Secret Garden

Lonely girl

Waiting for the magic to unfurl

Travels from India to Yorkshire 

With none so near or dear

Little did Missie Sahib know

about the huge bungalow

She didn't limit herself to the rooms within

And tried to uncover the secrets hidden.

'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a classic and a must read for every 9 year old. They have read about magic and fairies, but this book ascertains that the real enchantment comes from nature. Nature nurtures you but if you care for it, the presents are beyond number.

When we start a novel, the focus is usually on the characters. However this time we decided to change it a little by creating the sets of the garden inside and outside our classrooms.

 Children converted their English jotters to the 'Secret Garden' jotters.

Chapter 1 

Whenever we read
There is a discussion to lead
But this time we had to sow seeds
Information or situations that we didn't understand
Even after the story was scanned
Comments about what we learned 
Inferences that we churned
Things that seemed interesting or surprising 
Points that got us analyzing
Vocabulary we wanted to know about 
Descriptive writing worth checking out
Things that reminded us of other things we knew
Phew! There was so much to do.

Students used these seeds of discussion to initiate discussions about Chapter 1 and got an opportunity to learn through conferencing.

'Why was I forgotten?' Mary said, stamping her foot. 

'Why does nobody come?'

At this point, I asked the students if they ever felt that they weren't cared for.
1. At  a water park, when I wanted to go on the slide and my sister wanted to go somewhere else, my parents decided to go with my sister.
2. My parents forgot my birthday
3. When my parents got divorced, I thought my dad left because of me

Chapter 2

This is the Chapter where we focussed on vocabulary

Mistress Mary, Quite Contrary

Chapter 3

After reading Chapter 3, we got Carla from 'There's a boy in the girls' bathroom' to time travel, meet Mary and explain to the world why Mary is the way she is. Carla was Bradley's counsellor and no one's as good as her at understanding children.

 Chapter 4 

This chapter got us talking about customs in different countries, discrimination, independence and loneliness.

Chapter 5

Cartoon scripts to summarise Chapter 5 

Roman Numerals

My teacher asked me

What is C?

I had no idea what she was planning to teach us

I hoped it was not the alphabets she was planning to discuss

The Romans left us a gift she said

Numbers in the form of alphabets she read

Using Roman Numerals, we had to design

Our life in a timeline.

'Meeting Someone' is not the same as 'Mating with them'

'Life cycle of birds' was our topic of discussion which began by understanding the parts of an egg:

Th egg hatched, and gave birth to an extensive discussion. Words like 'fertilisation', 'sperm' and 'embryo' led us to discuss the life cycle of birds and humans.

Miss are you telling us that we eat a baby which is about to be born ?

Misconception: All eggs are fertilised

The sperm is in the egg (in fertilised eggs). How does the transfer happen?

Misconception: The hen and the rooster kiss for the transfer to take place or maybe the hen eats the rooster...... (The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination. - Albert Einstein)

What do you mean by the adults mate and reproduce?

Mate (introduction of the word 'sex')

A few giggles.....I am mature enough to handle this conversation expression...... Miss, why are you using such  weird words?

Misconception: Meeting means mating. When you meet someone, you're mating with them

Questions

1. Can someone have babies without getting married?

2. Can you have babies on your own?

3. If someone decides to have their own babies, where will they arrange the sperm from?

4. Can you have more than one baby with the same person?

5. Can you have a baby with someone if you are divorced?

6. How do the people who collect eggs from the farm know which ones are fertilised and which ones are unfertilised?

While my students were learning about life cycles, I learnt how to crack open an egg as I did it for the first time in my life:) #newlearning  #thereissomethinginitforeveryone

Force and Machines

I wonder

They gave me Science textbooks to read
without understanding my need
Words never explained concepts to me
I wondered why they didn't let me experiment with what I see
I was made to feel I wasn't scientifically inclined
But I left all that behind
It's only now that I discovered
That my mind also wondered
My learning style was different
I preferred to do things instead of relying on print
Gardener says I am a bodily kinesthetic learner
I wish they realized this earlier, at least my Science lessons would have been funner:)
                                         - Vrinda Gupta

Friction on different surfaces

Water Resistance: Where does the Plasticine ball fall faster- in the glass jar with water or on the table? 

Measuring the force of Gravity

Simple Machines- Assemble your own to see how it works!

PULLEY

GEARS

PULLEY

EUREKA!

 HOW DOES A PULLEY WORK WITH AN INCLINED PLANE ?

Shaun Tan- The one of a kind author

Cultivating the love for reading in children is not as easy as it may seem, but with authors like Shaun Tan, the job of a teacher definitely becomes easier.

His stories not only transport the reader to another world, but leaves them to perceive the story the way they want. The thought provoking stories address relevant issues and bring in discussions about current affairs which is disappearing from the education system, especially in primary school.

This is how Eric was depicted in the story 'Eric'- Tales from Outer Suburbia

While some children called it a leaf, others visualised it as a nut stealer, peanut hoarder, ant man with a peanut sack, tiny man.

In our times, we would have probably compared it to 'Thumbelina'

Journal Writing

If you think it, ink it!
Thoughts are like clouds. Let them pour through your words as you express yourself in writing.

We took up Journal Writing with our Year 5 students and were pleased to read their opinions on a range of topics. This entire exercise has increased the number of willing writers as they now write for the joy of writing and expression.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

This Christmas
I wish for your happiness
When a bell rings
Just enjoy the sound and swing 
Dream of the things you wanted to achieve
And spread your wings
When a star is shining
It's time to stop whining
Good things are coming your way
Have patience, it's just a delay
When you see the candy cane
Forget all the pain
It's time to smile again
When you hear Santa's sledge in the snow
You will know
Life has to offer sun and rain
Followed by a rainbow
When you see the Christmas tree
Remember life's locks have a key
Merry Christmas:) from a poetic me!