Canadian International School of Hong Kong
!"#$%&'() Actions and decisions have consequences that affect society and the environment. 011
PY G rade
t io n 2 i b i h x PE
6
We all have a hand in
Sharing the Planet
As I write, the halls on the 8th floor are abuzz with the sights and sounds of ‘busyness’: the printer crying out for more paper, the photocopier churning out multiple copies, computer keys clacking, student meetings with mentors, team meetings with homeroom teachers, telephone conversations with outside agencies, movement to and from the library. I see and hear student groups lining the corridor, sitting in circles grappling with problems, asking questions of each ot her, tossing around dif ferent ideas, requesting clarification, hypothesizing, reading newspapers, watching YouTube clips, designing digital storyboards. It’s all happening at the same time; no two groups are doing the same thing. It’s independent, personal and focused. Learning is happening at its best, with students fully motivated and engaged, and teachers simply facilitating the process. I hear familiar words: essential agreements, central idea, lines of inquiry (no, not “inquiry intos”!) concepts, issue, solution, attitudes, skills, reflection, rubric, process journal, investigation, data collection, analysis, drawing conclusions… and so it goes on. Overhearing the banter is all music to the ears of a PYP coordinator. I am heartened to know that our students have risen to the challenge, have adopted responsibility for their own learning, know how to collaborate, and continue to develop the confidence and know-how to conduct a purposeful and personal investigation. It’s learning, it’s hard work and it’s challenging, and from where I sit it appears to be fun. In the words of one Grade 6 parent, “Such a worldly way of learning - no doubt it will be much more meaningful than going by the books!” Tonight you will witness how this all comes together and will take a crucial role in its execution. This exhibition of learning is not just about exhibits. It is an interactive way of developing your own knowledge and understanding about issues of local significance; issues that your children will explain are those we should all take an interest in if we are to share this planet in an equitable way with other people and other living things. It will also be a perfect opportunity to view your child’s learning within the context of an authentic process, and within the context of their grade level. It’s your chance to question, challenge and probe; to gauge the level of students’ understanding, knowledge and skill; to ascertain their attitudes and the way they demonstrate the attributes of the IB Learner Profile: inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, reflective. How do you think these students measure up? Be involved tonight, be engaged, take pride in our children’s achievement, enjoy the experience and… be amazed. Pauline Dooletté-Cox PYP Coordinator
The issue we are investigating is Child Labor. We are interested in learning more about this problem and how it is related to Hong Kong and China. Initially, our group was unsure that the issue of child labor actually related to Hong Kong but after some initial investigation we found that the problem did exist here, although to a lesser extent than in mainland China. During the exhibition we want to find out what is happening to these children in Hong Kong and to find ways to help them. The concepts we are exploring are causation, perspective and responsibility. We are hoping to raise awareness through organizations and raising money to help the children. We hope to develop cooperation and commitment as attitudes and communication and openmindedness as attributes. Our exhibition aim is to make change and for people to recognize that child labor is unacceptable and must stop.
Eve Blondeau, Darren Wong, Sam Ho, Hannah Hwa
“As an upper school teacher, being a mentor is the best way to connect with the lower school, it's kids, and it's curriculum. Its a thoroughly enjoyable project, that I look forward to every year!� Mr Matthew Battani Upper School Teacher & PYP Exhibition Mentor
For the Sharing the Planet unit, we are investigating racism. We thought this is a topic not well discussed and that it is important to talk about. We were interested in finding out why people can be racist and why it is an issue. This problem is relevant to Hong Kong because Hong Kong has lots of different races. We hope people will learn to not be racist and why. Our group hopes to explore John Dopp, Matthew Chan, Michael Cheng the concepts responsibility and racism. We think that because it is our responsibility to not use racism as much as we can. We hope to convince as many people we can to not use racism and to teach students about it. We hope to develop respect and tolerance because people need to respect other races. Also tolerance is important because people should be treated as equals and not discriminated against because of their color, gender, culture or age. We hope people will stop being racist as much as they can and we hope that people will not just treat this a gentle reminder. Racism is offensive to everyone and it should be stopped.
We are investigating the issue of Disability Discrimination in Hong Kong - specifically how the visually impaired don’t get access to certain places. We noticed that there are very little visually impaired students, and so we felt a need to change that. We also feel we need to experience what it actually feels like in their shoes, and so we are planning to walk around the city with a blindfold on, so we (and Rachel Wong, Jeffrey Mak, spectators) can actually feel like we are or are Nicole Tombazzi around somebody who is visually impaired. This is a really big problem in Hong Kong because we noticed in articles that the visually impaired were being discriminated against. To take action, we figured we needed to explain to our audience what they should and shouldn’t do with or near someone with visual impairment. During the process, we will be tolerant and empathetic. Our chosen concepts are: connection, responsibility, and form. Our goal is to persuade our audience to take action, and to do something to help. We hope that as a result of our action, more people will be aware of this and take action.
