2015
www.isvietnam.org
Newsletter
November 2014 Message
Table of Contents
Message from the Principal
Message from the Principal page 01
Dear ISV Community
Message from Head of Elementary page 01 Pre-K & K1 Updates K2 Updates
page 07
Grade 2 Updates
page 08 page 09 - 10
Grade 4 Updates
page 11
Grade 5 Updates
page 12
PYP Updates
page 13
PE Updates French Updates
page 02
page 03 - 06
Grade 1 Updates
Grade 3 Updates
page 13 page 14 - 15
Science & Maths Updates page 16 Music & Drama Updates page 17 Arts Updates
page 18 - 19
Vietnamese Updates page 20 - 21 English Updates Humanities Updates ICT Updates
As I write this, the new year which started on January 1st is fading into the past, and the Tet new year is just about to happen. The word “new” seems to be everywhere in the school at the moment.
page 22 page 22 page 22
Message from Head of Elementary My name is Patricia Mcloughlin. I was born in the United Kingdom but was raised in Perth, Australia where my family have lived for the past 45 years. I have two grown sons still residing in Australia, and a daughter, Grace, that attends school at ISV.
In the PYP section of the school, we have three new members of staff, with Ms. Patricia McLoughlin joining as Head of Elementary, Ms. Angela and Ms. Selena joining as the homeroom teachers of Grades two and three, respectively. Please go to the “Teaching Team” section of the school’s website if you want to read their biographies. Also new is Mr. David Healey, who works as EAL specialist in the PYP section, and as the Learning Support for the remainder of the whole school.
My life has been full of adventure, starting with my family's move to Australia when I was seven years of age. Being the daughter of an Irish seafarer, I have always enjoyed travelling to mostly understand and explore the many different cultural histories of our world. After many years working for the Australian educational system, my family and I decided to further experience life as global learners and started our journey that has led us finally to Vietnam.
Another new feature of the school is the Pre-K class, which has now become a separate group from the K1 class. This happened because of the growing number of students in the Pre-K/K1 class. However, the split does not mean the children will not see their classmates from last term, as they will still work together for a range of activities. The homeroom teacher of the Pre-K class is Ms Lakshmi, who is no stranger to the school, and whom the children already knew.
Over an educational career spanning well into two decades, I have completed three university degrees, all pertaining to developing strong educational practices. I have had the privilege of working the International Baccalaureate system for over a decade, in schools around the globe, including Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and Papua, Indonesia, as well as Australia. I have had the opportunity to have worked many roles of the IB system, starting as a classroom teacher, to PYP Coordinator and finally leading to administrative positions.
In the middle school, a new experience for the students was a formal exam session, lasting three days. During that time, the students experienced the structure of formal IGCSE exams, including oral language exams. I am very happy to report they were relaxed and confident going into the exams.
I believe educators must remain informed about current teaching and learning pedagogy in order to grow professionally, and for our students to become the best that they can be. Education is 'action research'. It is about trailing new ideas, seeking 'best practice' and being on that constant learning curve found under the title of 'teaching'. I believe, with the team of ISV, this understanding of education is one that we will pursue passionately. Our group of educators hold that drive required to take a start up school and develop it into a community of learners, towards global citizenship.
And finally, something that is anything but new, the ‘Tet‘ celebrations. ‘Tet’ will be dominating the country over the coming week. ISV will be joining and up-holding the traditions of ‘Tet’ with our very own Tet Market, on Saturday 7th February. I hope to see as many of you there as can make it, helping the school continue with its mandate of being a true international school whilst building firm roots I look forward to the shared journey, with you and your families, in building ISV into a great school. in our host country. Patricia Mcloughlin Head of Elementary
Bryan Manditsch Principal
Page 01
Pre-K & K1 Updates by Ms. Michele
Upcoming Events
Patterns February
This week we have been looking at patterns in Maths. The K1 children have been exploring “What is a pattern?” They have been trying to describe and tell a friend what a pattern is. We went on a walk around the school and the children were surprised to find so many patterns!
Feb
6
Art museum visit
Feb
7
Tet Market
Feb
10
Reports going home
Feb
12 Feb
13
Tet assembly
Parent-Teacher Conference
The Pre-K children have been naming and sorting objects by colour, and counting coloured towers of blocks.
Welcome to our new children in Pre-K/K1 This term we have welcomed six new children to the class – Suyeon, Minh, Ryeowon, Kyeong, Chaeun and Mingyeol. They have all settled into the class really well and are joining in with all the activities.
Ryeowon
Suyeon
Kyeong
Page 02
Minh
Mingyeol & Chaeun
K2 Updates by Ms. Boriana
January Inquiry
do i watch him or i write too...
K2's inquiry into Transportation continued after the Winter Break. The students are learning how to use Mind Maps in order to organise their ideas and demonstrate their understandingabout the concept of Systems. They have worked on individual projects, as well as partner tasks aiming to develop their social and communication skills. The most enjoyabletask was constructinga vehicle. Look at them working! put the engine inside!
ms. boriana, come and help!
