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Ricerca sugli animali con i suoni duri della G

Lo sapevate che il cibo preferito dei draghi sono le principesse e che i pinguini amano scivolare sulla loro pancia? Che i gattini quando nascono sono ciechi e che esistono galline da compagnia? Che i paguri sono animali solitari e che il megalodonte prende il nome dai suoni enormi denti?

Tutte queste informazioni sono state raccolte e condivise dai bambini di Grade 2 che si sono divertiti a scoprire i segreti degli animali con i suoni duri della G. Abbiamo fatto una pesca online durante la settimana di didattica a distanza e ogni bambino ha estratto virtualmente il nome di un animale sul quale ha poi svolto un’approfondita ricerca venendo a conoscenza anche di aneddoti molto divertenti! 

Bravi bambini!

Maestra Elisa e maestra Sara

Learning to Manage Risk Through Play

Dr Peter Gray, a professor of psychology and acclaimed specialist in the interaction between education and play, wrote the following quote in 2011: 

“Nothing in life is without risk.  When we deprive our children of taking the risks that they must take to grow in competence, confidence, and courage, we run the greater and ultimately more tragic risk that they will never learn to take charge of their own lives. So, be brave and let your kids be brave.”

In the ECC, we work towards empowering our young learners in a variety of ways that range from academic learning, to learning how to dress up independently, and everything in between. Risk management is taught at every level by providing an environment that enables each child to take risks in a way that balances out curiosity, awareness of the safety rules and expectations on one hand, and learning from authentic interactions with their peers and teachers on the other hand. True learning comes through trial and error, and emotional and physical resilience are attained through that process that inevitably requires pushing ourselves out of our ‘comfort zones’.

Ms Adriana

Nursery 3 Teacher

Dr. Peter Gray, Ph.D – “How Children Learn Bravery in an Age of Overprotection” (retrieved from: psychology today.com, Dec. 08, 2011)

A culinary journey through German-speaking countries with our budding cooks.

Grade 7 students discovered some of the most typical German dishes and presented the recipes listing the ingredients and explaining the step-by-step procedures in German. Some of our budding cooks have also tried the recipes at home cooking with their parents. 

It has been a trip from the South to the North exploring typical dishes:

from the Austrian “Wiener Schnitzel” to the Viennese “Sachertorte”, to emperor Franz Joseph´s favourite dessert “Kaiserschmarrn”, to the characteristic “Kartoffelsalat”, the typical German “Spätzle”, the Black Forest gateau “Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte”, and also the “Mamorkuchen”, the well-known “Apfelstrudel”, the “Berliner Pfannkuchen” (also called “Krapfen”),  and the “Bratwurst”. 

If you visit Berlin you must taste the famous “Currywurst mit Pommes” or the “Eisbein mit Sauerkraut”! 

Hmm… lecker!

At this point you might be hungry…it is time to cook another typical German dish with our Grade 7 cooks!

Frau Laura Seraffini

Middle School German Teacher

Spinning Webs in Grade 2

Exploring lines and surfaces in Maths has led the Grade 2’s to recognize, identify, and describe parts of lines and curves. They applied their discoveries to making spider webs in Art, by drawing horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines and curves. White card, pencils, 40cm rulers and colouring pencils were the tools used in this creative activity. The artists even managed to create optical illusions by alternating the direction the curves were facing (smiley face – sad face) and repeating the pattern throughout. Finally, to emphasize the pattern of lines and curves, the students used contrasting colours. As a result, the spider webs appear to have rhythm and movement.

Ms Artemis

Grade 2A Teacher

Life in the Scriptorium

After writing letters to oblates from the point of view of medieval monks, the grade 5’s try to “age” their manuscripts to make them look like antique parchments.

I suoni dolci dell’amicizia

Mai come in questo momento l’amicizia sembra essere una risorsa fondamentale per tutti, fonte di gioia e di benessere. 

Insieme agli amici si condividono esperienze importanti e si impara a crescere in modo armonioso. 

I bambini di Gr2 hanno portato a termine questo bel progetto sull’amicizia partendo dalle regole che è necessario rispettare per essere amici, passando per la definizione di che cos’è un vero amico, per finire con la descrizione di un amico speciale. In tutto questo non è mancato uno sguardo all’ortografia per imparare a riconoscere suoni duri e suoni dolci…come bella parola AMICIZIA.

Bravi bambini, avete fatto un ottimo lavoro!

Maestra Sara

Insegnante di Italiano Grade 2A

Following our children’s interests

It is one of our duties as teachers to follow our children’s interests. Why? Because the learning will be more effective and the motivation to interact will be much stronger if the activity is based on what they like and want to learn about. An interest in magic was evident from the first weeks of school and the children often made magic potions using natural material outside. All this got me thinking how I could teach them a basic but effective science experiment in order to make real potions. ‘What about mixing vinegar and bicarbonate of soda?’ I thought. Ever since I introduced this activity, the children have eagerly asked to join in, some even spending one hour fully immersed in it, learning through experimentation and investigation, and taking pride in taking their potions home.

Miss Valentina
Nursery 4 Teacher

TIME TRAVELING IN GRADE 4

Walking by the Grade 4 class may make you feel like you’ve time traveled and landed in Ancient Greece! The students have been delving into this ancient civilization engaging in numerous cross curricular activities in their exploration. They’ve deciphered the letters of the Greek alphabet, trying to decode words and even writing their names in Greek! Focusing on Homer’s Iliad and the Trojan War, these budding historians created a script and expressed their learning through an active performance. They’re currently busy at work drawing Trojan horses, even using geometrical knowledge to create 3-D versions, and writing an historical essay on the war. Some are expressing their creativity and imagination by writing a historical fiction about the Trojan War, adding their own original ideas to what may have happened during the time. 

Kiriaki Stergiou 

Gr 4K Teacher

Miss Rodas…why do we need to learn Algebra?

Have you ever wondered why Algebra is taught in Mathematics? It can be argued that learning Algebra is like learning a new language. To put it simply, it involves equations to find the unknown. It forms the basis in fields such as science, engineering, medicine and economics however, students are often wondering will they ever use it in real life? Most of the time we use it without even knowing, for example comparing prices in the grocery store or calculating the time it will take to get from A to B. Most importantly, it allows us to practice critical thinking and problem solving skills, while developing a strong mathematical mindset. 

Here is a Grade 8 question that you may like to try at home! 

Sasha has a riddle: There are two numbers. The sum of the first number and twice the second number is 14. When the second number is subtracted from the first number, the result is 2. What are the two numbers?

The answer will be provided in next week’s newsletter!

Miss Rodas

Middle School Maths Teacher

The Refugee Crisis

“History will judge us for turning our backs while people drowned”

 This statement has provoked a desire for change among the Grade 7 students. They are no longer happy to sit back and ignore what is happening in Syria. We have been taking a close look at the refugee crisis and thinking about what we can do. We took part in a simulated Syrian journey to try and understand some of the decisions they are faced with: “I made it to  Europe, but I had to make  very difficult choices that maybe I wouldn’t have done if I was in that situation for real. I realise why refugees are trying to reach Europe and I really feel lucky.” Gianmarco. “I made it only after countless attempts but I had to sacrifice nearly everything I owned on the way. I also had to ignore people that were in need to avoid getting noticed by border security. Overall a very horrible experience which made me realise how hard it is for these refugees to reach safety.” Filippo R.   

This week we are holding a formal debate to discuss whether countries should limit the number of refugees they accept and what are the alternatives. We have also been in touch with the organisation Still I Rise and we hope to collaborate with some of their students. Watch this space for more developments!

Rhiannon Thomas Grade 7 LA Teacher