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Who are you Year 1?

Time capsules are fun. Just ask Year 1, who learnt a lot about themselves when they custom designed their very own time capsules for their ‘Who We Are’ PYP Inquiry Unit.

So, what is a time capsule? Well Miss Christofa’s students had ample opportunity to ponder this question, when she produced her own time capsule. It stirred up much excitement and curiosity when she then handed it around the class for the students to examine more closely.

She then tasked the students to each write their own ‘I wonder’ statement about the time capsule. What could it be? And more importantly, what was inside it?

As the students discovered from watching videos and from their subsequent class discussion, anything that encapsulates time can be a time capsule. They can be as big as the Egyptian pyramids or the ruins of Pompei or as small as a Victorian button, trapping industrial air. There’s even a time capsule locked away in the wall of the Visual Arts Department, which commemorates ����AV’s 75th Anniversary in 1988. And its secrets will not be revealed until 2063!

Miss Christofa then asked the students to focus on the following line of inquiry: What makes us who we are? She encouraged students to reflect on their own personality, their background, their likes and dislikes, their hobbies, their family, their pets and their learning goals. She told them to focus on capturing ‘how it feels to be me today’.

Next, she asked the students to make plasticine models that represent different aspects of themselves. Along with brightly coloured pets, plates of food and flamboyant flowers, there were also various family members engaged in various activities.

It was fascinating for the girls to do a ‘Gallery Walk’ and see what their fellow classmates had chosen to include in their time capsules. And they discovered lots of new and exciting things about each other. For example, who knew that Miranda can speak English, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese? Or that her learning goal is to master all her times-tables by the end of the year! And who knew that Josie has pet fish and gets nervous when she has to go up on stage?

“We came to the realisation that there are many aspects that make us who we are and each of us are unique in our own way,” said Miss Christofa.

Putting on their sustainability hats, Year 1 recycled objects – big tick from Head of Curriculum K to 6, Ms Cameron – to make their own time capsules, taking care to make sure their designs were durable, flexible and strong.

On Friday afternoon, they held an exhibition, presenting the contents of their time capsule to the rest of Woodstock. Students from Kindergarten to Year 3 spent time moving around Year 1’s display table, listening carefully as the students talked about who they are, what they’ve chosen to include in their time capsule and why.

Making time capsules has been a magical way for Year 1 to take a slice of their present life and preserve it for the future.

And they’ve learnt so much about themselves – and each other – in the process. They’ve learnt that we are all wonderfully multifaceted and that our personalities are formed through everything we do. This includes where we were born, how we live, how we interact with others, our reactions to things, the food that we eat and the activities we pursue. Making their own time capsule has been a fun exercise in self-discovery and self-reflection. Bravo Year 1!