Tinkering Towards New Heights

Our FISW builders are stepping up their game! After several months of tinkering and playing with Kapla planks and legos in our library, students are reaching new heights with their building and design. We are observing increased complexity, collaboration and thoughtful construction.

Here are Grade 5 students challenging each other in a building contest! Notice how they worked together to create a tall swirling building, an outdoor theatre (with socially distance seating by the way) and a repeating pattern sculpture which defies gravity!

Grade 2 aimed for the ceiling. A group of students worked together and negotiated ways to stand up on our portable platforms to build as tall as possible. They used an alternating pattern to create height at speedy rate!

And, check out the work of our Pre-Primary lego architects! They have elevated their play to work cooperatively, not just side-by-side. Team work resulted is an intricate house with multiple rooms and an animal hospital.

Lego building at recess is very popular with many of our students in Elementary and Middle School. While our bubbles have tightened, we have still managed to find an extra recess time for each class to visit the library and enjoy some exploration. The latest lego creations from the past week include a model of the Outdoor Learning Area, a collection of airplanes, a multi-story hotel and a police station.

 

And, we can't forget to feature one of Mr. Nikos' impressive structures. He often leaves a mysterious feat of engineering to inspire our student builders. Here's his cantilever bridge from last week...

Keep on tinkering, FISW! 

Wordless Books Across Our Community

What do we do when we want to read together and build community but we have to stay in our tight bubbles? We don't let a pandemic stop us from reading together as a community! We still come together to read using Zoom to help us bridge the distance.

Grade 8 students were asked to plan a wordless book presentation for the Grade 2/3 students. During Information Literacy, Grade 8 students have been exploring how wordless books convey a message, evoke feelings and tell stories. We identified story elements and themes in multiple wordless books. The students then selected a favourite book to share with our younger students.

The challenge for the Grade 8 was to plan a presentation with discussion points, questions and interactivity for the Grade 2/3 students. As a unit of inquiry, Grade 2 and 3 are investigating how we discover, develop, and express ourselves creatively, without the spoken or written word. Wordless books offer a perfect opportunity to explore this concept.

We started by greeting each other as a whole group over Zoom and then divided into smaller discussion groups. With partners, Grade 8 presented from the study pods and their classroom. The Grade 2/3 students worked in groups of 2 or 3 in the library with a copy of the wordless book.

Grade 8 students led our Grade 2/3 students through the book, discussing and questioning along the way. Together, the groups took a deep dive into the stories and illustrations. Each Grade 8 student set a goal for the presentation. Some thoughtful examples of goals included, "I want to ask good questions that really make them think." And, "I want to communicate with the book DEEPLY." As well as, "I want to have a powerful and meaningful discussion."

Examples of Grade 8 students' reflections and planning.

One student, Josephina, commented that she enjoyed seeing how many people had different interpretations of drawings in the story. Sophia noted that while it was challenging to communicate with Zoom, the exchange allowed us connect as a community. The Grade 2/3 students' excitement was evident and the older students appreciated their enthusiasm. We discovered that wordless books are truly universal and can be appreciated by all ages.