Welcome to

Third Grade (3L)

Mr. Lee    

 

International  School  of  Tianjin    

Philosophy    During  Third  Grade,  students  will  develop  the  skills  to  become  successful,  life-­‐long  learners.  Our  students  must  be  inspired  to  ask  important  questions  and  have  the  ability  to  search  for  answers  which  will  lead  to  new  questions.  I  believe  in  nurturing  individual  talents  while  having  high  academic  expectations.  I  want  our  students  to  become  curious  about  their  environment  and  apply  what  they  learn  in  school  to  the  real  world  around  them.  I  also  insist  on  preparing  our  students  to  become  compassionate,  global  citizens  able  to  make  positive  changes  in  our  future.    Communication    Communication  between  home  and  school  is  necessary  and  important  to  your  child’s  success  in  school.  You  may  visit  our  class  blog  http://istianjinelearning.org/benlee/  to  help  keep  you  informed  of  our  classroom  happenings,  important  dates,  and  units  of  study.  If  you  have  questions,  interesting  observations,  or  concerns  about  your  child  please  feel  free  to  email  me.    I  would  appreciate  it  if  you  would  make  appointments  with  us  for  before  or  after  school  so  that  speaking  with  you  does  not  prevent  the  class  from  beginning  on  time.  Thanks!             Mr.  Lee’s  Contact  Info    

School  Phone:  28592001  Email:  Ben_Lee@istianjin.net  

           Classroom  Discipline    Your  child  will  be  growing  and  developing  a  sense  of  self-­‐discipline  about  his/her  responsibilities  and  behavior  throughout  the  school  year.  To  help  facilitate  this  growth,  I  work  to  provide  a  classroom  environment  with  many  positive  activities  and  experiences  for  each  student.  I  will  discuss  working  together  and  being  respectful  of  others.  I  have  discussed  the  classroom  and  playground  rules  with  all  students  and  I  expect  each  student  to  follow  them.  To  motivate  students  to  make  good  choices  I  give  our  students  stickers  when  I  see  students  exhibiting  good  behavior  or  being  good  learners.    Students  are  reminded  of  the  rules  in  the  classroom  by  a  traffic  light  system.    As  students  break  a  rule  they  move  along  the  traffic  light.    For  each  colored  stoplight  minutes  will  be  taken  from  their  cooperative  games  period  on  Friday  afternoons.    All  students  will  have  a  calendar  to  record  their  weekly  behavior.              Primary  Years  Program  (PYP)  

 IST  offers  an  exciting  and  challenging  elementary  school  curriculum  following  the  IBO  Primary  Years  Programme  (PYP).  This  inquiry-­‐based,  interdisciplinary  approach  provides  a  framework  in  which  your  child  can  take  responsibility  for  his  or  her  own  learning,  and  explore  themes  and  ideas  in  much  greater  depth  than  a  traditional  textbook  model  would  allow.  Within  the  PYP  framework,  I  place  a  great  emphasis  on  literacy,  recognizing  that  reading  and  writing  are  the  keys  unlocking  all  fields  of  knowledge.  Students  in  3L  are  readers  and  writers,  inquirers  and  thinkers,  and  it  is  my  great  privilege  

as  a  teacher  to  facilitate  and  collaborate  with  them  to  create  an  environment  conducive  to  their  intellectual,  emotional,  and  social  growth.      Throughout  the  year  we  will  share  and  build  understanding  through  the  essential  elements:  concepts,  skills,  knowledge,  attitudes,  skills  and  action  through  6  units  of  Inquiry.  In  3rd  Grade  these  units  are:    Heroes  Boundaries  Theater  Arts  Weather  Cities  Earth-­‐Friendly  Living    We  will  begin  our  first  integrated  unit  of  inquiry  within  the  next  few  days:      Heroes    

Central  idea:  We  look  to  heroes  to  show  us  who  we  can  be.  Lines  of  Inquiry:  • The  qualities  of  heroes  • Past  and  present  heroes  from  around  the  world  • Everyday  heroes  

