XHIS PYP Newsletter PYP Coordinator

Building a community of International Mindedness

International mindedness is the driving force behind PYP’s philosophy on international education. What then does international mindedness mean in PYP? ‘’A PYP school is a school that, regardless of location, size or construction, strives towards developing an internationally minded person. What is an internationally minded person? It is a person who demonstrates the attributes of the IB learner profile’’. MTPYPH p. 3 Besides the learner profile, a set of attitudes is included in the essential elements to help develop students to be internationally minded. In the PYP it is important that students develop personal attitudes, towards people, towards the environment and towards learning, attitudes that contribute to the well being of the individual and of the group. MTPYPH p.9 Before the holiday, Primary 1 and 2 have been inquiring into the theme, How we express ourselves focusing on the central idea, ‘’Celebrations and traditions are expressions of shared beliefs and values.” For this unit, they integrated the learner profile attributes, inquirer and reflective and the attitudes, empathy and creativity.

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Attitudes

Appreciation

Commitment

Confidence

Cooperation

Creativity

Curiosity

Empathy

Enthusiasm

Independence

Integrity

Respect

Tolerance

As we are getting familiar now with the learner profile, I would like to focus on the attitudes as one of the essential elements of PYP. Integrating the attitudes in teaching requires thoughtful planning and a lot of preparation on the part of the homeroom teachers. Planning for engaging and meaningful activities and connecting them to real life experiences can be challenging at times. It is for this reason that the IB requires substantial collaboration among homeroom and specialist teachers including the teaching assistants with the support of the PYP coordinator. Allocating specific time for brainstorming and sharing of ideas and considering all perspectives ensures a more meaningful engagement. During our collaborative meetings, we discussed how to plan activities that would help students understand the meaning of empathy as well as encourage them to be creative. The focus of the unit of inquiry was well timed as we celebrated a few events such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Lunar New Year! The challenge is how to teach empathy and creativity in relation to traditions and celebrations to young children. Empathy as defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary, ‘’The feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences and emotions’’. Mrs. Smith who initiated the discussions started introducing the vocabulary by facilitating an art activity in class. The students were asked to decorate their own shoe template. As a follow up activity, Mrs. Smith encouraged the students to think about ‘’Putting oneself in someone’s shoes’’. It was another way to help students understand the meaning of empathy as well as allowing them to think and relate to their own experiences. Thoughtful planning for the most part requires making adjustments to suit the level and needs of the students. The focus of our meeting was how we can provide our students with real life experiences to help further deepen their understanding as well as demonstrate what they learn from previous activities. As we are celebrating Lunar New Year, we came up with an idea to let the students try some of the authentic Chinese delicacies and take note of their reactions. The next day, Primary 2 students were served century eggs and chicken feet! The goal of the activity was to find out the students’ reactions and incorporate the previous learning engagement on being in someone’s shoes. Through this activity, the students became aware that people have similarities and differences such as the way we eat and prepare food. It was a meaningful way to make the children think on how do we make others feel if we show an antagonistic attitude towards one’s culture. Many thanks for all your support and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at maria.zialcita@xhisid.com. Sincerely, Maria Zialcita

XHIS PYP Newsletter ECE A

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Community

Role

Helper

Organizations

Hospital

School

Police officer

Enthusiasm

Shops

Doctor

Firefighter

Teacher

We really enjoyed our last unit of inquiry, which focused on the role of play and using our imagination in communicating ideas and expressing ourselves. It has encouraged the children to collaborate in various role playing activities and performances. This has given us the opportunity to develop our social skills, oral English, and grow in confidence. Transdisciplinary Theme: How we organize ourselves In our next unit of inquiry, we will look at the various roles that people play in our communities. This will include looking at different organizations in our community such as schools, hospitals, police, fire brigade, shops, and farms. We will look at how each of these organizations contributes to our community and what the roles of various people within those organizations entail. Central Idea - People play different roles in the communities to which they belong.

Key concepts: Form – What is it like? Function – How does it work? Responsibility – What is our responsibility? Lines of inquiry: 1. Various communities we belong to. 2. Roles of people who are part of our community. 3. How communities are organized.

Teacher questions and provocations 1. What is a helper? 2. Can you find helpers outside your home? 3. Who are those helpers? 4. How can they help us? Learner Profile Attributes: Balanced Communicator Attitudes Appreciation Curiosity Commitment

Approaches to Learning: Self-Management - Codes of behavior - Knowing and applying appropriate rules or operating procedures of groups of people. Research - Organizing data - Gathering information from a variety of first-and second - hand sources such as maps, surveys, direct observation, books, films, people, museums and ICT. Summative assessment - The children will choose from a collection of hats, and wear that hat while they give a presentation to the rest of the class that explains the role of the person that would normally wear that hat. What can you do for your child at home Whenever you go out in the community, you can ask you child about the various people that you see, inquiring into the role that they think that person has in their position.