Our issue is child abuse. We were interested in learning more about this issue because we explored this in Grade 5 and we wanted help prevent it. We thought the issue needed help. This problem is relevant in Hong Kong because there have lately been reports of child abuse in the newspapers. Even though Hong Kong is a developed city, it is still prone to child abuse. We are hoping that Nicholas Chow, Glenn Chang, after people come to our exhibit they will Odette Lau, Cynthia Tam take action and help prevent child abuse too. We will educate and teach people properly how to prevent child abuse and what to do if they are abused. We will explore the concepts causation and responsibility. We chose them because we wanted to find out why there was child abuse and who was and is responsible for it. We intend to learn more about the issue and then start informing people about this problem. We hope to develop the attitudes responsibility and empathy so we can make the right decisions and care about abused children. As a result of our action, we hope to reduce the amount of child abuse in Hong Kong. If we succeed, we will try to help prevent child abuse globally.
Dean Allen, Nathan Hwa, Jason Chan, Darren Sham
We chose to investigate air pollution for the Exhibition. We were very interested in learning about this topic because we used to study this as a project and we wanted to continue studying it. This problem is a really big issue in Hong Kong because our city’s air is being badly polluted by smoking, vehicles and the factories in China. This issue has not been solved for so long. After people watch our presentation, we hope that they will send an email to government, and take action to help Hong Kong to become a green city. We wish they could tell everyone to help reduce air pollutants. A concept we might learn about is causation. We will take action by telling our parents and family members to walk and to use bicycles rather than taking cars. The attitudes we will develop are confidence and independence. We have to do this research and ask people questions about air pollution and how it affects them. We also have to be confident to stand up and be able to explain to our audience about the pros and cons, otherwise we will not be able to convince them and to collect good data for the research. The changes I hope to see happen are that the sky will be clear eventually from foggy dust and to see more eco cars running in the streets.
Renewable energy is energy that is generated by natural resources such as solar panels, dams, hydro power, wind turbines, and more! On the other hand, coal is what Hong Kong frequently uses to p r o d u c e e n e r g y. I t i s n o t renewable and will eventually run out in 50 years’ time. Burning coal also contributes to air pollution, which as we all know is bad for our health. If we continue to use coal as our main source of energy, what will we do when it runs out? That's the reason why we should use more renewable sources of energy. The positive part of using renewable energy is that it will not run out and we don't have to worry about having no energy or electricity in a few years. We can put it this way: If you cover 1% of the Sahara Desert with solar panels, you could supply the whole world with electricity. The initial set up may cost more but then money is saved by not having to buy a nonrenewable substance!
Rachel Cheng, Vanessa Lai, Lincoln Cheng, Seleste Woo
Our group’s inquiry is energy usage. We chose this issue because we think that we use too much energy in Hong Kong. It is an extremely relevant problem because if our use of energy continues at the current rate, we could run out of natural resources in the not too distant future. Excessive energy use also releases a lot of greenhouse gases into the environment and that causes global warming. Justin Cheung, Kelvin Wong, We are also inquiring into the sources of energy Rohan Hemrajani we use in Hong Kong and how our usage has consequences that affect the environment. We plan to educate and take action to prevent people from wasting energy through negligence and ignorance. Our concepts are connection, function and responsibility. We chose connection because our inquiry connects our use of energy to the harmful effect on the environment. Function relates to the sources of energy in Hong Kong and how we utilize them. Lastly, it is our responsibility to employ energy effectively and become more aware of the ways we can conserve energy in our homes and our daily lives.
Our group’s issue is endangered species, specifically endangered species in Hong Kong and China. We have also investigated some species which are globally endangered. Species are endangered due to a variety of reasons: humans destroying their habitats, hunting and poaching and global warming. Our group is passionate about this issue and feel Isabel Brogsitter-Finck, Anabel that if animals and species die out, it will it have Yeung, Irmina Poon, Jenny Wu a huge detrimental effect on our lives and the environment. For example, if bees became extinct due to pest control, there may be less greenery because of the absence of pollen. This would be a real problem in Hong Kong. If tigers continue to be illegally hunted, eventually they may become extinct. Therefore, the prey that the tiger eats, such as deer, will overpopulate and possibly eat all the grass or other things that are vital to humans. It is a huge domino effect. Action can be taken through joining animal rights organizations, writing letters to government officials and arranging peaceful protests or demonstrations to raise public awareness of the problem.
