Our World, Our Stories
Primary Students Connecting and Sharing
We Won an Edublog Award!
Dec 15th
All of the students and teachers involved in Our World, Our Stories were thrilled to disover that we won the Edublog Award for the best group blog!
This recognition is a sublime way to finish our project. It demonstrates to the education community what students and teachers can achieve when they work together.
To Edublogs, we want to say thank you for providing us with this blog to help us create our collaborative project.
To everyone who followed our project and voted for us, we say
Our Final Celebration
Dec 7th
The Our World, Our Stories project has been running for nearly seven weeks and it has been an amazing experience.
Each week, we have blogged, commented and conversed about a wide range of topics.
Week One: Typical School Day
Week Two: Recess Activities
Week Three: Food
Week Four: Our Local Environment
Week Five: Traditional Stories and Festivities
Week Six: Traditional Song
Whoever You Are
The students worked together to create this reading of Mem Fox’s story, Whoever You Are.
This story reminds us that even though everyone in the world is very different, we are all equal.
Tolerance and understanding are very important virtues to develop, and can help to create a world full of peace, productivity and pleasure!
Simply press the play button to hear the story and use the arrows to turn the pages that don’t automatically advance.
Make New Friends
Nothing brings people together like a song. Here are the lyrics, sing along!
1. Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold.
2. A circle is round, it has no end, that’s how long I will be your friend.
3. A fire burns bright, it warms the heart, we’ve been friends from the very start.
4. You have one hand, I have the other, put them together, we have each other.
5. Silver is precious, gold is too, I am precious and so are you.
6. You help me, and I’ll help you, and together we will see it through
7. The sky is blue, the Earth is green, I can help to keep it clean.
8. Across the land, across the sea, friends forever we will always be.
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The students have learnt so much about our world and developed their understanding of different ways of living.
The Our World, Our Stories project has proved that even though the world is a big place, technology can help make it smaller. Our classrooms are not bound by four walls and we have a whole world full of students, teachers and community members to learn from and with!
Leave a comment and share something you have learnt or something you have enjoyed about Our World, Our Stories.
A Song from Canada
Dec 1st
The Grade 2/3s have really enjoyed everyone’s songs this week and wanted to share a traditional Canadian song with you.
Our song is a combination of My Paddle’s Keen and Bright and Land of the Silver Birch. They are traditional Canadian folk songs that were often sung while paddling in a canoe. The paddlers would use the beat of the song to help them paddle in unison. The two songs are partner songs (Two songs that can be sung together at the same time).
Have you ever paddled in a canoe before?
Can you think of any other times that songs are used to keep the beat?
Traditional American Song: “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”
Nov 30th
Connecticut, USA
We love listening to Mrs. Yollis’ class sing This Land is Your Land, 2KM & 2KJ singing G’Day, G’Day and B4 singing Haere Mai. It is so fun to hear different songs from around the world!
We are going to share a short song that has been sung at American baseball games for over 70 years. If you’ve ever been to a baseball game in the U.S.A. you’ve probably heard this song before! We hope you enjoy it:
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We sing this song a lot at our school assemblies, and the line, “Root, root, root for the home team“ always gets a little bit loud! When you sing this song, you typically say the name of your favorite team in place of the words “home team”.
So at our assemblies some of us sing “root, root, root for the Red Sox!” while others sing “root, root, root for the Yankees!” because these are the two most popular baseball teams where we live.
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What are the popular home sports teams where you live?
What is your favorite professional sport to cheer for?
What did you think of the song? Do you have any questions about it?
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Traditional Song: New Zealand
Nov 30th
Haere Mai
B4′s song is a song of welcome.
We sing it each week at assembly, and to welcome special visitors to our school.
What do you think ‘Haere Mai’ means?
Can you find the words for ‘boy’ and ‘girl’?
Traditional Song: Australia
Nov 29th
2KM and 2KJ loved hearing a traditional American song and we’d like to share an Australian song.
G’day G’day
Slim Dusty (David Gordon Kirkpatrick 1927 – 2003) made this song famous and many incorrectly believe he wrote it. G’day G’day was actually written by Rob Fairbairn. It is a fun song that people have been singing for decades.
Here is 2KM and 2KJ performing the song for you.
Here are the lyrics so you can sing along.
Do you know what these words/phrases mean?
G’day
Strike a light
Bloke
Havin’ a yarn
Dinky-di
Didgeridoo
Are there any other words/terms that you need us to define for you?
