Thursday, March 28, 2013

Recount writing about the Easter story


I am learning to use my plan to help me to write a recount.  I am really pleased with my writing today because I have told the story in order.

International Parents' Meeting - handwriting

On Thursday 21 March, ten parents met to share a time of fellowship and learn more about handwriting.  We were fortunate to have Mrs Phillips come and talk to us about this important skill.  Thanks too to Carla who provided the yummy afternoon tea!


Thursday, March 21, 2013

Taj Mahal



One of the most beautiful places on the earth is the Taj Mahal and it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. For Indians, it is the most beautiful and popular tourist place.

Taj Mahal is located on Yamuna river bank at Agra near New Delhi in India. It is very tall and it has a large entrance. It is 65 meters high and is an eye-catching historical monument.  

It is pretty cold inside because of the marble flooring. Birds have built nests inside the Taj Mahal which  surprises the visitors.

Taj Mahal is a tomb built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his loving wife Mumtaz Begum. There were 20000 people who built the Taj Mahal, and around 5000 of them lost their lives while constructing the building.  It took 22 years to build this historical monument.  Finally it was completed in the year 1648.

Lot of tourists from all over the world visit this place every year. I visited this beautiful place during May 2008. It was a really superb and unforgettable visit. This is a picture of me and my sister taken in front of Taj Mahal.





Naming insects

I am playing games to learn the names of insects in English.  I beat Mrs Anthony in dominoes and in Memory.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Recount writing fun

Rafael, Andrew and Tawanashe are working hard on their recount writing.  Here they are writing about pretending to be bubbles.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Helping your child with Spelling - International Parents' Meeting

On Thursday 28th February twelve International Parents met to discuss ways that parents can help their children with spelling.
Here are some ideas:

Spelling tips for parents

To be able to spell well, a child needs to:
·      Be able to break a word into its separate sounds
·      Know which letters represent the sounds
·      Recall tricky words
·      Know when to use the appropriate word (e.g. ‘meat’ or ‘meet’)
·      Look for links between words according to meaning (e.g. ‘warrior’ and ‘war’)

Things parents can do to help:
·      Support school spelling.  Use the look, say (make sure they are pronouncing the word correctly), cover, write, check approach.
·      Talk to your child (about everything!).
·      Provide opportunities to write in English and your home language, e.g. stories, letters, emails, shopping lists.
·      Trace words and word shapes.
·      Help your child to sort words e.g. words with 5 letters, words that start with ‘th’.
·      Use magnetic letters.
·      Create word lists around your home.
·      Use movement when learning words e.g. clap the letters, or take a step for each letter.
·      Let your child teach you the word.
·      Find rhyming words.
·      Find the wrong word.
·      Play spelling games in the car or when you are out, e.g. I spy.
·      Play board games e.g. Scrabble, Memory.