CISH Weekly Newsletter (September Week 1, Part 2)

Grade 6

This week, in 6th grade ELL, the students learned about the elements of a short story. To demonstrate their understanding, they wrote a short story about themselves and presented it to the class.

Grade 11

The DP1 students began the week by consolidating their understanding of the areas of exploration, key concepts, command terms, and authorial choices. Establishing this foundation will support their ability to analyze, interpret, and evaluate literary and non-literary works throughout the course. Following this, we examined various academic lenses and discussed how these frameworks provide a foundation for analyzing texts from multiple perspectives. We then turned to our first non-literary text of the year: a selection of comics by Liza Donnelly. Through these works, students explored the authorial choices that shape meaning and considered how Donnelly employs visual and textual elements to critique gender inequality, challenge stereotypes, and highlight the influence of social norms on the viewer.

Grade 10

MYP year 5 Korean Language and Literature class engaged in establishing a strong foundation for the course by connecting real-life experiences to language and literature through the IB experiential learning cycle. Our G10 students researched the characteristics of notable or influential figures and created mind-maps linking these traits to the IB Learner Profile attributes, developing their understanding through the integration of Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills.

Grade 12

DP year 2 Korean Language and Literature deepened their understanding by analyzing the works of Banksy and Edward Hopper, applying these insights to prepare for their Individual Oral (IO) assessments with greater detail. Accordingly, they bridged their learning with previously studied literary texts and began organizing their reflections and ideas within their Learner Portfolios.

Grade 6

This week, G6 students delved into the world of lyrical prose. They explored how the author develops a central theme by weaving together various examples in a specific order, enhancing the emotional impact of the piece. After grasping the writing style and structure, students engaged in group readings. This interactive experience allowed them to not only practice their reading skills but also to deeply appreciate the author's heartfelt love and admiration for summer, fostering a greater connection to the text and its themes. Through discussion, they expressed their interpretations, making the learning experience vibrant and meaningful.

Grade 7

In Ms. Jiang’s G7 Mandarin Language and Literature class students embarked on a new literary journey. To lay a solid foundation for their upcoming literature courses, they will continuously share literary knowledge throughout this academic year. This practice not only enhances their knowledge but also cultivates their information research and management skills. This week, we began studying foreign novels, and the students' contributions provided valuable materials for our exploration of these works.

Grade 8

In G.8 Chinese language and literature class, we started our first inquiry unit ‘Science Fiction’ in the context of Scientific and Technical Innovation. We focused on the key concept Connection and related concepts Genre and Context. The students started the week by discussing the SOI, getting to know their ATLs and by looking at the concepts that would be covered in this unit. The students started the unit by brainstorming different things they would expect to see in a science fiction unit.

Grade 9

This week, in G.9 Chinese language and literature class, students start their literature journey. In this unit, students will study film with the goal of changing perspectives: film as entertainment will be viewed in the light of education and artistry. Before watching the film, students will also read the novel first and then compare the differences and similarity of two texts. Now, students are making relationships map of characters.

Grade 10

In Ms. Echo grade 10 language literature has been learning the topic of "Nineteen Old Poems," We discussed the four elements of literature. Each student randomly received one literary element. Students with the same element first discussed its definition. Then, after reshuffling, they paired up with others who had different elements to explore how their elements are connected through literary works. Finally, the teacher gave a summary. Everyone performed very well.

Grade 11

This week, in Ms. Fiona’ s G11 Chinese B class, students began their first lesson in Chinese. During the study of the text, they actively engaged by answering questions, which helped them understand the main ideas of the passage as well as the new vocabulary introduced in the lesson. This process not only guided them to comprehend the content more effectively but also encouraged them to develop better reading and analytical skills. By combining reading with interactive questioning, students were able to strengthen their grasp of key words and expressions while deepening their overall understanding of the text and its meaning.

Grade 12

This week, in Ms Summer’s G12 Chinese A class, the students explored the relationship between language and social groups. In groups, they categorized various social groups and analyzed the linguistic features unique to each group. They also examined the reasons behind these linguistic differences, fostering a deeper understanding of sociolinguistics.

G1 Beginner EAL

This week in EAL Beginner, we reviewed the letters S, A, T, and P, and learned four new ones: I, N, M, and D. Students began practicing simple segmenting and blending to sound out short words. We introduced vocabulary related to classroom objects and instructions, which students practiced both in class and as part of their homework. Letterformation was a daily focus as students worked on writing our new letters with accuracy.

G1 Intermediate EAL

This week in our Grade 1 EAL class, we reviewed what a vowel is and learned about CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, focusing specifically on words that contain the "a" sound. On Tuesday, we explored CVC "a" word families, listened to some short stories, and enjoyed a fun spelling activity to remember the words from the stories. On Wednesday, we shifted our focus to our writing books, where we traced and copied some letters to practice our handwriting. On Thursday, we explored short stories from our CVC reading books, practiced segmenting words, and answered comprehension questions to check our understanding. Finally, on Friday, we wrapped up the week by playing some fun word games to reinforce our learning.

G6 EAL

Students in EAL this week are completing a diagnostic assessment in Language Arts in order to create goals and a learning plan that can support them throughout this year. We discussed ways in which Mr. Josh can support in Science and I & S, while at the same time looking at strategies to help our learning, such as note taking or question cards that we can review later. Finally, we engaged in some fun and active English activities in the four domains: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

G7 EAL

In our first morning EAL lesson for Grade Seven, I took the time to introduce myself and how I hope to earn the trust of the students and how I can support their individual needs. This week, we have spent time practicing and understanding the key vocabulary from Science class and elaborated on the ideas introduced in Social Studies. During our EAL  classes, we have discussed and reinforced the key concepts and meanings of these words. We have taken the time to understand the vocabulary, and I have challenged the children to create sentences using these words correctly in a sentence, each student had the opportunity to practice speaking out their own sentence.

G8 EAL

This week in our grade 8 EAL class, we strengthened our academic skills through various activities. We expanded our vocabulary by reviewing scientific and social studies terms, practiced using different verb tenses in complete sentences, and shared personal experiences with our classmates. Additionally, we developed our reading comprehension skills by identifying main ideas in short passages, helping us better understand and analyze texts across different subjects.

G9 EAL

Grade 9 focused on their IXL skills this week and produced skill scores they will use to write their own learning goals for the next month. We established expectations for notetaking and annotating text which will be critical for Science and I&S classes. Finally, students worked on their writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills while learning about Growth Mindset by studying a scientific text.

G10 EAL

This week the students worked on Physics, and I&S vocabulary. We played Kahoot to practice for a quiz and it was a success. We also practiced reading articles about the studied topics, and we watched a video to get us prepared for the next classes.