Friday 25 November, 2016.
CONTEXT: National Book Day – Come to school dressed as a character from a book!
We had Harry Potter, several Disney princesses, Pokemon, Wonder Woman..
WALT: Explore our immediate environment within a community context.
Show and Tell session: During the week Oisin had said that he wanted to bring in an object which he said Helen would love.
Unfortunately he forgot to bring it, but he planned to bring in a BUG!
Helen’s Show and Tell – She showed the children a mask and asked them what they thought it was.
Ryan thought it was a monster. Other suggestions included a bear and the Gruffalo.
It was in fact a gargoyle. Helen had made it from paper and tar 30 years ago.(She must have made it when she was a toddler!) She had used watered down bitumen which made it waterproof.
Stephen said that he had seen one in “The Hunchback of Notredam.”
Then Helen showed us an aerial view of our school. We talked about maps and what you would see on a map: buildings, houses, roads, gardens.
Last week’s homework challenge: Each child had drawn a building in their VT Notebook and were called up to the camera to show it to Helen. A very bizarre thing that emerged was that many of them chose to draw St Michael’s Church, which is just beside the school. They also drew The BP petrol station, The Kennedy Shopping Centre, Ballyowen Health Centre, and La Casa Coffee shop with its lovely mosaic murals.
Charlie drew a picture of David’s (a corner shop). He wrote: “David’s is in Ladybrook. The building is made of metal and glass. It has a flat roof. They sell sweets and buns and muffins.”
GROUP ACTIVITY – Helen’s plan was for the children to get into 4 or 5 groups and put their sketches together, or, using the school as a central point, draw the buildings on larger pages in order to create a town or city. They had to draw and write about things that are needed for a town, or community, or city. These drawings would be the beginning of drafting up ideas of a 3D city which we could perhaps make in a few weeks’ time. That was the plan.
The children were given an A3 size page. They had to draw the school in the middle of the page and then, after a group discussion, make a list of buildings and amenities which are close by and draw them around the school. That was the plan. What actually happened?
Each group had 4 tables to work at. Some children asked for more paper, and then more paper was required. The plans got bigger and bigger until the maps covered the entire block of 4 tables.
The children began with our school. Then came:
- the terraced houses opposite
- the road outside the school
- the church
- the traffic lights
- the petrol station
- the Health Centre
- the streets nearby and the houses within
- the bank
- the Leisure Centre
- St Genevieve’s Girls’ High School
- St Michael’s Nursery School
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They could have gone on forever! Time dictated that they had to stop, but the results were amazing. These 6 and 7 year olds had been completely absorbed in the activity and their enthusiasm was palpable……….map mania was clearly visible!
Helen had planned a chalk related activity for break. However the costumes prevented this from happening.
I put some of the maps on the display boards outside our classroom and got immediate praise from staff passing by!!!
At the end of the session we said Goodbye to Helen and thanked her for the opportunity of having such a great experience!
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During the week Helen had asked us to watch some dance videos and get responses from the boys and girls. We are hoping to incorporate dance movement in future sessions.
Swan Lake – graceful and sad.
Beach Birds for Camera – jumping, turning, running sideways, kicking legs and feet, fast, mad, different, crazy, unusual.
Vollmond (Luna Llena)..Una pieza de pina Bausch – rocks, water, arms splashing, mad kicking, arms swirling, rolling, spinning.
We also looked at Lilies of the Valley -Spanish music, sticks, rocks, boating.