PREK-K Newsletter

PYP News!

Dear Parents, This is a very exciting and important time @ HIS. Why? HIS Elementary is undergoing the PYP self study. What is it? It is a time of reflection from teachers, students and parents about what we are doing well and what areas we can improve. This is a positive school improvement process. In April, 2016, HIS will undergo the PYP Evaluation visit; an international team of PYP experts will review and assess our development of the PYP. This is part of our school’s commitment to improving teaching and learning for your children. As Coordinator, I recently attended ‘The Role of the PYP coordinator’ workshop in Bangkok, I learned how to create and develop a more effective learning environment for the school. Our aim is to provide a community school that serves the needs of all students. We constantly try to improve at HIS. Neil Johnstone ­PYP Coordinator njohnstone@hisvietnam.com

Dana 1A and Jennifer 2J were thinkers learning chess!

Unit: The first unit in PreK­K is all about Friendship, having the Central Idea : “Friendships enrich our lives and require nurturing in order to develop.” It was a great unit to start the school year by getting to know their classmates and develop meaningful relationships. The students engaged in various activities like playing together, drawing and describing their friends, reading stories and joining in short skits/puppet show. This unit gave them a clearer understanding of how to make friends and the qualities of a good friend. They became familiar with thelearner profile and attitudes for this

unit­ Communicator, Caring, Respect and Empathy. PreK­K will be learning about HOMES under the transdisciplinary theme “Where We Are in Place and Time”. The Central Idea is,“Homes reflect family life and culture.” TheLines of Inquiry are:What makes a home; How homes

reflect family life and How homes reflect culture. This unit can open the minds of students on how similar and different homes, family life and culture in each household. For the summative assessment, the students will be working independently and will be designing their own homes using various materials. They will be using what they learnt about culture and family life in designing these homes.

LANGUAGES: In Language Arts, they learned some letter names and sounds. They joined in singing songs about the letters, practised writing letters and short words. They showed great interest in listening to stories and spent time drawing pictures related to the story. Through ‘Show and Tell’, role­play and interactive discussions, they further developed their oral communication skills and became confident in speaking in front of an audience. One of the main activities that showcased their confidence was during the presentation of “Rainbow Fish” where in the students presented a short skit and poem at the Elementary Assembly. For the next unit, they will continue learning the letter names, sounds and picture words. Through this UOI (Unit of Inquiry) they will be familiar with different words that define each family and culture. In written language, they will begin to copy key vocabulary related to HOMES and be familiar with these words. Venn diagram will be introduced to make statements and comparison of own and others’ homes. The students will read different stories, related to homes and students will practise their oral communication skills through sharing and talking about their homes.

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THE ARTS The PreK­K learnt how to express themselves using patterns, shapes and symbols. The activities involved sharing ideas and collaborating to come up with different individual and class projects. They learnt how to create different patterns using the Zentangle Technique and Gustav Klimt artwork.

PSPE In PE the focus has been on helping and sharing with one another. They have worked in pairs or small groups to help each other finish problem solving tasks. This has provided strong link to their unit of inquiry. In swimming we've been building the students confidence in water through game play. Students now have more confidence floating in the water, blowing bubbles and pushing from the wall (rockets) to help start swimming. Mr Adam

VIETNAMESE: In unit 1, students learnt about basic

vocabulary and listened to story about friendship. They understood the importance of friendship and how to keep good friendship.

For the next unit, students will listen to a Vietnamese story, “Three little pigs” and discuss what constitutes a home and understand how homes reflect family life and culture in Vietnam.

MATHS: The focus in Math last unit was all about Data Handling. The students made charts and graphs representing the number of friends they have. They also learned how to read charts and handle data through asking people about their favourite sweet treats. They

became familiar using language of Mathematics in comparing quantities using more or less. They participated in Math games about matching and counting. At the end of the unit they learned measurement and tried to measure their friends using non­standard measurement. For the next unit, the students will continue to create living graphs using real objects and people. They will also focus more on learning numbers and recognising numbers without counting. They will also explore shapes and create homes using various shapes and sizes.

Key Dates: 3rd October ­ 13th October: Break 12th and 13th, October: In­school Professional Development for Elementary 22nd October: Grade 5 overnight camp 16th and 17th November: Three Way Conferences 10th November: Late Start. Students to start at 10.30 27th November: International Day 7th­11th December: Elementary School Production 9th December: Elementary Reports home

Miss Lisa’s comment: Recently our teachers have been discussing teaching and learning about ‘Visible Thinking Strategies.’ Research defines Visible Thinking as, ‘nonlinear, open­ended, and complex thinking; it allows for multiple responses, unspecified answers, various perspectives and

interpretations, and recognition of order among chaos.’ Parents can help at home by asking questions, by role­modeling thinking out loud, and not just expecting a one word answer. Elementary Student Council is one example of how we implement Visible Thinking. To find out more about how to help your child (or children) please follow some of the articles I have shared on my Twitter Account; https://twitter.com/lisakatehughes Miss Lisa Hughes

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MUSIC The students of Kinder have settled into our music class routines very well. We are currently working on building our repertoire of songs, which include Dr. Knickerbocker, Jeremiah and This Old Man, using our popular Songcards. They are singing very well, and it is really great to see that they are already confident enough to sing on their own in class. In addition, Kinder are enjoying Circle Songs and activities, and are exploring Movement and Dance activities, using movements which reflect tempo and dynamic changes in the music we listen to. Please find some photos of our musical activities in the Elementary Music Web Site Mr. Grant

Student Reflections: The highlight of this unit was developing friendly relationships. The PreK­K students learned to be more caring and respectful towards their friends. They also enjoyed working together as a group and understood the value of cooperation and taking turns. This unit they reflected on good characteristics of a friend and the importance of taking care and looking after their friends. In their summative assessment they have shown their understanding of the unit by completing their “Friendship Booklet” by drawing their friends and the activities they enjoy doing with them. They also answered a checklist as a reflection of how they understood the unit. They have concluded the unit by making a video about “FRIENDS.” Below are some of their reflections: Stephan­ “I play with my friends Lorenzo, Kesha and Jae Hyuk. I love them.” Rinon­ “I help my friend Rina by translating for her. I want to give her a HUG.” Hoang My­ “Thao is my best friend and I love playing with her.” Jae Hyuk­ “I can be a good friend by not hurting my friends and by being caring to them.” Jenny­ “Friendship means playing together. Ayeon and Sophie are my friends because they are generous and kind to me.”

Hanoi International School enables all students to realise their full potential in a caring and positive learning environment. Through our broad and balanced international curriculum, we endeavour to develop responsible, globally conscious citizens. We strive to develop the whole child as a life­long learner with a strong sense of self worth.

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