XHIS PYP Newsletter ECE B1

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Construct

Effective

Engage

Communicate

Characters

Curiosity

Empathy

Enthusiasm

Independence

Integrity

Respect

Tolerance

Students have been investigating artifacts. They have used their thinking skills to analyze the attributes of the artifact to help determine its use. Students visited a history museum as a class with their parents to see artifacts from the local community. Recently students have begun calendar notebooks, this is a notebook that includes a monthly calendar, a weather graph and a 100 chart. Students enthusiastically prepare for our daily calendar in order to complete their notebooks. They are getting very good at reading and interpreting graphs. Unit of Inquiry - During this unit of inquiry we will spend a lot of time reading and discussing books. We will look at how authors engage their readers. Students will also get practice in different ways to write a story, they will be exposed to finger plays, puppet shows, plays, and drama productions. Students will be working closely with Mr. Jude, our performing arts teacher, during this unit.

Transdisciplinary Theme: How We Express Ourselves Central Idea - Stories can engage their audience and communicate meaning Key Concepts : Form- What is it like? Connection,- How does it connect to others things or people?; Perspective- What are the points of view?

Lines of Inquiry: 1. How to construct an effective story 2. What story can convey 3. Feelings and emotions that stories evoke Teacher questions and provocations: 1. What is a story? 2. How did the story make you feel? Sad? Happy, upset? 3. Where do stories come from? Korea? China? 4. Why do you like/didn’t like the story? Learner Profile Attributes: Risk taker, Reflective, Open Minded

Attitudes: Appreciation, Creativity, Empathy Approaches to Learning: Communication – Listening-listening to information; Speaking, stating opinions; Reading-Reading a variety of sources for information and pleasure; Comprehending what has been read; Viewing-Reading a variety of sources for information and pleasure, comprehending what has been read; and Presenting-communicating information and ideas through a variety of visual media Social – Cooperating - Working cooperatively in a group; being courteous to others; sharing materials; taking turns; decision making-Listening to others; discussing ideas; working towards and obtaining consensus. Self-Management – Fine motor - Exhibiting skills in which precision in delicate muscle systems is required; Organization - Planning and carrying out activities effectively; Time Management - Using time effectively and appropriately Summative Assessment - Students will complete a drama production. They will work cooperatively between the performing arts class and the ECE B classes to create a unique drama production. What can you do for your child at home: To work with your child at home during this unit of inquiry the best thing you can do is read stories to your child. While reading stories you can ask your child to predict what will happen next or to tell you what has already happened in the story. After reading the story ask your child to draw or tell you what happened in the story, this will show comprehension of the story. A lot of books can lead to fun activities to complete with your child, if you do an activity that is related to the book you are creating a great learning experience for your child.

XHIS PYP Newsletter ECE B2

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Sequence

Story

Fiction

Non-fiction

Setting

Audience

Beginning

Middle

End

Communicate

We returned to school and showed our understanding of Chinese culture and Chinese New Year’s with our participation in the Chinese New Year show. The boys did an amazing job singing and dancing in their traditional Chinese clothes to Chinese music. We had a great turnout of parents for the show and the students really enjoyed preforming for them. In class, we connected this to our unit and understand that these traditions are artefacts from our past that helps us gain understanding of history. In class we have been preparing ourselves for the PYP by increasing our focus on phonics, letter and number writing. We have started calendars, which we do every day to help us practices, these skills in a authentic assessment. We are working exploring words and letters seeing how they can be found throughout our world like when we search a newspaper. One of our favorite times each week is Science time. Recently,

Key Concepts: Form - What is it like? Connection- How does it connect to others things or people? Perspective - What are the points of view? Lines of Inquiry: 1. How to construct an effective story 2. What story can convey 3. Feelings and emotions that stories evoke