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K2 Updates by Ms. Boriana
January Language
The students in K2 enjoy working on Story Maps. They produce some magnificent drawings to represent different parts of a story. This month we started Reading Buddies. The studentsin Grade 1 read stories to K2. Next week it is K2's turn to share the books they read with Grade 1. The writing work shops in K2 are a very busy time. Start with Morning Message, Writing Lists, Shadow Writing and Spelling, just to name a few!
Me and my reading buddy from Grade 1
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Who would have known there were so many school words.. .
K2 Updates by Ms. Boriana
January Mathematics K2 students collected data about the transport the students and the teachers in ISV use to get to school. The data was recorded using tally marks and then organisedin Bar Graphs. It isn't hard really... K2 collected data about the transport teachers in ISV use
Addition in K2 K2 Students continue to practice adding numbers. Using addition mats prove to be greatfun.
I wonder why they call it a grab mat
K2 collected data about the transport used by the students in ISV
Ordering numbers to 20
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K2 Updates by Ms. Boriana
DO WE REALLY HAVE TO PRACTICE SPELLING ON THE IPAD!?
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Grade 1 updates from Ms. Sacha For our Unit of Inquiry (UOI), we are continuing to investigate the central idea: Celebrations and traditions are expressions of shared beliefs and values. For the past two weeks, we have been looking at the features of traditions and celebrations, as well as symbols associated with Christmas, birthdays, weddings and Tet. We have been very fortunate to have guest speakers in our class. Miss Lakshmi spoke about Indian Republic Day on January 26. She even came to our class wearing a saree! Miss Doreen, Jonathan’s mom, spoke about Malaysian celebrations. She showed us some treats that they eat during the Chinese New Year, and she explained a rite of passage that Malaysian children go through when they reach their teenage years.
In addition, Homare, Lucy and Luong brought artifacts, that became objects of discussion for Celebrations. This helped our first graders learn • How to ask questions that are connected to the topic, thus becoming more purposeful inquirers • Listen purposefully to a speaker • Write about what they learned from a speaker We would love to have you over in our class to share about your family celebrations. Let us know if you are available.
Language Arts
Mathematics
We’ve introduced buddy reading with K2! Last week, the first graders read a book to their K2 buddy, and practiced asking them questions about the book. This activity is also helping us become more Caring towards others.
Our unit on Celebrations is connected to Math. We have been learning about time, specifically how to tell time to the hour, quarter past, half past and quarter to. Parents, I would encourage you to buy your child an analog watch to reinforce this skill. In addition to Time, we have been practicing how to add and In Reading, we are continuing to look at the following in a fictional subtract with 2-digit numbers. story: • Title and author of a book • Problems and Solutions in stories • Sequence of events in a story • Strategies to help us unlock a word For Writing, we have started to learn about • Retelling a personal experience • Writing birthday and thank you cards At home, you can reinforce these skills as you practice reading and writing with your child.
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Grade 2 Updates from Ms. Angela
Grade 2 Updates from Ms. Angela Dear Parents, Welcome to the second half of the academic year! I have really enjoyed teaching your children during the last two weeks and I am looking forward to teaching such a lovely class during the remaining months of the year. I have re-assessed each child’s reading level last week. I have begun guided reading sessions with small groups. The focus of the reading program thus far has been on: • Using predictive skills to think about what may happen next in a story/non-fiction text. • Providing an oral summary of what the story is about. The focus is on selecting the main parts of the text. • Discussing the ‘main idea’ of the text. • Underlining/identifying key words. The children are using a range of literacy materials to support our Unit of Inquiry ‘Markets provide goods and services.’ For example, we have looked at non-fiction texts and selected the ‘main idea’ in various paragraphs related to markets and shopping. The children have also been learning vocabulary associated with our topic, such as ‘trading,’ ‘goods’ and ‘stalls’ etc. These words have also been incorporated into developing effective spelling strategies. The children have also completed some recounts. I have changed the children’s writing books so they are encouraged to write more sentences. We have worked on writing in past tense and putting out thoughts into writing. I have also discussed with the children a recount involves:
In Maths, we have focused on addition strategies and mental arithmetic. We have been incorporating our Unit of Inquiry into the Maths program as much as possible. We have looked at worded problems related to buying goods at the market, such as ‘I bought 3 bags of lollies and each bag contained 2 lollies. How many lollies did I have altogether?’ This is also forming the basis for learning about multiplication (3 groups of 2 is 6, 3 x2=6). We have also looked at ‘bundling’ small sticks into 10s, 5s and 2s. This aims to assist the children with developing their multiplication skills. For example, if a child has 10 bundles of 10 in front of them they can see 10 groups of 10 is 100 (10x10=100). We have also been reading numerals and revising place-value. The children have also investigated money (‘international’ money e.g 20cents, 10 cents) and providing a customer with change when role playing being a shop-keeper. I hope your child is enjoying their first few weeks with me. I have enjoyed working with them and I look forward to the rest of the year. Regards, Angela.