"Mentoring a group of students engaged in purposeful research of an issue that has ignited their passion is a very rewarding experience for a teacher! It is exciting to be involved with them as they apply all the inquiry skills they have learned throughout their years in the PYP." Ms Myrna Holm Lower School Teacher - Librarian & PYP Exhibition Mentor Privilege? No! Access to quality education is a right! Education is an essential part of a child’s life. It is the key to helping children face and overcome the challenges that occur. It is a vital puzzle piece that allows for success in today’s world. However, many people, at the end of the day, are not prepared to work. They lack the skills and knowledge to participate meaningfully and be involved in community businesses and services. This is a direct result of the poor quality of education that children receive in Hong Kong. Learning about the lack of access to quality education has made us want to know more and to try to help highlight this issue and raise awareness to members of the community like you. In Hong Kong, the government ensures that children receive 12 years of free education; however is this education of the highest possible quality? Is the language of instruction suitable for everyone? Is the method of teaching best suited to children? Is what is being taught of interest and relevant to students? Through research, we hope to learn more about the cause, the form, the responsibilities and perspectives of this important issue of access to high quality education. We will be sure to show respect, integrity and tolerance to the different perspectives that we come across and will be open-minded in accepting all ideas and opinions. Through emails, letters and blogposts, we hope to make a change by raising awareness and offering new ideas and opinions to educational practices in Hong Kong. Although change in large governmental organizations is difficult, we hope to open the eyes of people to the needs of children. As Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” If we are not provided with a education that is of the highest possible quality, we are not equipped to change the world for the better.
Kristyn Lee, Kaya Buurma, Janice Ng, Katrina Yu
Air pollution is a global problem. As a group we chose this issue because we are stunned by the colossal amount of air pollution in Hong Kong. The purpose of this exhibit is to let people know about air pollution in Hong Kong become more aware of the dire state of the current situation and the consequences that that entails. Air pollution is detrimental to our daily lives and the environment. We are concerned about the future Michael Hon, Brandan Fong, of Hong Kong because if air pollution continues to Desmond Chui, Charles Hui rise it may cause increasing respiratory and nervous system problems among the population. Did you know that even basic things like riding a taxi every day has a grave impact on the world we live in and the people around us? There are many ways to reduce air pollution, including walking, biking or taking the bus to school and work, air-drying your clothes instead of using the electric dryer, using air conditioners only when really necessary, turning off lights when leaving a room, or using fluorescent light bulbs instead of high-wattage incandescent bulbs. Air pollution is such a major issue, yet most people ignore it. If everyone did their part and took action, the world would be a cleaner place and people would not have to suffer through the diseases from air pollution. Better quality air means a better quality life.
O u r m a i n i s s u e i s Wa s t e Management. We want to help the environment to be a greener place, not just for Hong Kong, but for the world too. We want people to know we MUST make an effort to take action, and make a difference. This problem is relevant in Hong Kong because we are not putting enough thought into handling our waste. The government has already done a lot to help, and Ashley Zee, Chloe Lee, it’s making an impact, but there is still a lot we can Natalie Yung, Stephanie Ngan do to help. We want people to walk away from our booth motivated to take action. The concepts we will explore are responsibility; we must all be responsible of our own waste, perspective; learning the views of various people, and function, how the waste disposal process works. The actions we are intending to take are to interview and educate people. We will also observe how they handle their waste products. The main attitude we are exploring is commitment because people need to handle waste more seriously, and understand how fast landfills are filling up. We are hoping that changes happen as a result of our action. This problem must be solved soon before it is too late!
