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Upper Primary at ISG more than doubled in size during the summer holidays! Miss Jenny welcomed both old and new pupils to our lovely new classroom on the 1st of September.
13 Upper Primary pupils now start off an exciting new school year together in a brand new school building. Pupils are very happy with the new classroom and playground. The lunch room is bigger and there is more space for different activities.
These first few weeks have been filled with different ‘get to know each other’ activities. Pupils have had art lessons, played games, gone to a playground for a fun afternoon, explored the surroundings around our new school and also participated in lots of team work challenges. Now we start to know each other!
During our first week back we also had a reason to celebrate! Romeo turned 9 years old and we had a little party here in the classroom.
We have a year full of learning – both Knowledge, Skills and Understanding – ahead of us!
This week Upper Primary started off their first weekly assignment in Numeracy and they have already been working hard to take responsibility for their own tasks. They also learn how to take responsibility for grammar practise, writing tasks, spelling rules and different follow-up activities. They have had their first Guided reading session. On Wednesday the Home learning folder was sent home for the first time.
This week Upper Primary pupils have also had Dutch class with Miss Marjoleen, Music class with Miss Sterre and PE and swimming class with Miss Naomi.
The school year has started off in a fantastic way – and the weather has been lovely, warm and sunny, so we have nothing to complain about! We are looking forward to many exciting days together here at ISG!
During the last weeks of school, Upper Primary pupils continued learning about different aspects of weather and climate. Pupils built their own weather stations and used different instruments to measure air pressure, wind direction and temperature. Some instruments worked better than others, so there was a lot of problem-solving going on. Not all experiments are successful, but we can always learn from them. In our classroom, we have a poster with a basic ‘Creative problem-solving’ cycle. Pupils now understand how the cycle works.
Pupils had to ask themselves “Does this instrument work?”
If the answer was “Yes, it works!” they could use it to make careful observations of the weather.
If the answer was “No”, they had to investigate why and see if and how they could improve on the instrument.
Upper Primary pupils really liked the lesson when Mr Carlos, a researcher at the Weather and Climate facility, New Mexico Tech University, USA, came to tell them more about clouds. Mr Carlos studies clouds and chases hurricanes, so pupils could not ask for a better teacher when learning about clouds. Pupils then had a home learning task where they were asked to study clouds themselves. They were a bit unlucky, stratus clouds covered the skies in Belgium almost the whole week when they made their observations. The ones that waited until Sunday afternoon for their observations were able to draw and explain more about cumulonimbus clouds. Then there was rain, thunder and lightning!
To wrap up this IPC unit, Middle Primary pupils were invited to our Exit Point. Upper Primary pupils guided interested school mates around – and by explaining to others what they have learnt, pupils realised that they now know a lot about Weather and Climate!
Pupils have been wrapping up other things as well, they have reached the end of their book with different Spelling rules. They have finished off the last tasks in their Numeracy book and handed in Textbook 3 to Miss Jenny. There has been a lot of learning going on this year! Pupils have practised some new things as well, they have now learnt how paint with charcoal, how to play cricket and also how to play an instrument together with others in a band. They did an excellent job during the End-of-year show, when they performed ‘Rocky Mountain’ and ‘Count on me’ by Bruno Mars.
Pupils have also been on a school trip to visit an art exhibition in Stekene, where we saw how wind and air pressure can make huge objects move. The beach creatures that Theo Jansen had built were impressive! Pupils have also had lots of fun activities before the end of the school year. They played for a whole day at a fun activity park in Deinze, they have prepared art work for our new school building and during our last Wednesday together, Zara threw her birthday party with lots of yummy treats for all Primary pupils.
ISG pupils gathered for one last Assembly before the summer holidays. It was nice to be together one last time!
Now we have reached the end of this school year! We wish Diba good luck with her new school and the rest of us will meet again in September! Until then, we will all enjoy a (hopefully) sunny summer holiday! When we see each other again, it will be in our new school building! So exciting!
Upper Primary pupils have looked more into the difference between weather and climate.