• Purpose of a recount – to remember what you did and retell events in chronological order • Audience a recount is written for – Grade two, Miss Angela, mum and dad It is important the children develop an understanding that writing styles (eg. Recount, narrative, reports etc) have various purposes and are often written for different audiences. Therefore, the selection of word choice and presentation of one’s writing can differ according to the purpose and audience appropriate for different genres.
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Grade 3 updates from Ms Selena
Grade 3 updates from Ms. Selena UNIT OF INQUIRY The grade 3 students have started their fourth unit of inquiry on water. They began tuning in to the unit by unpacking the central idea which is, “Water is essential for life and is a limited resource.” The students had a discussion as to what each word of the central idea meant. Also for Tuning In, the students wrote down words which were associated with the term, “water”. They cut the words in boxes and placed everything on top of a big table. Students found similarities between words and grouped these together. They then thought of sentences that would describe the groups of words. Finally, students listed down things they already knew and things they still want to know about water. Questions such as, “Why does water have no color?” and “How much money do you need to have to pay for a month of using water?” show what good inquirers these students are !
MATHS In Math class, the students have been learning about fractions. From the basic principles of fractions, they have moved to learning about mixed numbers and improper fractions. They now understand why these are called the way they are. They also know how to convert mixed numbers to improper fractions and vice versa. Soon, they will be exploring ways to measure liquids and how fractions are related to these.
LANGUAGE ARTS The grade 3 students have been reading informational books on water. The first book that they read is titled, “The Force of Water”. After reading the book, students were grouped into pairs or threes to writea short summary of each mini-chapter in the book. They also drew pictures that helped explain their summaries. Each group reported about their minichapters in front of the class.
SHARING CIRCLE TIME
We will continue with the routine of having Sharing Circle time every morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This week, students shared about their personal belongings. Nene and Vu both shared about their keychains. Nene had her popcorn keychain from Tokyo Disney Sea and Vu had his Lego keychain from Vietnam. Seo Yeon shared about her new phone that her dad bought her and Sun Ju showed us her calligraphy pen. Can’t wait to hear more, grade 3!
CARING FOR PRE-K! The last period on Tuesday afternoons is allocated for Buddy Class with Pre-K. This week, the third graders played with the Pre-K students in the playground. They showed how caring they were as they helped the younger ones build “sandmen”, sandcastles, and sand towers. Some even helped their buddies play on the swings and the monkey bars. The third graders were truly like older brothers and sisters as they wiped off the sand on their buddies’ faces and reminded them of proper playground behavior. Thank you for having us, Pre-K! See you again next week!
BAYMAX & THE NEW SUPERHEROES The grade 3 students have a new door design! You will now see the superheroes with Baymax on the classroom door. Come and drop by whenever you can!
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Grade 3 updates from Ms. Selena
Hello, everyone! My name is Selena Olvido and I have permanently joined the International School of Vietnam as the grade 3 homeroom teacher. You must be wondering who I am and where I came from, so let me tell you about myself. I was born in the Philippines but was raised in Tokyo, Japan where my family lived for 19 years. I had the privilege of attending the International Baccalaureate Program until Grade 12. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in education from the University of the Philippines where I continued my post graduate studies, majoring in Reading Education. Living in Japan and graduating high school from an international school gave me many opportunities to widen my horizon and experience dealing with diversity. I learned to truly appreciate the different cultures of people around the world. My experience was enhanced by the privilege of teaching at Beacon School, an IB World school in Manila. I joined Beacon after graduation and taught there for seven years. I experienced being in different teaching positions in the same school. I taught Filipino as a PYP language teacher and was also given the opportunity to be a homeroom teacher for second and fifth grade students, handling different subjects as well. I love to travel, especially around Southeast Asia. I enjoy strolls in the streets and tasting local food. My other interests include photography, scrapbook making, and playing badminton. This is my first time to be in Vietnam and I feel good about being in the country. My mom tells me good and rewarding stories of her experience working with Vietnamese families and teaching their children ESL under the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Hearing those stories makes me look forward to being in Vietnam and experiencing its rich history and culture, while at the same time working with parents in the international community. I value open communication and close partnership with the parents of my students. I am excited to work with the ISV community. With everyone’s support, I am positive that this year and the years ahead will be fun and productive not just for my students but for me as well.
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Grade 4 Updates from Ms. Penny
Grade 4 Updates from Ms. Penny Inquiry This week grade 4 has been finishing up their inquiry into explorers. They are putting the final touches on their student inquiry, which they have been working hard to complete the last two weeks. Each student is completing a written biography of his or her explorer, an artistic representation and a computer-generated piece.
Maths We are finishing off our measurement unit with mass. We have enjoyed using all the different types of scales to estimate and measure objects around the school.