The issue we chose to inquire about is animal abuse. We are really passionate about our issue and hope to make a change in what is currently happening in this field. Animal abuse is occurring in many places in the world, including Hong Kong. Animals are abused in many ways and for different reasons; some are abused for entertainment, food, or for their pelts or skins. We plan on creating an exhibit to raise awareness of animal abuse and Guy Yaffe, Karlson Cheng, encourage people to take action against it. Before Amanda Chan, Brianna Geisbrecht educating and informing others, we conducted research to broaden our understanding and knowledge of the problem. We decided to investigate the issue through the concepts form, connection and responsibility. We intend to make a change by helping animal groups and organizations while also educating others in the issue. We also want to encourage individuals to think about the choices they make, particularly if they affect endangered animals. For instance, saying that you wouldn't eat shark’s fin soup or wear clothing made by animal pelts or fur would help. During this exhibition, we aim to focus and improve on developing the attitudes independence, commitment and cooperation. It is our aim to make people more conscious about the matter of animal abuse and the effect it has on our community. Gender inequality is an ongoing issue right now, as men have more access to job opportunities than women. We didn’t know that gender inequality was a problem in Hong Kong before. After reading newspaper articles, and learning more about the women’s organizations in Hong Kong, the way women were ill-treated shocked us. Why do they have to suffer? The concepts are change, perspectives, and causation. Change, because we want to investigate how gender inequality has developed and improved over the years, Perspective, because it is necessary to know the society and government’s opinion on gender inequality, and finally, Causation, to find out how gender inequality started. Our attitudes are empathy and curiosity. We chose Empathy because as women we know how it feels to be discriminated against, and Curiosity because gender inequality seems really interesting to us. We show enthusiasm as we delve deeper into this issue. Our exhibition is geared towards providing the audience such as teachers, parents and students with essential information, so that they understand the different perspectives of women rights and how it has changed over the years. Most importantly, how it has impacted our society and the global environment. Hopefully, by exhibiting this education and knowledge, gender equality will be promoted and people will be more aware of this Kelly Wing, Michelle Au, issue in Hong Kong. Nicole Hon, Ena Cheng
Our group’s issue is the law of Minimum Wa g e i n H o n g Ko n g . H o n g Ko n g ’ s government started giving rights to lowincome workers through the Minimum Wage law because the people didn’t give enough money to the workers before. We’re interested in this issue because it will affect our lives in various ways; thus is a very serious issue in Hong Kong. Now that the minimum wage law is in effect, bosses are probably going to fire more people because they won’t have enough to pay each worker $28 per hour. Our group’s concepts are causation, perspective, and function. When the minimum wage law was set a few weeks ago, people in Hong Kong thought of this law differently, and we are going to investigate it. The action our group wants to take is to raise awareness. We are going to do this by writing an ar ticle to the newspaper, and telling the young people about this issue. We hope to develop empathy and commitment. We need to have empathy for people and help them. We also need to be committed to help and do this project and to do this properly.
Dickson Cheng, Branton Choi, Brandon Chiu, Max Larbier
“I'm excited to become one of the mentors this year and have an opportunity to witness our grade six s tudents growing t o be more c o n fi d e n t , r e s p o n s i b l e , a n d independent learners. Good team work is a key to success in the PYP exhibition like what Henry Ford once said: "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." Ms Makky Fung Lower School LTT Teacher & PYP Exhibition Mentor
Our inquiry for the exhibition is water pollution as our group are all interested in learning more about this problem and how it affects marine life and our environment in Hong Kong. This issue is related to Hong Kong because every day there is a tremendous amount of waste washed up on our shores and dumped into our seas. We are hoping that the actions we take as a group will make citizens of Hong Kong understand how water Dylan Enright, Calvin Lai, pollution affects the community and the ecosystem. Brian Yeung, Christian Hwa The concepts we will explore through our investigation are form and responsibility. One of the actions we intend to take is to make a banana filter which is a reusable water system. We will promote this as an alternative way of conserving water. The attitudes we wish to develop over the course of the exhibition are independence and enthusiasm. We are all passionate about this issue and appreciate the great danger our world is in through the various ways we pollute our seas and oceans.
Many families in China cannot send their children to school because they do not have the money to send their child to a good school. Is it equal? Fair? Adequate? Appropriate? ! It is because of the rising school fees and the rising amount of greed!! Children and family members end up working to get their child into a decent school! Without education these children cannot read or write and might never qualify for better jobs…they are destined to spend their lives in poverty. During our investigation we will explore three concepts: responsibility, causation and perspective. Our group chose responsibility because we would like to know who is responsible for these children’s education. ! Our focus is on different perspectives because we are curious about the opinions of parents, teachers, and children on the kind of education they received. Causation will be one of our main concepts because will focus our investigation on the impact school systems have on underprivileged children. Our intention is for people to follow o u r exa m p l e , a n d t o m a ke a difference whether big or small.
