INNOVATIVE NEWS | Three Weeks In: Exciting Stories from BIS

Hello! Amazing work is being done in the classroom by our kids!

We have been studying classroom rules, our emotions, and body parts for the previous two weeks.

New songs and enjoyable games that help kids recognize new terminology have helped us start the week.

We use a variety of activities that are both beneficial and enjoyable for our young learners because Nursery A students are highly dedicated but also love to run around and have fun.

During our club time, we produced exquisite and uncommon artwork.

Foil transfer painting was something we did last week, and it was quite fantastic for our kids.

We also engaged in a game where the objective is to guess by using water to reveal colorful visuals together. We aim to have fun in our classroom every day and explore new things with one another.

Fantastic work, Nursery A!

Welcome back to the new school year BIS!

Since starting school, Year 1A have been learning and practising norms and expectations in the classroom. We started off by talking about how they wanted their own classroom to feel -“nice”, “friendly” was a common theme. 

We discussed what things we could do to make our

classroom a safe and nice environment to learn and grow. The students chose which norms they wanted to adhere to and promised to take care of each other and the classroom. The children used paint to make handprint and signed their names as an act to promise the following:

In our classroom we promise to:

1. Take care of our classroom

2. Be nice

3. Do our best

4. Share with each other

5. Be respectful

According to Strobel Education, “The benefits of establishing classroom procedures are far-reaching. For starters, it helps to create a safe and secure learning environment, which is the foundation for any successful educational experience. It also helps students understand what is expected of them….

Moreover, establishing classroom procedures also helps to build a positive classroom culture that encourages respect and cooperation between students and teachers….

Establishing classroom procedures can help to create a sense of community within the class. When everyone follows the same set of expectations, they are more likely to bond with each other over common goals and interests – this can lead to better relationships among classmates as well as increased academic success” (Strobel Education, 2023).

Reference

Strobel Education, (2023). Creating A Positive Learning Environment: Establishing Clear

Classroom Expectations For Elementary School Students. Retrieved from 

https://strobeleducation.com/blog/creating-a-positive-learning-environment

Celebrating the Exciting Progress of our Upper Secondary ESL Students: Exploring Travel, Persuasive Writing, and Cultural Experiences

We are delighted to share the remarkable achievements of our Year 10 and 11 students as they embark on their IGCSE English as a Second Language journey. In their first week of the term, these enthusiastic learners delved into the captivating realm of travel and tourism, immersing themselves in a range of engaging activities.

To develop their persuasive writing skills, the students focused on crafting informal emails to entice their friends into joining them on virtual reality holidays. They also honed their ability to compose restaurant reviews for establishments serving unique yet nutritious dishes. Additionally, they explored the art of writing hotel complaint letters, equipping themselves with the necessary language skills to effectively express their concerns. These activities enabled them to master the use of exciting adjectives, passive constructions, conditionals and more, preparing them well  for their upcoming written iGCSE ESL examination papers.

In addition to their writing endeavors, upper secondary students eagerly delved into researching the world's most unusual dishes and snack cultures. They further expanded their knowledge by engaging with news reports on the sugar content of popular soft drinks, fostering their understanding of health and nutrition.

We would like to commend Mariam and Krishna, our Year 11 stars, for their dedication, thoughtfulness, and active participation in class discussions and activities. Their contributions greatly enrich the learning environment.

Furthermore, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Jack from Year 10, whose seamless tourism-based PowerPoint presentation offered a captivating glimpse into his cultural experiences in Anhui.

We would also like to acknowledge the impressive progress of our Year 9 students in their pre-iGCSE studies. They have approached challenging grammar problems, vocabulary exercises, and exciting topics with great passion and enthusiasm, achieving notable success.We would like to applaud Year 9’s Chenxi in particular for her unwavering dedication and focus, which have made a significant impact on all classroom activities.

As we look forward to the continued growth and accomplishments of our upper secondary students, we are excited to witness their further exploration of the captivating world of English as a Second Language.

While the semester has only just begun, the future is looking bright for EAL. New, as well as returning students seem to really appreciate these small group sessions. 

Whereas they are sometimes fearful to ask questions in front of the rest of this class, the more personal approach from our EAL department allows them to work at a more comfortable pace, without the fear of falling behind. 

Learners both young, and old, are enjoying our interactions, especially during my customized worksheets/exercises, which are designed around removing each learners supposed weaker points. 

The creation of these personalized worksheets was only possible, due to the collaboration between homeroom teachers and EAL teachers. The shortcomings identified, were gathered from the results of the assessments we conducted at the start of this school year. 

Assessments uniquely designed to measure their performance amongst core Cambridge subjects – English, Math, and Science. The experiences of the past year, allowed me to narrow my approach, eliminating the generic ‘one size fits all’ approach, we are all susceptible to, in the confines of a larger class, to a more carefully designed approach, that each learner individually needs. 

For example, If comprehension is an issue, more reading based tasks on stories both fictional, and factual, can be utilized, to promote the scanning of information for pertinent information, so the task can be completed more concisely. 

In the end, the school benefits from having learners who are producing good results in a calming environment, while parents benefit from realizing BIS is going beyond normal procedures to ensure the future success of their children.