March 2019

BDM IB NEWS PYP Coordinator- Andrea Olivieri

MYP Coordinator – Lyndsy Panizzon

Learner Profile of the

Month

Communicators

Communicators are people who understand and share

ideas with others in a positive way; who listen to

classmates, teachers, and others. Communicators

understand and express ideas and information

confidently and creatively in more than one language

and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly

collaboration with others.

How can parents help to develop

students who are Communicators at

home?

Set an example. Your child doesn’t inherently know how to

communicate. Much of what they will learn, they will learn by

watching you and others interact. Start teaching your child good

interpersonal communication skills early on by actively

demonstrating skills you hope to impart on your child. Such skills

may include active listening, clear and calm speaking, and not

interrupting. Talk about feelings. Talk about your own feelings,

 

 

 

and encourage your child to talk about theirs. This will help them not only

communicate clearly, but teach them that expressing and listening to other’s

feelings are important skills.

“Communication is a two way-process of receiving and expressing information involving speaking, listening and writing. Good communication skills help children 

become effective listeners and collaborators. Effective communication avoids 

misunderstandings, builds trust and healthy relationships. Non-verbal communication, 

what you don’t say, is just as important as what you do say. Picture books are perfect 

conversation starters and these books are no exception. They highlight different 

communication methods in positive and effective ways.”  

 

Sample books to explore the profile attribute of being a Communicator:

1000 times no – Tom Warburton

A Day’s Work – Eve Bunting

Animal chatter – Kenna Bourke

Christophe’s Story – Nicki Cornwell

Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type – Doreen Cronin

Counting on Frank – Rod Clement

Cracking the code – James Driver

Dear Baby, letter from your big brother – Sarah Sullivan

Dear Mrs. LaRue; Letters from the Investigation – Mark

Teague

 

 

 

We are caring IB students!

Last month we explored what it means to be

caring individuals in the world. Our Early

Learning Team (Kindergarten and 100 Voices)

took the lead on this, creating our Caring Tree

in the Learning Commons. Students, staff and

visitors were invited to share their experiences

of what it means to be caring. What does it

look like? What does it feel like? What does it

sound like?

The Early Learning Team prepared wonderful

learning engagements for all grade levels to

explore this Learner Profile attribute. Below are

some examples of how our students explored

being caring at school, at home and in the environment. These videos

helped spark discussions in class.

100 Voices-Grade 3:

Color your world with Kindness Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwelE8yyY0U

Kind Kids Club https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-videos/2-kind-kids-club

Grade 2 and up:

How to change the world- Kid President

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z7gDsSKUmU

Kindness Can Be the Norm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYnWsAoGRPE

Grade 4 and up:

The Act of Kindness Can Change Someone’s Life Forever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rPsJdO1PeE

How to Change the World with Kindness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju3ygNPFH98

Grade 6 and up:

The Science of Kindness

https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/kindness-videos/18-the-science-of-kindness

How You Treat People is Who You Are! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTsvSAItPqA

 

 

 

What does it mean to be an IB student?

In preparation for our Open House in February, students reflected on the benefits

of being an IB student by participating in a visible thinking routine called a “chalk

talk.” Students completed the sentence “being an IB student helps me to…”

· Be internationally minded

· Develop my thinking, social and

communication skills

· Learn about the world around me

· Learn more about myself as a

learner

· Be more caring to others

· To push myself and persevere

· Be open to other people’s ideas

· Stay more focused when working

· Be a well-rounded student

· Find my best self

As stated on the IB website, students at International Baccalaureate® (IB) World

Schools are given a unique education. They will:

● be encouraged to think independently and drive their own learning

● take part in programmes of education that can lead them to some of the

highest ranking universities around the world

● become more culturally aware, through the development of a second

language

 

 

 

The Three Little Pigs investigation

by Kindergarten

The Kindergarten students recently inquired into rhyming and Fairy Tales which

then led them to their Three Little Pigs investigation! To begin, students were

engaged in retelling the story by acting it out using

masks. This led the students to question if they could

build homes that would be strong enough to stand up to

the Big Bad Wolf. Students carefully planned out their

designs, worked in groups to build and then tested them

out. The Big Bad Wolf even tried to blow their houses

down!

This learning engagement showcases many elements of

the PYP programme! Not only did it allow for student

inquiry, students learned how to ask meaningful

questions, work within a group and experience

transdisciplinary learning. Transdisciplinary learning

in the PYP “conveys learning that has relevance between,

across and beyond subjects and transcends borders that confine them to connect to

what is real in the world.”

Celebrating 100 Days of school!

The grade one students celebrated 100 days of learning

this month! They dressed up as though they were 100

 

 

 

years old and participated in different learning activities throughout the day that

focused on the number 100 such as building towers with 100 cups, making Fruit

loop necklaces by skip counting by 10s, 100 day aerobics and many more! Students

also brought in different projects that showcased the number 100.

Grade 3 prayers

As we continue our journey as a candidate IB school, we are very proud to

showcase the beautiful, thoughtful prayers that our children share with each other

during the morning announcements. It is wonderful to see how they incorporate the

Learner Profile attributes into their daily prayers, as they start to live and learn

what it means to be an IB student.

