Elementary

Our elementary students showcase their ideas in a science fair, get involved in exciting activities at WEP and more...

From our Associate Principal

Laura Pendergast

STEAM Learning in Elementary School

A strategic goal for Elementary School over the next few years is to continue to increase our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) learning opportunities for all students. The past couple months of learning have been moving full STEAM ahead toward this goal!

Some examples of the purposeful and hands-on learning opportunities that all students have engaged in are:

Computer Science Week

Computer Science week (held over a two-week span) had class groups meeting with the STEM teacher and our EdTech Coach to explore robotics, programming, drones, and coding. An important part of this experience was posing theories, working in groups to listen and communicate ideas, and having students try out some of their coding to see if it worked!

After-school activities

In each cycle of our after-school activities there are STEAM-based offerings that allow students to engage with the design cycle, develop their coding skills, plan and execute artistic projects, and develop their knowledge and passions in other areas of the curriculum.

G3-5 Science Fair

All students in Grades 3 through 5 were offered the option to participate in our Elementary School Science Fair. This event is focused on students thinking deeply about the world around them, posing questions and considering potential experiments they may want to conduct to answer their questions. As scientists, the students consider variables, reliability, validity, and how they might communicate their findings with others.

WEP

The Winter Enrichment Program brought many educational opportunities to our doorstep. Students engaged in the design thinking process, met with experts and listened to inspiring guest speakers. These additional learning experiences allowed students to see real-world applications and connections to the concepts and skills being taught here at Elementary School.

Integrated STEAM learning: Units of Inquiry, Islamic Studies, and more!

Our PYP Coordinator, STEM teacher and EdTech Coach work tirelessly to find authentic integration opportunities to bring a STEM lens to the Units of Inquiry for each grade level. Access to rich STEAM-based tasks and learning engagements occur in the homeroom classes as a way to drive the class’s inquiry further.

As a school we are also looking to bring STEAM connections to other subject areas where appropriate. Notably, we have introduced a coding and robotics element to our Islamic Studies program wherein students were writing code to communicate their understanding of the steps one follows when performing wudu (ablution).

Throughout the remainder of this year, we will have many more exciting opportunities to bring STEAM to all students including KROW. Creativity and Innovation Week and more!

In Elementary School, much like in the other divisions of TKS, we are committed to partnering with community experts and creating additional opportunities for all students to engage in rich and meaningful STEAM learning experiences as part of our multi-year strategic plan. We believe in the benefits of STEAM; seeing how the integration of these subject areas into learning projects encourages the development of problem-solving skills, creativity and collaboration, as well as preparing students for their future studies and interests.

Science Fair

Laura Pendergast
Associate Principal of Teaching and Learning

Real world science under the microscope

Grades 3 through 5 had the opportunity to participate in the GES Science Fair, which launched in November and culminated in an event in January.

This experience aimed to provide students with an opportunity to use the skills and dispositions of scientists in a real-world context, as well as explore scientific content or concepts that they found interesting or exciting.

Students followed the scientific method to organize their thinking and their presentation of their projects. They were able to take ownership over their learning and design their science projects with the support of their parents at home.

Many of the students opted to participate in the after-school activity, Science All Around Us, led by Mr. House which had them designing their own scientific inquiries and prepared them for their submission into the GES Science Fair. Winners of the GES Science Fair then headed to the WEP (Winter Enrichment Program) Science Fair and presented their projects at the University.

GES Science Fair Winners:

Robin Park - Freezing Juice Without Electricity
Zaid Moosa - How does water move in a plant?
Omar Ashry - AI Assisted Checkout
Angela Xu - Survive the sea water?
Ayaan Ahmed - Behavior of Light
Lucas Ng - What food is a good battery?
Aiden Ng - Which type of light grows plants best?
Dhruvin Jagad - Influence of Weight on Car Design
Bhadra Arun - How are rocks characterized?
Logan Park - Sound and Vibrations

Jamie House
G4 Homeroom Teacher

Laura Pendergast
Associate Principal of Teaching & Learning

Many thanks are due to our guest judges, who helped to make our GES Science Fair a success!

Emma Nason, GSS Science Teacher

Grade 11 students: Alexandro Rodriguez, Daphne Pisig, Fabian Finkbeiner Rivera, Hafsa Iqbal, Paolo Michele Castellani, Salwa Albader, Sara Moosa, and Syrpi Issaac

Nicki Talbot and her team at the TKS Engagement department and the WEP planning team.

Exciting line-up for WEP

Our students had an exciting two weeks in January, where they participated in many different activities and events for the Winter Enrichment Program. Thanks to the support of the TKS Engagement Office and the WEP planning committee, our students have been more involved than ever before in a variety of learning opportunities.

Here are some of the highlights of WEP at GES:

Ocean Sole

Ocean Sole, a non-profit with a mission to clean polluted beaches while also providing careers for artisans, ran a bracelet-creating workshop for our students. Students worked with the Ocean Sole team to take garbage found on beaches and in the ocean and turn it into beautiful bracelets. During the workshop, students also had the chance to add to some of their creative ideas to larger community sculptures Ocean Sole helped to get started.

Math Live!

Professor Po-Shen Loh from Carnegie Mellon brought some hands-on math experiences to our Grade 4 students. Professor Loh is the creator of Math Live online platform that teaches Middle and High School students how to think creatively about math. Professor Loh also conducted an after-school session for teachers to think about our planning for student learning and how we might bring creativity and flexible thinking into all areas of instruction, including math.

Guest Speakers:

Didier Drogba, Raha Moharrak, William Kamkwamba, Omar Samra

Over the two weeks of WEP, our students were able to listen to some incredible guest speakers! These guest speakers shared the actions they are taking to share their stories with others, explore our world, give back to others, and make the world a better place. Students were able to meet these inspiring humans and take inspiration from their messages.

It was a busy and inspiring couple of weeks that sparked great discussions and had the students engaged with experts from around the world.

Laura Pendergast
Associate Principal of Teaching and Learning

Didier Drogba