On Tuesday the 13th of January Grade 4 went on a field trip to Lotte Tower and Landmark 72 as part of our inquiry into exploration.
Language In the coming weeks we will be moving on from our focus on writing biographies and changing to learning how to write explanations. During EAL class students have been focusing on improving their sentence structure. Our new spelling program is getting fantastic results with all students eagerly reviewing their words in class daily.
We were also able to become part of the amazing artworks in the “Alive museum�.
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Grade 5 Updates from Mr. Robert
Grade 5 Updates from Mr. Robert
Unit Of Inquiry Since the last newsletter the students have looked at the artists Pepin Osorio and Louise Bourgeois. Pepin Osorio is best known for his large-scale installations and Louise Bourgeois is known for her large-scale sculptures. We are currently looking at Kara Walker who is known for her silhouette art.
It was lot of fun to go see the city from such an amazing view and see how pretty Hanoi really is from a distance. Felicity In the Lotte tower, I saw outside. I think I saw Hanoi and so exciting. I want to go one more time. Sun Jin It was exciting and it was very high and I can see far away. I liked the activity that we did. Seung Bin
Since the last newsletter the students have looked at the artist Maya Lin. They have viewed some of her sculptures like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Last Memorial, the Women’s Memorial and the Wave Fields.
I loved the excursion especially the Lotte Skywalk. Alex
The class has voted for the final time on the environmental art and we have approval to create a large-scale piece of art, which will hopefully become a permanent display in the elementary corridor. Both of the groups spoke with Mr Bryan and he has asked them to address a couple of issues and speak to him again. All going well the students will begin creating the art work after the TET break.
Pepon Osorio
Louise Bourgeois
Kara Walker
Sketching Field Trip On the 13th January Grade 4 and 5 visited the Lotte Building and the Landmark 72 building. We arrived at the Lotte Building early on Tuesday morning and basically had the viewing deck to ourselves. The first thing we did was check out the view to the south and then we moved to see the western side of Hanoi. On the western side of the building there was a glass floor viewing area and we loved it. Everyone took their shoes off and walked on the glass floor seeing what was below and then we moved to the northern side of the building. On the northern side of the building we sat on the floor and sketched the view in front of us. Some people sketched the Westlake area and towards the horizon, others sketched the new bridge near Ciputra and some people sketched the view of Hanoi International School directly below us. After that we went down the elevator and headed to the Landmark 72 Building. It is the tallest building in Hanoi at 72 floors. First we saw the models of all the buildings on the Keangnam Site. Then we look at Hanoi to the east and south. After that we entered a 3D art gallery and the best part was that we were able to be part of the art.
I think the trip was fun and I liked it. O liked Landmark 72 better. Thien Cam
It was good. My favourite thing was the sky walking because I can see many things there. ChaeWon Mathematics This term we are doing an inquiry into space and shape. So far we have investigated 2D and 3D shapes through drawing, conducting a shape hunt around the school and through the use of tangrams. The students have also done a case study on circles, triangles and have just started one on angles. They have also looked at the area and perimeter of various 2D shapes. Finally, at home they have been asked to start measuring their bedroom. This information will be needed when they construct a 3D model of their bedroom to scale. Language The students have looked at Legends and Myths. They listened to readings of both genres and then they wrote their own myth or legend. It is really pleasing to see how creative Grade 5 can be in their writing. The students have also looked at fables. They watched 3 fables including ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’, The Lion and the Mouse and ‘The North Wind and The Sun’. They are currently writing their own fable.
Important Dates to remember: • February 6th Excursion to Fine Arts Museum. • Saturday 7th February TET family day. • February 10th Student reports going home. • February 12th TET celebration and assembly. • February 13th Parent/Teacher conference (NO school for your child).
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P.E updates from Mr. Liam
PYP Updates from Ms. Sacha January 30, 2015
Greetings all,
Dear Parents,
This month in PE we have been focusing on small ball and big ball skills. This includes catching, throwing, hitting and striking. The skill level at the moment is good however we all will improve as we move through the unit. Also this term the students have been training for our school cross-country. I have been very impressed with the efforts all students have been putting in to the build up for the cross-country and believe it will be evident on the day. Inter school sport will begin again shortly playing a variety of sports against BIS. We have had the pleasure of having the expertise of Mr. Alex coaching football clinics during ECA time, thank you. Parent - teacher conferences are coming up in the future and look forward to sharing comments with you.
