The primary has ECA time built into the curriculum as we value how this supports the overall ethos of our school. The activities allow for agency and choice by the learners, we look to address our key guiding statements in the ECA’s to reinforce the holistic nature of learning and living together as a school community, in our families and in our local and global context.
The Kaleidoscope Art ECA members showcased how Celebrating Diversity through art is an immersive experience. Symbols are the language of something invisible spoken in the visible world.” – Gertrud von Le Fort
To explore the symbolism and significance of Dussehra, our young artists viewed informative videos linked to the many stories associated with this festival. Their newly acquired knowledge about Dussehra’s origin stories was translated into artwork, where the artform from South India “Tholu Bommalata” was fused with art symbolism. From bow and arrows, conches and tridents, to marigold flowers and Goddess Durga’s eye of consciousness, each learner chose a symbol that they felt represented the true spirit of Dussehra.
Their patterned illustrations were then adorned with watercolours. Their symbol stood in monochromatic format in the foreground and the background was coloured to highlight the main message.
Ms Nidhi
What is a team?
On Fridays, one of our Extra Curricular Activities (ECAs) is Team Games for P1-3 learners.
As a group, we have been exploring what a “team” means and the qualities of a team. Here we are reinforcing the learner profile and the ATL skills.
To start the ECA, the learners created an essential agreement that they signed demonstrating how they would learn throughout our time together. Each learner signed below the agreements, assuring their commitment to the promise. One of the most important elements was “have fun”!
The learners first listed the team games they were most interested in. These included: soccer, basketball, dodgeball, ice tag, and volleyball.
Therefore, in the following weeks, we have explored dodgeball, various versions of tag, relay racing and soccer. We keep asking the question – What makes an effective team? – and keep learning more about this each week as we experience different games and reflect on our agreements.
Ms Carla
What Type of Action do you Want to Take?
The Library Action ECA has been contributing to the MIS community in more ways than one. Taking action is a pivotal aspect of the PYP, it is the act of developing members within the community who act positively to make a difference.
Participating:
To help aid our amazing librarian, the learners created maps of the first and second floors of the library. Next, they located the different books and found how the Dewey Decimal system is used to organize fiction and nonfiction books. So as a group, the learners participated actively in reshelving all the returned books.
Advocacy:
When was the last time you visited the library? What was the latest book you read?
International School Library Month is celebrated every October. The learners chose to be part of this by advocating for libraries and reading in general. They creatively made posters in their own mother language to be shared with the MIS and raise awareness about the importance of books.
What will we do next?
Ms Anne
