A Whitby School Newsletter Connecting Parents, Teachers and Students in Learning

Fall /winter 2010-2011 l o w e r e l e m e n t a r y iB Units: who we are ........ 1

How we organize ourselves ............ 3

music, art, theatre ... 5

world language ........ 5

then and now

During October and November, the Lower Elementary classes investi-gated the similarities and differences

between life today and that of colonial America. This unit started with the peda-gogical inquiries of why, how, and what, such as why colonial children dressed the way they did, how their schools and lives differed from ours, and what their homes were like. As scintillating questions such as these arose, the students conducted in-depth investigations to find the answers.

trans-disciplinary learning: literature The book, If You Lived in Colonial Times, by Ann McGovern, ignited student interest in this topic. It later served as resource for independent research and an assessment activity when the students acting as thinkers and communicators, created their own written and illustrative writings to reflect the similarities and differences between the lives of colonial people and themselves.

curriculumconnection

iB UnitWho We Are

titleThen and Now

Central ideaThe way people lived long ago helps us understand the way we live today.

LE students working with a Montessori bead chain

Curriculum Connection is a publication of Whitby School connecting parents, teachers and students in learning. Thank you to all the faculty, administration and staff who contributed to this issue.

Editor: Bob Horne Contributing Writer: Polly TafrateDesign and Production: CP Design

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Enacting the principles embodied in the IB Learner Profile, the students were naturally curious about the contents of the colonial trunk loaned to their classes by The Rye Historical Society. It was filled with authentic reproductions of clothing, school items, household tools and other period artifacts. They became inquirers and thinkers when they played with the toys which included corn husk dolls, marbles and a bowling game. The girls enjoyed dressing up in long skirts, dresses and caps, while the boys tried on the short pants and tri-corner hats.

Of particular interest in the trunk were the replicas of colonial students’ hornbooks, so called because they only contained letters and numbers written on a piece of animal horn which the students compared to the comprehensive library of resources from which they can learn. Each child made his or her own hornbook which was displayed on classroom bulletin boards.

The classes traveled to Philipsburg Manor in Tarrytown, N.Y., an historical eighteenth century farming, milling and trading center. As the children toured the 300-year old manor house, they were inspired

to ask the docents challenging questions. They enjoyed examining more household artifacts and were able to try using a few—a mortar and pestle to grind beans, a butter churn and a mill stone to grind corn into meal.

Science ConnectionAs a trans-disciplinary connection to this unit, students were led through an exploration of electric circuits, much like the one invented by Thomas Edison. This enabled them to compare the more simplistic light sources used prior to the discovery of electricity to those of today. Presented with a basic diagram, wires, a battery and a light bulb, each student worked alongside a partner to create a circuit.

an international ViewThe students took their study of differences in schools to an international level, learning how schools around the world are different from Whitby. Teachers read Penny Smith’s A School Like Mine, a Unique Celebration of Schools Around the World, and students viewed several video clips. This launched discussions about the differences and similarities in school life in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Japan, and East Timor to a school day at Whitby. They then located these countries on world maps.

While differentiated math instruction continued, everyone worked on learning to tell time as they compared their daily lives with those of children in other parts of the world. As part of the summative as-sessment, students chose one difference of the schools to write about and illustrate.

Learning about how children lived and learned almost three hun-dred years ago helped the Lower Elementary students develop an un-derstanding and appreciation of their own culture, education, and lives today. Many left with the question of what will life be like a few hundred years from now, when boys and girls study the years 2010-2011.

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LE students in colonial clothing from the Rye Historical Society

Creating a circuit with wires, a battery and a lightbulb

Comparison of our school and a school in the Netherlands

then and now

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get a job

Students’ JobsThe students began this IB unit by examining their own classroom roles and responsibilities. Working collaboratively, they created, il-lustrated, and posted an Essential Agreement listing specific guide-lines necessary to become good classroom citizens. Each classroom’s agreement includes a commitment to promoting a cooperative spirit, positive interactions with peers, respect for others, and maintaining the order and beauty of the classroom environment.

