Category: Japanese News
Japanese Term 2 2017
Japanese Term 1 2017
Mongolia week 5,6 and 7.
In this series of lessons we are all excited to learn about Mongolia’s amazing Throat singing traditions and skills.
In Mongolia, classical throat singing and playing of the “whoor” ( Mongolia’s version of a guitar) is taught at various universities and the children were amazed at the beauty and variety of sounds and versions of singing that can be made with the throat, including throat whistling and chest whistling!
Many fascinating you tube clips were viewed and discussed with the focus on Mongolia’s traditions and how we need to put ourselves in their “shoes” to truly understand significant differences in cultures and to be respectful of them.
We also studied the traditional customs of Mongolia and the students came to the realisation they have many customs that are similar to our own.
For example- inviting guests to eat and drink when they visit homes and respecting their elders.
Our year 3 classes watching and listening to traditional throat singing styles.
learning the legend of the Andai Dance and its importance.
Comparing Australian and Mongolian customs.
Comparing Australian and Mongolian customs.
Cultural Studies Weeks 3 and 4
This fortnight in Cultural Studies we are learning about traditional Mongolian clothes and the beautiful Gers/Yerts/Yurts that they live within Mongolia!
The Year 1,2,and 3 classes have been comparing their winter clothes with that of Mongolian clothes and we all agree that they really know how to keep warm on the frigid cold winters of Mongolia.
They year 4,5 and 6 classes have also been taking a detailed look at what they have learnt this year and reflected on information that has made an impact on their depth of understandings within the cultures of the countries we have covered this year.
It was very rewarding for me as their teacher to read the evidence of their learning and see their maturing outlook on becoming tolerant, aware and respectful of different cultures and their respective traditions.
Above are some of the samples of their work. In reflection, the students have remembered and discovered so many different facets of Asia and made their learning a growing part of their developing cultural awareness.
Cultural Studies – Indian Expo extravaganza!
This fortnight the students at St Emilie’s had the wonderful opportunity to display their weeks of hard work and learning discoveries in our India Expo in the hall on Wednesday.
It was a really special evening where our year 6 guides were able to take visitors through the distinctive learning opportunities and cultural understandings that we have studied this term.
Jordan explaining Gond Art
Marc and Connor showing off our Indian Elephants
Chelsea and Alessia teach us about Hindi prayer mats.
Lillian and Shania show off the Pre-Primary 3-D version of the folk tale”Rama, Sita and the Demon King!”
Rachel shows us the children and what place in the world they are from.
Georgia and Isabella were “a-light” with information about the Diwali candles, and full of fun facts about this important festival in Indian culture.
Shenae, Shanice and Cara were informing people about Henna designs and the Kindy children’s family history.
Jordana and Gigi were full bottle on the marvellous Mother Theresa and her impact on the poor and poverty stricken in India.
Ethan and Alex’s display show they year 5 efforts of images with powerful words to evoke change in India and its society.
Maddy and Anisha were proud to show off the Year 2 efforts of the national bird of India- the Peacock!
Tomos was proud to discuss the heritage of families within St Emilie’s and where they came from.
we were very fortunate to have Maneesha Freeth with two of her friends who gave beautiful detailed and delicate henna Tattoos to our students.
Mrs Aroozoo and our students in Indian Dress.
Close up of the detail in our Dhurrie prayer mats.
Lara and Chido teach us about Rangoli art and its importance in Indian festivals and Diwali celebrations.
We were busy all night with families coming through to appreciate our learning.
The beautifully detailed year 6 henna masks.
Close up!
Bringing the Australian Curriculum to families has been a wonderful experience for us all!
Cultural Studies Weeks 5 and 6
This fortnight we are busy preparing for our open night extravaganza in week 9!
Each year level will be showcasing a cultural aspect from India that they have learnt this term and will display their understandings in a visual arts display!
Here are our year 5 students making Diwali lights and candles as we are studying the festival of Lights as a significant celebration in India
Each Diwali candle will be as unique as their creators!
The year one and six classes have been creating Henna designs on masks and hand outlines and learning about the origins of Henna have been fascinating!
Our imaginative year 3 classes are studying the intricacy of Rangoli art and making their own designs for our open night. We cant wait to display them!
Here our Year 4 students are making Rangoli Prayer mats. They are confidently using a variety of textured paper and mediums to create different designs.