Jeffrey Tsaw, Sabrina Roberts, Marjolaine Legros-Hoffner
“I was very much looking forward to being a mentor this year as it gives me the opportunity to work with students in a small group environment. I really enjoy engaging students in conversation regarding important matters that affect the world such as “Women’s Rights” something I believe strongly about. It is great to see the current young minds of future world leaders and the thoughtful questions they pose and answers to problems they have. I find I learn just as much from the students as they learn from me. Facilitating inquiry into such matters that allows students to take action is a very beneficial process as it allows them to have a voice and effect change in the world. I am currently working with 4 students who are very passionate about their inquiry into Women’s Rights and it is wonderful to see the energy that is exhibited by them. When humanity recognizes how important it is to have equality between men and women, then we will have achieved one of the prerequisites to world peace.” Mr Marc Steiner Lower School Physical Education Teacher & PYP Exhibition Mentor
Activate prior knowledge
Define purpose & create plan
Ou Inqu C yc
Determine actions
Present findings
Make connections
Formulate questions
Collect data
Our uir y yc l e
Collate & sort data
Draw conclusions
Analyse data ! The Mcleod Inquiry Framework
“Teaching and learning has changed a lot since I began teaching Grade 6 over 15 years ago. And, having been out of the classroom for a few years, I look forward to the Grade 6 Exhibition when I have an opportunity to spend a few weeks working with students. The student-led investigations of the Exhibition are challenging for students and I enjoy working alongside a group, providing support and encouragement as required.� Mr Dean Croy Lower School Vice Principal & PYP Exhibition Mentor We chose to investigate endangered species because it relates to our daily lives in Hong Kong. Animals are affected by what we are doing every day and we may not be aware that our actions may endanger our lives. There are many animals that are endangered such as the Green Turtle, Pearl River Dolphin and Blue Fin Tuna. We hope we can raise the awareness of the citizens of Hong Kong and hopefully they will take action in many ways such as Grace Chan, Ashley Wong, donating money, participating in protests and Adrian Pang, Edgar Chao volunteering to help save the animals, the ecosystem and ourselves in the long run. The PYP concepts we hope to explore are causation, perspective and change. We chose causation because we want to find out what has caused this problem. We also chose change and perspective because we want to know how we can help to cure this problem and understand the problem from different perspectives, for example the hunters, the community, the government etc. The actions we hope to take are to donate money and volunteer to help these poor animals. The attitudes we hope to expand on are appreciation, cooperation and confidence. What we want to expand on is appreciation because we want to understand what the animals have gone through all their lives and through this process hoping to persuade people to help these animals. We chose cooperation because people have to work together to save the endangered species. We also hope that through the Exhibition we can enhance our confidence getting it done in the tight timeframe. Some of the skills we chose to concentrate on are communication skills and thinking skills because we are not used to working with each other and communication is the key to success. Thinking skills are important because we need to train ourselves to examine and analyze all the concepts and attitudes more thoroughly.
The issue that my group will be inquiring into is poverty and in particular investigating ways to reduce poverty in Hong Kong. Poverty is one of t he ma jor issues in Hong Kong wit h approximately 30% of Hong Kong citizens currently living in poverty. We are hoping that we can raise awareness of the issue and encourage people to take action to help those who live in poverty. People can help by donating food, Keith Leung, Marcus Cheng, clothing and money. They can also help out by Brian Siu, Ali Chiu offering their time to carry out jobs and provide assistance to organizations. The concepts that we chose to explore are responsibility, connection and causation. The attitudes some of the group chose are confidence and commitment, the reasons being that we need to be confident in explaining our issue and committed to doing something about it. Our main goal is to come up with ideas to aid the number of people living poverty.
Water is essential to our lives. Water is finite. Water is a natural resource that once we lose we cannot get again. Every day, the water is getting more and more polluted. People are not making a change. People don’t know and are too lazy to make a change and help improve our own world. Although people are doing things and helping, it is not enough. We need to change. Water pollution can affect our daily lives greatly. When garbage or toxins from the landfill and sewers end up in the sea, fishes will take in this water and will get affected by the chemicals. They may die or get eaten by bigger fish, which we eat. After we eat these contaminated fish, we will have toxins in our bodies that could affect us greatly. So it’s a food chain cycle. 70% of our world is water and if we lose it or pollute it, we will suffer the consequences. The seas and rivers are all very important to the world’s ecosystems; if we did not have seas and rivers, we may as well be extinct. We are polluting the world’s most finite resources and polluting them and wasting them. Animals live in the seas, yet we are continuing to dump trash in to where they live. It’s just like throwing rubbish into your neighbor’s house and leaving it there. We have to think of our actions, and improve and leave the old ways behind.
Trevor Ho, Matthew Chow, Kurt Chan, Andrew Lin
What you do counts - it will make a difference to our environment and our world - the world we are responsible for.
Our issue is human consumption. We’re interested in this issue as it is very serious, both globally and locally. It’s about the way people are over consuming. Also, people are using up resources and buying things that they do not need, which has consequences to both the environment and society. This issue is relevant to Hong Kong as this city is a shopping city and many tourists come solely to shop. A problem is that people throw away their things very quickly because of planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence; this means how you will be persuaded to throw away old things and buy new products. In six months, only 1% of items bought are still in use. The product’s many layers of wrapping worsen this problem. We are hoping that people will learn more about this issue and the prevention of it, so they can share with others, and take action. The concepts that we are focusing on are responsibility, change and consumption. The attitudes that we hope to develop are cooperation, curiosity, independence, and tolerance; we can do this by trying hard and talking to each other. The action and change that we hope will happen as a result of our work are for the consumerist society to dissolve and everyone to be happy and cooperate.