Teacher questions and provocations: 1. What is a story? 2. How did the story make you feel? Sad? Happy, upset? 3. Where do stories come from? Korea? China? 4. Why do you like/didn’t like the story? Learner Profile Attributes: Risk taker, Reflective, Communicator Attitudes: Appreciation, Creativity, Enthusiasm Approaches to Learning: Communication – Listening-listening to information; Speaking, stating opinions; Reading-Reading a variety of sources for information and pleasure; Comprehending what has been read; Viewing-Reading a variety of sources for information and pleasure, comprehending what has been read; and Presenting-communicating information and ideas through a variety of visual media Social – Cooperating - Working cooperatively in a group; being courteous to others; sharing materials; taking turns; decision making - Listening to others; discussing ideas; working towards and obtaining consensus. Self-Management – Fine motor - Exhibiting skills in which precision in delicate muscle systems is required; Organization - Planning and carrying out activities effectively; Time Management - Using time effectively and appropriately Summative Assessment - Students will complete a drama production. They will work cooperatively between the performing arts class and the ECE B classes to create a unique drama production. What can you do for your child at home To work with your child at home during this unit of inquiry the best thing you can do is read stories to your child. While reading stories you can ask your child to predict what will happen next or to tell you what has already happened in the story. After reading the story ask your child to draw or tell you what happened in the story, this will show comprehension of the story. A lot of books can lead to fun activities to complete with your child, if you do an activity that is related to the book you are creating a great learning experience for your child.

we did an eggs-perment where we tried to understand how to get an egg safely from the 4th floor window to the ground below. We made some omelets but most of the eggs made it safely. We explored what materials worked better than others did (soft or hard). Transdisciplinary Theme: How We Express Ourselves Central Idea: Stories can engage their audience and communicate meaning

XHIS PYP Newsletter Primary 1

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Change

Life cycle

Living

Non-living

Needs

Process

Caring

Knowledgeable

Appreciation

Curiosity

Measure

Centimeters

Time

In class we have been enjoying our unit about holidays and traditions. We have participated in several fun holiday events and learned about holidays that people around the world celebrate. It has really helped us to gain perspective and empathy for other cultures. We have begun writing every day to reinforce our knowledge of letter sounds and written conventions. We will be looking closer at ideas, organization, and use of conventions in our written work. In math we have been learning about combining and deconstructing numbers to add and subtract. In our next unit, we will be moving on to measurement using standard and nonstandard units. Our students have already grown a lot in the first semester. Unit of inquiry – In our next unit we will learn about the life cycles of plants and animals. We look forward to observing actual animals and plants in our classroom and around our community. Students will make predictions and measure growth. We would love for you to come in to class and share your knowledge or read a story to our class about life cycles. Transdisciplinary Theme: How the World Works Central Idea - All living things go through a process of change.

Teacher questions and provocations: What helps things to grow? (sunlight, water, food, etc.) How do living things change over their lifetime? (How do living things change and grow? How are life cycles similar / different?) What supports the life cycle? (Connection) What do all living things need? Why will it grow or not grow? What would happen if ... what will happen next? Teachers will ask parents to send in baby pictures of the children (secretly). We will also ask the parents to send in a current photo of themselves. Teachers will display the pictures around the room. Students can go around and write down who they think each child is. This will prompt discussions about how we have changed. Activity: match child’s photos to adult photos noting the similarities between the child and the adult photos.

Key Concepts: Causation – Why is it like it is? Change – How is it changing? Connection – How is it connected to other things? Lines of Inquiry: Patterns of growth How living things change over time Factors that can influence life cycles

Learner Profile Attributes: Caring and Knowledgeable Attitudes: Appreciation and Curiosity Approaches to Learning: Research Skills: Collecting Data, Recording Data Thinking Skills: Comprehension. Communication Skills: Presenting. Summative Assessment: The children will be asked to present what they have learned by completing one of the following: draw or use manipulatives e.g. play dough, create a mobile, give a presentation or performance. They will be required to show three key stages of change within a chosen living thing’s life cycle. What can you do for your child at home: Go on a walk and look for things that are growing. Talk about the trees and the changes they are going through. Give your child the responsibility of caring for a plant. Look at pictures of themselves throughout their lives and note any changes. Purchase a tadpole and observe the changes it goes through. Measure things around the house and look for growth. Start a growth chart for themselves and measure at the beginning and at the end of the unit. Measure their feet at the beginning and end of the unit. Watch nature shows together. Make a list of living and non-living things in their home.

XHIS PYP Newsletter Primary 2

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Change

Life cycle

Living

Non-living

Needs

Process

Caring

Knowledgeable

Appreciation

Curiosity

Measure

Centimeters

Time

P2 is just finishing an exciting unit about celebrations and holidays! It was so much fun learning about new holidays that other people celebrate. We have learned about symbols, music, clothing and other features of holidays and celebrations around the world. We have been also learning to tell the time in class. Students are working on telling time to the quarter hour. Some students even brought up how different countries have different times. For example, when we are at school, people in the USA are sleeping. I guess that means that some celebrations could last longer. If your birthday is in China today, then tomorrow in America it will still be your birthday. I hope that means cake for two days! Unit of inquiry - In our next unit, How the World Works, we will learn about the life cycles of plants and animals. We look forward to observing actual animals and plants in our classroom and around our community. Students will make predictions and measure growth. We would love you to come in to class and share your knowledge or read a story to our class about life cycles. Transdisciplinary Theme: How the World Works Central Idea - All living things go through a process of change. .

