Term 2 Week 3

Boost 1
We have continued the finding out process of the childrens' independent inquiries.  The children have really impressed me with the amount of information they have been able to find out on their own.

We talked about the importance of using your critical thinking when looking for information on the internet, and how to check if information is accurate, or just someone's opinion.

We continued researching, adjusting our search terms in Google to get the results we are after.  Next session we will begin sorting our information.

Term 2 Week 2

Boost 2
We had a great start to our Boost 2 class yesterday. 
Firstly we looked at all the types of thinking that we will be learning about during Boost time.  We talked about the differences between Critical, Caring and Creative thinking, and also the importance of using the Habits of Mind.  To be successful we need to follow good practice, and yesterday we began working on persistence, and finding humour.  We played a game with a partner, which is designed to be difficult and make players want to give up.  We began playing the game, thinking about our own reaction to frustration and difficulty. Some children laughed to show they were uncomfortable and some children gave up playing.  We then talked about the ways that we can persist when things get difficult.  Partners were shown encouraging comments and actions to help others get through it, and we also talked about the fact that we can overcome giving up when we put our minds to it.  By the end of the game all children were persisting (and also finding a good lot of humour in their attempts to succeed).

We also began playing chess.  Chess is fantastic for a lot of reasons.  You need critical thinking to play the game, persistence to continue when you think there is no way out of check, you take responsible risks when choosing some strategies to play, and you also need to deal with losing a game sometimes.  Today was spent learning how each piece moves and the object of the game.  The boys were very impressed when they heard that chess is actually a war game and the object is to kill the king!  Chess takes a lot of practise, so if you have a chess set at home, don't be afraid to get it out and have a go.  We also have a chess club on Mondays at lunch time.

Term 2 Week 1

Boost 1
As should have been explained to you, this Boost class (Boost 1) will meet every second week on a Monday.  Your child has strength in the classroom with either literacy/numeracy or both, and this time will be especially dedicated to developing their skills and interests, while also helping them to work more independently.  Having a solid base of independent awareness and skills means that they can take on further work if required in their own classrooms, now and also in future. 

Today we embarked on independent inquiries.  The children had been asked to think of a topic or interest that they would like to find out more about.  I helped the children take this interest and form a big question for them to research over the next few weeks.  They then recorded all knowledge that they already have about the topic, so that at the end of their research they can look back and see how much their knowledge has increased.  We also made a mindmap, plotting all of the places where they can begin to look for information about their topic.  They will have a copy of their question and their mindmap to help keep them on track at home.

We will do this inquiry in specific steps, this fortnight I have asked them to just find any information that they can about their topic, and in our next Boost session we will look at sorting through that information.

Term 4 Week 4

We didn't have many children at Boost this week, because Room 9 was away at enrich.  We just continued playing chess and getting comfortable with how each piece can move.  We also talked about how important it is to make sure that your chess pieces are covered as much as possible to stop your opponent taking them.  In the armed forces, you would never send your man out to fight all on his own, he would be killed too easily.  The same applies in chess - your pieces should have cover, which means that they are somewhat protected from your opponent.

The children also learned that once your pawn reaches the other side of the board, it can be turned into what ever piece you like (usually a queen).

Term 4 Week 1

Today we focused on interpersonal skills (group work) and taking responsible risks.  We did a lot of work on how we can tell if a group is working well together - what it looks and sounds like.  We talked about some encouraging things that we could say to make others feel included in a group, and also discussed making sure that each person has a say in what the group is doing.  We need to listen to each other and ensure that each person is heard.

We did a Habits of Mind jigsaw as groups and the children reflected throughout the process -
Am I looking at my group?
Am I listening to other's ideas?
Am I encouraging my group members?
Am I using positive language?

During the Habits of Mind jigsaw activity, we learned what "Taking a responsible risk" is, and we discussed how this means that sometimes we feel uncomfortable to do something (like talk to someone or participate in a group), and there are signs to show we are uncomfortable (like looking away, avoiding a crowd etc.).  Taking a responsible risk means that we might feel uncomfortable in this situation but we persist and talk to someone/participate anyway.  After a while we don't feel uncomfortable any more.

We played some games to help the children persist past the 'not wanting to participate' stage and we also learned how to encourage someone who is obviously nervous/shy.

We finished off with another technology challenge - all teams failed miserably at the challenge, but succeeded beautifully in all actively participating in the group work.  Well done kids!

Term 3 Week 9

We finished our photography lessons today, and worked at using some new techniques - macro, repeating patterns, rule of thirds, and long shot.  I was impressed with the quality of the photos that the children took, they are thinking more creatively every week.

You can see more of our favourite photos outside the office at school.

Term 3 Week 8

Today we continued working with our creative thinking and learned about using the digital camera.  We learned about making sure that the camera was focussed on the subject, turning the flash on and off, and using the macro function.  We also learned some new photography techniques - taking photos from a birds eye and worms eye view, filling the frame with the subject and using the rule of odds.  Chidren also practised working with others, by sharing a camera between to people.  They had to negotiate for the use of the camera and make sure that each child had a fair turn.  They also spent lots of time planning and discussing their proposed photo shots with their partner.