Jobs in the whitby Community & BeyondNext, the students learned about how the jobs of others in the Whitby community connect with their lives. Specialty teachers, administra-tors, and maintenance staff made classroom visits during which they facilitated open-ended discussions with the students and answered their inquiries. Robert Curis, Whitby’s CFO, explained how he man-ages the financial puzzle piece of the school to ensure that it has the budget to run properly. It didn’t take the students long to realize that excellent math and problem solving skills are needed to do this job well. Mr. Curis further explained how he supervises other departments including business development, information technology and facili-ties and grounds. On another day the children had a chance to hear from Maintenance Supervisor, Jose Gonzalez, who explained some of his job is job duties, such as maintaining the beauty of the school’s interior, setting up equipment, and monitoring school security.

The third tier of this IB unit of inquiry included an investigation of jobs in the outside community. Christy Girard, a detective from the Greenwich Police Department, told the students how she works to keep the town safe. Students are always encouraged to ask challeng-ing questions and this time was no exception. One futuristic thinker asked what would happen if there was a power outage and burglary at the same time, as that would make the alarm and phone systems inoperable.

“We love when parents visit the classroom to share their experi-ences with us,” says Karen Taylor, LEB teacher. The students enjoyed listening to Alexandra Simon’s father who told the class about his job as a neurosurgeon. The children examined models of the human brain and spine to gain a deeper understanding of their intercon-nected function, thereby illuminating the critical nature of Dr. Si-mon’s job as a neurosurgeon.

To ignite interest in jobs all over the world, students viewed several images from the Lonely Planet website, which served as a springboard for an “I see, I think, I wonder,” writing activity. Many of the images they viewed depicted children at work. For example, two young girls selling friendship bracelets and dolls in Otavalo, South America, a young boy selling fruit as his street-stall in Brazil, and a young man

feeding an orphaned elephant—a job requiring around-the-clock care, seven days a week for two years! The students were fascinated by these images and surprised by the realization that children indeed work in other parts of the world. This prompted a discussion about why children don’t work in America.

After they viewed these images, students worked in pairs to share their observations and wonderings with each other, recorded them in writing and then read them aloud to their peers during author’s sharing time.

transdisciplinary learning: mathIn addition to the children’s individualized math lessons, all children practiced the universal concept of telling time. The teachers took this a step further to explore why the rotation of the earth results in dif-ferent time zones throughout the world. This concept was further reinforced by sharing the book, A School Like Mine, which highlights the school experiences and daily life of a young African girl, Susanna.

iB UnitHow We Organize Ourselves

titleGet a Job

Central ideaTo meet the needs of its people, a community is organized around the jobs and roles of its members.

Students write about what jobs they want to do they grow up, and why

This led to a discussion about important time frames that mark the children’s day, (getting up, being driven to school, etc.) and how these are very different for Susanna, (waking up early to tend the farm, walking to school, etc.). This offered the students a global per-spective; they quickly realized that people operate on different time tables due to the rotation of the earth and the world’s time zones.

ScienceAs part of the “Get A Job” unit of inquiry, students observed habitats of live animals such as lizards, fish and frogs. This enabled students to conclude that animals come from different communities in nature and fulfill different roles relative to the habitat in which they live.

literature Children viewed several authentic documentary video clips to com-pare and contrast jobs in the local community with those in other countries. Teachers read a variety of nonfiction books to the class, such as Career Day by Anne Rockwell and Community Helpers from A to Z by Bobbie Kalman. This nonfiction literature provided the launching point for a bulletin board titled “When I Grow Up,” which showcased a writing piece and illustration in which each student de-scribed a specific job they’d like to have in the future and the reason why they chose it.

The students enjoyed listening to the story of Strega Nona, by Tomie DePaola. This tale is about an elderly Italian lady who helps fellow villagers with their troubles. The Lower Elementary students then traveled to The Performing Arts Center at SUNY Purchase to see the story brought to life on stage. This performance illuminated the fact that when one person does not do his or her job, it impacts the entire community of workers.

