Project Work

The Foundation Subjects are Science, History and Geography

Whenever possible, selected Units of Inquiry are used to meet curriculum objectives for these
subjects. Field trips, visiting speakers, videos, film-strips, books, magazines and websites are
used as resources for guided research. Students work individually or in collaboration with others
to produce presentations in the form of topic folders, journals, wall charts, posters or slide
presentations.

Jump to: Year 2 , Year 3 , Year 4 , Year 5 , Year 6

Year 1

Starting with the unit ‘ME AND MY FAMILY, students examine the differences between living and non living things,learn that animals and humans move, grow, use their senses and reproduce. They name the parts of the body and compare themselves with others.

Parents are invited in to speak to the students about the different jobs they do in the community.
In the unit on ‘CELEBRATIONS’, the Year 1 students compare different communities and cultures and
their celebrations. ‘HOT AND COLD' examines the weather and seasonal weather patterns, develops
the students’ awareness of the wider world and finds similarities and differences between Bermuda
and other countries. Experiments are conducted in the classroom to demonstrate hot and cold.

Identifying plants and animals in the local environment and exploring life cycles takes place in the unit
on ‘PARKS AND GARDENS'. A field trip to the Botanical gardens is a popular activity with the students.

In the unit on ‘NOW AND THEN, the students are involved in activities that place events in the past in
sequence, identify differences between ways of life at different periods in time and identifies differences
in ways of life between the present and past.

A visit to Vermont ends this unit.

Year 2

The students begin the term with a unit on ‘MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES’, exploring and
experimenting with natural and man made materials. ‘TRADITIONAL STORIES’ allows the students
to become familiar with well known stories of heroes and heroines, historical figures and cultural
events; different values, feeling and beliefs are addressed.

During the unit titles ‘BIOGRAPHIES’, students look at their own family history and begin to explore the meaning of ‘generations’. Similarities and differences, celebrations and customs and different beliefs are examined through interviews, pictures and books. ‘HOW WE LIVE’ builds on the
Biographies unit as students compare life today to that of the past. The students become aware
that things change with the passage of time.

In the unit on ‘SOUND’, the students experiment with and explore sound, discovering how they are
generated. The Year 2 ‘WATER unit focuses on different forms of water and the water cycle.
The importance of water, water conservation and how we get water in Bermuda and other countries
is examined. Fresh water environments are studied.

In the ‘TRANSPORTATION' unit, the students explore how people move around on land, at sea and in the
air. Vehicles from the past and present are compared and placed in chronological order. The impact
of vehicles on the environment is touched on.

Year 3

The Year 3 classes begin with units titled ‘OUR WORLD AND MULTICULTURAL STORIES’ during which they
examine the culture, languages, food, customs, homes and life styles of Australia, New Zealand
and Italy.

During their ‘DISCOVERIES’ unit, the students explore inventions and examine how these have changed
our lives. The students work in small groups to create their own inventions. A unit on ‘SPACE’
explores the universe by looking at the solar system, constellations and galaxies. Night and day,
shadows, force and momentum, gravity and density lead the way to science experiments and
activities. A teacher directed mini project on one of the planets is completed.

The unit on ‘HABITATS’ is a favourite as the students arm themselves with magnifying glasses and
collection jars and head outside to explore the world of mini-beasts. This is followed by a project on the coral reefs during which the students map the coral reefs of the world and research why they form in particular places. Bermuda’s many resources are used and the Year 3 students enjoy many field trips that are pertinent to this unit.

Year 4

The Year 4 students begin the year with a unit on ‘EXPLORERS’ that examines the
similarities and differences between explorers and invaders such as Columbus, Mary Kingsley
and the Vikings. The impact on the societies that they met and the legacies they left are examined.
Present day explorers are also studied. In continuation of this theme, a unit on ‘TRADE’ examines
supply and demand, barter and exchange systems and trade routes.

The unit on ‘THE RAINFOREST covers endangered plants and animals, as well as adaptations.
Rainforests of the world are mapped, geographical features examined and appropriate geography
introduced. The topic of environmental protection is examined closely. Field trips to the Aquarium
further extend the investigations. In the unit on ‘LIFE IN THE MOUNTAINS’, the students examine the
lifestyles of people who live in the Andes Mountains and then compare it to our lives in Bermuda.

The ‘MYTHS AND LEGENDS’ unit introduces the students to the myths and legends of South America.
Life in the Inca times is researched identifying similarities and differences between life in the past
and present.

The ‘MAGNETS’ unit offers the opportunity for the students to focus in the investigation of magnets
through experimentation. This unit is followed by a unit on ‘FORCES’ during which students investigate
the nature of various forces with a focus on fair testing and scientific investigations.

Year 5

The first unit, ‘RIVERS, BRIDGES AND TUNNELS’, examines materials used in construction, building load
bearing bridges, the discussion of and experiments with soil erosion and the identification of the
major river systems in the world. This leads into an historical inquiry into ‘ANCIENT EGYPT’ that
examines the social structure, the beliefs, government, arts and rulers of Ancient Egypt. The role
of the River Nile is a perfect lead in to the unit on ‘FOOD AND FARMING" during which the students
investigate farming in various countries and Bermuda. Opportunities to visit local farms are taken
to see the practice of farming in action.

‘BERMUDA’ is studied in depth in Year 5. ‘Our Roots" examines Bermuda’s past. ‘The City of
Hamilton’ examines Hamilton’s beginnings and development, local streets and landmarks, and
a study of architecture.‘The Arts’ examines communication in various cultures through Music, Dance and Art and examines Bermuda’s artistic heritage.

Year 6

Each term the Year 6 students study a thematic unit that focuses specifically on Science,
Geography or History.

In the first term, ‘WEATHER AND CLIMATE’ focuses on the nature of weather
and climate, its impact on the land and people and weather patterns. ‘THE MIDDLE AGES’ enables the students to research the way of life in the Middle Ages and to discuss world events of the time. The ‘MATERIALS’ unit focuses on fair testing as the students conduct experiments on mixing materials, heating and cooling, and changes that can and cannot be reversed.

In the second term, ‘OUR SURROUNDINGS’ focuses on having the students examine the natural and man made environment around
them and to suggest ways to protect and improve their surroundings. ‘WORLD WAR II’ investigates what domestic life was like for children during the war years, comparing it to modern day domestic life.‘BERMUDA ECO-SYSTEMS’ is a scientific inquiry into the various Bermudian ecosystems and the organisms that live in them. Food chains, plant and animal adaptations, how we can repair, improve
and protect our island home and how to minimize our impact on the environment are explored.

In the third term, the ‘MAPWORK’ unit concentrates on grid references and co-ordinates. A project
on ‘THE 20TH CENTURY’, focusing on a set of specific research topics, is completed by each student.The ‘ELECTRICITY’ unit allows students to explore the nature of electricity and its uses with investigations into circuits, switches and electrical conductors.