On big world maps, pupils added the Equator to start with, then the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. They compared this area on their own map to a climate map and understood why we talk about the tropics. The area between the two Tropics is where we find rain forests and where the climate is hot and humid. Pupils then marked the Prime Meridian and discussed how you can explain your position using only coordinates. They started understanding a bit more why we talk about longitude and latitude. Pupils read texts about the different climate zones as well and marked key words and wrote important information on a mind map. They also coloured in the different climate zones on their maps. Pupils have researched the climate in their home countries. It was challenging to read and understand the texts and to collect information from graphs. Still, pupils were able to gather interesting information about both average temperatures, rainfall, wildlife, vegetation and physical features of their countries.
To be able to make their own weather forecasts, pupils have looked at more specific weather vocabulary. You can describe cloudy weather in different ways, as well as rainy weather, sunny weather or cold weather. Pupils predicted the weather in their own forecasts and later compared them to the actual weather. Pupils were quite close! The day in question it was rainy and cloudy… and cold!
Upper Primary pupils also learned weather poems and recited them in class.
This week Upper Primary pupils visited a weather station at University Ghent and learned more about the scientific instruments used when preparing a weather forecast. Pupils will now try to build their own weather station.
During a workshop at the lovely flower exhibition Floralien a few weeks ago, pupils, together with the artist Will Beckers, build bird nests using willow, dried fruit, pine cones etc. Upper Primary pupils absolutely loved this activity! Some of the comments during and after the workshop were:
“This is the best day in my life!”
“I didn’t like it – I loved it!”
“This is more fun than playing video games!”
“Mr. Will told us at the beginning of the workshop that he would turn us in to artists. He did!”
Upper Primary pupils also visited a workshop at the Regenboog centre, OCMW, where they learned how to build insect hotels. That was great fun too! The insect hotels are not yet finished, but we hope to be able to finish them off before the summer holidays!
At the end of April we had a birthday party here in Upper Primary. Emma turned 10 years old and threw a party in class! We all enjoyed the yummy cake and the goodie bags!
Pupils have had a Lego challenge again, this time it was Diba and Kaaru who built and programmed with Lego WeDo. Upper Primary pupils have practised a new Jump Jam dance. They have read books, worked with their tasks in both Numeracy and Literacy, they have taken a maths test, they have played games, they have shared show-and-tells with each other and they have done a lot of other things too!
And to stay fit and healthy, pupils have been training every now and then. Some Upper Primary pupils will join the Chiquita Fun Run here in Ghent this Sunday! We wish them all good luck!
At the moment, Upper Primary pupils are learning about Antarctica! The exciting Entry Point for our new IPC-unit Weather and Climate is called ‘Operation Freezer. Pupils are pretending that they are Team Antarctica and that they have to rescue a group of scientists stuck in their research station. To be able to rescue them, pupils need to gather as much information as possible about Antarctica, about life there and about what you need to bring with you to survive there. What do you wear there? What do you eat? How do you get there and how do you travel about? How do you go to the toilet? Can you take a shower?
Pupils have looked at maps and studied globes, they have read books and searched for information on the internet, they have brought books from home and they have discussed their rescue mission. Now they are starting to understand what a unique place Antarctica is.
To make it even more exciting, Upper Primary pupils had a visitor this week. Professor Elie Verleyen from UGent has visited Antarctica several times and he visited our classroom Wednesday morning. He shared some of his Antarctica experiences with Upper Primary. We found it both interesting and fun to listen to him and it was interesting to look at the photos he brought! Some of us even tried on his thick and warm boot! We learned a lot! Thank you for visiting us, Professor Elie!
In Literacy, pupils are reading both fiction and non-fiction books and working with different types of follow-up questions. Pupils have been writing different text types, the last one they tried was diaries and they handed in lovely diary extracts to Miss Jenny. They are of course learning a lot of new vocabulary connected to the IPC-unit – not only weather words, but also weather idioms and weather poetry.
Last week pupils performed in the big room. They shared their Kamishibai stories with both pre-primary and primary pupils. Upper Primary pupils did such a good job and were so proud afterwards!
In Numeracy pupils are learning more about multiplication, division, decimals, area and perimeter. They are learning more about 2D and 3D shapes and their properties and they are learning how to plot co-ordinates in the first two quadrants. They are learning useful numeracy vocabulary while doing this as well!