Last month, I shared about how we want our students to develop the Learner Profile attributes of being Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-minded, Caring, Risk-takers, Balanced and Reflective. This month, I’d like to focus on how we can encourage our students to be caring at home and in school. In school, we encourage them to use kind words towards each other, to share and show appreciation. When they get into conflict with another child, besides giving them a consequence, we ask them to have empathy and reflect on how their actions made another child feel. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon an article from the Washington Post entitled “Are you raising nice kids? A Harvard psychologist gives 5 ways to raise them to be kind”. These five strategies can help parents the attribute of being caring in their children:
Regards, Mr. Liam
1. Make caring for others a priority 2. Provide opportunities for children to practice caring and gratitude 3. Expand your child’s circle of concern 4. Be a strong moral role model and mentor, and 5. Guide children to manage their destructive feelings If you would like to read about how to do this in more detail, please click on the following link— http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2014/07/1 8/are-you-raising-nice-kids-a-harvard-psychologist-gives-5-waysto-raise-them-to-be-kind/ Parents, we would also love to hear from you! If you would like to share how your child has been caring at home or in other places besides the school, please email me at pyp.coordinator@isvietnam.org. We want to celebrate these caring moments during our PYP assembly or through displays that we are developing about the Learner Profile attributes. Warm regards, Sacha
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French Updates from Ms Perrine Grade 1 (Lucy, Homare, Jonathan) Depuis deux semaines, les enfants de grade 1 ont appris le matériel de la classe. Les ciseaux, les crayons, la règle et la gomme n'ont maintenant plus de secret pour eux. Nous avons participé à plusieurs activités pour mémoriser le vocabulaire. Par exemple le jeu de Kim ou bien les activités sur le tableau intéractif nous ont permis de réviser le vocabulaire des objets de la classe de façon ludique.
K1(Joanna, Zoé, Ji Woo and Minatsu) Bonjour! Nous avons choisi ensemble le livre "Je m'habille et je te croque" qui raconte l'histoire d'un loup qui s'habille avant d'aller voir les enfants. Cette histoire va nous apprendre le nom des vêtements, les couleurs et les parties du corps. Puis, grâce à Franky le singe, nous allons pouvoir parler de la météo et habiller Franky le singe en conséauence.
Nous avons aussi appris les jours de la semaine Retrouvez l'histoire sur le site internet : " grâce à la chanson sur Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ta TVY3za-0 " Voici quelques photos:
Minatsu et Joanna (K1)
Joanna (K1)
Grade 2 (Chuong) Chuong est maintenant capable de parler des membres de sa famille et de créer un arbre généalogique avec les membres de sa famille et leur nom. Il continue son apprentissage et peut maintenant répondre aux questions telles que : "Comment s'appelle ta mère" ou bien "As tu une soeur ou un frère? Comment s'appelle t'il ou comment s'appelle t'elle?" Nous avons aussi commencé à nous intéresser à la nourriture. Chuong a découvert grâce au film que Ratatouille était en fait le nom d'un plat composé de courgettes, tomates, oignons, champignons et tomates. C'est un plat traditionnel de France.
Ji Woo (K1)
Puis comme nous sommes tous les deux gourmands, nous avons commencé à nous intéresser aux snacks. Ça nous a donné faim!! Nous avons joué au jeu du caddie. Chaque joueur a un caddie et une liste de courses. Des cartes avec les aliments et les objets dessinés sur la liste de courses sont retournés. Chaque joueur tourne une carte et le joueur qui a l'aliment ou l'objet sur sa liste de courses pose la carte sur son caddie. Le premier joueur a remplir son caddie a remporté la partie.
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Minatsu (K1)
Chuong (G2)
French Updates from Ms Perrine French newsletter Grade 6,7,8 Grade 3 Laura a commencé à lire et à écrire seule en français, exercice particu- Les élèves des grades 6, 7 et 8 ont étudié le vocabulaire de la nourlièrement difficile mais elle fait déjà beaucoup de progrès. riture. Maintenant ils sont capables d'utiliser le vocabulaire de la nourriture dans des phrases ou des questions pour exprimer leur Elle a commencé à lire une série de livres de niveau facile. Elle corrige préférence. Ils sont en ce moment entrain de travailler en groupe sa prononciation avec l'aide du professeur, écrit le vocabulaire sur la création d'un menu pour un restaurant français. Ils découinconnu, les mots avec des sons combinés dans son livre de vrent comment s'écrit une adresse en France et qu'il y a 10 chiffres prononciation/vocabulaire. dans un numéro de téléphone. Ils utilisent un modèle de menu du programme Word ou ils doivent changer les couleurs, les images et le contenu. Voici les élèves pendant leur séance de travail
Laura (G 3)
Grade 4, 5 Bienvenue à Grace qui a rejoint la classe de français le mardi 6 janvier 2015. Bravo pour ces premiers efforts et sa motivation.
( La famille de Grace) Ensemble nous avons étudié le vocabulaire de la famille puis nous avons appris comment présenter sa famille
(La famille de Felicity - grade 5)
(La famille d'Alex - grade 5)
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(La famille de Mei – Grade 4)
Science & Maths Updates from Ms. Mridula Following a review and examination in January 2015, the middle school students have completed the unit on functions and graphs in mathematics. During the next few weeks of February, they will further develop their knowledge and understanding in algebra, dealing with expressions, equations, functions and formulae. Formative assessments will comprise of activities, assignments, tests and quizzes. In science, all students undertook a review of the four chapters that had been covered for each class from August to December 2014, in preparation for the semester examination held in January 2015.