Teacher questions and provocations: 1. What helps things to grow? (sunlight, water, food, etc) 2. How do living things change over their lifetime? (How do living things change and grow? How are life cycles similar / different?) 3. What supports the life cycle? ( Connection) What do all living things need? Why will it grow or not grow? What would happen if ... what will happen next? Teachers will ask parents to send in baby pictures of the children (secretly). We will also ask the parents to send in a current photo of themselves. Teachers will display the pictures around the room. Students can go around and write down who they think each child is. This will prompt discussions about how we have changed. Activity: match child’s photos to adult photos noting the similarities between the child and the adult photo. photos.

Key Concepts: Causation – Why is it like it is? Change – How is it changing? Connection – How is it connected to other things? Lines of Inquiry: 1. Patterns of growth 2. How living things change over time 3. Factors that can influence life cycles

Learner Profile Attributes: Caring and Knowledgeable Attitudes: Appreciation and Curiosity Approaches to Learning: Research Skills: Collecting Data, Recording Data Thinking Skills: Comprehension. Communication Skills: Presenting. Summative assessment - The children will be asked to either draw or uses manipulatives eg play –dough, create a mobile, talk or perform (role play) the assessment task. They will be required to show three key stages of change within a chosen living thing’s life cycle. What can you do for your child at home: Go on a walk and look for things that are growing Talk about the trees and the changes they are going through Give your child the responsibility of caring for a plant Look at pictures of themselves throughout their lives and note any changes Purchase a tadpole and observe the changes it goes through Measure things around the house and look for growth Start a growth chart for them and measure at the beginning and at the end of the unit Measure their feet at the beginning and end of the unit Watch nature shows together Make a list of living and non-living things in their home.

XHIS PYP Newsletter Primary 3

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Signs

Shapes

Symbols

Communication

Local

Global

Systems

Iconography

Represents

Visual Language

Greetings from Primary 3! In our class, we have begun our new unit of inquiry, ‘How We Organize Ourselves’. This unit of inquiry includes a mathematics transdisciplinary focus on Shape and Space. Students will investigate the properties of regular and irregular polygons. They will further extend their understanding of symmetry and the reasons why geometric shapes and associated vocabulary are useful in representing and describing objects and events in real world situations. In Language, we will be focusing on writing and further developing student’s proficiency in the traits of Idea Development, Organization and Conventions. I am very much looking forward to continuing our journey to becoming internationally minded people with my wonderful Primary 3 students! Unit of inquiry - In this unit of inquiry, ‘How We Organize Ourselves’ students will investigate how signs and symbols are part of a human - made system that facilitates local and global communication. Students will examine symbolic representations of people, places and things and discover how this type of visual language facilitates communication. Additionally, students will investigate a range of specialized systems of communication. Transdisciplinary Theme: How we organize ourselves

Teacher questions and provocations: 1. What are signs and symbols? 2. What is the meaning of a human- made system? 3. What signs and symbols have you observed in your local community? What messages are these signs and symbols communicating? Would everyone around the world be able to recognize and understand these signs and symbols? What is visual language? 4. How does visual language help to communicate a message? What are other ways we can communicate without using words? Learner Profile Attributes: Communicator and Thinker Attitudes: Creativity and Curiosity

Central idea - Signs and symbols are part of human- made systems that facilitate local and global communication. Key concepts: Form - What is it like? Function - How does it work? Connection - How is it connected to other things? Lines of inquiry: 1. Iconography 2. How visual language facilitates communication 3. Specialized systems of communication

Approaches to Learning: Application: Making use of previously acquired knowledge in practical or new ways. Evaluation: Making judgements or decisions based on chosen criteria; standards and conditions. Analysis: Taking knowledge or ideas apart; separating into component parts; seeing relationships; finding unique characteristics Communication skills - Non Verbal communication: Recognizing the meaning of visual and kinesthetic communication; recognizing and creating signs, interpreting and utilizing symbols. Viewing: Interpreting and analyzing visuals and multimedia; understanding the ways in which images and language interact to convey ideas, values and beliefs; making informed choices about personal viewing experiences. Summative assessment - In small groups, students will create their own specialized system of communication using only visual language (i.e. signs, symbols, images). They will provide instructions for others on how to interpret their specialized system of communication and then present a message for the class to decipher. Encourage your child to observe and record a range of signs and symbols in your local community. Ask him or her to think about what message each sign or symbol may be communicating or what it may represent. Have a family discussion about signs or symbols that could be used to represent the culture, values and beliefs of your family. If you have expertise in the field of Iconography or other specialized systems of communication, we would love you to join us a guest speaker.

