SEK-Qatar Preschool 3

Welcome to the Preschool 3 blog! This will be updated regularly with our group photos, class work and activities related our Unit of Inquiry. You will soon be meeting our class friends, Lola the puppy and Frankie the bear. They love to go on adventures, and will encourage the students to be responsible for them every weekend.

Students have been working with learning centres in their classrooms. Learning centres are self-contained sections of the classroom in which students engage in independent and self-directed learning activities. The learning centres focus on UOI, language, maths, construction, ICT, and fine motor control.

The students in preschool 3 are currently working on a unit of inquiry called “I Wonder”. The central idea is “Inquiry, Observation and experimentation help scientists understand the world.” For this unit they invited the ‘Mad Science’ team into the school to do a science show and hands on workshop.

Related to our science unit in preschool 3 the students participated in a scientific challenge. Each table was given one of “Elsa’s Frozen Hands”. The challenge was to see which table could melt the ice fast enough and release the marbles inside.

Each table were given different materials to use to help melt the ice. Those materials were:

• Salt
• Bottled Water with Droppers
• Tap Water with Paint Brushes
• Mittens/Gloves
• Bare Hands

The students predicted which would melt the ice the fastest before carrying out the experiment. They then compared their predictions to the actual results and recorded their learning in their science journals.

In preschool 3 the students have been focused on a unit of inquiry into play. The central idea was Children Use Play to Communicate Emotions, Ideas and Feelings. In this video you can see how the students in Preschool 3B directed their learning.

In preschool 3 the students have been focused on a unit of inquiry into play. The central idea was Children Use Play to Communicate Emotions, Ideas and Feelings. In this video you can see how the students in Preschool 3A directed their learning.

The Panda & Dinosaur class students had lots of fun on our field trip to My Gym, in connection with our current unit of inquiry, “We Play Together”

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This week we begun our new unit of inquiry all about play. Our central idea is : Children Use Play to Communicate Emotions, Ideas and Feelings.

To begin the unit, we hid all the toys in the classroom and only provided recycled materials to play with. At first the students were confused but soon their natural curiosity took over and they began playing with the materials. They created games, made musical instruments and constructed with them.

This activity was the provocation for the unit which then led to a class discussion about what, why and how to we play. You can see in the mind maps below what the children in each class thought. We also gave the children the opportunity to discuss what they would like to learn about during this unit.

The students in Preschool 3 have been learning all about living things that share our planet.

This week our focus was on plants and they have enjoyed planting seeds and beans. We have our fingers crossed that the sun and some water helps them to grow.

Please enjoy some photos from the Dinosaur Class’ first unit of inquiry!