Sleighs, Gingerbread houses and the core competencies.

While we have been trying to keep to our usual routine, we have also been working on some larger projects in class over theses last 2 weeks. The goal of these projects is not necessarily the final product but the process that the students go through while finishing the project. These are called the Core Competencies which are at the heart of the new curriculum. They are essential qualities that business leaders have shared that they look for in employees.
Link to:
Core competencies in the new curriculum

Last week we were practicing "working with others" and "Trying something a different way" (if the first attempt did not work).

In order to practice these competencies, the students were asked to build a sleigh that could hold at least 10 presents using nothing but tape, paper and 2 straws for the sleigh runners. There were many different sleighs and they all held the gifts through a turbulent ride.


Gingerbread building also required us to look at another competency, "persevering when something is difficult".  As you may know, building a gingerbread house requires a lot of patience and the house often falls down many times before it is finished. This project was introduced as a inquiry project, that is to say that the children were not given direct instruction or a model to follow. We brainstormed what a house needs and the children then designed and built their own houses.

Here are some pictures of the finished houses:







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