A Guest Reader visited our PYP 4th grade classroom to share a very interesting story with the students. The identity of the reader was kept a secret up to the point where she entered the classroom on the scheduled day. The students were very surprised to see one of their classmate’s parents walking through the door and the child of the Mystery Reader could not believe her eyes when she saw her mom!

PYP Grade 1A went on a field trip to the Experimentorium, the Scientific Museum for children. The museum is specifically tailored to encourage independent inquiry into scientific concepts; students had the chance to take a guided tour of the exhibits, as well as watch and take part in a scientific show/experiment. As they witnessed change of matter, the connection between force and speed, weight and acceleration, students were reminded of the concepts of connection and responsibility that have been at the core of their current unit of inquiry. Not only did they have the freedom to explore how various objects and elements are connected, but they also had the opportunity to learn how their actions affected the functioning of the exhibits. After the tour and the experiment, students were given time to explore the exhibits they were particularly curious about on their own and investigate together with their friends.

PYP Grade 1B visited the Tbilisi International Airport. Year 1 is currently covering the unit called ‘transportation’. The kids had an amazing opportunity to see the check-in process and enter the waiting area. Before the passengers got on board, the students boarded the plane and were greeted by the captain. Children then watched how the passengers boarded the plane and wished everyone a safe flight. Our first graders enjoyed snacks and relaxed in the VIP lounge at the end of the trip. Throughout the whole trip students were accompanied by the members of the Turkish Airlines staff and received a lot of useful information that has a direct connection to our current transdisciplinary theme, unit and lines of inquiry.

Within the framework of the unit about Migration PYP grade 5 s went on a field trip to the National Gallery to see Michelangelo’s original drawings. They prepared themselves for the field trip by learning Michelangelo’s biography. Students have imitated the process of painting of the Sistine chapel by lying on their backs and painting above their heads. They have also learned how migration affected artist’s life and the style of their artworks. On the trip we had a tour guide who talked about Michelangelo and his work. Apart from viewing Michelangelo’s 6 drawing’s students had an opportunity to play a puzzle, where they could arrange the scenes from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. After the trip students were asked to share their impressions and demonstrate the new knowledge they have acquired.

In line with our Unit of Inquiry “Signs & Symbols” PYP 4th grade teachers and students visited the Simon Janashia National Museum of Georgia after covering the topic ‘Stone age’. The Museum represents a scientific-educational institution that preserves and exhibits a unique collection of natural and human history of the country, starting from animal remains dated back 40 million years. The students were impressed learning about prehistoric human remains found in Dmanisi, as this discovery has changed the whole theory of human evolution. Our students found the large collection of treasures - gold and silver artifacts and jewelry from different historical periods to be very interesting. Our visit to the Museum played a very important role in deepening students’ knowledge related to their unit of inquiry.

This term our third grades are focusing their learning on how people express themselves. Through this unit of inquiry, students found out about the history of communication, and what tools have been used to exchange information during different periods of time. During the assembly students were given an opportunity to share everything they have learnt during the unit with other students from PYP. They prepared a song during music lessons, with the help of the art teachers they draw different ways of communication, in ICT they created presentations about the topic and presented these during our assembly. At the end of the assembly they sang a song using sign language to show that even in hard situations people always manage to find ways to communicate with each other. The assembly helped to share their findings with others through presentations, song and a dance.

Communications between deaf-mute and non-deaf-mute people have always been a challenging task. In the frame of the Unit of Inquiry ‘Signs & Symbols’ PYP grade 4 students invited a sign language teacher together with her 3 students with special needs. The project aimed to facilitate children by means of a hand based deaf-mute communication system. Our students were taught basic sign language. They were involved in discussions and games which made students’ learning experience fun! It was so emotional when the 4th graders found it very interesting and challenging to share their thoughts and feelings with deaf-mute students using sign language. One of the fourth graders said: “I can never forget the time when I managed to express all of my emotions and feelings without saying a word! I appreciate the abilities we have from birth, whereas, for someone else, that is only a dream.” This activity helped students to develop their tolerance and empathy as well as their non-verbal communication skills and foster further inquiry in the unit.

PYP fifth graders celebrated the end of the third unit about migration with a Family Migration Story Night. On February 21, 2018, all fifth grade parents brought a national dish from their own culture and shared their own migration stories with the students and other families. There were a lot of different foods on display and it was a lovely evening. One of the parents commented that this was a great occasion to meet the other fifth grade parents and come together. It served as a great wrap up to what the students had been learning about animal and human migration throughout the unit, showing the students that migration isn’t just a school topic but a real-life experience. This night also coincided with the International Mother Tongue Day and wonderfully celebrated the variety of cultures and languages we currently have at our school. Students were translating for parents who didn’t speak English and there was a lot of discussion about complications with language when people move to a new country. At the end of the event, students presented some works that reflected their own perspectives about migration and the knowledge that they gained throughout the past month.

Simon Hölscher, guest speaker from Germany, paid a visit to the European School and gave a lecture about Germany post World War One and Hitler’s rise to power pre -World War Two. Students who attended the lecture had already covered World War Two in their History class, so having a German perspective on this historical event was very culturally enriching for them.