XHIS PYP Newsletter Primary 4

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Signs

Meaning

Symbols

Decipher

Local

Global

Systems

Guess

Value

Pattern

Connection

Welcome again to Primary 4. For the past two months students have been inquiring into various scientific topics and, due to the holidays and other events, have been proving to be independent and knowledgeable. Our classroom has been enriched by well-done posters, interesting mind-maps, and beautiful clay models. Now, after the holidays, we are ready to organise ourselves and begin another learning journey. Feel free to come to the 2nd floor and have a look at our exhibition. Primary 4 students will be delighted to tell you about things that have been happening in the classroom! Transdisciplinary Theme: How we organize ourselves Unit of inquiry - Our next unit of inquiry is a transdisciplinary unit with visual arts, which means that our students will discuss the same central idea and lines of inquire throughout homeroom and visual arts classes. We will inquire into the ways people use signs and symbols to communicate locally and globally. Our background knowledge and understanding will be very important and shared during group and class discussions. We will also have to become real thinkers in order to decipher some sings and symbols that we have never seen before.

Teacher questions and provocations: 1, What is a sign/symbol? What does it look like? 2. Where can we see that sign? 3. How does this sign/symbol work? 4. What are other ways that we can communicate without words? Learner Profile Attributes: Communicator and Thinker Attitudes: Creativity and Curiosity

Central idea - Signs and symbols are part of human- made systems that facilitate local and global communication. Key concepts: Form - What is it like? Function - How does it work? Connection - How is it connected to other things? Lines of inquiry: 1. Iconography 2. How visual language facilitates communication 3. Specialized systems of communication

Approaches to Learning: Thinking skills: Application - Making use of previously acquired knowledge in practical or new ways. Evaluation- Making judgments or decisions based on chosen criteria; standards and conditions. Analysis - Taking knowledge or ideas apart; separating into component parts; seeing relationships; finding unique characteristics. Communication skills: Non-verbal communication - Recognizing the meaning of visual and kinesthetic communication; recognizing and creating signs; interpreting and utilizing symbols. Viewing - Interpreting and analysing visuals and multimedia; understanding the ways in which images and language interact to convey ideas, values and beliefs; making informed choices about personal viewing experiences. Summative assessment - Students will create their own specialised system of communication (e.g. alphabet or set of signs/symbols) and present to the class. What can you do for your child at home: Analyse various symbols and signs at home (while watching TV, reading books, surfing the internet) Have a discussion with your child about their work at school. Make sure that your child revises their vocabulary. Encourage your child to find more information from various sources.

XHIS PYP Newsletter Primary 5

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Materials

Changes

Reversible

Irreversible

Society

Properties

Impact

Retrieve

Exponents

Symbolic

Synthesis

Unit 4 will see us moving from learning about art, to how the world works. This unit will be focused mainly on scientific exploration through the use and experimentation of different materials that we can change and adapt to use in our lives. We will be using Edmodo to discuss our ideas and to share our thoughts, as it is an exceptional collaboration tool. Along with learning about how the world works, we will also be working on our stories for a book we will publish at the end of the year. Mathematics will focus on patterns and functions. Transdisciplinary Theme: How the world works Unit of inquiry - We will be focusing on materials and their uses in everyday life. We look at the production process, all the way back to the collection of resources, to the completion of the final product. We will explore the ways we impact the environment with our resource collection and ways we can be more efficient.

Teacher questions and provocations: 1. What is the impact of retrieval, production and the use of materials in the environment? 2. How do societies take advantage of the properties of materials? Learner profile attributes: Caring Risk taker Attitudes: Cooperation Empathy

Central Idea: - Natural materials can undergo changes that may provide challenges and benefits for society and the environment. Key concepts: Function – How does it work? Change – Hos is it changing? Causation – Why is it like it is? Lines of inquiry: 1. Conditions that cause reversible and irreversible changes in materials 2. How societies take advantage of the properties of materials 3. The impact of retrieval, production and the use of materials on the environment