What do you think of our Aussie song?
Traditional America Song: This Land is Your Land
Nov 27th
California, USA
This week, the focus will be traditional songs.
Mrs. Yollis’ class will kick off the week with a famous American folksong,
This Land is Your Land
by Woody Guthrie.
The words are below if you’d like to sing along!
Chorus:
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me
As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the redwood forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me
What do you think of when you listen or sing this song?
We sang the song a cappella (ah ku pel uh) which means it was sung without a musical accompaniment.
Do you play an instrument that could have accompanied our song?
A Typical School Day in Kumasi, Ghana
Nov 27th
Ghana, West Africa
Kumasi is found at the heart of the Republic of Ghana
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The name of our school is Best Brain International School.
This is how our school day starts:
A child wakes up mostly with sibling at about 5:30am and prepare for school
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These are the colors of the school uniform of Best Brain International School
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Little Kwasi Okyere, our model pupil (student) put on his school uniform
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This is the main two story building of Best Brain International School
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This is the arrival of students at the school's premises
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It is a usual practice for students to pray before class activities starts
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Students march to classrooms in ascending order (from lower classes to upper classes) with drum rhythm
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Here is a video showing students marching to classroom
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Favorite Recess Game: California
Nov 23rd
Our recess post is a little late! Better late than never! 
California, USA
A favorite recess game at our school is called
Bamboo!
Here is a video demonstrating how the game is played.
(Beverly loves to watch Bamboo, but Panda prefers to eat it!)
Would you like to play Bamboo?
Do you have any unusual equipment at your school that has lead to a new game?
Traditional Stories in Belize
Nov 22nd
In Belize, Anansi stories became part of the tradition when slaves were brought to the Americas from Africa. Since then they have stayed popular and there are many stories about this mischievous Half Spider-Half Man.
Who are the popular characters in YOUR stories?
Are they mischievous like Anansi?
(Click “CC” to have words to read along with Vanyah and N’Gaii)
Transcript:
Hi My name is N’gaii.
Hi my name is Vanya.
Brer Anansi and Brer Tiger Riding Horse
Both Brer Tiger and Brer Anansi loved the beautiful Ms. Selena and were trying hard to win her heart. Anansi knew it was difficult to compete with Tiger because Tiger was big and strong. He decided to play a trick on Tiger. Anansi spread the rumor around the entire village and he also personally told Ms. Selena that Tiger was his riding horse. Word got out to Brer Tiger, who was furious. Everyone was teasing and making fun of him. When Brer Anansi heard that Brer Tiger was looking for him, he ran home, put an egg in his mouth, and oiled his face so he would look sick. He got under his blanket and waited. When he heard a bang on the door and shouting, he pretended he could barely speak. Eventually Brer Tiger got in. Brer Anansi rolled his eyes so only the white parts showed. He began groaning as though he was in terrible pain. He begged Brer Tiger to take him to the doctor and promised that they would settle the matter as soon as he was well. He kept on groaning and soon after, broke the egg in his mouth and pretended like he was vomiting. Brer Tiger got frightened and worried. He quickly offered to take him to the doctor. Pretending to be sick, so weak and couldn’t walk, Anansi kept on groaning. Brer Tiger picked him up gently and put him on his back. Anansi said to Brer Tiger, can you please hand me the stick that is leaning in the corner so I can have it to help me walk when I get to the doctor. Tiger did as he was told.
*break in video
He gave the stick to Brer Anansi as Brer Tiger began to leave. Brer Anansi said Brer Tiger, “I am so weak. Can you please tie a rope around your neck so I can hold on good I’m afraid I’m going to fall. Again he did as he was told. They then left for the hospital. Ms. Selena was sitting under a tree in the main area of the village, selling delicious food. Most of the villages gathered around laughing and talking since it was Saturday evening, none of them were working. As soon as Brer Anansi saw that they were approaching the crowd he dug his heels into Brer Tiger’s back, held onto the rope as tight as he could and whipped Brer Tiger with the piece of stick as hard as he could. The pain whipped through Brer Tigers body and he took off running. Everyone laughed and shouted, “Brer Tiger is Brer Anansi’s riding horse for real!” When they reached an area where Brer Anansi knew it was safe to get away, he jumped off of Tigers back and hurriedly climbed a tall tree. Brer Tiger stood under the tree and waited. Hours came and went but Brer Anansi did not come down. Eventually Brer Tiger got hungry and left to look for food. Brer Anansi climbed down and ran away to safety.
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