Welcome to Aurora International Primary School, a Reggio Emilia-inspired learning community where we believe that children are the curators of their own learning. At Aurora, we are committed to providing a learning environment that promotes inquiry-based learning, where children are encouraged to explore, question, and investigate the world around them. We believe in building strong relationships with our children, families, and the wider community, to create a supportive and collaborative learning environment that fosters a love of learning.
Taryn Gould, Primary Coordinator
Clay bowl by Su
Investigative Research
WHOSE HISTORY IS THIS?
This investigative research module focuses on critical thinking and media literacy. As the title suggests, the topic is historical, specifically looking at the sources of information we use when researching history. The children have been learning to consider the reliability of different sources and also to consider the purposes behind them. As well as considering which perspective they are being shown, the children are also attempting to identify which perspectives are not represented. Through the course of this module, the SUP children focused upon WWII and the Vietnam war, both events that are reported differently by different groups. This module involved field study as we visited the War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels. These were powerful experiences that allowed the children to connect with our shared home and to understand the impact of past events upon people’s lives today.
Quote from Su
Graffiti by Mathias
Drawing by Mathias
Quote from Su
Investigative Research
WHY DO WE MOVE?
This investigative research module focused on an issue with huge relevance to current world events – immigration. We began this unit by grounding it in the children’s own experiences of moving, considering why their families had moved house, city or country, and how they felt about this experience. The children then explored push and pull factors and how these can force or entice people to move across international borders. In order to consider multiple perspectives, they reflected upon a photograph of migrants arriving in Italy by boat. After some discussion of the image and what they saw within it, the children chose countries in the region and wrote headlines to match the image for fictional newspapers from their chosen countries. In doing so, they considered how the arrival of migrants is reported and how the same photograph can be viewed differently.
Drawing by SUP
Investigative Research
WISHES OR WARNINGS?
This investigative research module focused on folk tales from different countries and cultures. Because it is our shared home, we considered a variety of Vietnamese folk tales, as well as ones from other countries and cultures. We discussed common themes and looked for clues to identify the location of different tales. We discovered that all the tales had a moral or message, but that this was often left up to our interpretation. As well as reading a variety of tales, we also summarised and adapted them, and then finally wrote our own. We produced these in the form of mini books which we then shared and read with our friends. We then shared our creations with our school community as part of our book week exhibition. Throughout this process, it was wonderful to see the deep engagement of the children with the stories, inspiring drama projects, puppet shows and other vividly imaginative explorations.
Graffiti drawing, Charcoal on wall, Su
Story books, SUP
Wishes or Warnings presentation
Language Arts: English
In SUP class, the children have made the transition from learning to read, to reading to learn. This means that Language Arts is part of all areas of our learning with the children reading and writing as natural parts of their investigations. Language Arts takes many forms in our class as the children use their language to play, share information, debate, tell stories, create comics and more. This year, we have been focusing on enhancing our writing to make it more interesting and to further explore our voices as writers. Shared reading is a huge part of our Language Arts programme.
We take time to read together each day and to share the journeys of the characters through novels and other texts. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate Di Camillo, Holes, by Louis Sachar and Clockwork, by Philip Pullman have been our chosen texts this year. The SUP children have empathized deeply with the characters from all different backgrounds and have gradually taken on more responsibility for reading and analysing the texts. I have been so impressed by the depth of their empathy and their mature engagement with themes that are challenging even for older readers.
Language Arts: Vietnamese
Tiếng Việt, văn học, ngôn ngữ là công cụ của lời nói và tư duy. Chính vì
thế năm học này các em tiếp tục được học các môn như: Tập đọc, Chính
tả và ngữ pháp, Từ vựng và cấu tạo câu, Tập làm văn. Phần Đọc nhằm
mục đích phát triển kỹ năng đọc và hiểu; phần Viết-Ngữ pháp hình thành
kỹ năng viết đúng ngữ pháp và tốc độ; phần Từ vựng và Cấu tạo câu cung
cấp những kiến thức cơ bản về từ và câu giúp học sinh dùng từ, viết câu, viết đoạn đúng quy tắc ngữ pháp tiếng Việt; và phần Thực hành Viết là một phần thực hành toàn diện để rèn luyện kỹ năng viết của học sinh ở cả nói và viết. Bên cạnh đó, dựa vào những kiến thức đã học và được truyền cảm hứng từ các tác phẩm văn học và thơ các em có cơ hội được sáng tác văn thơ theo cảm nhận và cách dùng từ ngữ của riêng mình..
