This week the Montessori Seniors and Juniors had an opportunity to learn about the prehistoric animals, ‘Dinosaurs’. Dinosaurs have always fascinated all of us. For our young children this topic was thrilling; ‘What are dinosaurs?’, ‘How do we know about them?  ‘How long ago did they exist?’  Many questions like this were popping in their young minds. To answer their queries a whole week plan was prepared which included activities ranging from digging ‘fossils’ to witnessing dinosaurs in their actual sizes. Children became ‘paleontologists’ and used different tool like brushes, magnifying glasses and tweezers to dig ‘fossils’. This activity helped them to understand how dinosaurs were discovered. Dino-related books, stories, poems and videos further helped to consolidate their learning.

Visit to Jahangir Park

To extend their experience about these gigantic creatures, children visited Jahangir Park which has been newly renovated as a Dinosaur theme park. Children were awed to see the huge dinosaurs of different kinds and the dino-eggs which were big enough to hold a number of children. The creatures were connected to sensors which enabled them to move and make sounds. The children were thrilled to see the dinosaurs in action.  In addition, they got chance to see different birds, a peacock dance and had a great time in the outdoor play area which had see-saws, slides, swings and rope & wall-climbing. Eating lunch together was also so much fun.

Coming back from park with loads of stories, they transferred their memories on page by drawing and writing about their experience.

The beginning of March saw the students of Class 6, 7 and 8 poring through the poetry anthologies in the BHS library in their quest for a classic poem to recite in the final elocution of the year. After tumultuous trials taken in all classes, finally 42 participants were short listed to perform in the final elocution held on Friday 16^th March 2018.

Since the beginning of the academic year, several elocutions have been held throughout the Secondary Section. Such focus on oratory skills, especially on poetry recitation is because poetry as an art breaks across grammar and syntax to create something new and imaginative for the children and succeeds in creating a love for the language. Research reveals that reading rhyming poetry out loud makes it easier for younger children to learn new vocabulary words. The rhythmic structure of the stanzas creates a known context for unknown words.

Through the fortnight while the English language teachers rehearsed with these 42 students, the students not only memorized these classic poems and learnt about reputed poets like Blake, Frost and Shakespeare but also began to comprehend the nuances of pitch, voice inflection, and volume. Reciting poetry helped them place emphasis on the sound and the rhythm of language, thus building their phonemic awareness.

The young orators learnt to pick up patterns and sequences in the poems they recited developing their memorization skills. Linguistic experts share that this ability to pick patterns will eventually aid them in learning new languages, reading comprehension and mathematics.

Yet, the greatest outcome of every elocution has been the confidence which the children have felt when they were given the freedom to express feelings to their audience.  A variety of emotions were played out on stage from melancholy to humour; from heartbreak to bereavement; from love to patriotism. Infused with expression these classic poems were brought to life. The use of gestures and facial expressions helped them enthrall their audience.

Alefiya Sh. Esmail, who is a writer and poet in English, Arabic and Urdu as well as an educationist, was invited to judge the event. She shared her feedback regarding the event saying, “I was fortunate to have witnessed the young elocutionists of Badri High School in their full glory the past week. I saw students of secondary school dishing out verse after verse, from the absolute classics, to the anonymous poetry that we have all grown up on. And what a joy it was to behold! How lovely it was to hear young Taher Sh Mohammed of Grade VIII reciting Shakespeare’s Seven Ages of Man with such mastery! What great fun it was to watch Amatullah Aliasgher of Grade VII animatedly recite Faith Trekson’s Mother and the Mouse! And most of all, what an awesome performance Hatim Mustafa of (again of Grade VII) gave for If I Die!

These are but some names from many; truth be told, each and every participant was a winner in their own right.

What has deeply impressed me was the gusto with which the students participated in this competition. They performed beautifully, paying great attention to diction, delivery and body language. Some of these wonderful students were flawless, and a few seem ripe for any of the best spoken word platforms for their age group.

BHS has come a long way in the last couple of years, and it gives one great joy to be privy to its remarkable journey. The competitive spirit of its students, the bonhomie they share, and the inclusive atmosphere of this school were on full display in this competition. Here’s wishing these bright young students and their teachers all the very best in all their learning endeavors.”

Class 6 winners

Class 7 winners

Class 8 winners