Grade 3 and 4 Newsletter
PYP News!
Unit 1: Where We are in Place and Time This unit’s central idea is ‘Past civilization shape present day systems and technologies’. The lines of inquiry are: ● Aspects of past civilizations that have survived ● Reasons these systems and technologies developed ● Why people still use these systems and technologies The key concepts to be emphasized in this unit are: ● Causation Why are technologies and systems needed? ● Connection What ancient technologies and systems do we still use today? ● Change How have these technologies and systems changed over time? Some of our learning engagements included writing about myths and legends, creating timelines, discovering past, present and future technologies. Our summative task will be for students to find and share information about a technology or system from ancient times to present.
Dear Parents, We are well over half way through semester one. The time seems to have flown. Grade 3, 4 and 5 are all about to complete their first UOI (Unit of Inquiry). The other grades are working to a modified schedule. Some of our teachers are going to regional PYP targeted training in Phuket, Thailand at the end of term which should have positive effects in term 2. We also have Virginia Rojas coming for 2 days of training, specifically on ESL. We are quite excited. Check her out here http://www.ascd.org/professionaldevelop ment/oscb/faculty/RojasV.aspx As always, any questions about PYP or your child in particular, come speak to me or email. Neil Johnstone PYP Coordinator njohnstone@hisvietnam.com
THE ARTS Grade 3 and 4 have begun exploring the function of music in societies of today and how they have strong similarities with music of ancient and not so ancient societies. As part of this unit we are working on a performance of a Luo song from Kenya – Ayub Ogada’s beautiful song, Kothbiro. Year long activities we are continuing include developing singing and audiation (musical “visualisations”), reading of notation (rhythmic) and layering rhythms in small and large groups. The students are now starting to write their own rhythmic notation patterns.
Unit 1
The upcoming Unit 2: How the World Works The design of buildings and structures is dependent upon the environment and available materials. The lines of inquiry are: ● Considerations to take into account when building a structure ● How building impacts the environment ● Local architecture and its connections with the needs of the community and availability of materials The key concepts to be emphasized in this unit are: ● Form What are the materials used to construct different buildings and structures? ● Function What are the uses of different materials? ● Connection What happens when we misuse these materials?
LANGUAGES: (Including French, EAL and Vietnamese) We started the year with the Writing Process. Components of The Writing Process ● Prewriting ● Draft ● Editing ● Peer Conference ● Revising ● Teacher Conference ● Publishing Students are now writing a myth or legend for Narrative Writing ● Title ● Setting: The starting point of the story. It tells who begins the action and when and where it begins. ● Beginning: The event that starts the action and involves the characters in some problem. ● Events: The events that happen as the characters try to solve the problem. ● Resolution: Tells how the problem is solved. ● Ending: Tells what has come from the experience. Vietnamese: students are learning about the origin of Ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) and how Ao dai has changed up to now. ELS: In this unit current focus is the development of phonics skills through