Weeks One & Two: What really interests us?
At UNIS, Hanoi our Grade 5 students have been bringing in their own 'hot topics' since October. A hot topic is any issue (often those currently in the news) which makes a person 'itch', sit up and take note. The first week of the exhibition is a time to reactivate the students' prior knowledge of these hot topics. Activating prior knowledge (or tuning in) is an important part of any inquiry; it hooks the students' interests and springboards learning.In order to activate students' prior knowledge the teachers used provocative questions and asked the children to share not only what they think they currently understand about the issue but also their feelings, opinions and reasoning too.
Team & Mentor Bonding
In the third week of the exhibition the students meet with their exhibition mentor. A mentor helps the students to clarify their ideas and to keep them on track.
Primary Sources
One of the requirements of the UNIS, Hanoi Exhibition is the use of both primary and secondary sources. This short video documents one group of students find information from a primary source this week. And no ordinary primary source - The Swedish Ambassador!
The UNIS, Exhibition Process 2015