In Grade 6, learning about energy resources and concepts of energy and heat transfer took place through activities, demonstrations, discussions, investigations and Internet search. During the next few weeks, they will learn about acids and bases in chemistry, with relevant laboratory experiments. The students in Grade 7 continued their study in biology, completing the chapter on flowering plants. During the next few weeks, they will begin their study in chemistry with atoms, elements, molecules and compounds. Ideas and concepts on forces and movement including friction, air resistance, water resistance and streamlining, have been covered in Grade 8. During the next few weeks, the students will move on from physics to chemistry, with an introduction to atoms and the Periodic Table.
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Music & Drama Updates from Mr. Daniel Pre K & K1 are preparing a song and dance for the Tết celebration. They will sing Sắp Đến Tết Rồi which is a very popular song for young children to sing during the festive time. In Drama the children are developing their phonemic awareness through letter based games and activities including the Tinga Tinga Tales from Africa. The children are also enjoying jumping into these stories and pretending to be the characters in role play. K2 are really enjoying their rehearsals for Bé Chúc Tết their excellent performance for Tết. They are also beginning to read simple rhythms using the new classroom instruments to play them on. We are lucky enough to have sound shapes, a rain stick, many new percussion instruments and a big calling drum for us to make music with. In Drama we have been connecting with the unit of inquiry by going on dramatic journeys on various forms of transport. We are also enjoying stories connecting to the Tết festival. G1 are preparing to perform a play called The Great Animal Race. Each child is playing the role of one of the animals in the Vietnamese Zodiac- rehearsing, learning dialogue, stage position and moving in slow motion. The children are very excited to share their latest drama with an audience. In music Mr. Daniel has written a new song for the play- which the children have learned – there are six verses in total and the words are challenging to learn. The children have also been working on developing their concepts of rhythms and beat using our new rhythm stick set. The children are now beginning to be able to hold a rhythm, while another group plays something different. This is certainly a challenge in listening and concentration! G2 and G3 are working really hard to prepare a performance of Who Will Buy? From the musical Oliver! Each child is portraying a character working within a different shop and they are learning a complex movement routine to accompany their singing performance. I am certain they are enjoying this experience and extending their work on markets from their current unit of inquiry. They have also been enjoying the film version of Oliver!, which we are watching in small segments each week in class. They are fascinated to see how different life was and how much has changed since the 19th Century. G4 are occupied in developing a play for Tết. They are working on the 2015 version of The Story of the Rice Cake through which they are taking on roles, creating stage pictures, and accompanying themselves with dramatic percussive music. In music they have created the music to accompany the drama. This has been notated and deployed into the story at significant point. The students have also taken part in improvisation through which they have explored their characters by journeying through fantasy landscapes. G5 are endeavoring to prepare their offering for Tết. They will sing and dance Mùa Xuân Ơi, a popular Vietnamese song. I am pleased to note that all students, including non-Vietnamese speakers are really trying to learn the words in this new language. In drama the students are involved in an exciting project through which they have to research, develop and create their own movie trailers. Students have watched a range of examples, discerning the most important aspects and functions of these ‘movie advertisements’. They are currently planning their own creations and will begin initial filming of these next week . They will be premiered sometime after the holidays! G6 have just completed their first forma examinations and we had a positive set of first results- well done. In addition to their work on music theory they are preparing presentations considering the rudiments of music, They are working as presenters and performers, as they also have to work in small bands to perform a piece within the presentation. G7 are currently creating group performances and projects centered around music in the movies. This work in illustrated by a group musical performance of Misty Mountains Cold, which we intend to share at the Tết celebration. The students have also created developmental workbooks to document their inquiries, creative work and theory tasks. They have also just completed the first formal examination and produced several pleasing grades. G8 are currently looking at the wonderful world of Musical Theatre. They are investigating, analyzing and researching into this popular form of theatre. We are also making a transdisciplinary connection with Drama, creating original songs to tell the story of Hansel and Gretel. We hope to share the final product of this project after the holidays. Students have also created developmental workbooks to document their inquiries, creative work and theory tasks. The Middle School also enjoyed a group excursion to see Into the Woods. This excellent musical motion picture gave our Grade 8 a fine model for their own work, while providing the other students a rich exposure to quality Musical Drama. I hope we can make further connections and enjoy other significant excursions in future learning.
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Arts Updates by Ms. Katherine K1 and Pre-K Our littlest artists are currently looking at books, and how pictures can tell a story. Tomie DePaola, Lois Ehlert, Vivian Schwartz, Polly Dunbar, and Maurice Sendak are among the illustrators we have looked at in Art class. Students have used collage, painting and drawing to create their own illustrations of characters from books by these famous authors and illustrators.