Vietnamese, literature and language are tools of speech and thought. Therefore, this school year, the children continued to study subjects such as: Reading, Spelling and Grammar, Vocabulary and Sentence Structure, Writing Practice. The Reading section aims to develop reading and comprehension skills; the Writing-Grammar section develops writing skills with correct grammar and speed; The Vocabulary and Sentence Structure section provides basic knowledge about words and sentences to help students use words, write sentences, and write paragraphs in accordance with Vietnamese grammar rules; and the Writing Practice section is a comprehensive practice to practice students’ writing skills in both speaking and writing. Besides, based on the knowledge they have learned and the inspiration from literary and poetic works, they have had the opportunity to compose poetry according to their own feelings and ways of using words.
Không chỉ học về ngôn ngữ các em còn được học môn văn hoá Việt Nam, một trong những môn học mà các em đều yêu thích. Mỗi học kỳ các em sẽ
được học các chủ đề khác nhau như: Địa lý, truyện cổ tích, ẩm thực và văn hoá của các vùng miền trên đất nước hình chữ S. Đặc biệt là các trò chơi truyền thống và môn nấu ăn thực tế. Trong các sự kiện lớn đặc biệt như
Tết, các em thích chơi Lô Tô và Bầu Cua Tôm Cá, đây là những trò chơi phổ
biến nhất mà học sinh luôn chọn chơi một vài lần trong ngày trong những buổi tập trung buổi sáng và thậm chí cả giờ nghỉ giải lao. Không kém phần
hấp dẫn so với những trò chơi dân gian đó, các em đã thực sự hào hứng
với phân môn Ẩm Thực. Các em tự cân đo đong đếm công thức đồ uống
của riêng mình như pha nước tắc với trà, nước dừa hay chỉ với nước lọc.
Tự làm cho mình những chiếc bánh xèo thơm ngon và cũng là một trong những loại bánh ngon và nổi tiếng ở Việt Nam. Kết thúc học kỳ 3, các em được tìm hiểu về các loại gạo và chọn cách chế biến các món ăn theo nhóm
2 bạn như: cơm lam, xôi xoài và cơm cuộn.
In addition to learning the language, one of their favorite subjects is Vietnamese culture. Children studied a variety of subjects each semester, including geography, fairy tales, cuisine, and regional cultures in the S-shaped nation. Especialy so, traditional games and actual cooking. In special big events like Tet, children enjoyed playing Lô Tô and Bầu Cua Tôm Cá which were the most popular games they decided to play a few times a day following their morning gathering and even their break time. No less engaging than those folk games, children were really thrilled with the food and drink section. They created their own recipe for a drink: kumquat fruit, which is mixed with tea, coconut or with plain water. They created their own tasty bánh xèo as well as one of Vietnam’s most popular and delectable cakes.
Ngoài ra, từ học kỳ hai trở đi các em sẽ có thêm một tiết học thú vị về truyện ngắn Việt Nam. Các em học sinh đang đọc tác phẩm Có Hai Con
Mèo Ngồi Bên Cửa Sổ của tác giả Nguyễn Nhật Ánh, một trong những tác giả có nhiều truyện ngắn nổi tiếng dành cho tuổi thiếu niên. Các em sẽ có những hoạt động như: tìm hiểu về tác giả, nhân vật, dự đoán về các tình tiết xảy ra trong truyện và tự do sáng tác truyện tranh hoặc vẽ dựa vào nội dung của từng chương trong câu truyện. Thông qua những hoạt động trên các em có cơ hội phát trên kỹ năng chia sẻ, sáng tạo và mạnh dạn nói
lên suy nghĩ và hiểu biết của mình về diễn biến truyện bằng cả hai ngôn ngữ Tiếng Việt và Tiếng Anh.
At the end of Term 3, children learned about different types of rice; they then chose to cook in pairs. One group made cơm lam (lam rice cooked in bamboo), one group made sushi and the other made xôi xoài (mango sticky rice).
At the beginning of the second semester, the children took an engaging course on Vietnamese short stories. The class read There Are Two Cats Sitting By the Window, a young adult short story by well-known writer Nguyen Nhat Anh. Children engaged in activities including discovering the author and the protagonist, making predictions about what will happen in the novel, and creating comics or drawings based on the information presented in each chapter. In these activities, children practiced sharing, creating, and courageously voicing their views and comprehension of the story developments in both Vietnamese and English.
Our focus for this year was conversation and culture. The previous year we had learned that Japanese has hiragana, katakana, romaji, and kanji, so everyone is able to write their own names in katakana and kanji.
