Pinkerton Elementary IB Newsletter
February 10, 2022
IB at Pinkerton
Here is the latest IB newsletter highlighting learning and special events that have happened over the second nine weeks. Thank you for taking the time to look through this newsletter and see what your IB learners have been doing over the second nine weeks.
Kindergarten
How We Express Ourselves
Learner Profiles: open-minded, reflective
ATL: communication, thinking
Lines of Inquiry:
- Understanding the way people live
- How culture influences our ideas and feelings
- Holidays as celebrations of special events
Our Learning
Kindergarten has been learning all about how people live around the world. We have highlighted a few events in the pictures below. We took a plane ride to Japan and learned how they say hello and eat. We also learned how children in Kenya build galimotos and we built our very own. We learned about our classmates and learned all about what they like to eat, sing, play and celebrate.
First Grade
How We Express Ourselves
Central Idea: People around the world express their culture in different ways
Learner Profiles: Communicator, Reflective
Lines of Inquiry:
- Form: Identifying elements of culture
- Perspective: Exploring culture through stories
- Connection: Discovering connections in our world
Our Learning
In our unit How We Express Ourselves, first grade explored the elements of cultures. We conducted our first research project. Each learner chose a country whose culture they were interested in and they used multiple sources to gather and record facts about the culture. We then created and presented posters to share what we learned. First grade then studied traditional fairy tales and fables as well as fairy tales and fables from other cultures. Learners shared stories from their own cultures and made lots of great connections to our research. We finished up our unit by studying how countries around the world celebrate Christmas.
Second Grade
Where We Are in Place and Time
Central Idea: Communities are enriched by different cultural perspectives.
Lines of Inquiry:
Understanding the elements of culture
- Connections between people around the world
- How culture influences individuals.
Key Concepts: Form, Connection, Perspective
Overview of Unit
In our unit under Where We Are in Place and Time, we discussed what makes up our culture and how it influences our lives. We looked at connections between cultures and how our lives are enriched by our differences. We explored different cultural celebrations and made connections between them. Working in groups, learners researched a cultural celebration and shared it with the class. We also studied each continent. Learners enjoyed making connections between the continents and their personal heritage. We looked at weather patterns around the world and enjoyed taking turns being “Meteorologist of the Day”.
Third Grade
How The World Works
Central Idea: The natural world is constantly transforming
Lines of Inquiry:
- adapting to change
- societal use of resources
- analyzing tools around us
Key Concepts: change, causation and perspective
ATL Skills: thinking, research and social
Our Learning
Our unit How the World Works focused on map skills, landforms, natural disasters, weathering, erosion and deposition. We spent time researching natural disasters to create an informational piece of writing, while using the skills we had learned about nonfiction reading. We then explored historical fiction within our I Survived book clubs. This research helped us to then create paper mâché volcano models as well as salt dough landforms maps.
Fourth Grade
How We Express Ourselves
Central Idea: Passions lead to discovery and reflection
Line of Inquiry:
- consequences of actions
- factors that lead to responsible decision-making
- how circumstances create emotion
Key Concepts: Causation, Responsibility, Connection, Discovery
Our Learning
Learners studied the Texas Revolution, poetry, water cycle, and renewable and nonrenewable resources. Learners chose poetry topic ideas based on our big ideas of our unit to create their poetry anthologies. Topics included their passions, nature, earth’s resources, discovery, and conflict/resolution.
Learners studied renewable energy sources and learned about a boy who made a functional windmill out of old bicycle parts to power his African village. We then conducted a stem challenge to design and create their own windmills using chosen materials. They had opportunities to re-design and revise their structure to have success.
Poetry
Learners wrote and chose five poems to publish and we shared our poems with parents.
Texas History
Once we learned the battles in the whole Texas Revolution, learners chose one battle to reenact with a Stop Motion video.
Fifth Grade
How We Express Ourselves
Central Idea: Aesthetics shape our lifestyle
Lines of Inquiry:
- Subjectivity of beauty
- Structure of language
- Movement inspires innovation
Key Concepts: Perspective, Form, Causation, Aesthetics, Exploration
Our Learning
In our How We Express Ourselves unit, 5th grade learners had the opportunity to dive into topics of their interest, choose a variety of ways to show their knowledge, and develop their self-management skills.
5th grade learners were given an overview of Westward Expansion and the Civil War from a variety of cultural perspectives. They studied various forms of poetry through which they could express themselves and personal challenges/events/experiences. They explored geometry and symmetry and its place in our world, particularly in architecture and art. They also learned about landforms and how the surface of the Earth changes, and how those changes can result in beauty/awe.
Mid-unit, the learners chose an event from the historical time period we covered and researched it in depth. From there, they had opportunities to create a variety of projects to display their knowledge, including a book of poetry, a diary/journal/scrapbook in the form of a primary source, a mathematically-based “Wanted Poster”, a geometric quilt, an American tall tale, and/or whatever they could come up with!
