes
Open-minded
Inquirer
During this unit the children will learn about the nationalities of their peers. They will investigate their own, and each others, flags and countries. They will explore the world maps in school and look at atlases to find their continent and country. The children will inquire into their own traditions and celebrations and learn about each others’.
During music and PE the students are experimenting with dance and movement. They are rehearsing a traditional Mongolian dance in preparation for the Tsagaan Sar assembly.
Mathematics is integrated with the unit of inquiry where possible. The children are introduced to graphing as they find out the most popular colours used in flags by using a bar graph. They also find out which country most people in their class come from by creating and interpreting a bar graph. Together they they create a clock and are learning to tell time by the hour.
In language the children will be introduced to the elements of story writing, beginning with characters and setting. While writing, they are also focusing on capital letters and full stops. The students are working on spelling digraphs and personal spelling lists of high frequency words. Some parents have opted to practise the spelling words at home in addition to the daily reading.
In Mongolian A the students are exploring poetry by reading the poems ‘Winter’ by D.Maam and ‘Looking For His socks’ by O.Sundui. They are developing their vocabulary by listening to, and talking about stories.
In Mongolian B the students are learning numbers, colors and some Mongolian songs.
In PE the students are working on gymnastics and will develop their own sequence of movements.
Unit of inquiry 4
Interdisciplinary theme
How the world works.
An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.
Central idea
The weather affects our daily lives.
Lines of inquiry
What is weather
Different seasons in different places
Choices we make because of the weather
Key concepts
Causation
Change
Learner profile attributes
Balanced
Knowledgeable
Attitudes
Curiosity
Enthusiasm
During this unit of inquiry on weather, the students will investigate the elements of weather and learn about the symbols that represent weather conditions. They will view videos and work collaboratively in small groups conducting experiments, researching books, and collecting and recording data to build understandings. They will be given opportunities to make observations and inferences as to why weather is important to people. At the conclusion of the unit, the students will reflect on what they have learnt and demonstrate how the weather affects daily life.
Unit of inquiry 5
Interdisciplinary theme
How we organize ourselves
An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on
humankind and the environment.
Central idea
People choose different types of vehicles to get from one place to another.
Lines of inquiry
The kinds of transport we and other people use
Why people use different kinds of transportation
Key concepts
Form
Function
Related concepts
Systems
Similarities and differences
Learner profile attributes
Risk-taker
Thinker
Attitudes
Creativity
Confidence
During this unit the students will study the uses and types of transport. They will learn what a transport system is and the components of a transport system. They will identify transport systems they have used and discuss the benefits and disadvantages of each form of transport. They will hypothesize what if there were no transport systems and if there were no rules governing the transport system. Each child will research two forms of transport of his/he own choosing to find similarities and differences between two forms of transport.