Grade 4
Where We Are
in Place and Time by Ibu Irene Tjandramihardja
In Grade Four, our second unit of inquiry explores a topic, entitled “Where We Are in Place and Time”. The students have learned about some explorations through the viewpoints of forms, causations, and perspectives. They have discussed that during the explorations, the explorers encountered challenges along the way. The explorers had to go through vast oceans and the fierce storms. Quite often, they were confronted with raging rivers that they needed to cross, apart from the severe weather conditions.
The students have also looked at the motivations of the explorations. Some explorers sailed the seas to find new lands, gold, and spices. Some others, like the missionaries, would like to spread the Gospel and bring peace. The Fourth Graders have enjoyed the sharing moments from the two guest speakers: Wes and Esther Dale. They are both missionaries from Australia and have lived in the interior village of Mamit, Papua for many years. As our students delved into “the Age of Exploration” (the period of time when European explorers set out on voyages of discoveries and trades), our students have discovered that the interactions with the indigenous people and their cultures often resulted in some kind of “oppression and exploitation”. This perspective of injustice has made us evaluate the actions of the explorers.
Students’ Reflections 1. Isaac Alexander What I like about this second unit is that I had to make a 3D model for my final task. I chose to make a Viking longship. It was not so easy to make the Viking longship. I had to make it out of a cardboard and painted the ship so that it looked almost similar to the real ship. What I have also learned from this unit is that Leif Eriksson also travelled to North America, which is now known as Canada, and made a brief settlement there. Leif’s father was also an explorer who left Norway and started the settlement in Greenland.
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