E-news of March, 2015

1. Hot School News

2. March Monthly Reader-Polar Bear’s Big Chill

3. Morning English-Multiculturalism: France

4. Reading Funfest-About the authors

5. Introduce English Week-Reader’s Theater

6. 2014 Fall Spelling Bee Flashback

7. 2014 Fall Spelling Bee Writing Competition Top 10

Hot School News

Welcome back to school! We hope you had a wonderful winter vacation

and Chinese New Year. For March E-News, we had a lot of interesting

topics.

We had a new cute storybook called Polar Bear’s Big Chill. We not

only read the story but also sang and danced along. Sounds like fun, right?

The multiculturalism program for Morning English was about France.

Bonjour! Welcome to France, home to the magnificent Eiffel Tower, the

mysterious Mona Lisa, and the ancient Roman ruins. Come explore the

wonders of this beautiful country with us. What was your first impression

of France? Have you ever been there?

The English Center held a Reading Funfest for 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders.

The teachers introduced some authors. They were Dr. Seuss, Anthony

Browne, and Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey. Do you know anything

about them? The students also borrowed some books and dug into reading.

We also learned more about Reader’s Theater for English Week. Do

you know what Reader’s Theater is?

Finally, we had all enjoyed the spelling bee competition last semester.

Let’s have a look at the splendid work we did and look at the Spelling Bee

Writing Competition Top 10.

1

Polar Bear is constantly fidgeting. He finds it very hard to

stay still and all of his friends want him to relax. Quite by

chance, Polar Bear finds he can play the violin and finds the

perfect way to chill out in the arctic with his friends!

2

Morning English

Multiculturalism - France

Geography France, the largest country in Western Europe, has long been a gateway between the

continent's northern and southern regions. Its lengthy borders touch Germany and

Belgium in the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the west, the Pyrenees Mountains, and

Spain in the south. It also borders the Mediterranean Sea in the southeast, the Alps,

Switzerland, and Italy in the east. France has a very diverse landscape. There are

beaches on the southeast coast, home to the French Riviera, and towering mountains in

the south and east, including Europe's tallest peak, Mont Blanc, which rises to 15,781

feet (4,810 meters).

Nature France has ample land areas which provide habitats for a wide variety of plants and

animals. More than 25 percent of its territory is covered with forest, and another 50

percent is countryside or farmland. Lowland forests are home to deer and wild boar,

while the woodlands of the Alps and Pyrenees provide refuge for rare chamois antelope,

ibex, brown bears, alpine hares, and many other species. The Mediterranean coastline

is a stopover for millions of migrating African birds, including flamingos, vultures,

egrets, and bee-eaters.

3

Audio Recorded by

303 Sophie & 303 Austin

Instructor: Ms. Ko

People & Culture France is one of the oldest nations on Earth and the most ethnically diverse country in

Europe. These deep and broad influences have made France a world leader throughout

history in nearly all aspects of culture, including cuisine, wine-making, politics,

philosophy, music, art, film, fashion, literature, and sports.

Coconut Macaroons

Italian Jews adopted the cookie because it has no flour or leavening (the agent that

raises and lightens a baked good, like yeast, baking powder and baking soda—instead,

macaroons are leavened by egg whites) and can be enjoyed during the eight-day

observation of Passover. It was introduced to other European Jews and became

popular as a year-round sweet. Over time, coconut was added to the ground almonds

and, in certain recipes, replaced them. Coconut macaroons are more prevalent in the

U.S. and the U.K.—and they’re a lot easier to make and transport than the fragile

almond meringues.

French-Style Macaroons

French macarons can be spectacularly colored and lavored meringue “sandwiches.

The concept was invented by Pierre Desfontaines Ladurée, who, at the beginning of the 20th century, had the idea to join two meringues and fill them with ganache. The “originals” combined two plain almond meringues with a filling of [chocolate] ganache; but today, ganache, buttercream or jam is sandwiched between meringues of seemingly limitless colors and flavors.

The Parisian bakery Ladurée is now known for its dozens of exciting flavors. Some include Blackcurrant Violet and Salted Butter Caramel, and of course, the basics—Chocolate, Vanilla, Raspberry and Pistachio—plus special seasonal flavors like Anise, Chestnut, Basil Lime, Orange Blossom, Rose and White Chocolate. Every trip to Paris must include a visit!

