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Students explore the ways of cardboard and couches
By WISS Admin | April 22, 2009
Shanghai Daily, C6 Education, April 22, 2009
Last Tuesday, the Pre-K and G5 students from Western International School of Shanghai (WISS) embarked on a fascinating field trip to Cardboard Factory and Sofa Factory in Kunshan,
After a 45-minute ride, the students, teachers and parents arrived at the AIMS International Co.Ltd, the cardboard factory where they were cordially received by director, Mr. Richard Yao, also a Pre-K parent, whose invitation made this adventure happen. To brief the visitors on the factory operation, Mr. Yao first displayed a DVD of the machines in action before showing them through the large warehouse. The students, exposed to the whole process of making thick cardboard, were thrilled to watch different machines cut and crimp card, glue layers of card, flatten card and cut it into precise sizes, according to each client’s order.
The second stop was a locally run sofa factory close by, Kunshan Skyline Furniture Co. The WISS students were toured around a line of departments to investigate the manufacturing of sofas. In the Cutting and Sewing Zone, the Pre-K children were amazed to see layers of leather and suede being cut with one sharp blade. At Wood Processing Zone, the room was filled with busy workers using drills, jigsaws, sanders, lathes and shapers making the wooden sections of the sofa. Further along was the Assembling Zone where white cotton/ polyester stuffing was being packed and sewn into cushions. The exploration was wrapped up with the students’ pockets full of cotton stuffing, leather samples and fabric lining as souvenirs.
For the Pre-K students, the field trip, linked to the central idea of their Unit of Inquiry “We use different materials for different purposes.” This idea served as a lens through which they could explore materials being used in the commercial world. They had been inquiring into how different materials can be changed and combined for different uses over seven weeks. In the classroom they had been researchers experimenting with various materials, such as glass, metal, fabric, plastic, paper, stone and wood. They had become curious about how to mix edible materials together to make cookies or jelly. They had been builders, creating and making objects out of boxes, cardboard rolls, egg cartons, fabric, aluminum foil and other recycled materials. “It’s a fantastic experience for the children to observe the uses of materials in a real working factory, which promotes the transition of their prior knowledge and skills into their everyday life. I’m sure they came back with a new perspective on lounging on the sofa to watch TV!” said Amy Griffin, Pre-K teacher.
While it enhanced Pre-K students’ understanding of materials, the field trip assisted the 5th graders in their quest for “The production of goods” within the Unit of Inquiry “the Market Place”. Before venturing out, the 5th graders initiated a range of thought-provoking questions such as “Will people or a machine make the sofa?”, “How long does it take to make a sofa?”, “Which is easier to make, a sofa or cardboard?” “How many steps does it take to make a cardboard box?” All these inquiries allowed them to build up their own understanding of the ever changing world and develop their critical thinking skills as self-motivated learners.
Within the framework of International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, WISS stresses a hands-on, authentic learning experience, embedding numerous field trips in its Primary Years Program (PYP). Those enjoyable journeys expand the students’ horizons, cement their knowledge about the concept being learnt in the classroom and extend their ability to make connections between prior knowledge and new information.
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