Dear Parents,
This week found us inquiring deeper into our unit How We Express Ourselves.
The Central Idea: People express themselves through their values, beliefs, and cultures.
During class discussions, students looked into the definition and differences between value and belief.
Student understanding:
Value: Strongly feelings about something/ Thinking something is meaningful.
Beliefs: You believe in something without having proof thereof.
Students deconstructing and making meaning out of our central idea:
How we express ourselves through our cultures.
These were some student answers:
Through our traditional dances - Aussie
The singing of traditional song - Thato
When a baby is born he /she is named by the community - Mimi
A babies hair is cut off the 7th day after birth - Mimi
Through various games - Carolina
Our language ( mother tongue) Grant
Through Folktales - Kahilu
Through Drama - Nini
Different traditional food - Carolina
Traditional clothes - Gui
Instruments/ Music - Kahilu
Praying - Laith
Different celebrations - Grant
Through art - Vivian
Fasting - Ms. Debbie
Next week our main focus will be on our line of inquiry: Cultures within Namibia.
Therefore we are inviting Namibian families to start first with the sharing of their cultures
with us. You may share any or all the different aspects that make up a culture
(Ask your child the different aspects of culture)
We would like you to co-present your culture with your child (Students should take the lead).
This is an opportunity for them to inquire deeper into their own identity. Through the sharing,
students will make authentic connections to real- life experiences and ultimately the unit.
Sign up here for all sharing of cultures 20 -24th May Namibian cultures, and 27-31 May Other Cultures around the world.
Literacy:
In literacy, we looked into Figures of speech, what they are, why and when we use them. Our main focus for the week was Similies and Idioms
1. Similies (A comparison of two things using the words like or as)
Students build puzzles to try and put all the missing pieces of each similie puzzle together. each Similie consisted out of 3 puzzles. Eg1. As soild as, 2. A rock, 3. picture of a rock.
2. Idioms ( Phrases that do not mean exactly what they say)
Students sorted and paired pictures together that they thought made up an Idioms. Some students made connections to some known Idioms:
Hold your horses = wait - Dino
Hit the sack = go to bed - Tashia
Students practiced doing some compound sentences (putting to sentences together to form one longer sentence). Students used the abbreviation (FANBOY)F=for A= and N= nor B= but O= or Y =yet to join their sentences together.
Some compound sentences student formed:
1. My beautiful mom was cooking food, but she got burned very badly on her hand. Nini, Gui, Fiji, and Selma.
2. Mr. Williams and his cousins were having fun playing soccer. Helmina, Fatima, Vivian, and Jeziah.
3. Mr. Jack and Mr. Al both enjoy drinking Fanta. Mimi, Aussie, Mika and Thato
4. The sheep and his friends enjoy grazing in the meadow. Dino, Carolina, Tashia, and kahilu.
5. I want a car for my birthday. Reuben, Grant, Hazel, Laith, and Anna.
Stretch out a sentence:
Students made paper links to stretch out a sentence. They were guided to use the questions who? what? where? when? and why? to stretch their group sentences as far as possible. Doing such activities will help students in adding more detail and length to their written work.
PSPE:
Emotions ran hot this week when students played and competed against each other on Kahoot, an online game. Students needed some reminders and strategies on how t to work through their anger.
How can we manage our anger? these were some of the student's reflections?
- Go to a quiet place
- Talk to someone you trust.
- Take deep breaths/ count to 10.
- Speak in a kind tone.
- Try solving the problem by talking politely to the person.
- Don't blame each other.
What learner profiles/ attitudes can I model?
- Open -minded = We accept each other for our differences.
- Reflective = We think about our actions.
- Caring = use kind words and kind actions.