 During  these  six  weeks,  we  will  be  investigating  the  heroes  that  we  admire,  and  how  we  can  develop  their  heroic  qualities  within  ourselves.  You  can  help  your  child  begin  thinking  about  this  unit  by  talking  with  him/her  about  the  heroes  you  look  up  to.  You  yourselves  are  significant  heroes  in  the  lives  of  your  children,  and  they  will  be  fascinated  to  hear  about  the  people  that  you  admire  and  the  reasons  for  your  choices.  We  are  looking  at  heroes  broadly  to  start  with,  including  both  real  people  and  fictional  characters,  historical  and  living  figures,  and  those  renowned  for  a  variety  of  contributions.  I  will  be  writing  to  you  in  the  next  few  weeks  to  let  you  know  more  about  the  work  we  are  doing  in  the  classroom  that  you  can  support  at  home      Homework    Third  Graders  at  IST  are  expected  to  complete  about  45  minutes  of  homework  every  night.  If  you  find  your   child   is   spending   significantly   less   or   significantly  more   time  on   assigned  work,   please   let  me  know  and  adjustments  can  be  made.  Students  will  have  frequent  math,  English  language,  and  World  language  homework.      In  addition  to  their  daily  work,  in  grade  3  students  begin  having  some  longer  term  assignments.  They  will  also  complete  an  extended  two-­‐week  Home  Assignment  (HA)  for  each  Unit  of  Inquiry,  which  will  allow  them  to  extend  the  explorations  of  the  classroom  to  the  home.  Home  Assignments  require  a  significant   level   of   independence   that  will   be   new   to  most   Grade   3s.   They  will   get   lots   of   in-­‐class  support  on   these  assignments  and  at   the  beginning  of   the  year,  will   likely  need  your  assistance   to  plan   and   manage   their   time.   More   information   on   these   assignments   will   be   sent   to   you   in   the  coming  weeks.      

I   do  not  normally   assign  homework  on   the  weekends,   although  will   sometimes  expect   students   to  complete   independent   reading   or   class  work   they  may   be   behind   on   at   that   time.   Students   often  choose  to  use  weekends  to  work  on  their  HAs.    Other  Useful  Information    

Drinks:  Students  should  keep  labeled,  closed  water  bottles  at  school  for  drinking  water.    There  is  a  drinking  water  dispenser  in  our  classroom  for  refilling  bottles.    For  health  and  safety  reasons,  students  will  not  be  allowed  to  share  bottles.      Lunch  and  Snacks  Students  may  bring  or  buy  lunch.  Lunch  cards  will  be  issued  to  each  child  and  it  is  up  to  the  child  to  make  sure  that  there  is  money  in  their  account.  Periodically  you  will  receive  a  notice  from  the  cafeteria  that  you  need  to  add  money  to  the  card.  If  your  child  brings  lunch,  please  mark  the  lunch  box  with  your  child’s  name.    Students  may  bring  or  buy  snacks  to  eat  during  morning  recess.    Please  talk  to  your  child  about  proper  snack  choices  and  if  they  purchase  snacks  from  Eurest  you  may  want  to  establish  with  them  an  apporpriate  amount  that  they  can  spend  during  each  snack  time.    Library  Students  may  check  out  books  from  the  library.  3L  will  visit  the  library  as  a  class  for  checkout  every  week.    Physical  Education  (PE)  Students  need  to  wear  appropriate  athletic  shoes  and  clothes  for  PE  class  three  times  a  week.  PE  Uniforms  are  available  for  purchase  through  the  PE  offices.    

   Teaching  Partners/Specialists    Students  will  benefit  from  instruction  from  other  teachers  and  specialists.  My  teaching  partners,  Ms.  Sally   MacArthur   (3M),   Ms.   Lesley   West   (ESL),   Yvette   Wang   (Teaching   Assistant)   and   I   will   be  collaborating  to  ensure  that  each  third  grader  receives  language  arts  instruction  suited  to  their  needs,  and  your   child  may  be  working  with  any  of   four  of  us  during   the   Language  Arts  block.   In  addition,  students  will  attend  World  Language,  Music,  Art,  and  Physical  Education  classes  every  week.  Please  feel   free   to   contact   the   specialist   teachers   at   any   time   if   you   have   specific   questions   about   these  areas  of  study.  A  weekly  schedule  is  attached  for  your  information.    Below  is  a  welcoming  letter  from  our  ESL  teacher  Lesley  West  and  our  Specialist  teachers.                  

English  Second  Language  Ms.  West    Welcome  to  the  new  school  year.        

 I  am  the  Grade  3  ESL  teacher.    I  will  be  working  alongside  your  child’s  class  teacher  to  support  students’  access  to  curriculum  content  and  to  develop  their  English  language  skills.    This  support  will  be  provided  both  in  the  classroom  and,  depending  on  student  needs,  in  pull-­‐out  classes.    

 I  come  from  New  Zealand,  where  I  completed  a  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  at  the  University  of  Auckland  and  a  Diploma  of  Teaching  at  the  Auckland  College  of  Education.    I  have  taught  elementary  students  from  Kindergarten  through  to  Grade  5  in  the  twenty  years  that  I  have  been  involved  in  education.      

