How the World Works Inquiry - Wk 3

Exploring the concepts of living and non-living; personal growth and change; and the human life cycle.

This week in Play and Inquiry Learning time some students commenced projects on planting and bug collecting/observation. 

Students involved in the planting group commenced their explorations by collecting gum nuts and seeds from the playground for a seed collection in a display box. Students then started a booklet of their drawings and thoughts on what happens to a seed. Students looked at parsley plants in the courtyard, which had been sown by 2011 Preps. They harvested these seeds and sowed them into little planter boxes. Students shared what they predicted their seed would grow into. Next students began to watch their planter box for any sign of growth, recording their observations in individual plant diaries. Students are adding seeds from their lunch and from home to the seed display box.

Students bug collecting began their investigations by compiling a list of bugs they expected to see in the courtyard. They used bug catchers and tweezers to collect various insects from the courtyard and studied them through magnifying glasses. They caught many bugs that were not on their list. Students then created bug diaries where they sketched their bugs and labelled their various parts. Students used non-fiction books on mini-beasts to help them with their labelling and discover interesting facts about their bugs. They discussed and compared features such as size, shape and colour and how these vary between insects.

 In this week's integrated Inquiry Workshop students discussed the notion that things can be classified into living and non-living. As a class they came up with definitions for the terms living and non-living. Students went on a walk around the school and classified things around them into the categories of living and non- living. They shared observations and justifications. Also in this workshop students shared the photos of them as newborns, toddlers and now. They discussed growth and change at each stage (appearances, abilities, needs). Students explored the human life cycle and the notion that all creatures have a beginning and an end to their lives. This was an important discussion in the lead up to the workshop next week at the Zoo where students will be learning about animal life cycles. 

*Due to images of the children unable to be posted on the blog, we encourage you to have a look through our Inquiry Documentation Book located on the bookshelf in the courtyard. We invite you to make comments in this book about our inquiry.