4 year olds explore connections with the Haze and "Where We Are in Place and Time"
Transdisciplinary Theme
Where We Are in Place and Time
Central Idea: Journeys
can lead to new experiences and opportunities
Tuning In: Understanding the
PSI, Direction and the Journey of the Haze
Our school nurse keeps all children and staff informed of the levels
throughout the day and records it on the school’s virtual learning environment. During our morning routine, aside to the
usual greetings and calling the register, the children refer to the PSI reading. After
researching the PSI reading, Emma wrote the number on the whiteboard for
everyone to see. This number helps the children and teachers to plan and organise
the day and to make decisionsabout where we eat and where we play. This daily
activity allows the children to investigate our “journey through the day” and is linked directly to our lines of inquiry for this Unit:
In our discussions about the haze, the children have made the
connection between trees being cut down, to make paper (Sarah) and to make palm oil (Emma) and that the farmers burn the trees and that the fire makes
the smoke (Jude). Then Kate asked a provocative question:
How does the haze come to Singapore?
Our Mandarin teacher, Ms Leng, taught the Echidnas a “Direction Song” which provoked them to inquire into the mathematical language of LEFT
and RIGHT. The class teacher, Ms Partoredjo referred to a map of Indonesia to
show the children where the fires have been burning (Riau province). She used a
black paper cloud to represent the smoke and haze hovering over the area.
Pointing to the location of Singapore, she asked the Echidnas:
How can the smoke and haze make its way to Singapore?
What could make it move from Indonesia to Singapore?
Lucy suggested that “the wind can blow the haze” to which Ms Partoredjo asked, “what direction would the wind have to blow – from right to left, or from left to right?”
Casey answered, “the wind will blow from the left to the right” and together, the Echidnas “blew” the smoke representing the high PSI readings that we are experiencing currently.
Australian international School Early Years Centre
Class Teacher : Riza Partoredjo
PYP Coordinator : Kirsti Hitz-Morton
My Year 4/5 class has added the haze into our teaching/learning as well. Our unit is Sharing the Planet, with the CI "Access to water is essential to the survival of all living things." On the way to understanding access, we explore the water cycle, as the cycle determines why some regions have much better access to water than other regions.
ReplyDeleteThis year, with the haze on everyone's minds, several children raised the question "Why is the air cleaner after it rains?" As they explored this question, they discovered the connections between air pollution, water pollution, acid rain and ground pollution, and from there how living things are impacted by the haze through the water cycle. It really helped the students deepen their understanding of the importance of water, and the interconnectedness of different parts of the environment.