September+MYP+Newsletter


 * __ September Newsletter: __**

Important Dates: **MYP 3/4 October 5- October 7 Warsaw Field Trip** **October 17: Teacher only day, No school for students** **October 31- November 4: Fall Break, No school for teachers and students**

Student Representative Council Elections

Dear Parents,

We now have a new President, Vice-President and Treasurer for the student Council!

On Wednesday September 28th, the candidates for the positions of Treasure and President made their speeches to the WIS Community and voting took place immediately afterwards. We were really pleased that so many students showed an interest in becoming more involved in their school community. They put their fears aside, took a risk and gave great speeches!

The candidates for Treasurer were:

Areez Hyoung Jun JiWon

media type="file" key="JiWon Lee.flv" width="432" height="432"

The candidates for President were:

Dhaya Kristian Minhae Hae Chang



OK... so now for the moment you've all been waiting for... After a very close contest, our new Treasurer is ...**JiWon** **,** our Vice-President is...**Minhae** and our President...**Hae Chang**



Congratulations to those students! The next job is to choose our class representatives and then the real work can begin!

Sincerely,

Jill Craig

**Art**

In art class, the MYP 1 are learning how to draw in perspective and looking at the work of Kirk Rademaker for their unit on Imaginary Landscapes. If you would like to take a closer look at his work, this is his website. MYP 2 are working on optical illusions, asking how do they work and looking at the art of M. C. Escher. MYP 3/4 are working on how to show depth and convey mood in their work. MYP 5 is working on composition in photography, looking at the work of famous photographers and presenting on them to each other.

**Design Technology**

MYP 1 has been researching on the internet to find out what experts in their mother tongue say is good nutrition so that we can compare results and create a cookbook for the WIS community. MYP 3-4 has finished their investigations of birdhouses and have begun construction. Here they are, at work:

MYP 5 did fantastic work thanks to everyone who filled out their surveys on the wiki! They are concluding their investigations on how to make an interactive display to help library users and will be creating soon.

= Language A =

=MYP 1=

In MYP 1 our introductory unit has been all about reading. The MYP programme aims to encourage and enable students to read widely to promote a lifelong interest in language and literature and to respond appropriately to a variety of texts. We have, therefore, been examining our reading habits, discussing the elements of a good book and learning how to write an effective response to literature. With the help of Mrs Franco, all the students have now set up their own blogs. The purpose of these blogs is to give students a forum for responding to what they are reading, sharing their responses with their classmates and teacher and commenting on the reading and responses of their peers. Students in MYP 1 should be reading in English for about 30 minutes every day. Three or four times a week, students will be expected to update their blogs. Twice a trimester, students will write a full reading response to a story or novel of their choice. These will be assessed throughout the school year according to the rubric on the wiki site.

=MYP 2=

In MYP 2, we have begun the year with a unit on short stories. While reading a number of different short stories, we are constantly asking ourselves what the essential ingredients for a good short story are. We will be doing a number of short writing assignments on areas such as creating tension, developing plot, creating setting and characters and writing from different perspectives. At the end of the unit, the students will produce their own short story, incorporating the elements of fiction that we have analysed and discussed.

=MYP 3/4=

The MYP 3/4 students are in the middle of a unit on Travel Writing. By reading and viewing a number of extracts from various forms of travel writing such as autobiographical travel journalism, brochures, advertisements and travel guides, students have analysed how writing changes depending on the purpose and audience. They have examined what techniques writers use to bring a place to life and how they transport their readers there. In order to practice using persuasive language, each student created a PowerPoint presentation about their country. At the end of the presentations, the students selected the place they would most like to visit based solely on the the information in the PowerPoints. The most popular choices can be seen below. Note particularly how the students use strong adjectives and emotive language to ‘sell’ their country.







=MYP 5=

As the personal project is a huge focus in MYP 5, a lot of the year will be devoted to improving writing skills. We have begun the year with a unit on Genres of fiction. We are reading a number of short stories or extracts from different genres and comparing how writers conform to or manipulate the genre they are writing in. The students carried out research into some of the different genres and made presentations for each other. We have reviewed essay writing skills, with particular emphasis on developing thesis statements, topic sentences and conclusions. At the end of the unit students will write an essay comparing two works within a genre and will then choose a novel from a genre that appeals to them to analyse in depth.

=**Mathematics** =

MYP 1 students’ first unit is Whole Numbers. They tried to find out how different cultural groups used symbols in mathematics through the ages. They also created their own number system with new symbols and rules. Then they practiced calculations and solved word problems. Now we are learning about magic squares, number pyramids and cross-number totals.