Approaches to Learning: Thinking skills: Comprehension: Grasping meaning from material learned; communicating and interpreting learning. synthesis: Combining parts to create wholes; creating, designing, developing and innovating. Application Making use of previously acquired knowledge in practical or new ways. Communication skills: Viewing: Interpreting and analysing visuals and multimedia; understanding the ways in which images and language interact to convey ideas, values and beliefs; making informed choices about personal viewing experiences. Speaking: Speaking clearly; giving oral reports to small and large groups; expressing ideas clearly and logically; stating opinions listening Listening: Listening to directions; listening to others; listening to information. Summative assessment – My Home Habitat Students will construct their own habitat. They will create for themselves a model habitat that must include all the things they would need to survive and an explanation of: In constructing their habitat, what changes to the materials they used were reversible and what changes were irreversible?? What materials did they take advantage of in the construction of their habitat? What materials did they take advantage of in the construction of their habitat. What impact will the harvesting of materials have on the environment around them and their newly constructed habitat. What can you do for your child at home? Parents can help students explore various materials and experiment at home. We will also be using Edmodo for collaboration and parents are encouraged to support their children in using the technology.

XHIS PYP Newsletter Primary 6

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Materials

Changes

Reversible

Irreversible

Society

Properties

Impact

Retrieve

Exponents

Symbolic

Synthesis

In our next Unit of Inquiry, we will be looking at how the world works. We will examine various chemical and physical processes. We will look at using the scientific method to determine if a process is reversible or irreversible. We will look at how people make use of their environment to gather materials to make the things they need. We will look at the impact on the world of gathering and using those materials. Transdisciplinary Theme: How the world works Inquiry into the natural world and its laws, the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment. Central idea - Natural materials can undergo changes that may provide challenges and benefits for society and the environment.

Teacher questions and provocations: What are the conditions that cause reversible and irreversible changes in materials? How do societies take advantage of the properties of materials? What is the impact of retrieval, production and the use of materials on the environment? Learner Profile Attributes: Caring and Risk taker Attitudes: Cooperation and Empathy

Key Concepts: Function – How does it work? Change – How is it changing? Causation – Why is it like it is? Lines of Inquiry: Conditions that cause reversible and irreversible changes in materials How societies take advantage of the properties of materials The impact of retrieval, production and the use of materials on the environment

Approaches to Learning: Communication skills – Viewing: Interpreting and analyzing visuals and multimedia. Thinking skills – Comprehension: Grasping meaning from material learned; communicating and interpreting learning. Summative assessment – Students will select a piece of art previously studied. They will then recreate that piece from their own personal perspective. What can you do for your child at home? Make play dough. A search for “mud” on the internet will get you all kinds of recipes to make and then build with, try a few. http://familylicious.com/playdough-recipes/ Build something. http://makezine.com/tag/kids-family/ Build a playhouse. http://www.make-baby-stuff.com/cardboard-playhouse-plans.html Pick a spot and make a list of all of the natural materials that you can see. Go to YouTube and have a look at all of the interesting shelters that people build out in the woods. I quite like this channel and this is certainly a very minimal shelter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5RbO5YKAPA Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. This series started with Hatchet and is now into three other books: Brian’s Winter, Brian’s Return and Brian’s Hunt. (copy on my shelf and one in the library) As a side note, if you do look it up on YouTube, this Hatchet isn’t a horror movie.

XHIS PYP Newsletter Mandarin

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Structure� �

Organization��

Function��

Change��

Form�

Expression��

Meaning��

Communication��

Difference�

Debate/Argument��

The unit of inquiry got off to an active and reflective start. The initial focus was on grammatical structures and students began by investigating the function of Chinese grammatical structures. Our students are now creating their first presentations of the year in which they have the option of preparing up to two exhibits to be submitted with a case analysis. Primary 5 and Primary 6 students really are demonstrating their understanding of grammatical structures by collecting facts that make strong, convincing arguments. Later in the inquiry, the children will have more opportunities to put what they learn into practice when they collaboratively plan situational dialogue for some difficult structures, which they will then prepare in classroom groups. Transdisciplinary Theme: How we express ourselves Students will demonstrate that they can open a debate and that is what we love to see. Students will present their knowledge and ideas with clarity! Students will be seated in groups or teams with cooperative learning structures in place. The learning environment is a community of students where each member takes responsibility for the management of their classroom.

Central Idea: Grammatical structures help us to communicate with each other. Key Concepts: Form - What is it like? Change – How is it changing? Responsibility - What is our responsibility? Lines of Inquiry: 1. Chinese grammatical structure. 2. Chinese grammar past and present. 3. Grammar structures can change meaning.