Emma Chickles, Andrew Choi, Vincent Lee, Jassica Chuen
Dorothy Leung, Colleen George, Victoria Jooris, Natalie Fong
Our group has chosen deforestation since we all think it is a major issue in the world right now. To make it more relevant to our community we are mainly focusing on the lack of greenery in Hong Kong. We are passionate about this subject since trees and greenery are vital to the wellbeing of our planet. After listening to a guest speaker from the Roots and Shoots organization our group became motivated to do something about this issue. Deforestation is said to be one of the Earth’s major problems. If the destruction of trees and greenery continues at the current rate, there will be many problems for the natural balance of the earth. Animal habit ats are af f ect ed, global warming has increased, pollution levels are at an all-time high rise and species are dying out. The concepts we are focusing on are connection and causation. We want to know why deforestation is happening and what lac k of greenery means to the residential areas of Hong Kong. Our team is looking forward to the Exhibition and we hope to raise awareness and also to motivate action.
Our exhibit is about endangered species as we are all interested in learning more about this problem and how we can help. Our major focus will be on sharks as they are very relevant to Hong Kong because it is a major shark-finning industry. The Chinese eat shark fin soup at formal dinners, and the fisherman make a lot of money out of the industry. Doris Ma, Mya Miller, Edson Bichon, Bryan Roach
We are hoping to make people more aware of this cruel and destructive practice and how it has affected the number of sharks in our waters.
The concepts driving our inquiry are causation, change and responsibility. We can explore these concepts by finding out the consequences of shark-finning and the changes that have occurred to our eco-system. The most important concept we feel is responsibility, because as humans we are responsible to the damage being done and it is only humans that can fix it. We aim to can raise awareness about endangered species and organize an ‘Endangered Species Day’ to convince people to take action. We are even intending to talk to the government for a bigger change. Throughout this exhibition our group have displayed the attitudes of independence, enthusiasm and cooperation, all of which have helped us carry out an in-depth, meaningful inquiry. We are hoping that endangered animals will be back on the safe list, and people realize the importance of conserving species and caring for our environment through protecting our animals.
Our group is concerned about the way animals are used for testing purposes because we have a passion for animals, and want humans and animals to be equal. This is a problem in Hong Kong and China because they are the main places where animals are being used for experimentation in the world. We hope people will understand that animal testing is a problem, that it must be resolved, and that we can persuade others to take action to prevent further torture of animals. Matthew Tsang, Elliot Chui, Our concepts are perspective, causation, and Alex Smith, Jacinta Amaro responsibility. We are showing the attitudes: empathy, integrity and curiosity, because we have to be honest, caring, and inquisitive. We are going to take action by explaining in classes that by supporting companies that test their product on animals, animals may suffer. Finally, we are going to persuade our audience that animal testing is inhumane, and people should not support it.
We will be investigating domestic helper abuse in Hong Kong. ! We want to learn about domestic helper abuse because we think this is a very relevant topic in Hong Kong. !We also believe that certain individuals in the society do abuse the helpers both physically and emotionally. !We as a group think that this is a relevant topic because there are over 300,000 foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong and Dennis Poon, Tomoka Masuda, there is a high chance that some people may Josie Ku, Jordan Lim abuse them. !We hope that whoever visits our exhibit can learn about their plight. ! We will be exploring the concepts, form, perspective and responsibility. ! We need to explore these concepts to find out what abuse really means, collect information from different perspectives, and also explore on the responsibilities of related people such as employers or agencies in treating helpers fairly. We will be displaying the learner profile attributes of being caring, open-minded and also as inquirers. !We will need to use these attributes because the helpers might not like to talk about their unhappy experience or feel embarrassed or discriminated against. !We also need to do a lot of research to understand more about the reasons behind the abuse by different groups of people. !We hope to educate the community on these issues and teach employers or other related people to treat domestic helpers in a fair way. Education of the community can be through talks, brochures and many other ways to bring this topic to higher awareness. !We hope that not only will students learn and be aware of this issue, but they can also bring this message to their parents, relatives and friends.
“Being a mentor is a great opportunity to work with kids as they are pulling together so many skills and ways of thinking that they have gained through the PYP. Throughout the inquire cycle, from "tuning in" and "finding out" right through to "making conclusions" and "action," I admire the enthusiasm, team skills and desire to do well on the part of the kids. It's a great ending to the year and their Lower School pathway.� Mr Rob Grantham Lower School Counsellor & PYP Exhibition Mentor
Air pollution is a worldwide issue. It doesn’t just happen in Hong Kong but it happens everywhere else in the world; that’s why our group decided to research the issue and help reduce air pollution. This problem is relevant to Hong Kong because the air pollution rate is constantly high. Also, it is almost impossible to not breathe in exhaust since Hong Kong has many vehicles. Exhaust fumes are very harmful and affect all living organisms.