 This  is  my  ninth  year  at  IST.    I  have  found  my  time  here  has  been  a  continual  process  of  growth,  not  only  for  our  students,  but  also  for  myself  and  my  own  teaching  practices.    I  am  really  looking  forward  to  the  year  ahead  as  we  work  together  towards  building  a  caring  and  rewarding  learning  environment  for  the  students  in  our  care.      Chinese  Teachers    Da  Jia  Hao!  The  Chinese  teachers  of  IST  are  pleased  to  welcome  you  to  the  2011-­‐2012  school  year!  This  year  promises  to  be  a  challenging,  but  fun  one  for  students,  teachers  and  parents  alike.      There  will  be  three  teachers  for  the  elementary  Chinese  program,  Wen  laoshi,  who  will  be  teaching  beginning  class  (Level  1~Level  2),  Liu  laoshi,  who  will  be  teaching  intermediate  class  (Level  2~Level  3)  and  Fu  laoshi,  who  will  be  teaching  advanced  class  (Level  3~Level  4).  Ms.  Mandy  Zhang  will  be  the  assistant  teacher  helping  Chinese  as  well.  We  have  moved  the  classrooms  from  Tang  block  to  Song  7,8  and  9  from  this  year.      As  all  students  who  have  studied  at  IST  know,  Chinese  language  is  treated  as  a  serious  academic  subject.  This  year  will  be  no  exception.  But  we  also  hope  that  we  can  help  our  students  have  some  fun  while  they  study  Chinese.  Students  can  look  forward  to  further  development  of  their  language  skills  and  of  the  sorts  of  activities  available  to  them  in  which  they  can  use  Chinese  language  they  learned.  Each  year  we  will  celebrate  traditional  Chinese  Festivals  with  students  and  parents  are  also  welcome  to  join  us  for  these  wonderful  cultural  experiences  in  China.  This  year,  we  will  continue  organize  Moon  Festival  celebration,  China  Week  Celebration  for  the  whole  elementary  school  and  Chinese  Talent  Show  for  grade  three  to  grade  five  students.  We  will  appreciate  your  involvement  and  support.    Students  enter  IST  with  various  degrees  of  Chinese  langue  acquisition.  To  better  meet  the  needs  of  the  each  student  we  will  divide  each  class  into  different  groups  to  meet  their  levels.      We  would  like  to  remind  all  of  our  3rd  -­‐5th  grade  students  to  bring  their  Chinese  homework  diary  to  every  Chinese  class  and  finish  their  homework  on  time.  K-­‐2  students  will  be  asked  to  practice  and  use  their  Chinese  when  they  go  home  each  day,  and  written  homework  will  vary  depending  on  the  unit  and  the  teacher.        

     We  really  hope  that  each  and  every  student  enjoys  their  experience  in  our  classrooms  and  we  look  forward  to  hearing  from  parents  and  students  who  have  ideas  they  might  like  to  share  with  us.  You  may  contact  us  via  emails  and  blogs.      

   We  are  very  excited  to  continue  working  with  all  of  you  throughout  school  year  to  ensure  each  and  every  student  achieves  their  very  best  in  Chinese  class!    Art  –  Ms.  Shaw    Welcome  back  from  your  summer  holidays.  I  hope  they  were  refreshing  and  have  renewed  you  for  another  year  of  learning  and  growing  at  IST.    In  particular,  I  hope  that  you  have  experienced  inspiration  through  all  your  senses  –  tickeld  your  sight,  smell,  touch,  taste  and  hearing  -­‐  in  the  various  places  you  visited,  so  that  you  can  bring  new  ideas  and  creativity  to  your  learning  in  Visual  Art  this  year.    This  is  my  first  year  in  Visual  Art  at  IST,  having  moved  from  my  previous  position  as  a  Grade  3  teacher  in  our  school  last  year.  To  me,  the  Visual  Arts  are  entertaining  and  educational,  both  to  view  and  to  create.  I  am  looking  forward  to  sharing  this  interest  with  our  students,  across  Pre-­‐Kindergarten  to  Grade  5.    IST  philosophical  statement  about  teaching  Art    Arts  are  integral  to  the  IB  Primary  Years  Programme  (PYP)  The  Arts  are  a  powerful  mode  of  communication  through  which  students  explore  and  construct  a  sense  of  self  and  develop  an  understanding  of  the  world  around  them.  Arts  provide  students  with  a  wide  range  of  opportunities  and  means  to  respond  to  their  experiences  and  engage  with  historical,  social  and  cultural  perspectives.  The  students  are  stimulated  to  think  and  to  articulate  their  thoughts  in  new  ways,  and  through  a  variety  of  media  and  technologies.  Learning  about  and  through  arts  is  fundamental  to  the  development  of  the  whole  child,  promoting  creativity,  critical  thinking,  problem  solving  skills  and  social  interactions.  Arts  engage  students  in  hands-­‐on  activities  and  creative  processes  through  which  they  explore  and  experiment  in  a  continual  cycle  of  action  and  reflection.  Such  creative  processes  areas  are  seen  by  the  PYP  as  the  driving  force  in  learning  through  inquiry.      This  year  in  Elementary  Visual  Art,  our  students  will  use  a  range  of  media  and  techniques,  explore  various  artists  and  cultures,  and  consolidate  their  working  understanding  of  the  elements  and  principles  that  are  fundamental  in  art.  Through  exposure  to  these  tools  and  areas  of  knowledge,  and  through  developing  their  artistic  eye,  students  will  learn  to  produce  artistic  creations  that  they  can  be  