Teacher questions and provocations: 1. What are the Chinese grammar structures? 2. How have our Chinese grammar changed historically? 3, How can the use of grammar structures change meaning? Learner Profile: 1. Inquirer 2.Principled 3.Reflective

Attitudes: 1. Commitment 2. Confidence Approaches to Learning: Research skills (a) Planning - Developing a course of action; writing an outline; devising ways of finding out necessary information. (b) Collecting data - Gathering information from a variety of first- and second-hand sources such as surveys, direct observation, books and ICT. Self-management skills (a) Time management - Using time effectively and appropriately. (b) Organization - Planning and carrying out activities effectively. Summative Assessment: In this unit, students will select a topic about grammatical structures. They will collect some facts and materials. Students will then open a new debate based upon their selection. Their argument should reflect the differences between grammar structures past and present. Students will then reflect upon how grammatical structures help us to communicate with each other. What can you do for your child at home� Encourage your child to learn from their mistakes and to keep trying even if they find something difficult. Praise your child for their effort and progress. Show your child how you plan, set goals, and follow through when you start something. Children who master these kinds of skills have learned how to learn effectively and these skills will help them not only during their years at school, but throughout their lives.

XHIS PYP Newsletter EAL

(English as Additional Language)

Since our last newsletter, the primary EAL department has been focused on the task of supporting our English as an additional language learners. In practice, this consists of ‘Pull-out’ and ‘Push-in’ classes that offer intensive EAL instruction outside of the homeroom, along with support within the homeroom. We’ve also continued testing procedures to identify individuals who are ready to leave the program. The current UOI for primary levels 1 and 2 is “How we Express Ourselves” with the central idea “Celebrations and traditions are expressions of shared beliefs and values”. EAL students have been involved with many projects, such as making their own books about different celebrations around the world. They’ve also studied rhyming words, phonics, classroom objects, as well as basic question and answer forms. The current UOI for primary levels 3 and 4 is “How the World Works” with the central idea “Changes in the Earth and its atmosphere have impacts on the way people live their lives”. EAL students learned how to categorize different geographic landforms and habitats. They also studied English vocabulary related to Math to help them better understand how to solve word problems. The current UOI for primary levels 5 and 6 is “How we Express Ourselves” with the central idea “Creating and responding to art develops understanding of ourselves and the world around us’. During this UOI, the homeroom teachers have been stressing the skills necessary to compare and contrast. In response to this, EAL students have been studying comparative adjectives and the sentence structures that use them.

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

While evaluating student progress within the first semester, a number of individuals displayed outstanding achievement. After testing and an evaluation of their performance within their homeroom classes, it was determined that they were ready to return to their homerooms on a full-time basis.

In Primary 1 and 2, Chao Xin Wen (Dora), Kim Gain, Kim Garam, Kim Ueun and Kim Min Sung (Ryan) all left the EAL program as a result of their outstanding progress. Lim Ha Yeon (Raina), Shin Min Jung, Xiao Rui Gu (Ryan) and Chin Chih Fei (Jessica) from Primary 3 were found to have earned this status. In Primary 5 and 6, Chang Eun Je (Jennifer), Xun Zi Le (David), Jin Yu Gu (Terry), Choi Eun Seo (Sunny), Chun Woo Jin and An Xin (Ann) also met the requirements to leave the EAL program.

The EAL department would like to thank the above students for their hard work and would also like to congratulate them for this notable achievement.

XHIS PYP Newsletter PE

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Communicate

Forward

Backward

Mark

Creativity

Strategy

Cooperation

Wing

Attack

Captain

In the last unit, students had a wonderful time learning teamwork and collaboration by participating in the scooter ball game. We learned some basic use of the scooter during the first two weeks of the unit and practiced teamwork in the real game after that. Students now have a better understanding of collaboration and game strategy. They reflect after each game and communicate with each other during the match; also they built up their group decision-making skills and motor skills through this unit. Theme – How we organize ourselves Central Idea – Team collaboration helps people achieve their goals.

Key Concepts: 1. Responsibility – What is our responsibility? 2. Function – How does it work? 3. Reflection – How do we know? Lines of Inquiry 1. What makes a team better? 2. Teamwork and individual work are both meaningful. 3. Collaboration can be different in various activities.

Teacher questions & provocations 1. What do you think a team should be? 2. Is that benefit if we only focus on teamwork? 3. How can we transfer the team strategy into other sports? Learner Profile Attributes 1. Thinker 2. Communicator 3. Risk-taker

Attitudes: 1. Cooperation 2. Creativity 3. Confidence Approaches to Learning: Research skills: Planning – Developing a course of action; writing an outline; devising ways of finding out necessary information. Self-management skills: Gross motor – Exhibiting skills in which groups of large muscles are used and the factor of strength is primary. Social skills: Cooperating – Working cooperatively in a group; being courteous to others; sharing materials; taking turns. Summative assessment - Students will give a presentation of 'scooter ball' and the teacher will observe them with a check list. Their performance will be recorded and all the skills and techniques will be tested. Students need to know that profound knowledge will help them understand the game and try to balance teamwork and individual work during the game.