Nathan Ho, Justin To,
Nicholas Yue, Nick Lee We want to persuade people to use public transport more often and drive less because pollution takes a long time to leave Hong Kong since there are so many highrises that prevents the exhaust fumes from leaving quickly.
During the exhibition process, we hope to understand this situation better and take action. We want people to become passionate about saving our earth through our elaborate presentations to classes and the public. We are going to explore the concepts form, because we want to know how pollution is made by vehicles, causation because researching the causes of air pollution is necessary for our investigation, and lastly responsibility because we need to research how air pollution can be reduced.
We all are animal lovers and we really want to take action to stop animal abuse from happening anymore because it’s really unfair to the animals that are being abused. A lot of people buy pets without thinking and leave them out to die. They don’t understand their responsibilities of taking care of an animal, and that’s only one kind of animal abuse. We hope that after people come to see our exhibit, they’ll learn a way to step up and stop animal abuse from happening anymore in the future. Our concepts are responsibility and causation because we are responsible for this mess but we are not handling it the right way. We intend to take action by informing our parents about animal abuse, writing new blog posts and by volunteering to help at animal shelters and kennels.
Alexis Yam, Hazel Leung, Rita Ko, Gwyneth Ng
The attitudes that we want to develop are integrity and curiosity because if we really care about the animals and if we really want to stop animal abuse, we would stand up for the animals being abused. Curiosity because we need to be curios about this issue before we do research or all our research data will mean nothing if we don’t care about animal abuse.
We hope that after we took our actions of informing our families and writing on blogs, people would pay more attention to animals that are being abused and animal abuse would stop.
Our group chose poverty because it is both a global and local issue, which affects a large number of people. Many in the Hong Kong community do not appear to care about poverty because it doesn’t really affect their daily lives. In fact, many locals and ex-pats don’t seem to realize that poverty actually exists in Hong Kong. The concepts, which drive our inquiry are form, responsibility and perspective. Each link to our investigation and will help us answer the questions we have raised. We have planned excursions to visit and interview people who live in the infamous cages in Hong Kong, as well as the beggars who spend time on the streets. We want to learn more about their lives and give them a voice through our exhibition. We are hoping visitors to our exhibit will become more aware of the problems that exist right here in Hong Kong and want to take personal action.
Caitlin Cormie, Cheryl Kwok, Patricia Hu, Isabelle Mascarenhas
“As the culminating experience of a student’s years in the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the PYP Exhibition ser ves as the ultimate summative assessment task.! The process allows allows students to showcase their learning across all areas of the curriculum.! The pressure is definitely on, but the results speak for themselves.! The CDNIS Grade 6 students of 2011-12 should be extremely proud of their achievements.” Mr Tom Woods PYP Coordinator
Our group’s issue is domestic helpers in Hong Kong and their rights. We selected this issue after a guest speaker opened our eyes to some of the shocking problems domestic helpers face right here in Hong Kong. This is a very relevant issue because of the large amount of people in Hong Kong who have domestic helpers. It is our aim to raise awareness to the difficulties helpers face and to take action that prevents some of the Anakin Tse, Armaan Gandevia, terrible treatment they endure. Our concepts are Isabel Gibson, Stephanie Pak form and responsibility because want to study the current legal rights of domestic helpers and also look at some organizations set up to defend helpers when those rights are violated. We will also investigate cases where domestic helpers are abused and the consequences, if any, that employers face when accused of abusing helpers. Finally, it is the responsibility of all of us who have helpers to be respectful, responsible and recognize the helpers basic human rights.
Our issue is the conflict about the safety of the nuclear power plant. We chose this topic because we were worried about the safety of the people of Hong Kong. If the nuclear power plant leaks then it can make Hong Kong uninhabitable and we would have to evacuate because of radiation risks. We are hoping that people will learn that there is a conflict about the safety of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant. We chose perspective and causation because we wanted to know what caused the conflict and the people’s perspectives about the conflict. We can tell others about the problem and maybe they will start protesting against nuclear plants near Hong Kong. We hope to develop the attitudes: tolerance, by being patient with each other, and commitment by b e i n g d e d i c a t e d t o o u r wo r k , completing our tasks every day. We also want to be respectful, following our essential agreements, and cooperative, by working with our group members. Finally, we will show curiosity by researching a lot. We want the government to remove the plant and maybe put it in some random remote island.