MYP 2 students are learning about 2D and 3D shapes. They can identify and determine properties of triangles, quadrilaterals and polygons and calculate missing angle in a polygon. They also learned about transformations (reflection, rotation, dilation and translation) and symmetries. Now we are doing constructions. During this unit they learn how to use a GeoGebra software that helps in investigating mathematical problems.

MYP 3/4 students are finishing their first unit “Algebraic techniques”. They have been practicing skills such as: substituting into algebraic expressions and formulae, simplifying, expanding and factorizing algebraic expressions. Mathematical investigations enabled them to discover how helpful tool is algebra when we need to prove something or justify our findings.

MYP 5 students are finishing the Statistics and Probability Unit. Now they are doing an investigation ‘To succeed in the end’. The question is: ‘If you keep trying, will the probability of achieving your goal increase or decrease?’ Albert Einstein said ‘You never fail until you stop trying’ and we will see what 10 graders think about this quote. First part of our unit was Statistics. We focused on displaying data in visual and meaningful way. Aga and Jiwon decided to present water statistics during the next Middle School Assembly.

**Middle School Physical Education**

In MYP 3-5 students have been in their Frisbee unit. They have participated in Disc golf, which is like real golf except you have to throw a Frisbee at a target instead of hitting a ball in a hole. They have worked on improving their strategy as well as throwing technique. This week they are learning and playing a new Frisbee activity called Ultimate Frisbee. If you would like to learn more about this unit and please visit the following WIS PE wiki page link: http://wis-pe.wikispaces.com/8th%2C+9th+and+10th+Grade

The MYP 1 and 2 students have been participating in their Project Adventure unit. They have enjoyed working and cooperating together to solve problems and figure out different tasks. Each lesson the group is building more and more trust between each other, something that is extremely important as we continue together throughout the rest of the school year. Today all of the MYP students went to the outdoor ropes course located on Wroclaw’s Opatowicka Island and this annual trip is a great time to get outside and demonstrate the skills they have learned throughout the unit, of course with safety as the biggest focus. If you would like to learn more about this unit and see some videos from one of the activities please visit the following WIS PE wiki page link: http://wis-pe.wikispaces.com/6th+and+7th+Grade


 * Language B Polish **

MYP 1 foundation MYP 3 We are in the middle of the first unit “me and my family”. So far we have learned members of family, numbers and adjectives. Students already know how to use structure “somebody+to be+adjectives”, they also know the conjugation of verb “to be”. Some of more advanced students already started to use instrumental case and enriched vocabulary with more adjectives and describing vocabulary. The next step will be to tell about our likes and dislikes. The final assessment will be to tell about family, describe all members and tell about their likes and dislikes. During presentation student will be asked some additional questions that will help them to not forget about some details. It will take place in 2-3 weeks.

**__ MYP 1 advanced MYP 2 advanced __** We are in the middle of the first unit my vacation. During this unit students already have learned how describe different places and things that we saw on vacations using distance expressions and new vocabulary for colors. We read first chapter of "Tomek w grobowcach faraonów" to find out how important is to use adjectives and descriptive expressions and to decide what makes good description of the trip or vacation. Our next step will be to watch a travel program "Boso przez świat" by Wojciech Cejrowski and discuss it. Through whole unit we practice our writing skills and we focus on orthography because our final assessment will be to write a letter or create an album from vacation. It will take place in 2-3 weeks.

World Studies
MYP 1 has been investigating the world quite thoroughly this month. They began their mapping unit by exploring how to locate different places on a map using coordinates and relative location. We've also been discussing the "Five Themes of Geography" which help geographers young and old to understand our world according to concepts like location (Where is it?), place (What are its characteristics?), region (Does it share characteristics with other places?), movement (What sorts of goods, ideas and people move in and out?) and human-environment interaction (How does the environment change us and how do we change the environment?). And to understand the world in a much more concrete way, we've also started a cultural exchange project with a group of sixth graders from New Jersey. Our progress can be followed here: http://mrdworldstudies.wikispaces.com/WIS-BTMS+Cultural+Exchange+Program

MYP 2 has been discussing the positive and negative effects of globalization and its overall impact on native cultures. We constructed personal geographies and investigated how we are linked to the world through the foods we eat, the products we buy, the clothes we wear, the movies we watch, the books we read, the music we listen to, and so on. In addition to an inventory and description of these links, students drew maps pinpointing their origins. Here's a sample:

 MYP 3/4 has been studying the world's various systems of government, how they're organized and how they either nurture or undermine social mechanisms like the distribution of resources, individual freedom and minority rights. The students are currently tasked with writing a persuasive essay about the advantages and disadvantages of democracy.