XHIS PYP Newsletter Visual Arts

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Art

Style

Culture

Biography

Sketch

Silk

Printmaking

Transfer

3 Dimensional

Research

We had an interesting transdisciplinary unit with Year 5 & 6 for the past few weeks. In this unit, we talked about the different types of art and the elements of art as well. Students made groups by having an art materials knowledge competition. They will now research an artist and one of his/her artwork to turning it from 2D to 3D. Can’t wait to see their creations! Go Year 5/6! Transdisciplinary Theme: An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic Central Idea - Creating and responding to art develops understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Key Concepts: 1. Form - What is it like? 2. Perspective - What are the point of view? 3. Reflection – How do we know? Lines of Inquiry: 1. How arts can be reflection of social values and issues 2. The contexts in which artworks were created 3. How learning about arts develops appreciation

Teacher questions and provocations: 1. What is art to you? 2. How can arts reflect people’s values? 3. Where is art created? 4. How does learning about art help us enjoy it? Learner Profile Attributes: 1. Open-minded 2. Principled Attitudes:

1. Creativity 2. Curiosity Approaches to Learning: Research Skills: Collecting data: Gathering information from a variety of first-and second-hand sources such as maps, surveys, direct observation, book, films, people, museums and ICT. Recording data: Describing and recording observations by drawing, note taking, making charts, tallying, writing statements. Social Skills: Cooperating: Working cooperatively in a group; being courteous to others; sharing materials; taking turns. Resolving conflict: Listening carefully to others; compromising; reacting reasonably to the situation; accepting responsibility appropriately; being fair. Group decision-making: Listening to others; discussing ideas; asking questions; working towards and obtaining consensus Summative assessment - According to what we learned through the unit, students will design a poster on software and use the printmaking technique to print it on a T-shirt. Assessment tool: Checklists: Give students a list of elements that should be present. What can you do for your child at home? 1. Encourage making art creation in different styles at home. 2. Read books about the artists or artworks. 3. Bring students to the art gallery occasionally.

XHIS PYP Newsletter Performing Arts

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Key vocabulary

Beat

Binary

Composition

Contrast

Crescendo

Diminuendo

Notation

Duration

Rhythm

Dynamics

After long and hard practices, together with the help from the homeroom teachers, assistants and parents; we had a very successful Christmas concert. All the Children had fun and got more experience in the production area and performing in front of a big audience. Students have also learned the importance of working with one another and dedication in performing on stage. Primary 5 and 6, whom I introduced from my last newsletter, are done with their 2nd unit assessments about their instrument orchestra poster and their individual pan flute straw. For our 3rd unit, we will continue to learn the basic notation of music and its foundation to understand reading and creating music. This time it will be the Primary 3 and 4 that I will present to you, we have finished our miming action for the 2nd unit and will continue with our emotions through action and facial expression but this time, it will be according to sound focused on music for the 3rd unit. Transdisciplinary Theme: Where we are in Place and Time An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives

Central Idea: A community’s response to significant events provides an insight into the history and values of that community. Key Concepts: Causation: Why is it like it is? Perspective: What are the points of view? Responsibility: What is our responsibility? Lines of inquiry: 1. The ways in which significant events may be recognized locally and/or globally. 2. How a significant event has an impact on a community. 3. Why viewpoints differ about significant events.

Teacher questions and provocations: Why the community does create those events? How the people in the community accepted these events? What was the responsibility of the people in the community for these kinds of events? Learner Profile Attributes: Reflective Thinker Attitudes: Creativity Independence

Approaches to Learning Research Skills: Observing: Using all the senses to notice relevant details. Planning: Developing a course of action; writing an outline; devising ways of finding out necessary information. Collecting Data: Gathering information from a variety of first- and second-hand sources such as maps, surveys, direct observation, books, films, people, museums and ICT. Thinking Skills – Synthesis: Combining parts to create wholes; creating, designing, developing and innovating. Evaluation: Making judgments or decisions based on chosen criteria; standards and conditions. Metacognition: Analysing one’s own and others’ thought processes; thinking about how one thinks and how one learns. Social Skills – Cooperating: Working cooperatively in a group; being courteous to others; sharing materials; taking turns. Summative assessment - Students in groups will create and perform a small production based on their research about different musical events from their chosen communities / countries. Students must plan and collaborate on how they will present in class or during their assembly. What can you do for your child at home: You can help your child by exploring their own culture and researching musical play (drama) history from your own country or globally. You can also help your child’s group in making the costumes or props that they will be using for their final presentation.