Toyonaka |Junior Kindy | Monthly highlights January 2024

Aiwin International School

 

Junior kindy Class Highlights

January 2024

 

Upcoming Events:

• Setsubun-February 2nd
• Open day- February 9th
• Field trip

 

This month we learned about…

 

Main Concepts: 

Inquire into place and time and its relationship to solar entities. understand the effects the sun and the moon have on Earth and other planets.

 

Key Questions: 

Why are the moon and sun important to us?

What is the sun made of?

What is the moon made of?

How can we explore them?

 

Theme exploration/reflection

The topic of this month is the sun and the moon. First, we learnt what effect the sun has on Earth, and how depending on its proximity to the sun, the Earth can have four different seasons. We learnt more things about the sun, like how important it is for living things to survive or how day and night depend on it.

Moreover, we talked about how the moon affects our planet, its phases and questions from the students, like how hot it is or if it has got its own light.

 

 

Phonological Awareness

This month we have been working with L-blends, that is, words that start with a consonant followed by L, such as, black, slide, play… Moreover, we read the book for this unit, “Blip Blop planet”.

We have started studying long vowel sounds. At first, we had an introduction of the sounds we  were going to learn. Students learnt that the same sound can have different spellings.

We started learning more about vowel A. Students will get used to new sounds and spellings by working in diverse activities prepared for them, such as learning stations or tracing worksheets.

 

Art and Crafts

 We made a craft to welcome the new year. students cut some pieces of construction paper into the shape of a heart and wrote the following message “Happy New Year 2024”. Then, we attached it to a string and put them on the wall.

Also, we made a drawing of trees during the four seasons to represent how the sun can affect our planet and its weather.

Moreover, using construction paper, we made a model of the sun, with students’ hands and arms as the rays of the sun. We put it on the ceiling of the classroom to pretend it is the real sun.

Also, we studied about the phases of the moon and, using a worksheet, we coloured it and pasted it on a big piece of construction paper following the proper order of the moon phases.

 

Numeracy

We practiced numbers from 1 to 50 and started practicing to count them backwards. We had an introduction to even and odd numbers playing games using objects in the classroom.

Furthermore, we worked with  patterns, so students can practice their concentration skills and get familiar with different sets of numbers, patterns, colours…

 

Writing journal

Junior Kindy students are improving their writing skills. This month, we wrote about our traditions for the New Year. Furthermore, each student wrote an interesting fact about the Sun and later we put them on our Wonder Wall outside the classroom so everyone can read about them.

 

Cooking

During exploration class, students learnt about the life cycle of tangerines. They had a lot of questions about how seeds can grow into trees and how they can later give fruit. We talked about its texture, smell and taste. When they tried them, they said they were delicious.

 

Special events

• Science week

Minojiyu science show: 

we received the visit of a professor from Minojiyu elementary school to perform several science experiments, with materials like water, hot air balloons, small balls, light bulbs… Students had a great and educational time together!

 

First project: 

students did an experiment about absorption by filling a jar with water and adding shaving cream on top. Later, we mixed paints and dropped a bit on the mix to sea if it was going to get absorbed. Students learnt that if not everything is absorbed , the paints will get mixed with the water, coloring it. They compared it with the process of rain.

 

Second project:

For our second project, we made a sundial. Students decorated their clock and then cut it and stuck it on a paper plate. Then, we put a straw in the middle and went outside to test them. Students learnt that we have to put the sundial facing North and then we will be able to see the shadow of the straw telling the time.

 

Third project: for the last project, JK students learnt about fossils, how they are formed and how they are preserved.Using some clay and toys, we created our own fossils that we put in the Science Museum so everyone can see. 

 

Parents’ visit

During science week, some parents came to school to share nice science experiments with our students. 

Kaiki’s mom did an amazing activity with water and paints. Students colored a piece of paper and then put it inside a bottle full of water to see how colors melted together. Also, using clips and ribbons, students could see how magnets work even inside water. 

Moreover, Ema’s mom came to show students how water can change color if you add a few ingredients. They enjoyed watching the diverse reactions of the water and mixing everything together. 

 

Songs we sang:

 

Hello Song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVlcKp3bWH8

Phonics song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tlydXoNC2Q

Days of the Week  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKqAblcwFOA

Clean up song- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFE0mMWbA-Y