K2 artists have been looking at the artist Joan Miro, who was a famous Spanish artist of the 20th century. K2 students have been investing how to use the art elements of shape, line. They have been studying and creating abstract figures, constellations and crazy animals, based on the fantastic ideas found in surrealist art.
Grade 1 students have been investigating celebrations. We have been working on a project based on the Vietnamese Tete celebration, in tandem with Music and Drama class. Students are almost finished creating masks that depict the various animal characters found on the lunar zodiac calendar. Next, we will take a journey around the world by learning about some lovely and crazy celebrations in other nations and continents.
Grade 3 students have been looking at the art principle of balance. They have seen how many sculptors use this principle in their work. Recently, we analyzed the work of artist Alexander Calder, who invented the mobile. Third graders are using the principle of balance to create their own mobiles. To see a mobile in action, visit: Art students in Grade 4 will be studying famous women artists, and will soon begin an investigation on how artists have depicted women throughout history. To start, we are studying one of the foremost women artists of the 20th century: Georgia O’Keeffe. In keeping with O’Keeffe’s interests, students are using ideas of cropping and enlargement to create still life drawings and watercolors of flowers and bones.
Artists in Grade 2 are studying “folk art” or art that can be found in markets around the world. We are looked first at woodcarvings from Oaxaca, Mexico. Students are analyzing various types of patterns found in Mexican art: they are creating “animalitos” using these types of patterns.
Lunar Zodiac Cut Outs
Oaxaca Wood Carving
Grade 5 students have looked at, and analyzed, the work of sculptor Louise Bourgeois. In art class, students have investigated the elements of form, line, and shape in Bourgeois’ famous spider sculptures. Then, fifth graders have each created a wire armature (the back-bone of a sculpture) for their sculptures. They then have embellished these armatures with decorations, or have created 3-D forms using paper mache. Look for a fifth grade art show
coming up soon…
Calder Mobile
Georgia O’Keefe
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Arts Updates by Ms. Katherine Claude Monet painted the same subject over and over again, at different times of day and in different types of weather, showing the surrounding atmosphere. Class study and discussion focused on these paintings. Sixth grade students have been experimenting with how artists use colour to convey light, atmosphere and mood. They have incorporated the various experiments with colour theory to create their own “impressionist” landscapes. Bourgeois, The Nest
Artists in Grade 7 have been creating some very interesting narrative art pieces. Will King Cabbage successfully kidnap “Pizza the Hut” by boxing him up? Will the protagonists in the story - Curly Fries and Big Mac – be able to rescue their buddy from villains Tomato Tomahto, and Broccoli Boy? Or will the T Rex in the Smithsonian Castle eat him? Stay tuned to find out when seventh graders unveil their final drawings….
Monet, Views of Rouen Cathedral
Grade 8 students have been creating narrative art pieces using principles found in textile arts. Story quilts have a long history starting in West Africa, and continuing in 19th century African American quilts. Students studied artist Faith Ringgold, who creates contemporary story quilts based on this AfricanAmerican history. They have been working hard on finishing their own story quilts, using contemporary and African patterns.
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Vietnamese updates from Ms. Hong Lớp mẫu giáo bé (Pre-K – K1): Học bài hát dân gian – chủ đề tết. Đọc truyện theo chủ đề: trách nhiệm bản thân, đoàn kết. Tập trồng cây vào hộp nhựa. Tô màu phân biệt hình dáng, tuổi tác để tô màu về người , màu cây cối. Xem phim hoạt hình Việt Nam: “Lớp học bồ câu”, học sinh tập đếm số học sinh qua phim – rút ra nhận xét về nội dung câu chuyện. Ôn chữ cái.
Lớp 2 (Grade 2): Chủ điểm cha mẹ, anh em, em là học sinh. Học sinh đọc và trả lời câu hỏi, học sinh viết chính tả, luyện từ và câu (điền từ, đặt câu).
Lớp mẫu giáo lớn (K2): Ôn luyện đọc chữ cái, ghép vần một số từ có 1, 2, 3 âm tiết. Tô màu chủ điểm gia đình, nhà trường – đặt tên cho chủ đề qua tranh vẽ: ví dụ: “Mỗi người một việc”. Chơi trò chơi rèn luyện tư duy toán học: `nối chữ. Ươm mầm cây. Ghép chữ cái thành từ. Kể chuyện ngụ ngôn.
Lớp 1 (Grade 1): Đọc bài và trả lời câu hỏi theo chủ điểm: cha mẹ, ông bà, anh em – đoàn kết thương yêu nhau, thiên nhiên đất nước. Tập viết vần: em, êm, eng, iêng. Luyện từ và câu – nối các cụm từ để hiểu trọn vẹn ý nghĩa câu văn.
Lớp 3 (Grade 3): Chủ điểm anh em, thiên nhiên, anh em một nhà. Học sinh đọc, trả lời câu hỏi: Luyện từ và câu - viết đoạn văn (3-5 câu), tập viết chữ hoa, chính tả.
