Minerals and Metals

Hello 3P students and parents;

It has been a busy two weeks as we have been getting immersed in our Unit of Inquiry, How the World Works.  The UOI is essentially about how humans rely on minerals and metals from beneath the earth for many of our technologies and tools.  Not only do we consider where the come from, but after the spring break we will consider the ethical application and mining of metals and minerals.   We will consider issues such as the environmental impact of mining and child labour, and in turn, our responsibility as consumers.  This week the students learned in greater depth about where and how metal is mined, about the process.  The students took some soil samples to see what is beneath us, on our TIS campus. Through independent research have been compiling our own mineral/metal information depository, gathering important information about the mineral/metals’ properties, the uses, and where in the world they are found.   They will also be creating a “rock monologue”, using a computer program, Scratch, to program a model of a rock, and adding a voice component, to make the rock “come alive.”   

As part of our UOI after we come back, we are looking for children to bring in old and obsolete technology; such as old phones, tablets, computers etc… both analogue and digital technology.  We will be breaking them open to see how minerals and metals are used in the production of various technology.    Please send in only equipment and technology which has no value, and you don’t want to have returned.   Thanks so much for your help!

We are integrating weight measurement into the math component of this UOI.  In our stand alone math, we have been working on word problems.  We are learning that it is always best to write down all known facts about a math word problem, and that reading the problem extra carefully is a good way to start.  The next step is to analyze the problem to really understand what the question is asking.  This is not always apparent as the boys and girls are learning. 

In language this week, we focused on identifying pertinent information when researching, and recording it in bullet form.  We also continued editing our Rainbow Sheep stories.  The end of the tunnel is approaching for this project.  We hope to have information soon about getting our book printed.  The boys and girls are so excited about  publishing their own book! 

If you are travelling this week, I wish you safe travels.  If you are staying in Tashkent, I wish you a restful week with your families. 

All the best,

Mr. Shawn