Pupils have had an outdoor choosing time, playing games in the sun. That was lovely! And last week Mieke turned 10 years old and had a birthday party in class. That was lovely too!
Upper Primary pupils just came back from their Easter holidays and they are already busy bees. It is exciting to learn more about our fantastic planet and all the things that happen here. Parents, be prepared to discuss the weather with your children for some time now!
Whether the weather be fine
or whether the weather be not
Whether the weather be cold
or whether the weather be hot
We’ll weather the weather
whatever the weather
whether we like it or not!
(author unknown)
Linked to our previous IPC-unit, “Water for everyone”, Upper Primary pupils, together with Sebastian from Lower Primary, went to the opening of the BELMUNDO exhibition, proudly presenting their newspaper articles and other work about water and water pollution. They did so well and the audience was really impressed with what our ISG pupils know about water and the importance of it! Pupils got a nice treat after their presentation! Well done, everybody!
At school, pupils have been discussing art and art movements. The IPC-unit “They see the world like this” have opened their eyes for art. We started off with Impressionism and Japanese prints. Pupils have since then learnt more about Abstract art and Cubism. They know that the Cubists saw the world as a series of geometric shapes and that Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque were the ones that started this movement in Paris around the turn of the last century. They also know that some artists were influenced by music and tried to express the sound of music in their art, like Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee.
According to these artists, impressions of the world didn’t have to look realistic. The colours could represent a feeling and that’s why a face could be painted blue or yellow, or a tree purple or red. Pupils have painted houses in the style of the Cubists and they have painted abstract art to music.
Pupils have also learnt more about Kamishibai (‘kami’ is Japanese for paper and ‘shibai’ is Japanese for drama), a type of theatre that was very popular in Japan during 1920-1950. By co-operating in groups, Upper Primary has produced two new plays. They shared these during the Exit Point this week! Parents very guided around the classrooms and the hallway and could hear more about what we have learnt during this unit – and then they were entertained! Pupils love their Kamishibai stories and art work! Upper Primary pupils are very proud of what they have learnt!
Their IPC learning target is to be able to communicate through art and to be able to use a wide variety of materials, forms and techniques to express emotions, observations and experiences.
Upper Primary pupils have discussed what it means to be individuals, unique, one of a kind and what it means to have the right to have different opinions about different things, like art, music, literature etc. Pupils are practicing how to express their different opinions in polite and respectful ways.
Pupils have assessed their own learning and improvements by writing a learning reflection. They all could express Knowledge, Skills and Understanding that they now have that they didn’t have before, but they could also express things they still not feel sure about and what they think they can do to improve in different areas. It is exciting to have a Growth Mindset, to think that we can always learn new things - or more things about something we already knew. Learning is lifelong and fun!
Upper Primary pupils have also taken their second end-of-term test in numeracy. They did their best to use the strategies they have practised in class and to double-check their answers carefully before they handed the tests in. They can see how they have improved since the start of the school year!
Pupils loved it when we celebrated the World Book Day here at ISG a few weeks ago. Every now and then a teacher said “DEAR!” and they had to Drop Everything And Read. Upper Primary pupils read books, giggled quietly and shared fun parts of books with Miss Jenny. Books are wonderful! And thanks to our lovely class parents, the fund raising Coffee Morning has led to Upper Primary now having another 14 new books and 2 new games in the classroom! Thank you, dear parents!
Upper Primary pupils really enjoy our new IPC unit called ‘They see the world like this’. They are eager to find out more about artists and art movements.
Our Entry Point was a walk around the local area, asking people about what they like the most about Belgium. Pupils politely approached people we met and took turns asking them this question. Many people said Belgian food (waffles, French fries, chocolate and beer), others answered that they like Ghent, the people here, the historical buildings, Flemish art and the different languages that you hear in Belgium. The first man we met said that he likes the diversity. Upper Primary pupils really liked that answer and are now using the word diversity when talking about Belgium. Pupils came back with a long, long list of all the different things people like about Belgium.
During the Knowledge Harvest, pupils drew, described and discussed different types of artists that they know about.