During this time, 5th grade learners also began a deep exploration of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and began thinking about their personal passions and how those passions might enable them to take action in our world. This is one of our stepping stones that will lead into the 5th grade exhibition.
Physical Education
How We Organize Ourselves
Central Idea: Skill practice and fundamental knowledge of a sport impacts the team’s success.
As we learn team sport skills learners will know:
Proper form of manipulative skills, show a willingness to practice and persevere.
Understanding of boundaries, rules and basic fundamentals, show a tolerance for learning and following the rules of a game.
Sportsmanship qualities, reflecting on their individual performance and the role they have as being part of a team.
Key Concepts: Form, Connection, Causation, Responsibility
ATL Skills: Social, Communication, Self Management
Learner Profile Focus: Risk Taker, Open Minded, Principled, Communicator
ART
How We Organize Ourselves
Central Idea: Artists use systems to organize the elements of art.
As we explore art systems, learners will know:
How to sort colors using the color wheel. Identifying warm, cool, neutral and tints.
Utilizing the picture plane and dividing space into foreground, middle ground and background.
Understanding 2D shapes and 3D forms, identifying and representing them in drawing and sculpture.
Using the element of line and creating varieties of line using different media.
Creating patterns by drawing and using patterns in processes like weaving and printmaking.
Key Concepts: Form, Connection, Causation, Responsibility
ATL Skills: Communication and Self Management
Learner Profile Focus: Open Minded, Communicator, Risk Taker
Music
How We Express Ourselves
5th grade made connections from their classroom IB Unit to plan elements of their yearly music performance.
In small groups, they collaborated and wrote down ideas using a similar version of the IB SOLE activity.
Central Idea: Aesthetics shape our lifestyle
With the central idea as their focus, learners identified elements of the music performances they’d previously experienced as a performer or audience member.
Their ideas spurred from their perspectives of how they personally valued aesthetics in music
By collaborating in their small groups, learners were able to share their perspectives and aesthetics of music and gain feedback from their group members.
Key Concepts: Form/Perspective
Understanding form in music
Perspectives of aesthetic
Lines of Inquiry:
The structure of music as a language and how to successfully communicate music by:
Listening, adapting, recovering, blending - communicating the language of music during practice and performance
Related Concepts:
recognizing patterns and form in music helps the learner understand musical language and then leads to successful communication, confident playing, musical style, aesthetic, and technique.
Learner Profile Attributes:
Throughout this practice and performance process, learners were risk-takers, balanced, communicators, principled, and open-minded.
Learners took part in planning the musical elements of song choice, instrumentation, performance attire, themes and genres.
They took responsibility for their role in practicing the music in weekly rehearsals, understood the goal of “the music being performance ready,” and they had agency in the program in which they were given more freedom to express themselves.
SPANISH
Who We Are (Quienes somos)
In Spanish we are Risk Takers, Communicators, & Open-Minded. (audaces, comunicadores, y de mentalidad abierta). We constantly reflect in our learning and take chances while we communicate in a language that is not our own. I am very proud of ALL our learners because they never give up and do not hesitate to participate.
Learners continue their Spanish Who We Are unit by learning more words and phrases that help them speak about themselves and others. This unit includes: Clothes descriptions, describing our family/family members, fairy tales, our daily schedule, parts of the body, the learner profile, weather and weather patterns, and actions (verbs).
Some topics covered these nine weeks were: Kinder: La ropa y la familia (Clothes and family) , 1st grade: Rubia and the 3 Osos (opposites) , 2nd grade: Our schedules & time, 3rd grade: The learner profile , 4th grade: Weather and Weather patterns, and 5th grade: Our body and clothes.
Our cultural focus this nine weeks was El día de Reyes- Three Kings day. Learners had an activity board to learn about this celebration. We also took action by sending Christmas letters in Spanish to custodians from our school and around the district! They did a wonderful job!
LIBRARY
Guidance
In guidance classes, effective and respectful communication has been a focus, whether that is communicating our opinion on a topic, sharing our ideas or how we communicate to solve a conflict. In addition, all classes have had lessons and practice on what good listening looks like: whether listening to our teachers during instruction and/or listening to our classmates and friends. We are developing our patience as we become better listeners.
Opportunities to cooperate and collaborate with each other were provided in all classrooms as we worked to reconnect with each other after the long season of being apart, due to Covid. Working in pairs or small groups, learners worked together brainstorming ways to be kind, putting puzzles together, building marshmallow towers and role-playing conflict management skills.
In November, we celebrated World Kindness Day with lessons and activities designed to reinforce being kind, tolerant and patient with each other. Our 5th graders took action and designed kindness posters that were posted around the school to serve as a reminder for us to always CHOOSE KINDNESS!
You can find out more about IB by visiting https://www.ibo.org/
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Kristi Mikkelsen
Principal
Pinkerton Elementary
Coppell ISD
“We empower learners to become inquirers and compassionate individuals who make innovative contributions to our global society.”