November 18-22

Here is an update on some of last week's exciting activities!

PSPE:
Grades 4-8 have been learning new games during our park time including Dog House.  Old classics like Tag and Capture the Flag have also been revisited recently. In preparation for the basketball tournament next week, we have been practicing dribbling techniques and setting up practice games. Students learn to work together and create strategies to encourage their chances of victory.  The weather has been lovely and we hope it continues a bit longer!

UoI: 
During our UoI time, student wrote and acted in two skits to highlight harmful vs helpful behaviors and attitudes and their effect on society.  They covered topics such as bullying, discrimination, body shaming, and many more.  Students reflected on the effects they observed in the play and how a person's actions can make a big difference both for good and bad.  To conclude the lesson, students wrote a page or longer of why they should stand up for people, do the right thing, and other ways to fight for equality.

English:
We continued our study of Cause/Effect and integrated it into our role play.  Students also practiced writing sentences with variation of Cause/Effect and Effect/Cause using "because" and "so" to enhance their sentences. 

Art:
Students continued their experimentation with pastels by creating amazing representations of an apple.  They focused on lighting and shadow as well as continuing their efforts in blending colors.  The results were fantastic!  Good job everyone! 

We also began work on our classroom Recycle Box but you'll have to wait for next week to see the final product.

Parents Day and the United Nations

Parents Day and the United Nations

Thank you to all of our classroom visitors!  We appreciate your support and look forward to further activities together.  This week had a large focus on our classroom United Nations (UN) where students worked together to solve problems.  Students also learned some new vocabulary in English and studied some new art techniques.  Here are some of the activities we did this week.

Unit of Inquiry:

Students continued their hard work with our mock United Nations and tackled some difficult and thought-provoking concepts such as how to prevent war, discrimination, inequality, and more.  Parents joined the audience as a special UN session took place on Monday and encouraged students to think constructively to solve problems together.  Each student chose a country and created problems to present to the United Nations, asking for help and resolutions.  Each UN delegate also had to prepare a debate and vote on what was best for the most people.  To highlight the diversity in the classroom, students translated information into multiple languages including Japanese, Urdu, Romanian, Korean, Turkish, and sign language.

Other classes were interested and joined for further discussions.  Students demonstrated how to be a positive role model to both Grade 2 and 3.  Grade 5 showcased the importance of listening to others, communicating constructively, and being open minded can help solve both global issues as well as day to day issues in our lives. 

Monthly Assembly:

During our monthly school assembly several Grade 5 students received awards for outstanding achievement.  Hyeri and Sarah won awards for demonstrating their artistic skills during the Inktober competition.  Chiharu was the Grade 5 Merit Winner, and Ahmet won the award for best Inquirer.  Good job!

Art Class:
Students experimented with pastels this week during art class and practiced blending colors.  They learned that some colors blended nicely while other combinations created a muddy or grayish mixture.  Grade 5 has been applying their art skills to their classwork and various class projects, thus earning a positive reputation around the school.