For the NATSUMATSURI, summer festival in Japanese, each friend made a Cho-Chin (lantern) with their name written inside.
Greetings are very important in Japan, and everyone is now able to greet teachers and friends when they meet, at the beginning and end of classes, and throughout the day.
There are four seasons in Japan, and there are events at each turning point when the seasons change. We expressed these seasons in origami. During SHICHIGOSAN in November, the girls designed their own kimono patterns. It was also Book Week during this time and the boys wanted to design SHIORI (bookmarks). We also learned how to make macha and realized that matcha is a bit bitter.
To celebrate the end of 2022 in the lunar year, I read a book about the 12 animals of the Japanese zodiac, and made New Year’s cards by origami, creating the Japanese zodiac “rabbit” and Vietnamese zodiac “cat” to welcome 2023. In January, we made MOCHITSUKI(pounded rice cakes) as a Japanese New Year’s tradition and shouted “Yoisho!”
In February, SETSUBUN, we learned how to drive out the demons in the house to welcome spring, we rolled beans and made EHOUMAKI to invite good fortune. The facial expressions of the demons each child made was very interesting.
March is the HINAMATSURI (Doll’s Festival), and to celebrate the growth of girls, we decorate the house with Hina dolls and Emperor dolls, which are expressed in origami. April is the SAKURA(cherry blossom) season. we made sakura with origami, but various shapes of sakura were completed depending on how they were cut. In Japan, under the Sakura trees, people bring their bento boxes with their families and friends. Our children made ONIGIRI (rice balls) using leftover rice from lunch. They made excellent triangular shapes.
The Language of Mathematics
In SUP class, the children explore a wide variety of mathematical areas. Over time, the children’s understanding of these has become less concrete and more abstract. For example, the children have begun to explore algebra using letters and symbols. A fascinating aspect of this is how they have been able to build upon their prior knowledge using picture problems to identify unknown values. They have been sharing their understanding and learning from one another using diagrams, demonstrations, examples and other collaborative methods. Shape and measure learning, meanwhile, has allowed the children more creativity in their maths as they have been exploring patterns and creating plans for imagined spaces. It has been beautiful to see their creations based upon their careful calculations.
Next year, the SUP children will make the move into the next stage of their learning journeys as they enter middle school. One of the ways we have been preparing for this together as been to begin exploring three core branches of science: biology, chemistry and physics. We are not focusing on prescriptively teaching, but rather exploring what these subjects mean, and how the children connect and distinguish them. In all areas, the children have been learning to think scientifically by using correct terminology, formulating hypotheses, and carrying out fair tests. The various science tables in the classroom are frequently occupied by one or two children setting up their own experiments, connecting the circuit kit, or reading up on concepts we have been introduced to. These are clearly fields of great interest and curiosity for the children.
The Language of Well-being
The children in the SUP class are now ten and eleven years old. At this stage, they are entering adolescence and a world of change. Together, we have been discussing our health during this period. This includes learning about physical, mental and emotional changes and how to stay safe and healthy. We have explored ways that the human body changes and why; mental health, stress and anti-bullying; staying safe both on and offline; and building awareness of our support network of friends and trusted adults. These are skills that help the children prepare for life and allow them to make sense of the changes they are going through. The children have been full of questions and it has been wonderful to see them becoming more independent and gaining more understanding of themselves and each other.
“Learning is...constructive, the subject constructing her or his own knowledge but always in democratic relationships with others and being open to different ways of seeing, since individual knowledge is always partial and provisional... Teachers as well as children are constantly learning.”
Rinaldi, C. and Moss, P. ‘What is Reggio?’, in Children in Europe.
The Language of Art
Art is but one of many different ways in which we make sense of the world around us, but it is an especially powerful one through tactile emphasis on the visual. By working with your hands, you are making sense of an inner and outer world while slowing developing a relationship with materials and processes. In a sense, you become a scientist discovering how different things work, focusing on small details in a way that is unique to you alone. I have watched and facilitated your explorations, and every step has been
“Deer”, Mina “Halloween pumpkins”, Alyssa
In Sup, we slowed down as the year progressed, working carefully through the process and respecting each stage. This was most obvious during your exploration of graffiti. After a discussion on typography and a lesson of designing your own writing, we carefully began mapping out letters for your street names, while looking at different graffiti techniques. You made the process your own, choosing colours and styles in a way that was you. And when it came to the moment of spraying, you experimented in ways that I did not expect. In the end, you were teaching me, as we journeyed on our explorations together.
