Sunday, October 10, 2010

Playing with the clay :)



As what I said in the last entry, I had used clay to give another concrete experiences to my year 1 pupils on 3D shapes. I was quite strict in handling this activity because this activity involved with something that attractive to the children. They might doing something out of my imagination like eat the clay. Kids sometimes always do something we never think they will do it especially this Temiar pupils So, I better take caution before something like that happen.

I had borrowed the clay from the pre-school class. There are lots of interesting teaching materials in pre-school class that still suitable to use in my year 1 class. I was quite always went to pre-school class to have a chat with some teachers there. So, while I chatted with them, I also observed the materials there that I can make use in my mathematics class. Luckily, there was some box of clay can be borrowed from there. I just had been told by the pre-school teacher that the clay had been given as presents by some people from Health Ministry that came to school few weeks ago.



This activity had been done individually so that all children in my class can have their own experience and their own way of making the shapes. they just need to make the shape that I show to them one by one. It was interesting to see how they observed the 3d shapes and then try to interpret sing the clay. Some pupils can do it so quickly but some struggle to make it. Sometimes, it is not about they know they know the shape or not, sometimes its all about their confidence. Some pupils were just scared to do it and shy. That is the main problem.

However, the activity was done nicely as I let the pupils do the shape one by one. So, if some pupils had finish make a cuboid, they cannot continue to do cube yet but need to wait for their friends. I just want all of them done it and learn to be patient. Although I know that the clay cannot really make a precise 3D shapes, I just want to see my pupils' views on the 3D shapes that they already learn in class.


Before we end the class, I let the pupils do a free play activity from the clay. I asked them to make a robot. I told them to use the shapes that they learn today as possible. So, I can see many types of robot had been done by them and it was interesting!


p/s: Just 2 weeks more before final year examination start! I am nervous! I hope my pupils feel it too...

1 comment:

Superb! ;)