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Vietnamese updates from Ms. Hong Lớp 4 (Grade 4): Chủ điểm: Có chí thì nên, học sinh đọc và trả lời câu hỏi. Tình từ, bố cục bài văn. Đọc vần: Uốt, ướt, tập viết vần: uông, ương
Lớp 6 (Grade 6): Các em học truyện ngụ ngôn, văn học trung đại, chương trình địa phương, kiểm tra học kì I 45 phút, tác phẩm “Dế Mèn” của Tô Hoài, từ loại và cụm từ, văn miêu tả và các phép tu từ.
Lớp 5 (Grade 5): Chủ điểm: con người với thiên nhiên, học sinh đọc và trả lời câu hỏi. Luyện từ và câu: mở rộng vốn từ thiên nhiên, môi trường, từ nhiều nghĩa.
Lớp 7 (Grade 7): Văn học: thể loại tuỳ bút, thơ Bác Hồ, tục ngữ, chuẩn mực sử dụng từ - rút gọn câu.
MS Non – Vietnamese classes updates
Lớp 8 (Grade 8): Văn bản nhận dạng, văn học thời kì kháng chiến chống Pháp, ôn tập các dấu câu – câu nghi vấn, văn bản thuyết minh. Kiểm tra học kì I, văn thơ yêu nước cuối thế kỉ 19 đầu thế kỉ 20: niềm khao khát tự do của các tác giả và cả dân tộc. Lớp 9 (Grade 9): Văn học thời kì kháng chiến chống Pháp – đề tài nông thôn. Văn học hiện đại: ca ngợi những con người đóng góp hết mình cho đất nước. Văn học nước ngoài ( Nga – Trung Quốc). Tập làm văn, văn nghị luận, các kiểu câu (đối thoại, độc thoại – độc thoại nội tâm), thành phần phụ của câu. Kiểm tra – thi học kì I.
To help students understand the meaning of verbs, they have studied theory and have learned new vocabulary. We also showed students some examples with picture illustrations about verbs, such as ăn = to eat. Immediately after this, students answered related questions. Next, we finished exploring characteristics, functions and combination of verbs. We also asked students to pronounce words in both Vietnamese and English. Then, the students started to make a conversation with the teacher and with their classmates on the subject of “travelling” (working in pair). For the next part, they completed some “filling in the gap” exercises, which was followedup with homework. In general, they understood the work covered and the instructions given in class, and they are able to make their own conversation with the new vocabulary.
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Humanities Updates by Mr. Ronald
English Updates by Mr. Janos This month all students were busy studying for our midterm exams. Parents should have received their student’s results by now. We are eagerly awaiting our shipment of Shakespeare plays so that we can start off the new year with an appropriate challenge. Grade 6 is working on analyzing autobiographies. Grade 7 is looking at examples of leaflets and reports. Grade 8 has completed The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-time. We are now studying “Writing to Inform”.
Contact Us
International School of Vietnam No. 6-7 Nguyen Cong Thai, Dai Kim Urban Area, Dinh Cong, Hoang Mai, Hanoi, Vietnam. Tel: +84 (0) 435 409183 Fax: +84 (0) 435 409187 www.isvietnam.org inquiries@isvietnam.org www.facebook.com/ISVIETNAM
In ISV Middle School Humanities, students are focused on various dynamics of history and change. In the sixth grade, we are continuing our study of the Renaissance. We are focusing on city planning and architecture in preparation for our next unit. In the seventh grade, students are finished with our section on the Roman Empire, and we are now focusing the Middle Ages and the dynamics of human/environment interaction in Geography. The eighth grade students are beginning a section on the organization and changes in cities. We will be doing a virtual model of Ha Noi with a focus on effects of growth on culture and environment. All students have been doing crosscurricular activities, using their skills learned in Humanities and IT class. Middle school students will all be attending a field trip on Friday 6th February, to enhance their understanding of the five themes of geography.
ICT Updates by Mr. Michael Grade 6 have been completing their online website using wix.com. The subject of their websites was their own choice. They will add more elements onto the website throughout the year. They have learnt about animation using Stykz, and also by making animated .gifs. They have used the skills they learnt to create an animation about ‘the renaissance’ in collaboration with the Humanities Department. In the last few weeks they have been learning how to use ‘Sketchup’ to make 3D models. Grade 7 have been completing their animations using Stykz as well as experimenting with editing images and making an animated .gif from the result. Recently, they have been learning Adobe Flash to make animations and adverts. They have learnt about motion tweens, shape tweens and will look at making interactive adverts using the Actionscript programming language. Grade 8 have been using Sketchup to make a green city in collaboration with the Humanities Department. They have learnt advanced features of Sketchup, such as the ‘sandbox’ tools to create landscapes as well as buildings. They will create a video based on their city and use Audacity to create a background soundtrack to the video.
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