Teacher  (laoshi)  

Email   Blog   Classroom  

Wen  Laoshi   windy_wen@istianjin.net   http://istianjinelearning.org/windywen/   Song  7  Liu  Laoshi   jennifer_liu@istianjin.net   http://istianjinelearning.org/jenniferliu/   Song  8  Fu  Laoshi   eva_fu@istianjin.net,   http://istianjinelearning.org/pingfu/   Song  9  

pleased  with  and  display  with  pride.  Wherever  possible,  activities  will  relate  to  the  Units  of  Inquiry  being  studied  in  class.    I  am  greatly  looking  forward  to  meeting  and  working  with  each  of  your  children  this  year.  I  know  we  will  have  a  fantastic  year,  unlocking  hidden  talents  and  developing  new  skills.    Music  –  Mr.  Thompson    My  name  is  Adam  Thompson  and  I  am  the  Elementary  Music  Teacher.    I  worked  for  this  school  from  2000  to  2002  and  I  returned  last  year  at  this  time.      It  is  really  nice  to  come  back  for  a  second  year  at  such  a  fine  International  School  and  to  life  in  Tianjin.    I  bring  with  me  over  twenty  years  of  teaching  experience  in  three  different  international  schools  and  in  several  schools  in  the  USA.      World  Music  is  central  in  my  classroom  and  we  explore,  play,  sing  and  dance  to  many  different  styles  of  Music  from  all  over  the  globe.    Notation  and  composition  are  taught  in  grades  1-­‐5,  more  thoroughly  in  the  upper  grades,  and  improvisation  is  done  in  all  grades.    Music  is  a  participation  subject  so  all  students  are  encouraged  to  be  involved  in  all  classroom  activities.    Singing  is  the  core  of  the  program  and  other  activities  such  as  drumming,  dancing,  keyboards  and  recorders  are  used  as  well.    I  look  forward  to  a  fun  year  at  IST  and  welcome  any  feedback  or  comments  from  parents  and  students.        Physical  Education  (PE)  –  Mr.  Nathan    Welcome  to  the  start  of  a  new  year  in  Elementary  Physical  Education  at  IST.    My  name  is  Mr  Nathan  and  this  will  be  my  fifth  year  teaching  Physical  Education  in  our  Elementary  school.     I  have  two  daughters  at  the  school,  Tilly  who   is  starting  grade  2  and  Sunny  who   is  starting  grade  4.  My  wife  Emma  is  an  English  teacher  in  the  Secondary  school.    The  emphasis  for  Elementary  PE  is  to  promote  Physical  Activity  as  being  fun,  and  to  also  develop  the  skills  necessary   to  prepare  our  younger  students   for  Physical  Education  and  sport  when  they  reach  the  higher  grade  levels.    There  will  also  be  the  opportunity  for  Elementary  students  to  partake  in  an  after   school   activities   program,   and   for   Upper   Elementary   students   to   represent   their   school   in  interschool  sporting  events,  both  in  Tianjin  and  Beijing.  Details  of  which  will  be  forthcoming.        Elementary  classes  are  fortunate  to  have  the  opportunity  to  participate  in  Physical  Education  classes  twice  a  week  for  NPK  students  up  to  Grade  2,  and  3  times  a  week  for  Grades  3,  4  and  5.    New  Physical  Education   uniforms   will   be   arriving   soon   and   your   child   will   be   required   to   wear   on   for   Physical  Education  classes.  In  the  interim,  students  may  wear  the  old  PE  uniform  or  any  other  clothes  that  are  cool  and  allow  students  to  move  freely.    Likewise  children  must  come  prepared  with  correct  sports  shoes  in  the  interests  of  student  safety.    If  your  child  has  any  medical  conditions  that  may  be  affected  by  Physical  Activity,  could  you  please  let  your  child’s  class  teacher  know  and  they  can  pass  the  information  on  to  me.    I  am  excited  to  be  working  with  your  children  again  this  year,  and  look  forward  to  seeing  you  in  the  near  future.    

