Term 2 Week 12 - Online Learning

Central Idea:  Present-day societies are built upon the systems and technologies of past civilizations. (Science & Thai Link).

Line of Inquiry: The connection between past and present  

This week we teachers have been teaching without actually meeting our students face to face! For Year 7 this meant doing learning via Google Meet and Google Classroom. Both students and teachers have been getting used to doing things differently. The learning has still gone on, although in a different format. Here's an overview of our learning.

Science- this week we looked at the six kinds of simple machines. The challenge was to take some of these and develop them into a toy. This gave students something active to engage in during the time that they were unable to go out. Next week we will learn about gears and consider how our toys or devices could be improved by adding gears.

English - our focus this week was on reading about a civilization of the past and researching either education, healthcare or government worked at that time. The task was then to take the notes and present them as an information report with an introduction, paragraphs and a conclusion.

Next week there is going to be a particular focus on reading. We are going to read about how historians work and look at some examples of things they might read. The writing focus is going to be on persuasive writing.

Maths

We have come to the end of our first week of online learning! Although some students have found this transition more difficult than others, we have managed to gain a better understanding about the Google Classroom, Google Calendar and Google Meet.

Please note:

• Maths work is available on Google Classroom from 7am every day with a deadline of 6pm. (If the students require an extension, I will need a valid reason in order for this to be considered.)
• A maths meeting takes place on Google Meet with myself and Mr.Golf from 10am until 12pm. This is an opportunity for the students to join us and discuss the maths work of the day. This is not mandatory, but based on the marks the students have been getting on their first attempt of their work, I would encourage it.
• 'I did it in my book' - this comment is frequently popping up on the students submissions. Firstly, I love that they are doing their calculations in their maths book! However, please encurage them to take a photograph of this work and upload it to the slide. This can have an impact on their mark and also allow me to see where they may need help.

On Monday 30th March 2020, the students will complete their Fractional Thinking assessment in the form of a quiz assessment on Google Classroom. This will be the only work they complete, giving them time to do additional revision for the assessment. The assessment will be available from 7am and the deadline will be 12pm. This will allow time for marking and feedback in the afternoon. Myself and Mr.Golf will be available from 10am to 12pm as usual for if any of the students need some support with reading the question or requesting a Thai translation.

Our next topic is 'Lines and Angles', which has two subtopics. The first subtopic we are working on is 'Constructing, measuring and using geometric notation'. The learning next week will include:

Letter and labeling conventions

Draw and measure line segments

Angles as a measure of turn

Classify angles

Further to my previous recommendations, in order to ensure these lessons are completed effectively, I would advise the students to invest in a geometry set. A few of the students already have their own and they agreed it has proven useful to have their own.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please ensure that the students are submitting their work and completing any maths corrections they may need to do. : )

Term 2 Week 11

Central Idea:  Present-day societies are built upon the systems and technologies of past civilizations.

Line(s) of Inquiry :

• The connection between past and present  
• Societal errors of the past
• Processes involved in collecting, analysing and validating evidence

Science - We started off the week by finding out what kinds of simple machines were used in ancient times. Three important ones we found were the pulley, the screw and the lever. We built models so that we would have a better understanding of them. Another activity involved watching a video and looking for all of the examples of these simple machines. There are lots of books on 'Get Epic' about these machines, we particularly enjoyed 'Stone Age Science- simple machines'. If you'd like to get busy at home with something to make, that book has wonderful instructions on how to make the machines.

English - Reading. We began by reminding ourselves about how information is divided into paragraphs. We read about Cleopatra and worked on identifying the main idea of each paragraph. Next week, we'll begin looking at good phrases for beginning paragraphs. We'll read and see how good authors do this.
Writing - the objective this week was to write an information report about health, education or government in an ancient civilization. Again, the focus was on organising writing into paragraphs and having a clear focus for each one.

Maths We have had a crazy week in Maths, but we have worked hard as usual. Thankfully for Year 7, we have already been doing a lot of practice with Google Classroom to ensure they were ready for in case the school needed to close. Sadly, that has come to be, but we will continue to provide essential maths learning online via Google Classroom.

We have focused on a lot of content this week as we started our new topic of 'Fractional Thinking - Addition and subtraction of fractions'. The content we covered was:

To understand representations of fractions

To convert mixed numbers and fractions

To add and subtract unit fractions with the same denominator

To add and subtract fractions with the same denominator

To add and subtract integers from fractions expressing the answer as a single fraction

To understand and use equivalent fractions

As learning moved online this week, it is still expected for the students to complete the daily maths work provided. This is uploaded at 7am every day with a deadline of 6pm to allow flexibility for other learning. I am available to video call between 10am and 12pm Monday to Friday should the students wish to speak to be about the maths work. Alternatively, all parents and students are free to send me an email at any time and I will do my best to respond as soon as possible.