Aidan Holmbraker, Ryan Ma, Henry Hargreaves, Jack Turner
Henry Jin, Conor Spangfort, Elias Buurma, Brendan Johnston
Our problem is air pollution and how dangerously high it is in Hong Kong. The reason we are interested in learning more about this issue is because in Hong Kong, the air pollution and smog levels are extremely hazardous to the citizens. On certain days in Hong Kong, pollution levels make going outside dangerous and it can affect your health in many ways. When people walk away from our exhibition we hope that they have learnt something about how serious this problem really is and how we can try to stop it. We are looking at the concepts of change, causation and responsibility. Change: How air pollution is changing in severity and becoming worse? Causation: What and who is causing all this pollution? Responsibility: What we can do to reduce pollution and how we could actually prevent it? The action we are planning to take is to encourage drivers from idling, as well as planting some trees, which will help clean the air and provide oxygen. We are aware that small actions by many can help pollution levels drop and perhaps ease the situation.
“Mentoring is about learning from a team of young experts ! My young Water Pollution team is rapidly demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of Hong Kong's water issues and teaching me much about the levels of clean water. For my part (a small, modest part), I have worked with them on how to collect empirical data and conduct surveys that will inform us - but not overwhelm or confuse us !!!! The team includes four impressively academic and serious young men who arrange meeting times, proffer their computerised information and generally keep me informed and on track. Soon I expect them to turn up in suits and ties and enquire as to what I have contributed to the team - ha! As a mentor, I feel fortunate to have such an impressive PYP 'Gang of Four’.” Ms Linda Trautman MYP Coordinator & PYP Exhibition Mentor
The issue we are investigating is animal and pet abuse in Hong Kong. We are all interested in this because we love animals. We are inquiring into pet abuse in Hong Kong because it is very relevant here. Many pets are abandoned in Hong Kong each year and we are hoping that through our exhibition people will learn that they shouldn’t adopt pets because they think they are cute or will be a suitable plaything. Petrina Mo, Ines Duan, The concepts that we have chosen are causation, Reina Tse, Aimee Sham function and responsibility. We chose function because we wanted to investigate the different types of animal abuse that occur in Hong Kong. We also chose responsibility because we need to take action to prevent animal abuse and make people realize that owning a pet is a huge responsibility. The last concept is causation because we wanted to learn more about the legal rights of animals. We plan to have awareness days where we walk around Hong Kong giving out pamphlets on pet abuse, and making people aware of the effects of animal abuse. We have interviewed members of animal organizations and made links with groups who work on behalf of abused animals and pets. Through our inquiry we hope to show the attitudes of tolerance, creativity, cooperation and confidence.
Mark Kaiser, Priscilla Chau, Alan Lee, Jasmine Hui
Our issue for our Grade 6 Sharing the Planet exhibition is physical disabilities. !We chose this topic for different reasons: one member chose it because his dad is physically disabled and another chose it because it was an interesting topic and has a lot of relevance in Hong Kong. !The two other members of our group chose human rights, which relates to the issue because those with physical disabilities need equal opportunities. !
The issue of physical disabilities is relevant in Hong Kong because there are people who are in need of organizations to help with rehabilitation and vocation. ! There are also services provided by the government that help, including offering disabled parking and ramp access to buildings. ! During this exhibition, we will explore the concepts of form, function and responsibility. ! We hope to develop the attitudes empathy and respect, by researching more and interviewing physically disabled people to develop a deeper understanding of their needs and the obstacles they face on a daily basis in Hong Kong through their perspective. ! We hope people who attend our exhibition will have a better understanding of physical disabilities through our research and will take action from their learning.
Now that Hong Kong is one of the world’s biggest importers of shark fin, we have decided to study the problem of shark finning. As you will learn from our exhibit, shark finning is an extensive issue in Hong Kong. To the Chinese, shark fin soup is culture; it is a sign of wealth. We are hoping that people will learn that sharks are not infinite, and that without sharks the eco-system will change. We need to protect them because they Davis Lau, Eric Heidinger, are very important to our lives and how we live. Charmaine Luk, Tiffany Cheng We chose perspective, causation and connection as our concepts. We chose perspective because we wanted to discover the different points of view on this issue. We chose causation because we wanted to know why this issue is happening. We chose connection because we wanted to know how the issue in Hong Kong affects our whole planet. We have already taken some action because on the 15th of May, we did a protest (freeze mob) on the Avenue of the Stars. We want to develop attitudes of curiosity and appreciation because we think it is important that we show these to accomplish a good exhibition. We want to develop curiosity because we are curious about shark finning.
With special thanks to: Mr Dave McMaster Mr Dylan Hughes Ms Linda Parnsalu Mr Dean Croy Ms Pauline Doolette-Cox Mr Thomas Woods The Grade 6 Teachers The Mentors LLAC Staff And the CDNIS community for supporting this event!
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