A Term Of Lockdown Learning: An Opportunity For Exploration
Something that has struck me throughout the term is the reaction my students have had to lockdown. It would have been easy for them to give up and simply do the bare minimum, but instead they threw themselves both into online learning and into projects at home. Not a morning meeting goes by without one or more of my students telling me about something they made, something they’ve done, or a cool new exercise routine they thought up. Moreover, generally the things they are sharing are things they’ve done with or for family members – going cycling or running with their parents, making a cake for their Dad’s birthday, looking after a younger sibling, playing with their pets, and so on.
The lockdown encouraged our students to experiment with what they could do at home. They baked, made art, and spent time with their families. Don’t get me wrong – they’ve had their frustrations, but they have taken what they had and made the best of it, and I am incredibly proud of them for it!
Hannah Kirkaldy
Year 5 Teacher
Here are some of the interesting things Year 5HK has been up to…
Turning Challenges into Successes
We have conquered!
This term started off with a lot of uncertainty and unfamiliar ground. Although the challenges were many, the successes were more!
The Year 5 students are feeling amazing and they should. They have tackled challenges unknown to them and educated themselves beyond what any curriculum could teach. They have shown responsibility and maturity as each and every student took control of their learning and applied themselves to every task at hand.
Here’s how Year 5NM turned a challenge into a success with just positive thinking:
“I like online learning because I can work at my own pace, and I can spend more time with my family.” Kourtney Jones
“Ten weeks into it and online learning is going very well. My best part of it has to be working while sitting next to a crackling fire, sipping hot chocolate and keeping warm and toasty during the cold weather” Sanam Srikewal
“My favorite thing about online learning is that I can stay in my Pajamas all day and learn in the comfort of my own home.” Joshua Greyling
“The best part about online learning is that I can concentrate without any distractions” Tshiamo Ngcizela
“The best part about online learning is that I can have snacks in the middle of a lesson and I can spend the whole day in my pajamas.” Isabella Lockhart
“The best part of online learning for me is that I can work at my own pace and stay in my pajamas. I can also snack and take breaks whenever I want to.” Cole Dreyer
“I have found the best part of online learning is I have a friend who is helping me with my work. I enjoy working with him.”
“I enjoy seeing my friends on the calls and I enjoy doing challenging work because I can learn from the challenge!!!!” Jenna Eberlein
We have turned challenges into successes and we keep it moving! Positive thinking is our goal. Well done, Year 5NM!
Nadia Mahomed
Year 5 Teacher
Year 5 Goals 2020!
The Year 5’s started off the term by thinking about how we wanted this year to go. We realised that a good way to check if we are making progress in the year is to set goals and try and achieve them.
We decided that there are a few steps to setting a good goal:
- Pick a goal. This must be something you want to achieve and that you can work towards.
- Break your goal down into steps. How are you going to go about achieving that goal?
- Ask yourself if you need to ask for help with achieving your goal. Remember that goals are something you need to work on for yourself, but you can always ask for help achieving them.
- Get started, do your best and keep trying!
With this in mind, the Year 5 classes set some goals for 2020.
Ife – I aim to get my pen license and a prize giving certificate. I also want to do well in Netball.
Ciara – I want to work on improving my Maths.
Grace – I would like to get an A is most of my subjects.
Brunice – I aim to improve my handwriting.
Hanaa – I’d like to improve my story writing.
Lily – I aim to improve my piano skills.
Callie – I want to work on my Spanish this year.
Declan – I’d like to get Best Sportsman for soccer.
We are all excited about being together in Year 5, and helping each other achieve our goals! We wish the rest of the school a wonderful year!
Year 5 Teacher