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaroon

Grade 1 - Reading Funfest

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About Dr. Seuss Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991) was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. He was an American writer, who was most widely known for his children’s books. He was better known to the world as the beloved Dr. Seuss.

Geisel published 46 children's books, often characterized by imaginative

characters and rhyme. His most-celebrated books include the

bestselling Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, One Fish Two

Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Fox in Socks, Hop on Pop, Horton Hears a Who!,

and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.

Reference: http://www.seussville.com/

Grade 2-Reading Funfest

Anthony Browne

Anthony was born in England in 1946. Inspired by his father (who

was a school teacher and a soldier), he was interested in art and drawing

from an early age. When he left school, Anthony attended Leeds Art

College, where he graduated with a graphic arts degree in 1967.

Anthony had his first book, Through the Magic Mirror, published in

1976, and a number of other successful books followed. Gorilla, published

in 1983, won a lot of awards.

Things you didn't know about Anthony Browne

1. When he was a boy he wanted to be a journalist, a cartoonist, or a

boxer.

2. He grew up in a pub when he was little.

3. He liked to wear short trousers when he was young.

4. The character, Willy, is based on his own childhood.

Reference: http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/previous-laureates/anthony-browne/

Grade 3-Reading Funfest

Author Information

Hans Augusto Rey

& Margret Rey

Hans Augusto Rey (September 16, 1898 – August 26, 1977) was an illustrator and a

writer, known best for the Curious George series of children's picture books that he

and his wife Margret Rey created from 1939 to 1966.

Hans and his wife, Margret, were born in Hamburg, Germany. They married in 1935 and

moved to Paris that year. After that, they lived in Montmartre and fled Paris in June

1940 on self-made bicycles, carrying the Curious George manuscript with them.

While in Paris, Hans's animal drawings came to the attention of a French publisher, who

commissioned him to write a children's book. The result is little remembered, but one

of its characters, an adorably impish monkey named Curious George, was such a

success that the couple considered writing a book just about him.

Curious George was an instant success, and the Reys were commissioned to write more

adventures of the mischievous monkey and his friend, the Man in the Yellow Hat. They

wrote seven stories in all, with Hans mainly doing the illustrations and Margret working

mostly on the stories, though they both admitted to sharing the work and cooperating

fully in every stage of development. At first, however, covers omitted Margret's name.

In later editions this was changed, and Margret now receives full credit for her role in

developing the stories.

Reference - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._A._Rey

A reason to read aloud

What is reader’s theater? Reader’s Theater (RT for short!) is a performance in

which readers read a script that has been adapted from a piece of literature. In

reader's theater, students "perform" by reading scripts created from grade-level

books or stories. Usually they do so without costumes or props. The audience pictures

the action from hearing the script being read aloud. It's a way to involve students in

reading aloud. RT offers an entertaining and engaging means of improving fluency and

enhancing comprehension. The repeated and assisted practice that occurs during

rehearsals improve automaticity and accuracy in word recognition. The best reader's

theater scripts include lots of dialogue.

RT is a strategy that combines reading practice and performing. Its goal is to

enhance students' reading skills and confidence by having them practice reading with a

purpose. In using this strategy, students do not need to memorize their part; they

need only to reread it several times, in order to develop their fluency skills. The

children never know that they are being tricked into re-reading — a key factor in

developing fluency. RT gives students a real reason to read aloud.

Why use reader's theater?

It promotes fluency.

It helps readers learn to read aloud with expression.

It helps build reading confidence.

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Benefits

The many benefits of using RT include:

engaging students in the act of reading

increasing students’ motivation to read

increasing students’ level of comprehension

developing students’ fluency through repeated use of and exposure to text

providing students with an authentic purpose for reading

integrating reading, writing, listening, and speaking into an authentic context for

students

Characteristics of an Effective RT Reader

An effective reader:

reads with expression, enunciating clearly, using his/her voice to express meaning

is familiar with the part and can read it fluently

shows self-confidence

RT is group storytelling without costumes or props

Reference:

1. http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/readers_theater

2. http://www.thencbla.org/Readers-Theater-Education-Resource-Guide.pdf

3. http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/readerstheater_taylor.

pdf

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This is our first time attending the Spelling Bee Competition.

I think I am

ready for the

Spelling Bee

competition.

The Spelling

Bee Competition

is so exciting.

I can spell all the

words.

We are the winners!

We are looking forward to the

competition again next semester!

1. Send down two

spellers from

each class.