Pupils then started looking at impressions of the world around - throughout history, in different places and different cultures. They have learnt more about Impressionism and have also tried to paint in the style of the Impressionists. During a visit at the Museum of Fine Arts here in Ghent, pupils carefully observed a painting by Emile Claus, The Skaters, and wrote down their thoughts and ideas. Their own art work is now on display in our hallway. Their portraits look great!
Pupils also know that a different art movement started in Japan at the same time as the Impressionists were active in France. Japanese prints, ukiyo-e, found their way to European art exhibitions and people here discovered a different way of showing impressions of the world. Upper Primary pupils are now busy making their own Japanese style prints. They loved preparing the sketch and the lino for the print work, it was almost impossible to leave the classroom for home time.
Pupils practise language, both reading and writing, spelling rules and grammatical structures and they learn and use different strategies in numeracy. They practise Dutch, they participate during PE and swimming lessons and they sing many new songs during Music lessons. Every week they improve. They are aware of their learning and can comment on the things they now know, that they didn't know before. They often realise that what looks tricky at first soon is quite easy. Knowledge, Skills and Understanding...
Pupils also loved the birthday party we had last week, when Stefan turned 10 years old! Now we have to wait until April until our next Upper Primary birthday party...
Upper Primary pupils are so proud that their thoughts about KSU (Knowledge, Skills and Understanding) are presented in the latest IPC Newsletter! Pupils have just started expressing what they learn using these words, but they already share their KSU in different ways!
Pupils love sharing what they learn. They share Knowledge – all the things they know, they share Skills – all the things they practise and get better at and they share Understanding – all the things they can explain using both knowledge and skills.
Pupils are also assessing their own learning. This time they looked more closely at a Geography learning target – to be able to communicate knowledge and understanding of geography in a variety of ways. Knowledge can be shared in so many ways. Upper Primary pupils share previous knowledge and they also search and share new knowledge (write, draw and share during classroom discussions). They like linking what we learn during IPC lessons - to our ISG community and beyond!
Upper Primary pupils have learnt a lot about water these last few weeks. They have learnt more interesting facts, for example about drought and floods, dangerous microorganisms in the water, good hygiene, dehydration and water treatment. They have finished off their water pollution research (in groups) and they have been writing newspaper articles (individually). Upper Primary pupils also liked designing a poster trying to convince people to stop wasting water. Kaaru’s mother Malar visited Upper Primary and talked about her work as a scientist and researcher. She shared some of her knowledge about the importance of clean water. It is now time for our Exit Point - to put emphasis on the importance of good hygiene, they made their own soap! Our classroom smells lovely now. Pupils feel a bit sad to leave this unit, they find it very important to learn about water and what a precious resource it is.
Since our last blog update, Upper Primary pupils have had their last Music lesson with Mr Simon and their first Music lesson with Miss Narissa. They have recited a water poem during assembly and in class. Some pupils have had a new Lego WeDo challenge. Almost all Upper Primary pupils take after school classes, such as Zumba, Dutch, French and Extra English. They are learning from early morning to late afternoons!
Learning is lifelong and fun! Pupils learn good habits for the future here at ISG!
Water for everyone
Upper Primary pupils are now working with a new IPC-topic called ‘Water for everyone’. It is a really interesting topic and pupils are eager to learn more about it.
During the Entry Point pupils filled a bucket with 10 kg of sand and then carried the bucket across the playground for a few minutes. They also tried to estimate how much water they drink in a day and how much water their families use in one day. To follow up on these activities, during our Knowledge Harvest pupils discussed what it felt like to carry the heavy bucket. They shared previous knowledge about water and also tried to imagine what it would be like to live in a community where the only water source is far away. Who would fetch water? What would the physical repercussions be when carrying so much water every day? Would the water be clean and safe to drink? How much time would they have for school, work and education if they had to fetch water for their family every day?
To understand where the water in our taps comes from, Primary pupils visited a water tower here in Ghent. Miss Iris from FARYS gave us a guided tour and told us many interesting things. The water tower is 46.6m tall. There were 203 steps up to the big conference room in the water tower and the reservoir tank in the tower contains 1 000 000 liters of water! It was difficult to grasp how so much water could be stored high up in a tower.