The students completed their 'Directed Number' assessment last Friday. The students were emailed on Wednesday that if they wanted their results and their current percentage average to email me.

Next week, we will continue our topic 'Fractional Thinking'. The content we will cover is:

To add and subtract fractions where the denominator shares a simple common multiple.

To add and subtract with any denominator.

To add and subtract improper fractions and mixed numbers.

To use fractions in algebraic contexts.

To use equivalence to add and subtract decimals and fractions.

The assessment date for 'Fractional Thinking' will be Monday 30th March 2020. Details on how we will complete this assessment at home will be announced later next week.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please ensure that the students are submitting their work and completing any maths corrections they may need to do. : )

PYP Exhibition - we hoping to have a practice run of this late in April. Students have been informed and we are supporting them in preparation for it. Please do ask them to show you their journal so that you can support them in this important area of their work.

Online Learning with Google Classroom

Midweek we moved into online learning. There is a lot of good content on there. Please get used to using it. We're making it as interactive as possible.

As always, don't hestitate to ask about anything that is unclear.

Term 2 Week 10

This week we ended our unit if inquiry in conflict. The summative assessment involved writing an information report on a major conflict in the world. Here is a link to slides about it See link. You will surely be impressed when you read the topics that have been discussed; everything from unemployment to appreciation of the Thai baht. Click into the slides to find the work.

We now move onto a new unit of inquiry:

Central Idea:  Present-day societies are built upon the systems and technologies of past civilizations. (Thai Link)

Line(s) of Inquiry :

• The connection between past and present  
• Societal errors of the past
• Processes involved in collecting, analysing and validating evidence

Students have been asked which ancient civilization interests them. This is so that I can plan learning activities that engage them and link with their particular interests.

English will involve reading for information. We have wonderful books about the civilizations of the past. This will feed into a written report.

Science will involve looking at the design of simple machines that were used in the past. Students will investigate which simple machines were developed by past civilizations (for example, lever, ramp, pulley, screw, wheel).

Maths

Today we came to the end of another topic, which was 'Directed Number - Operations and equations with directed number'. Although learning took place in the classroom, all students worked from their laptops or tablets to gain a better understanding of online learning through Google Classroom. Surprisingly, all the students said they preferred this way as it meant they could have access to the material at home as well. Based on that and once their recent assessment has been marked, the next topic of 'Fractional Thinking - Addition and subtraction of fractions' will also be likely to be done through laptops and tablets.

We have focused on a lot of content this week as we entered the final week of 'Directed Number'. The content we covered was:

Using a calculator to solve problems with directed number
Evaluate algebraic expressions with directed number
Calculate two-step equations with directed number
Use the order of operations with directed number

The students took their assessment Friday morning and they will receive their scores on Monday.

Next week, we will begin our new topic 'Fractional Thinking'. The content we will cover is:
To understand representations of fractions
To convert mixed numbers and fractions
To add and subtract unit fractions with the same denominator
To add and subtract fractions with the same denominator
To add and subtract integers from fractions expressing the answer as a single fraction

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. :)

Term 2 Week 9

International Week -

Year 7 Africa

Year 7 Africa

This week we have been inquiring into some aspects of the African continent. This was linked into the unit of inquiry on Conflict:-

The attached slideshow shows the highlights of the week Click here

Monday - We researched the conflict between humans and the native animals of Africa.

Tuesday - We listened to a T.E.D talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She is a Nigerian author whose work has become very well know internationally. In the video she discusses the need for children to have characters and settings they can relate to. We talked about stereotypes and related issues. Year 7 students felt that they would like to have more access to modern Thai book because they normally read traditional ones.

Wednesday - We created African style music using sound clips on the computer.

Thursday - we learned a little Swahili, Arabic and Yoruba

Friday - we watched the slideshows created by other classes about the continents they have been learning about this week.

A special thanks to Michelle for this artwork which took a lot of patience and commitment

A huge THANK YOU to Michelle for her amazing art work. It looks great on the wall and we'll share it on our school Facebook page too!

Maths

This week in Maths, we have continued with our new topic 'Directed Number'. To ensure we are 100% confident with Google Classrooms, all Maths lessons have been completed online. The students have responded positively to this and we shall continue for the rest of the topic. All material will be uploaded to the Y7 Mathematics Google Classroom, the day before the learning will take place. This means they can have a read through what we will cover and ensure it is saved to their personal drive.

The learning that has taken place this week are:

Performing calculations that cross zero

Adding directed numbers

Subtracting directed numbers

Multiplying directed numbers

Dividing directed numbers

Next week, the focus will be:

Using a calculator for directed number 

Evaluating algebraic expressions with directed number

Two step-equations of directed number

The assessment date for the students will be Friday 13th March - one week today. All material is accessible on the Google Classroom, which can support them with their revision. The next topic will be 'Fractional Thinking'.

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