At Astor the students have been covering International Primary Curriculum (IPC) topics based on transportation. The Primary 2,3,4 and 5s were focused on the unit 'Gateways to the World'. As part of this unit, the children researched airports around the world and found the significant parts of an airport. The students were then tasked with designing and making a section to the airport.
The Primary 2’s had to look at the airplane section. First, the students had to design and build their airplanes by making the cabin, seats and cockpit. Following that, the students researched items found on the airplane and created them such as hygiene bags, safety cards, duty-free items and oxygen masks. Lastly, the students took on the role of a pilot or air stewardess and learned their duties.
The Primary 3’s were assigned the challenge of developing an airport shopping experience. They decided to construct a Starbucks which had a drink station, a cashier counter, and a customer seating space. Students used recyclable materials to plan and create their Starbucks menu. They put their math skills to good use by providing receipts for drinks and food that their peers had purchased.
The Primary 4’s were tasked with security, where they designed the conveyor belt, the scanning booth and the hand-held metal detector. They had to make it functional, at the same time compact. The conveyor belt was designed using a plastic box and a rope that was used to pull the box through the scanner. The hand-held metal detector contains a sensor that could beep. The strict P4 security officers ensured that no one was boarding the flight with anything dangerous.
The Primary 5’s were tasked with the check-in counter, where they had different elements like the TV displaying the travel locations, the luggage conveyor belt, and the counter itself. They also designed and crafted boarding passes and luggage tags to use when passengers come to the check-in booth. With check-in being the first station at the airport, students gave an all-around experience for the passengers, through proper communication and presentation skills.
The Pre Primary and Primary 1 students are covering the unit ‘From A to B’ as their IPC unit this term, also focusing on different modes of transport. The students had been discussing planes in their lessons and took the opportunity to travel on Astor Air and go through the airport experience with the P2,3,4 and 5 students guiding them through.