2. Choose the

question.

3. Write the

answer and hit

the buzzer.

4. Show the

answer to the

judge.

5. Award prizes

for the best

speller and

super speller.

Wonderful teamwork plus

excellent spelling skills is

equal to the champion of the

spelling bee competition!

2014 (Fall) Spelling Top Students

Grade 3

No. Group English Name Chinese name Homeroom

1 Starfish Thomas 黃彥綸 301

2 Starfish Genevie 黃光瑊 301

3 Starfish Phoebe 鄭琬軒 301

4 Starfish Angel 葉恩綺 301

5 Starfish Daphne 葉芯言 301

6 Sea horse Michelle 游宸伊 302

7 Sea horse Kelly 吳聿庭 302

8 Starfish Jean 蔣明瑾 302

9 Beluga Ikubo 廖昱綸 304

10 Beluga Kyle 王聖元 304

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2014 (Fall) Spelling Top Students

Grade 4

No. Group English Name Chinese name Homeroom

1 Einstein Henry 俞廷翰 401

2 Einstein Jerry 陳威翰 401

3 Nobel Tim 臧廷周 401

4 Newton Candice 黃芷渝 401

5 Einstein Stephanie 許濰伶 401

6 Einstein Apple 許馨云 401

7 Newton Kelly 曾翊嘉 401

8 Einstein Ariel 吳佳恩 401

9 Nobel Mini 古芠寧 401

10 Einstein Jennifer 柯志宜 401

11 Einstein Ray 陳品叡 402

12 Einstein Monica 楊毓軒 402

13 Einstein Jean 王竣禾 402

14 Einstein Wilson 許碩晏 402

15 Newton Cindy 楊詠心 402

16 Andersen Ryan 陳昱廷 404

17 Andersen Ming-Yu 潘明羽 404

No. Group English Name Chinese name Homeroom

18 Andersen Kai 洪斌楷 404

19 Andersen Paul 陳柏任 404

20 Andersen Mir 田宓 404

21 Andersen Nini 余芷寧 404

22 Shakespeare Annie 彭琮貽 404

23 Andersen Alisa 林歆恬 404

24 Andersen Melody 陳子甯 404

25 Dickens Jenny 陳姿均 404

26 Shakespeare Elaine 于至玲 404

27 Shakespeare Fei 蔡英飛 404

2014 (Fall) Spelling Top Students

Grade 5

No. Group English Name Chinese name Homeroom

1 Panda Leader 周聖華 501

2 Panda Evelyn 黃怡融 501

3 Kangaroo Andrea 羅安廷 501

4 Panda Cindy 蔡馨誼 501

5 Panda Yuki 黃佑琪 501

6 Panda Tim 黃亭逸 502

7 Bear William 周于崴 502

8 Kangaroo Dion 詹惇而 502

9 Rabbit Daniel 許朝貴 502

10 Kangaroo Jeremy 簡嘉佑 502

11 Panda Andrew 曾慶玹 502

12 Rabbit Ian 張璿程 502

13 Kangaroo Pearl 李柏蓉 502

14 Bear Carol 張凱柔 502

15 Rabbit Britney 陳柏妤 502

16 Panda Nancy 江芊蓉 502

17 Kangaroo Charlene 柏喬翎 502

18 Kangaroo Angel 王妍之 502

No. Group English Name Chinese name Homeroom

19 Rabbit Jessie 古孟臻 502

20 Bear Selina 謝昀軒 502

21 Panda Charlene 吳珮菱 502

22 Kangaroo Lucia 陳昕言 502

23 Kangaroo Aya 黃脩文 502

24 Panda Katy 紀佳妤 502

25 Kangaroo Monique 張品晞 502

26 Cheetah Matt 馬沅希 503

27 Cheetah Jonathan 洪從恩 503

28 Giraffe Anglita 張晴茵 503

29 Cheetah Cherry 薛立穎 503

30 Cheetah Megan 周昀樺 503

31 Cheetah Mimi 何佳馨 503

32 Cheetah Ruby 蔡薷誼 503

33 Giraffe Nana 江宸儀 503

34 Cheetah Jason 謝宗祐 504

35 Cheetah Charlotte 陳芷萱 504

36 Squirrel Yi-Jen 陳奕蓁 504

37 Cheetah Annabella 謝宸宸 504

38 Squirrel Ellie 陳芸婕 504

39 Koala Christine 程聖華 504