Month: November 2021

Sharing the Planet with Preschool 3

In Unit two we have been exploring Planet Earth and all the living and non-living things we share it with. For the provocation of the unit we got their minds thinking by observing the planet and analyzing and talking about all its unique characteristics and features. We talked about what colors we saw on the planet and what they meant, i.e. “Blue is water where fish live.” We later created our own planet earth in a non-messy painting sensory motor activity. 

Visual Art

The Pre 3 classes have been working on the Sharing the planet Unit of Inquiry. As part of their integrated art inquiry, the students have been exploring drawing from observation to recognize lines, curves, colors, and shapes of the nature forms. Direct observation lessons are vital for building hand-eye coordination skills and improve their artistic skills. Through learning observational drawing skills, students have been practicing to make compositional choices as well as accurately depict form of the plants and the flowers around the school. We have been also learning how to art critic our artworks. 

Observational drawing of plants and natural forms

PYP-Sharing the Planet

In Grade 4, we explored conflict resolution as part of our unit Sharing the Planet! As a grade level, we discussed bullying in depth and its consequences on the bully, the victim, and the bystander. We also learned about our emotions and how we can self-regulate in order to maintain personal peaceful relations. 

Students then chose and researched about a peace maker that has contributed to peace in his/her community and/or the world. The process of the inquiry started with brainstorming different peace makers, then choosing one that has resonated with each student, and finally creating a detailed PowerPoint showcasing the information learned. Students researched about the peace representative’s life history, quotes, and peaceful contributions.  Below are pictures from our presentation day! 

Let’s Stay Healthy with Grade 1 Students

During our unit of inquiry Who we are, the students learned about ways to stay physically and emotionally healthy. We invited a guest speaker Dr. Manasik to join us online and share with the students the importance of staying healthy and living a balanced lifestyle.  

Students in class and at home listened to the doctor and engaged in appropriate discussions about their health. They also had some questions to ask the doctor. We had a great session that helped students reflect on their daily habits. After that, each student created their own healthy recipe to add to their menu that they will make and share with the rest of the class.  

How to find the right career path and stand out when applying for your dream degree?

Today, at SEK-Qatar we had the pleasure of welcoming Marc Garnett, Commercial Director at LLS, a sports academy specialised in inspiring and training the next generation of multi-sports industry professionals, and ambassador of the Steven Garrard Academy.

Marc took our Grade 10 and Grade 11 students on a journey through his personal life, from playing sports at school, to becoming a sport coach and now working on the business side. He interactively showed that if you want to persuade your dream, it is essential to stand out and offer something different to your peers. Key elements to help this practice, Marc called it “Winning Formula”, are Qualification, Experience and Networking.

Whether your dream is to travel the world, performing sciences projects, play sports, work in media, write, calculate, learn, teach etc. as a student of the 21st century look beyond and push further.

This links fantastically with the SEK-Qatar Mission and Vision as well as the IB curriculum, as we encourage our students daily to volunteer, think outside the box and nurture agency.

Exploring Patterns

The grade 2 students have been inquiring into patterns under the transdisciplinary theme ‘How we express ourselves’. During this unit of inquiry, students have learned what a pattern is and how patterns work.  

Students have investigated patterns in fruits and vegetables using magnifying glasses. They observed how patterns manifest within tomatoes, kiwis, lemons and apples and they recorded their findings through detailed observational drawings.  

Students also had the opportunity to express their knowledge about different forms of patterns. They created bracelets and necklaces from beads using repeating, increasing and decreasing patterns. 

Visual Art Class

In art class, students have been exploring how art can be created using patterns. As a part of their inquiry, students looked at the work of Canadian artist Sandra Silberzweig and created an artwork inspired by her style. Students learned about the role of color, line, shape and symmetry in artistic patterns.   

Migration in Minecraft

In our Grade 5 Unit of Inquiry, ‘Where we are in place and time’, students continued to work together within their Minecraft world to tell a story of movement. 

Using the knowledge and research collected within our Unit of Inquiry, students took action developing detailed storylines that included push and pull factors related to movement of people and animals. Students collaborated with other groups and made connections through writing persuasive letters to different characters in our world. We learned that we are all connected, and that movement is important to how we thrive on this planet.