Pupils are now learning about the causes of water pollution. They are beginning to understand that we all have a role to play in helping others and safeguarding this precious resource for future generations - which is the Big Idea of our IPC unit! We are lucky to live in a city where the tap water is clean and of good quality. Pupils want to keep the water clean and they want everyone to have access to water.
In class, pupils also continue working with other topics as well. In numeracy we are learning more about the properties of shapes, about angles, measuring length, weight and capacity and doubling and halving etc. During our literacy lessons pupils continue to learn about grammar rules, read books, discuss and write texts, and we have also been reciting poems. Our new class book is ‘Alice in Wonderland’.
During Jump Jam, pupils have started practising a new exciting dance! We also had our first school assembly for 2016! Pupils have also continued to work with the Lego WeDo challenge! A lot has happened since we started school after the Christmas holiday!
Upper Primary pupils have done many things these last few days of the autumn term. They have worked hard to finish off many tasks in different subjects. Some of the pupils have worked with Lego WeDo during the Lego Challenge. All pupils have practised their songs and other exciting surprises for the Christmas Fair on Thursday.
There has been a lot of glitter on the floor in the classroom as well, as pupils have worked on their multi-material box. They have chosen materials and made beautiful boxes for different purposes. Their individual taste and style clearly showed during this project. Upper Primary pupils, and Miss Jenny, are proud over the final result!
This Monday parents were invited to our Exit Point. Pupils guided parents around in the classrooms and out in the hallway and told them about the different things they had learned during our IPC unit. ‘Making new materials’ was a fun science based unit and pupils learnt many things - about how to conduct fair tests, how to write a science report and how to use scientific vocabulary. They also presented some of the art work they have produced here in class, the multi-material boxes, ‘Kensuke’s kingdom’ drawings etc. Pupils were excited the whole day and did a terrific job when parents were here. They ended the Exit Point by sharing one of their favourite experiments – “What happens when you mix milk with baking powder?” Some brave people dared to taste the mixture!
Upper Primary pupils went ice-skating this Wednesday. It was +14° and rainy, so the ice was not in a perfect state, but pupils still had lots of fun on the ice. Some of them have been skating for years, others tried it for the first time in their lives. It was a nice end-of-term activity!
ISG had lots of visitors during the Christmas Fair and Upper Primary pupils sang "Happy New Year (nananana"). They did a great job during the show!
Next time we see each other it will be 2016! We wish the whole ISG-community a lovely holiday and a Happy New Year!
Upper Primary pupils are learning a lot about the properties of materials. Different science experiments are helping them think critically and learn. They have now turned solids into liquids by melting them. And then pupils have tried to think whether these liquids can be turned into solids again or not. Pupils have also mixed solids with liquid and observed carefully. They have noted chemical reactions as well as physical reactions. They have started to use words like reversible and irreversible when discussing the changes they see. Words are added to their Marvellous Materials Glossary the whole time.
The best experiment, according to Upper Primary pupils, was when we spent a whole morning in the school kitchen. Like we said in our last blog “Baking is science for hungry people”. So, we made muffins and pupils observed with scientific eyes to be able to comment on what happened when we mixed different solids and liquids and then what happened to the mixture when we put it in the oven. Pupils drew illustrations and wrote comments about the muffin-making process.
“The sugar dissolved in the butter.” (Mieke)
“(Beating the sugar, butter and eggs) introduced air into the mixture. I could see the bubbles.” (Kaaru)
“The molecules in the mixture will start to move about.” (Stefan)
“It rises because we put baking powder in it.” (Diba)
Upper Primary pupils are also learning how to independently work with experiments and then write up a science report. Fair testing is important, they know that, but it is still difficult for them to explain in words what steps are taken and what the results are. The pupils enjoy experimenting and hopefully they tell about these experiments at home as well, sharing their learning.
Pupils are now finishing off their art work connected to Kensuke’s kingdom. They now know how the book ended… I had just put the book down when pupils asked what book I would start reading next! Upper Primary pupils love books.
Two more weeks of school, and then it is Christmas Holidays. Upper Primary pupils are working on many small projects that need to be finished off before then, so every day is important in our classroom! Pupils are writing, counting, calculating, reading, taking notes, thinking, learning, dancing, singing… It is busy, busy, busy! Luckily we ended this week with a nice surprise when Saint Nicholas came to visit us!