   Librarian  –  Mrs.  Fitzgerald    The  International  School  of  Tianjin  (IST)  Library  and  Information  Literacy  Center  welcomes  you  to  

the  expanding  world  of  ideas  and  information.    

The  IST  Library  serves  the  entire  school  community:  students,  teachers  and  parents  alike.  The  library  has   steadily   grown   throughout   the  history   of   the   school.   Currently   our   collection  holds  more   than  36,000   items   and  has   subscriptions   to   several   online  databases,  making   the   IST   Library   the   largest  English  language  library  of  any  elementary/secondary  school  in  Tianjin.  The  majority  of  the  volumes  in  the   library  are   in  English,  but  we  have  a  growing   international  collection,  which   include  works   in  the  following  languages:  Chinese,  Korean,  French,  German,  Danish,  Japanese,  Spanish,  Hindi,  Dutch,  and  Italian.        Checking  out  books  

• Student  ID  cards  and  library  cards  have  been  merged,  so  students  in  grades  4  and  up  should  bring   their   ID  card   to   library   time.  Students   from  nursery   to  grade  3  will  have  a  “checkout”  card  held  for  them  in  the  library.  

• All  parents  are  welcome  to  apply  for  a  library  account  as  well.  Please  bring  your  parent  ID  to  set  up  a  new  account  and  for  checkout.  

• Students  may  check  out  and  return  books  before  class,  during  lunch  break,  after  school,  and  during  their  designated  weekly  library  time.  

• All   elementary   students   may   check   out   books   for   one   (1)   week.   Secondary   students   and  parents  have  a  two  (2)  week  lending  period.  

• All  books  are  renewable  unless  it  is  requested  by  another  patron.  

Damages  and  loss  To  help  protect  library  materials,  all  elementary  students  from  Nursery  to  grade  5  are  issued  a  library  bag  for  the  year.  If  a  student  loses  his  or  her  bag,  new  bags  are  available  for  50  yuan.  All  elementary  students  must  use  a  library  bag  to  check  out  and  return  books.    If   a   book   is   lost   or   damaged,   the   user   will   be   charged   the   cost   of   the   book   and   a   40%  shipping/processing  fee.    Birthday  Book  Club  We   also   have   a   birthday   book   club:   to   celebrate   a   student's   birthday,   a   new   book   for   the   library  collection  may  be  selected  for  donation  and  a  nameplate  will  be  added  to  the  front  of  the  book  to  commemorate  the  birthday.  The  student  is  the  first  person  to  check  out  the  book.      Keeping  you  informed  We  publish  a  weekly  item  in  the  Blaze  newsletter  highlighting  the  many  information  literacy  activities  carried   out   at   school.   We   have   a   webpage   on   the   IST   website,   www.istianjin.org   (see   the   “Our  Programs”   tab   below   the   main   photo,)   and   we   also   have   a   frequently   updated   blog,  http://istianjinelearning.org/library  with  the  latest  news  and  useful  web  links.    We  look  forward  to  an  exciting  year  of  reading  and  learning.  Please  feel  free  to  contact  us  with  your  questions,  ideas  and  recommendations.    

   PYP  Coordination  –  Ms.  McLeod    My  name  is  Rachel  McLeod  and  I  will  be  working  at  IST  in  the  role  of  PYP  Coordinator  as  well  as  offering  some  in-­‐class  EAL  support  to  the  Grade  Two  Team.      I  am  not  new  to  China  and  have  moved  from  Shanghai  to  Tianjin  with  my  husband  and  baby  daughter,  Mia.    I  have  been  involved  in  IB  International  schools  for  over  12  years.  This  will  be  my  6th  year  as  a  PYP  Coordinator.    In  my  role  as  PYP  Coordinator  I  collaborate  and  plan  with  all  Grades  and  PYP  teachers.    I  therefore  have  the  unique  opportunity  to  oversee  the  development  of  the  Programme  from  Nursery  to  Grade  5.      We  will  continue  to  review,  refine  and  add  to  our  Programme  and  I  very  much  look  forward  to  meeting  you  and  informing  you  about  the  developments  in  the  PYP.  There  will  be  numerous  opportunities  for  us  to  meet,  as  we  will  continue  to  offer  Parent  PYP  Information  Sessions.  I  also  welcome  inquiries  at  any  time  and  would  be  delighted  to  answer  any  Programme  questions  you  have.