School Updates
s s a l C e s e n i h C G5
- Fostering Critical thinking in an immersion learning environment
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PYP G5 Chinese curriculum is taught as a language subject focusing on language arts and literature, however the lessons are still delivered in an immersion environment with lots of opportunities for students to conduct inquiry research and practice critical & creative thinking.
In the second unit “How the World Works”, G5 students conducted an interesting “Spaghetti Tower” challenge in Chinese class to compete for the tallest and most steady “tower” in 20 minutes. Each group of students was given the exact same amount of supplies including 30 sticks of dry spaghetti, 10 pieces of marshmallow, one yard of adhesive tape and one yard of string. The tool given to each team was only one pair of scissors that all members had to share.
It was a great team building activity that encouraged effective communication and collaboration. As the team was given limited supplies and only one tool that they had to share, they had to make decisions that all members agreed upon. As soon as the teachers explained the rules, all groups excitedly discussed possible plans and drawing designs. As they started building the spaghetti tower, they tested theories and ideas in practice but soon discovered challenges such as supplies being used up, the tower falling apart, or a failing foundation structure. They had to quickly revise their understanding and find solutions to fix the problem with time ticking. It was an activity that promotes the design mindset and supports the understanding of basic engineering principles. At the end of the challenge, after winners were announced, the teachers invited students to reflect on their collaboration process including what challenges and conflicts they had, how they solved the issues and what they learned through this activity and from other groups. Students reflected on it as an extremely engaging teambuilding activity that helped them inquire, think, collaborate and be open-minded. Students also shared they could now see the importance of a solid foundation in a structure and then made connections to the role a solid foundation played in their study.
The success of teaching results from recognizing that students learn by doing and reflecting. The G5 Chinese team will strive to provide authentic learning experience in our Chinese program and celebrate students’ learning. Ms. Ariel Yu Wang Elementary Principal/ Head of Chinese
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The language aspects of this activity helped students to use proper measure words (量词)，practice accurate verbs, procedure writing as well as a deep-reflective personal recount piece of the event.