CaringThe children were introduced to the concept of family homelessness when Madeline Gerstein Simon, Alexandra’s mother, visited Lower Elementary B to share a book she il-lustrated, Voyage to Shelter Cove. In this story, four sea creatures find friends and solace after the destruc-tion of their coral reef habitat.

Throughout the “Get a Job” unit, students were eager to help others in the community and were inspired to begin a year-long community service project with Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, NY. They brainstormed ideas before agreeing to make individual placemats and Halloween decorations in art class, as well as donate gently used books to the children at Blythedale.

Enacting the traits of the IB Learner Profile, students became in-quirers and open-minded thinkers as they worked collaboratively and individually to develop a knowledge base which extended beyond their own world to an international one.

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Unit resources on the whitby website www.whitbyschool.orgHome > Academics > Lower School Grades 1-4 > Lower Elementary > PYP Units of Inquiry ’10-’11

Identifying traits of the IB Learner Profile in literature

music, art, theatremusicThe Lower Elementary students enjoyed performing in the winter Sing-Along. In class they reviewed basic melodic and rhythmic com-position and worked on matching pitch. Students sang rounds and played rhythmic pattern games. They also learned about different genres and music from around the world. This spring the students will even begin to learn how to read from a basic musical score!

artThis fall, LE students learned how to carefully choose and manipulate tools through the use of specific techniques in order to achieve de-sired qualities in their artwork. They studied and experimented with the artistic concepts of shine, shape, shadow and shade in order to create drawings from life. As they explored the principles of compo-sition, students learned to identify and effectively use both cool and

warm colors, as well as how to mix secondary colors. Students used symmetry, spatial overlapping, and relative size to create the illusion of 3 dimensions in their drawings to achieve their artistic visions. As students studied the paintings of Henri Matisse and other painters, they made connections across disciplines, cultures, and art. Students practiced making their own personal aesthetic choices this semester to better communicate through their art.

theatreThis semester the students have studied the theatrical crafts of acting, performing mime, and creating and directing sequenced stories. Each class has cultivated good theatrical habits and understanding of theat-rical conventions by warming-up their bodies and voices, facing the audience, working on projecting their physical presence and voices and collaborating with one another. They’ve created and presented several in-class skits related to their academic IB units. They will now shift gears to work with the Peace Curriculum, memorizing text and creating theatrical pieces that will be presented in May at the LE Arts Presentation.

SpanishIn Lower Elementary Spanish, the students have been using reading,writing, conversation and multimedia learning centers. They rotate among these centers engaging in small group and paired conversa-tions as they read picture books, create flash cards, practice writing and listen to audio-visual resources.

In conjunction with the IB unit of study “How We Organize Our-selves”, students have been working on “School Life” learning the Spanish words for classroom materials and subjects.

Students also worked on the IB unit, “Let’s Party” to learn about Spanish food and celebrations. Using their new vocabulary they have begun discussing different foods. They’ve also begun comparing similarities and differences of holiday celebrations among the diverse Spanish-speaking world.

ChineseTaking their first steps with speaking Chinese, the Lower Elemen-tary students have learned simple greetings and names of their family members. The ancient art form of expressive writing, calligraphy, has been introduced and the children have tried their hand at it. In prepa-ration for the Spring Festival in February, the students have learned to sing festive songs, such as Gongxi, Gongxi, Gongxi Ni.

FrenchLower Elementary students listen to seasonal poems at the begin-ning of each class. They listen for new vocabulary words within these poems before reciting them together.

Friendly greetings start simple conversations the students have with one another. These often include talk about the weather. The children love playing French games as they acquire new vocabulary words and enjoy acting out parts of a thematic dialogue from this semester’s themes: “J’aime Cuisinier,” “J’aime Voyager,” and “J’aime Manger. Short videos are sometimes shown.

They enjoy looking at bits of French culture such as books and the work of artists. Tasting such things as French bread rubbed with oil and/or garlic help the children learn adjectives to describe different tastes and sizes such as sweet and sour, big and little.

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world languages