Visual Proof

In math, we have been inquiring into the question: What does a mathematician do?

Mathematicians do all of the following things below! 

Every day in math lessons, we confirm this idea by reflecting on what we did that day as mathematicians!

Over the past few weeks, we have been challenging ourselves to create visual proofs! In this way, we are building our communication skills so that we can prove our thinking to others. A visual proof should be easy to understand and not require any verbal explanations. 

We worked together to create success criteria and got started!

We made connections to the writing process to understand that as mathematicians, we also go through a drafting, revising and publishing process to improve the quality of our work. 

Take a look at our finished posters!

See you next time!

Spring Trip 2018

Right before Golden Week, Grades 3 to 6 went on a spring trip!

We stayed at the Mt. Rokko YMCA Global Learning Center and participated in a program focusing on environmental sustainability. 

Some of the activities during the three-day stay included team-building games...

leather stamping...

various physical activities on the field...

making pizza from scratch...

building a fire...

cooking curry...

canoeing...

working together on an egg-drop challenge...

...and reflecting on the wonderful memories we made!

What an unforgettable time we had!

Book Club

On Thursday, we had our weekly book club meeting. 

In order to prepare for our weekly conversations, we make sure to post "thick questions" on a shared Google Doc. On the following day, we select some of those questions for discussion. 

Here are the differences between "thick questions" and "thin questions". 

This week, we chose to discuss the following two questions:

• How would you feel if you were in a similar situation with your parents?
• Do you think there is something good going to happen in the next few chapters?

Here is actual footage of our meeting in action!

Have a wonderful day!

Field Trip to Nadahama Science Square

In Grade 4, we are inquiring into the concept of connections within ecosystems. 

Last week, we went on a field trip to Nadahama Science Square and afterward visited Oji Zoo. 

During this trip, we worked hard as researchers to observe living things in the environment and notice connections among them. 

We then recorded our findings and organised the data as food webs, focusing on the concept of connection. 

In the afternoon, we enjoyed seeing different animals at the zoo. 

We continued to wonder, "If these animals were living in the wild, what might be some possible connections in the ecosystem?"

Oh, what fun we had!