Year 7 Parents’ Curriculum Information Evening

Wednesday 12th September 5.30pm

Session Structure

1. Welcome - Chris Binge Island School Principal;2. Individuals & Society- Paul Bentham Curriculum Leader for I&S;3. Languages - Julian Reed - Curriculum Leader Languages;4. Island Time – Gareth Stevens VP;5. Curriculum Overview for year 7 - Gareth Stevens VP;6. Laptop Programme in Year 7 – Gareth Stevens VP7. Homework

Individuals and Societies

• An approach that draws on the skills and knowledge from the 3 core Humanities subjects but broadens into the disciplines of other I&S courses.

• An approach that is looking to drive and utilise core literacy and Information Technology skills.

• An approach whose themes are based on the world around us but at it’s core has a skill driven focus.

• Creating a system that encourages a personalized curriculum for our students.

Philosophy

Develop a curriculum that:• Is attractive and enjoyable ;• Offers the broad curriculum content of History, PRS and Geography

courses as well as incorporating aspects of Economics, Business Studies and Psychology subjects;

• Fits with our school values – Challenging, promotes independence, is relevant, appropriate and future oriented;

• Consistently fuels in depth understanding by guiding students in making sense of the world and their place within it, challenging students to build upon their experiences, ideas, interests and knowledge;

• Makes I&S support the delivery of Island Time, Literacy and Information Technology in the driving of skills.

Objectives

Title ExplanationBig Idea What is the overall unit theme?

Enquiry What is the over riding question/enquiry?

Essential Questions What objectives/questions do we want to cover within that theme? These will form the weekly session themes.

I&S Skills What I&S skills will drive the work and assessment within this unit?

Core Skills What Island Time skills will be covered within that unit? These will be implicitly dealt with.

Core Knowledge

Literacy Skills What aspects of Literacy will drive the work and assessment within this unit?

Information Technology Skills What aspects of IT will drive the work and assessment within this unit?

Assessment What is the assessment – based around the enquiry but driven by the I&S skills primarily but also incorporating IT and Literacy within it’s delivery and structure. For example.

Unit Structure

Unit OverviewYear 7 1 2 3 4

Big Idea Hong Kong Belief Exploration Issues in the world

Enquiry Tourist map advertising HK

Critical Writing Investigation into famous explorers

Self directed personal enquiry

Assessment Knowledge & Understanding

Critical Reasoning Investigation, Knowledge & Understanding

Investigation, Communication

Unit OverviewYear 8 1 2 3 4

Big Idea Happiness Needs & Wants Evil & Suffering One thing leads to another

Enquiry Sociological Experiment

Media Highlighting environmental problems

Debate Self Directed personal enquiry

Assessment Investigation, Thinking Critically

Knowledge & Understanding

Thinking Critically, Knowledge & Understanding

Investigation,Communication

ISLE

• For more information look here.

Languages at Island School

What is my child doing this year?

• French and Spanish – beginners’ courses, mixed ability

• Chinese – 7 sets - Set 1: near-native - Set 2: Chinese as a second language - Set 3-7: Chinese as a foreign language

What are the Chinese sets?

• Set 1 – roughly equivalent to Pathway 3 (‘Chinese Near native’)

• Set 2 – roughly equivalent to Pathway 2 (‘Chinese as a Second Language’)

• Set 3-7 – roughly equivalent to Pathway 1 (‘Chinese as an Additional Language’)

What are the Chinese sets?

• Set 1 – Chinese textbooks from Shanghai (24 pieces)• Set 2 – “Chinese Made Easy” Book 1, 2, plus some

supplementary materials from Chinese textbooks (set 1)

• Set 3-7 – “Easy Steps to Chinese” Book 1-2• Language skills at different levels: Listening,

speaking, reading and writing

Can my child take up an additional language?

• Year 8 – beginners’ French, Spanish, Japanese (two year course)

• Year 12 – beginners’ Spanish, Japanese (two year course)

What are the goals for French, Spanish, Japanese?

• Yr 11 – IGCSE Foreign Language (French, Spanish, Japanese) • Yr 13 –IB Language B (French, Spanish), IB Ab Initio Language

(Beginners’ courses: French, Spanish)• Yr 13 – IB Language A (Japanese), IB Language B (Japanese), IB

Ab Initio Language (Japanese)

What are the goals for Chinese?

• Yr 11 – IGCSE Foreign Language, IGCSE Second Language, IGCSE First Language (Chinese)

• Yr 13 – IB Language A (First Language, leading to Bilingual Diploma), IB Language B (Foreign Language) Higher level and Standard level

What about other languages?

• Importance of developing literacy in home languages

• Qualifications possible• IB Bilingual Diploma

Island Time

Aims ….

To build on prior learning and the approach of the PYP;To provide more opportunity for comprehensive whole student guidance, assessment and tutoring for learning;To provide an experience that is like the IB DP core (ToK, CAS and EE);To emphasize ‘global issues’ and skills rather than knowledge by discipline;To develop the ability to learn skills that are applicable across subject boundaries and transferable into new contexts;To explore the connectedness of content and to build an understanding that the world is not divided by subject boundaries;To foster Inquiry, critical thinking and research skills;To develop learning independence in our students.

• Communicationo Reading / Listening / Writing / Speaking / Viewing / Presenting;

• Collaborationo Adopting different roles / working towards collective goals / leadership /

developing collaborative dispositions;

• Creativityo Creative thinking / generating ideas / Risk Taking / analogous thinking / real

strategies;

• Capacity to learno Focus / Research and analysis / adaptability and agility / reflection and

evaluation /critical thinking and problem solving;

Island Time Key Skills

Truth & LiesSeparating fact from propoganda / Critical thinking / ways of Knowing

HealthoUnderstanding of health in its widest sesne / Personal fitness / diet /

InnovationoCreative thinking / generating ideas / Risk Taking / analogous thinking / real

strategies;

IdentityoWho am I? / What defines personal identity? / What defines the identity of Hong Kong?

Concept driven

• Curriculum Overview

• Laptop programme• ‘Growing up online’ Parents Information Evening 5.30pm

Thursday 20th September;• Parent drop in afternoons 4.00-6.00pm Thursday 4th

October / Thursday 11th October