The Grade 5 and Grade 6 classes at NTSIS looked at how exploration can lead to discoveries, opportunities, and new understandings. This culminated with the class researching, writing, and performing a drama on Christopher Columbus’s 1492 voyage to the New World. Let’s take a look at the journey that led up to this drama and learn more about the teaching process at Nantong Stalford.

Collaborative Learning

First, the students were introduced to the topic of exploration and Christopher Columbus’s voyage. The students had to opportunity to share their prior knowledge and learning. They then worked together on a timeline of Christopher Columbus’s life and did guided reading activities on Columbus’s voyage. After that they watched some videos on Columbus’s voyages which sparked their curiosity more.

Research Skill 

Developing independent research skills is an important part of the Nantong Stalford education. The G5/6 students wrote a series of questions that they had come up with after their initial period finding out about Columbus. They then worked independently on their tablet computers to search for the answers to their questions online. This research formed the basis of their following work and it was during their period that the students discovered many interesting facts about Columbus and his voyages.

Creativity

The students then took the information that they found out and used it to write a script for their dramatic performance. The students learned about the features of script writing and the process of redrafting and reworking a text. Nantong stalford education is a collaborative teaching process which is transdisciplinary, this means that the students project is not limited to one subject, in fact the students had lessons in various subjects that were related to the voyages of Columbus. In P.E. the students played games where they crossed the ocean in the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. And in their Art class, the students made the background and props for their drama.

In the Nantong Stalford, student agency is key, it is central to our teaching philosophy and informs how we do everything we do. The students took turns to direct sections of the drama. They worked out the staging, how characters should act and speak, and they gave feedback to each other in a constructive manner that allowed everyone’s voice to be heard. Slowly but steadily the drama came together with many alterations and changes along the way until finally the drama was ready to be performed.

The drama was held during the end of unit ‘Celebration of Learning’ afternoon. This event is a change for the students of every class to present their work to their school mates. It is a fun event where older and younger students get to share in each other’s learning experience. The grade 5 and 6 students’ Columbus drama was met with great admiration from the audience. Many school members noted how well the students had acted, how interesting the story was, and how well the students had staged their production. A job well done, and the students deserve a thorough congratulations for all their hard work in this unit !