Learning focus: Inquiry, maths workshop and juicy maths
We have made an excellent start to term 2. There is so much wonderful learning happening in the 5/6 Neighbourhood. Here are just a few of the highlights;
Inquiry
This week we explored what makes something an issue. We had some animated discussions as we sought to arrive at a collective understanding. Is it “a problem that needs to be solved?”, or is it “a bad situation” or maybe “something that negatively impacts a place, the environment and/or people?” Please discuss with your kids what you think constitutes an issue. Over the next 4 weeks, students will be engaging in research and then publishing a detailed information text on an issue they feel passionately about. Some of the issues that students are researching include racism and discrimination, poverty, over farming, plastic in the ocean, drug use in professional sports, water desalination, fresh water supply and many more. After our students have published their information texts, they will present their findings to their peers. It will then be time to return to our main Inquiry theme as we start investigating creative solutions to these important local and global issues.
Maths Workshop
In maths this week we began looking at multi-step problems. This will be our focus over the next 4 weeks. We discussed the importance of reading the question, understanding what maths you need to use, and taking your time to make sure you have actually solved the problem.
Please, Laura, give us some more maths to do!Juicy Maths Update
The juicy maths machine is powering along magnificently. It is so inspiring to work with these mathematically motivated kids. This week we were lucky enough to have a couple of parents come in to help out. Huge thanks to Ben and James for joining us. Remember, juicy maths parents, that you can contact Jeff if you would like to come and share the fun!
