Ekaterina, Volume 15: December 1, 2014

Why do people move? What are the consequences of people moving? These questions surround our new theme, Where We Are... in Time and Place? or "On the Move". Our central idea will focus these questions: Human migration is a response to challenges, risks, and opportunities. Students will learn more about their family histories and the migration of peoples from across the world.

Our summative assessment, the Health Fair, was so fun and really exhibited what students learned and the connections they made. One parent comment was "The kids really knew their stuff. I asked them a question and they knew the answer, even though the information was not on their poster." Truly, the posters and student presentations demonstrated a level of depth of knowledge. Thanks to all the parents that come and support us. We celebrate our success with you!

These picture are just the parts that work together to create one magical learning experience!

Math has started with a bang! Estimating, graphing with line plots, frequency tables, and more will continue next week. 

Book presentations continue to impress us all. Thanks for those who are on-time and continue to come up with creative ways to hook us, like a bold statement or question. Also, a creative closing like a recommendation, or how the book changed your view of the topic or something else. 

The Elementary Drama presents Phantom Tollbooth this Thursday and Friday. Please come to support our students! Performances start at 5:00 p.m. and tickets cost 10,000 soum. 

Student of the Week

Homework

Please continue to read 30 minutes nightly with your child. It is crucial to their long-term success!

Monday: UOI Family Histories

Tuesday: Map activity

Wednesday: IXL Math (you can click on the link for each activity)

1. 1. J.1Read a table
   
   
   1. J.6Interpret line plots
   1. J.7Create line plots

Thursday: Map activity

Friday: Rest, Revitalize, and Read!

Upcoming Events
November 28            After-School Activities End - Trimester 1
December 3              TIS Ltd Board Meeting
December 4 - 5         Elementary Drama Production
December 8              Uzbekistan Constitution Day - NO SCHOOL
December 12            Secondary Winter Concert
December 16            Elementary Winter Concert
December 22 - January 11            Winter Break - NO SCHOOL
January 12                Classes resume
                                  After-School Activities Begin - Trimester 2
January 23                End of the First Semester
January 26                Start of the Second Semester
January 28                Staff Professional Development - Half Day
                                  TIS Ltd Board Meeting

Aerobic and Recess games

The Aerobic Games unit is an important part of the physical education curriculum, therefore we have launched adventure with “Builders and Bulldozers” game to explain what this game will do aerobically. Also this unit will help to provide them with extra activities during recess and explain what this activity is. During this unit, students will develop an enjoyment of movement, respect for rules, and rules of how to develop and maintain friendship. This unit is indoor games so students are kindly asked to wear indoor shoes. 

Olga, Volume 14: November 24, 2014

UOI: Human bodies in action.

What a fun week of learning! UOI has captured our hearts and minds, literally, as we create posters that represent our understanding of different systems in our bodies. Each student's poster reflects two weeks of research into one system of their choice. The posters also show how one system works with other systems to keep our bodies healthy and functioning. We are looking forward to sharing our hard work with you at the Health Fair this coming Wednesday, November 26 8:45-10:30 in the MPR. You will be receiving a special invitation! Be there!

As for math, the end of area and perimeter will bring the beginning of our next unit on Data. What it is? How we use it? How it connects people to many things and ideas? Stay tuned for more...

You may think some of the pictures in this blog are a bit "odd", while they are not! In connection with our UOI, we have each chosen a body part that represents "The Best Part of Me." Students are creating a piece on the different ways the best part of them helps them, represents who they are, and connects them to ideas, people, and more. I can't wait for the posters to be finished. They are so creative.

Book Clubs have been amazing this week! JunHyeok, Xiao Ya, and Junke did an fantastic job modeling how to ask questions and work together to find answers using the text. They also used their background knowledge to help infer the meaning of interesting words they found. They raised the level of discussion in our community and we are proud of their risk-taking and willingness to share their hard work. Thanks!

There is a new December book sharing blog post. Please check it out and get back to me if you need help with it. I am super excited about this! Thus far, November presentations have been really creative, interesting, and fun. Na Yeon really used student feedback from October for her November presentation. She had a super introduction - a very bold statement - and ended with how her opinion changed after reading the book! I look forward to hearing more interesting introductions that hook the audience and closings that leave me feeling that I MUST READ THIS BOOK.

Owl of the Week
Olga lives here with her mom, dad, and sister. Of course, the thing that excites her most about school is her great teacher. (Thanks, Olga;) Her favorite thing to do outside of school is to play a game she made up. In the world, she would change nothing because it is perfect. One person she admires is Barbara because she is a good friend to her. Her favorite dinner is pizza, apples, chicken, mandarin fruits, and seaweed. He least favorite dinner is soup.

Homework
Be sure to keep reading 30 minutes each night. Practicing fluency will lead to better comprehension.
Monday: Area and Perimeter activity
Tuesday: Units of Time
Wednesday: IXL Grade 3 Time O.8 and 0.6; Parents, please review and sign the Area and Perimeter assessment.
Thursday: Word Problem activity
Friday: Read, Relax, and Regenerate

Upcoming Events
November 20 - 22     High School Drama Production (I will be there Saturday!)
November 23            TIS Cross Country Meet, Tashkent
November 27            American Thanksgiving - Half Day
November 28            After-School Activities End - Trimester 1
December 3              TIS Ltd Board Meeting
December 4 - 5         Elementary Drama Production
December 8              Uzbekistan Constitution Day - NO SCHOOL
December 12            Secondary Winter Concert
December 16            Elementary Winter Concert
December 22 - January 11            Winter Break - NO SCHOOL
January 12                Classes resume
                                  After-School Activities Begin - Trimester 2
January 23                End of the First Semester
January 26                Start of the Second Semester
January 28                Staff Professional Development - Half Day
                                  TIS Ltd Board Meeting

December Book Sharing!

Mysteries for December

1. Find yourself a good mystery book. Show it to Ms. Tina or Mr. Mike.

2. Read and enjoy!

3. Choose a scene from your book that you liked because it was funny, happy, sad, exciting, suspenseful, or made you stop and think.

4. Cut out a “shadow puppet” for each character in the scene you have chosen. Also, cut out shapes for important objects and scenery.

5. Plan out your performance. Select an interesting scene from your book.  Start off with a sentence or two of introduction about what happened up to this point. Next, have your characters act out the scene you have chosen. Move the characters as you need or want to. Make it interesting!

6. Conclude with a sentence or two. Try to come up with something more original then, “If you want to know what happens next, read the book.”

7. Be sure that you know your stuff! Don’t read a script to us! You will have to practice a few times before your presentation. Do it for your parents, your little brother, your teddy bear – anyone who will listen! Practicing will make a BIG difference!

An update from physical education

The Purpose of this Unit is to provide students with the basic skills necessary to feel comfortable playing activities that incorporate a ball for the purposes of dribbling and kicking. Within this seven-week unit students will progress from practicing independent soccer-related skills to working with small groups to develop the soccer skills necessary for success.

We always finish the lesson with 3 v 3 scrimmage game.