This term, Grade 2 students have been exploring patterns in music through rhythmic, melodic as well as harmonic sequencing. Utilizing the digital platform of Chrome Music Lab: Song Maker, they have composed some uniquely sounding music which, in turn, displays as a production of colorful sequences.
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.
Body Parts by Preschool 4
In preschool 4, we are learning about our bodies as part of our Who We Are unit of inquiry! The students learned to name and describe different parts of their bodies and their functions, “my knees bend so I can run fast”. Each student had their body traced and then they chose the color they would use to paint their traced bodies. After the painting process, the students individually looked at their craft and named their familiar body parts. The students and teachers then had the opportunity to name the body parts in their home languages.
Proud to be a part of GEF 3rd Act
SEK-Qatar is excited to take part in the SEK Global Education Forum (GEF) conference starting tomorrow, 13th until 15th October 2021. The GEF was developed out of a “think-tank” in March 2021 and centers around one key questions: “How should the university of the 3rd millennium response to the current society needs?”
In the leadup to the conference, students across the globe were asked to compete against each other in either a “Challenge” or a “Hackathon”. In the course of this students developed innovative solutions on how to transform and improve the future of higher education. Results where submitted a few days ago and the lucky winning team will be announced at the GEF conference this week.
We at SEK-Qatar are particularly proud to see such a high quality of collaboration between our students and are looking forward to sharing the outcomes of the projects with the wider GEF community over the next few days.
Here you can find a link to find out more about Global Education Forum, its mission and to register for the virtual conference 13th – 15th October 2021. @GEF3act #FutureHigherED
Global Education Forum (GEF)
SEK International School Qatar is excited to take part in the Global Education Forum (GEF), challenging the topic around “The future of Higher Education”.
The SEK Global Education Forum is an alliance between SEK Schools and our University and was created as a movement that proposed changes and alternatives to the traditional education systems.
Yesterday, we at SEK-Qatar had our first kickoff event and over the next three weeks our students will be part of the SEK-Qatar teams competing against schools and universities from all over the world.
They will be competing in either a Hackathon (MYP) or a Challenge (DP) debating the following questions:
“What does today’s university need to be better? What 3 things should it keep, 3 things should it add, and 3 things should it eliminate?”
“How can digitalization transform the current educational model?”
In addition, GEF will be holding online “microevents”. The first microevent will be on 28th September all about entrepreneurship.
Eventually, from 13th – 15th of October, all participants will be able to join the vitual “Global Education Forum 3rd Act” where the results of the Hackathon and Challenge will be revealed. Participates will come together and get the opportunity to discuss key issues and conclude the debate.
For more information and registration please follow this link Home – GEF (globaleducationforum.org)
“The future of higher education is in our hands. Let’s reimagine it and redesign it together.”