This is just a sample of the information texts and stimulus pictures used in our lessons this fortnight to help inspire the children in their art. ( As well as you tube clips, music and books!)
Cultural Studies Week 7 and 8 Term 2
This fortnight in Cultural Studies we have investigated the variability of art in the Philippines.
A highlight of our learning has been the ability of our students to compare and describe their past knowledge of the beliefs and practises of the countries we have studied, like Thailand and Japan, and confidently comparing them with what we are learning about the Philippines today.I am always impressed with the insightful and thoughtful contributions of our students as this highlights the depth of their learning regarding their cultural understandings.
Year 1,2 & 3 students learnt about and made the beautiful Sarimanok Bird and its symbol of representing good luck in the Philippines.
Our Senior classes, years 4,5 & 6 learnt about the Parol star and its significance at Christmas time. We discussed the comparisons between our Christmas and the Philippino traditions.
Here are some of the beautiful Sarimanok birds made this fortnight.
The markets in the Philippines are full of the beautiful Parol stars from September, which is when the season of goodwill in relation to Christmas begins.
The markets in the Philippines are full of the beautiful Parol stars from September, which is when the season of goodwill in relation to Christmas begins.
Some of the Parols are made from stained glass, Bamboo, paper and a creative variety of materials.
Cutlural Studies weeks 5 and 6 Term 2- The Philippines.
This fun filled fortnight, we have learnt about some of the sensational animals that are distinctive to Asia and the Philippines in particular.
We were surprised to discover some beautiful animals such as the Philippines eagle is critically endangered and in need of care in sanctuaries and zoos in the Philippines in order for the species to survive extinction.
We talked about the importance of conservation and deforestation and the beauty of the tropical climate in the Philippines.
Here the year 1-3 classes are discussing the similarities and differences between the Philippines eagle and Pangolin in comparison to our Australian Eagle and the Sugar Glider Possum.
Its great to see our students confidently using their prior knowledge and their previous understandings of animal characteristics to compare and contrast with their new knowledge of animals in the Philippines.
Here the children are describing the physical characteristics in the Tarsiers- their beautiful big eyes!
Here the students are describing the beautiful crown of feathers on the head of the Philippines eagle.
Here the girls are describing and comparing the wingspan of the Australian eagle with the Philippines Eagle.
To complement our learning we completed a written task, and we drew some of the animals we studied including particular distinguishing features.
The years 4, 5 & 6 classes worked as a team to discover information about 2 chosen animals- the Sugar glider possum and the Pangolin, and compared the climate, eating habits, physical characteristics as well as their special features in a co-ordinated team effort!
I was impressed that the students we able to use not only the information sheets given to them but to work as a team and confidently use their I pads to find related information to complete their task and present a fully completed report, linking their past knowledge with new ideas taught during the lesson.
As a team, they were able to present a complete and detailed report.
Week 3 & 4 in Cultural studies!
This fortnight we are learning all about the fascinating diversity of foods in the Philippines.
Historically, the Spanish, who colonised the Philippine islands, significantly influenced their cultural dishes and spice combinations, which, along with their own classic dishes, has created rich diversity in the Philippines today.
We had very interesting whole class discussions about what foods are culturally similar and the children really saw the impact of the Spanish influence on the Philippines cultural foods.
We talked about how many different types of dishes had Spanish names like-Arroz Caldo- a thick and creamy rice porridge similar to a risotto, and Kaldereta- a hearty meat stew.
The students then drew their favourite foods and compared it to the Philippine foods we had just discovered.
Many students really wanted to try a variety of foods and were surprised to see many dishes were similar to ones we already eat in Australia.
in this work sample, you can see the comparison that students have made with our Australian bacon and eggs with the Philippine sausage ‘Logannisa” and the brilliantly coloured purple ice cream called Ube.
The Year 4-6 classes made some fantastic observations about the similarities and differences between last terms discoveries about Vietnamese food and comparing it with Philippines dishes. In this way, we are practising the “Habit of Mind” regarding us using past knowledge to learn new ideas and consolidate our learning.
In this activity, we pinpointed where the Philippines in, within Asia and learnt about the major islands and the surrounding seas. We also familiarised ourselves with the importance of the national flag and the surrounding seas and the neighbouring countries of the Philippines.