 

 

 

Year 1 Language Acquisition (French)

The ability to communicate in more

than one language is essential to the

concept of an international education

that promotes intercultural

understanding, and is central to the

IB’s mission. The study of additional

languages in the MYP provides

students with the opportunity to

develop insights into the features,

processes and craft of language and

the concept of culture, and to realize

that there are diverse ways of living, behaving and viewing the world.

Madame Avery’s year one language acquisition classes inquired into what makes up

a community and then created their own communities identifying each portion in

French.

Religion 9

Through this learning engagement students demonstrated their understanding of

the Approaches to Learning skills.

What are the approaches to learning (ATL)?

• ATL are deliberate strategies, skills and attitudes

that permeate the IB teaching and learning

environment.

• ATL supports the IB belief that a large influence on

a student’s education is not only what you learn but

also how you learn.

 

 

 

• Teaching students how to learn has

always been a part of IB teaching, but

now the IB is providing more explicit

support for teaching these skills. Focus on

ATL improves the quality of teaching and

learning across and results in engaged

teachers and students.

Students were asked to research a local

organization that serves the poor or

disenfranchised of Edmonton area; they

created several questions to guide their

inquiry. After doing this research, they were asked to look at what is being done

there through the lense of Catholic Social Teaching to demonstrate how action

aligns with the Faith tradition. They were asked to appeal to our scriptures, church

teachings and to their research to determine how and why their organization

responds to various injustices (such as homelessness, poverty, refugee issues, etc)

as they do.

Design and Robotics

Mrs. Peterson’s grade 9 robotics class was presented with a problem of using a boat

and a sphero to transport a load. Students engaged with this problem through

 

 

 

using the design cycle to create a boat with a sphero motor to successfully

transport their load in a real life setting.

When International Baccalaureate students enter into the Middle Years Programme,

design becomes a necessary part of the curriculum. Why? Design thinking keeps

the function of any project constantly in mind while considering real world

applications. If function is forgotten, the result will be a subpar design. Though

there are many tangible results of Design, design thinking can be used to solve

problems within any aspect of life. By doing the same action of relating function to

actual applications — whether that's to become a better reader, improve in math or

anything else.The MYP Design Cycle is comprised of four steps: Inquiring and

Analyzing, Developing Ideas, Creating a Solution and Evaluating. The four steps do

not necessarily have to be completed in order, and it's actually encouraged to

backtrack and jump around when needed.

The Road to Understanding is Paved by Inquiry

This month our BDM staff participated

in a professional learning afternoon

where we dug into the question “What

is Inquiry?” Inquiry is a central

component of both the PYP and MYP

programmes, as it places the student

at the center of the learning. As we

develop our IB unit planners, teachers

are reflecting on how they can

incorporate inquiry into their everyday

lessons as well.

Teachers began by collaboratively completing a Frayer model with our table groups

where we discussed inquiry in terms of its characteristics, examples, non-examples,

and created a definition of what inquiry meant to us.

 

 

 

Teachers also filled out an inquiry self survey to see where we are at in our current

inquiry practice so that we can identify areas of growth.

Next, we shared

examples of our

current inquiry

practices within

mixed programme

groupings using

the campfire method. We then traded

campfires to see what other inquiry

learning engagements teachers shared to

see if we could learn something new from

each other and to see the amazing things

happening in our classrooms already.

Finally, we toured one

anothers classrooms to find

evidence of inquiry

displayed. Teachers came

back and shared all of the

evidence that was found.

“There were lots of

questions up on the walls.”

“I saw lots of visible

thinking routines”

“I loved the map that

celebrated which country

each student in the room

was from”

 

 

 

Grading in the Middle School Programme As you have noticed in powerschool some of your children have been receiving assessments using IB rubrics. As we are a candidate IB school, not all teachers are assessing using these rubrics, but some are. Here is what assessment in the MYP looks like. Assessment in the MYP is criterion related, which means that teachers measure student achievement against specified subject criteria rather than against other individuals in the class. For each criterion there is a range of points awarded, based on student performance at the time of assessment. Each criterion has a descriptor that explains as clearly as possible what each student has been able to achieve. The criterion rubrics are posted in classrooms, online environments and attached to course outlines for reference.

Teachers structure varied and valid assessment tasks that allow students to demonstrate

achievement according to the required objectives within each subject group. These may

include:

● open-ended, problem-solving activities and investigations

● organized debates

● hands-on experimentation

● analysis

● reflection

Assessment strategies, both quantitative (producing grade level appropriate work) and

qualitative (percentage grades), provide feedback on the thinking processes as well as the

finished piece of work. There is also an emphasis on self-assessment and peer-assessment

within the programme.

Teachers assess student work with the subject criterion at least 2 times in the year. Parents can view the MYP Grades on PowerSchool. The MYP grades are not weighted in the student’s final mark. Evidence of the MYP grading are also communicated in the student’s digital portfolio.

MYP grading in PowerSchool

In the MYP, subject group objectives correspond to assessment criteria. Each criterion has eight possible achievement levels (1–8), divided into four bands that generally represent limited (1–2);

 

 

 

adequate (3–4); substantial (5–6); and excellent (7–8) performance. Each band has its own unique descriptor that teachers use to make “best-fit” judgments about students progress and achievement. The levels that you see in PowerSchool do not equate to a percentage. Teachers use conversion scales in their classrooms to convert the levels into percentages to align with our District reporting policies. For more information on grading in the Middle Years Programme please see your child’s course outline which will have the rubrics attached.