Finished ISA!

I was very proud of the Grade 5/6 'Uniters' efforts on the International Schools Assessment. For several hours on Monday and Wednesday, they applied great concentration and thinking to the test and I hope that their results reflect their commitment.

They have also been very committed leaders! During Japanese Culture Day, they hosted the school assembly and taught new Japanese games to the younger students.

I was impressed by their confidence and tolerance while working with younger students!

Miray volunteered to help with a special project for Edcamp Tokyo, a conference of teachers being hosted at JIES.

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Keeping busy!

This was a week of milestones. In addition to having our 100th day of the school year, Grade 3 hosted a speech contest. Although the contestants prepared mostly by themselves, we did take some time in the Performing Arts Studio to practice presence, poise, and engagement in public speaking.

I recorded a video of the activity which you may view on our class blog on Kidblog. The students were noticeably nervous for the contest, but persevered to deliver excellent speeches. We are very proud of Suheda and Miray for their special recognition. 

Please click each child's name, Miray, Sule, Suheda, and Bushra, to see a video of their speech! Please note that the videos are 'unlisted', which means that they can only be seen by clicking on the links.

Another milestone was the first Friday on which the students had five different tests: Spelling, Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Japanese! It was a perfect warm up for the ISA next week.

We introduced a new piece of technology, although it is probably not what you'd expect. The class is very excited to use a Post-It Easel for making their discussions and collaboration visible.

This will be a valuable tool when preparing their Exhibition.

Thank you for your participation in planning our Exhibition Meeting for students, parents, and teachers. We're waiting to hear from a few more parents before scheduling the meeting.

If it is too difficult for everyone to attend, I will try to find time to record my presentation and conduct a question and answer session online.

Finally, here is a reminder about being prepared for the ISA which was sent in an email last week:

Please help to ensure that students have slept well, eaten a healthy breakfast, and arrive to school on time.

Grade 5/6 students may also bring a healthy 'brain food' snack to eat during the tests to help with concentration. These snacks should be low in processed sugar and oil, and high in natural sugars and protein.

Salt free nuts, whole grains, and fresh fruit are particularly recommended. As usual, chocolate and other sweets will not be allowed during the tests.

Thanks!

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Learning about Weather

Grade 5 students have been reading "Tenki o yosou suru" from Kokugo textbook.

It is about the weather and they are learning new words from the essay.

Grade 6 students read the story "Yamanashi" again to find some onomatopoeia.

Onomatopoeia is a word that represents an action or sound.

There are so many in the story and it helps students to create the imagination about the story.

Students enjoyed the sound of kapukapu.

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Focus on academics

This was an odd week due to the Wednesday holiday, ISA trial tests, and being after a Celebration of Learning. Considering the International Schools Assessment, we have focused on academic skills, especially in mathematics.

The fifth graders' understanding of division showed that they could use some review of some key concepts. One way to do this is through a 'hands on' activity. By modeling division equations by cutting, drawing, coloring, and labeling, they deepened their understanding through an inquiry approach.

Another way to improve in advanced mathematics is through practice. I have stressed the importance of independent thinking, mental strategies for calculation, and perseverance. 

Of course, people are social learners. After independent work, we always take time to share our results, identify errors, and discuss strategies.

They haven't exactly 'enjoyed' our mathematics practice this week, but seeing how they work problems with increased confidence has shown me that the work was well worth it.

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PTA 'No Uniform Day' Thursday 12th February

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'How we express ourselves' Celebration of Learning

Finally, we finished our Paper or Plastic? art exhibit. I was impressed with the students' idea to include 'messages in bottles' about the environment and our responsibilities.

We found a lovely spot near the front door along with the other JIES art. I even shot a photo of a parent of a Jinsho student reading one of our messages about paper consumption.

This week, I've been talking more and more about Exhibition and the importance of time management and planning. I can see the message sinking in as the students often work quietly on their tasks after planning together.

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Writing about dreams...

Grade 5/6 students finished writing essays about their dreams.
(It is from G6 kokugo textbook今、わたしは、ぼくは）
They made their own lines of inquiry for writing.
・What do you want to be in the future?
・What is it like?
・Why did you want to write about that?
・What makes you.... ?
・What can you do now?
・What do you want when your dreams come true?
・What are your strengths?

It will be on the Celebration of Learning.
Please check them out!

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