MYP 5 has been learning about markets by investigating the origins of the financial crisis. We began by creating borrower profiles--an ambassador and a photojournalist, both with substantial student loan debt :)--shopping for a dream home in Wrocław, then applying for a mortgage. We also setup virtual stock portfolios and have been exploring concepts like diversification and risk. **MYP Science:**

We are in the middle of our scientific method unit. The students are participating in a variety of activities to practice identifying variables and how to properly set up a scientific investigation. We have done the following experiments: pendulum lab, barbie bungee, paper rocket lab, and egg drop. Students are getting comfortable with new vocabulary. We will continue to practice applying the scientific method and ways of measuring in scientific investigations.
 * MYP1: **

We just finished our scientific method unit where students read a current event and wrote a short essay summarizing the discovery. We are starting our body system unit where students will learn about how the body systems work together. We started with the muscular system. Students learned the name of muscles by practicing an exercise using that muscle.
 * MYP2: **



We have started our perodic table unit where students will be studying dimentional analysis, moles and chemical reactions. We will be completing several experiments in which students will calulate the moles required and will predict the amount of product produced. We are currently still reviewing the scientific method and students will produce a lab report using the IB objectives.
 * MYP3: **



We have finished our scientific method unit where students created a scientific lab report based on IB objectives and analysis of a published scientific investigation. We are starting our genetics unit where students will review DNA, replication, transcription, translation, and Mendel genetics. The students will look at their parents traits and create a chart to explain why they exhibit specific traits.
 * MYP5: **

=**Language B French:**=

During the French lessons we were in a reviewing/discover period for the all month of September.

In MYP 1/2, the beginners discover French language. With the help of the students who already took French last year, they found out how to behave in the class (we signed a behavior contract all together) and how to start the French lessons with a log book. We will continue this unit during one week and each of the students will join his group to continue their program: for MYP 1 it will be the material of the class and for MYP 2 taste and food.

In MYP3/4/5, the class is separated in 3 groups. The beginners started the year as the ones in MYP 1/2. For the intermediate and the advance group, they started the year preparing a project on the Paris trip they went on last year (intermediate) and what they have done during their holidays (advanced). You can see their final work on the picture bellow. Now we started a unit on “ma ville” for the intermediate group and on “mon college” for the advanced.



**Fro****m the Library Nook:**

Dear Parents:

Thank you so much for your support of the //Scholastic International School Book Club//! Our combined order is for 205 books and a total of 35 families participated in the //SISBC// order for September. Kindergarten and Fourth Grade had the highest family participation -- Congratulations to both classrooms!!!

I would also like to publicly thank Mrs. Konkarikoski for helping me get the //Scholastic Book Club// up and running for this year. Her encouragement and willigness to help is greatly appreciated!!!

Receipts for your individual book orders will be arriving home on Friday, September 30th. Please look through them and if there are any errors, please contact me right away, so the mistakes can be corrected. My email is: franco@fem.org.pl

As soon as I hear from //Scholastic//, I will post the expected date of delivery and distribution of books on the Library wikisite.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Our next //Scholastic International School Book Club// leaflet is scheduled to arrive in November -- just in time for holiday shopping!!!

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Thank you so much for helping us create a culture of reading at home and at school!

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Sincerely, <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">//N. Franco//, MLS <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">WIS School Librarian

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 22.4px;">Miscellaneous Information: <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 22.4px; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">media type="custom" key="10680228" //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Click on the > to meet Rita! //

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Dear Parents:

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">To make interactions a lot less stressful for second language speakers, we are currently looking into the feasibility of organising language lessons for our WIS Parents! At this stage we are looking at numbers of parents who would be interested, if offered, to take English language lessons.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">We are also willing to help those looking to improve their Polish language skills. For Polish, this would be an external tutor and there would be a cost involved. If you ar interested in either of these, please contact Mrs. Franco for further details. She will need to know when you will be available for lessons.

Please send her and email to: franco@fem.org.pl by **Monday, October 3rd** with the following information:
 * Your choice of language: English, Polish, or both.
 * Days and times that you will be availalbe for lessons.

Sincerely,

//N. Franco// Assistant Hos / MYP Coordinator / Library Media Specialist