Kate Sessions Elementary School International Baccalaureate (IB) Newsletter

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Share Your Expertise! As part of the IB experience we like to expose our students to a variety of expert knowledge, new ideas, and a variety of perspectives. We encourage parents and/or community members who are either expert in a field, have interesting and pertinent cultural or global issues to share, or are storytellers with diverse experiences to share their expertise with our students. The next page of this newsletter shows what our current IB units of study are in each of our grade levels. If you feel that your knowledge or expertise would be a good match for one of our units listed below, just contact a teacher at that grade level to make arrangements.

The Great Kindness Challenge… “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” (Aesop) Our students at Sessions participated in the national “Great Kindness Challenge” which officially ended this week. The activities and discussions they participated in at school complement the learning attitudes and IB Profile attributes we strive to instill in our students every day, such as empathy, respect, caring and principled. We hope to continue encouraging and expecting to see students continue saying kind words and showing kind actions. Please discuss with your children what kind acts they did this week, and encourage them to make it a daily habit at home and at school.

What are our current Units of Study?

Pre-Kindergarten: Pre-kindergarten students have “traveled” to many different countries, including India, Mexico, Sweden, Ireland, Australia, and China! Unit Theme: Where We Are In Place And Time Unit title: “Adventure Airways!” Central Idea: Kids around the world have customs and traditions Lines of Inquiry: Cultures on each continent; Customs; Kids around the world celebrate

Kindergarten: Students in Kindergarten are learning about natural resources and why conservation of natural resources is important. Unit Theme: How The World Works Unit Title: “Nature’s Gifts” Central Idea: We are surrounded by natural resources that make the world work Lines of Inquiry: Types of natural resources; The transformation of natural resources; Relationship between humans and natural resources

1st Grade Students in first grade are learning about how their bodies work and the importance of making good decisions in order to stay healthy. Unit Theme: Who We Are Unit Title: “Healthy Habits” Central Idea: Choices and behaviors can affect our health and safety Lines of Inquiry: Humans learn safe behavior: Behaviors that prevent disease and speed the recovery from illness

2nd Grade Second graders are inquiring about the physical world by conducting experiments which explore wind resistance, gravity, rotation, and balance. Unit Theme: Where We Are In Place And Time Unit Title: “Farm to Table” Central Idea: The food we consume is influenced by various factors Lines of Inquiry: How food gets to the table; Food production and consumption; Role and interdependence of buyers and sellers; Limits on resources affect production and consumption

3rd Grade Third Graders will be involved in activities that help them experience what discrimination might feel like. Unit Theme: Sharing The Planet Unit Title: “It’s a Risky Business” Central Idea: People take risks to ensure equal opportunities Lines of Inquiry: Equal rights and opportunities; People who took risks to secure freedoms

4th Grade Fourth graders are investigating California history from Native Americans through statehood, including visits to Old Town and the San Diego Mission. Unit Theme: Where We Are In Place And Time Unit Title: “Location, Location, Location” Central Idea: Diversity in a population is a result of physical, economic, social, and political features Lines of Inquiry: Types of changes that occur in a region as a result of immigration and migration; Diversity; Why perspectives differ

5th Grade Fifth grade students are using the Scientific Method to present a proposal, formulate a hypothesis, write a plan, conduct an investigation based on a student-developed testable question, record data and offer a conclusion. Unit Theme: How the World Works Unit Title: “Investigation Matters” Central Idea: Humans investigate the world of science (inquiry) by asking meaningful questions and conducting investigations to make sense of the world Lines of Inquiry: The properties of matter and how elements are classified; The scientific process

Assessment in the Primary Years Programme

Effective assessments allow students to: • Share learning and understanding with others. • Demonstrate a range of knowledge, understandings, and skills. • Use a variety of learning styles. • Understand criteria in advance. • Base their learning on real-life experiences. • Analyze their learning. • Understand what needs to be improved.

Traditional Astronomy test questions: 1) Name the planets 2) Draw the solar system 3) Explain revolution 4) Explain rotation 5) What are stars? 6) Explain the moon phases

Unit Theme: How the World Works Unit Title: “Now You See It, Now You Don’t” Summative Assessment – Problematic Scenario

Imagine you have mysteriously traveled back in time to the year 1633. The leaders of the Catholic Church are about to condemn Galileo to death because he claimed the Earth is not the center of the Universe. He claimed the Earth is actually revolving around the Sun. The Church leaders believe the Sun, planets, and stars all revolve around the Earth Your group needs to prepare a presentation to convince church leaders that Galileo is right and save his life. Use your choice of a model, diagram, demonstration, or any other type of presentation to help you explain your case. The rest of your classmates, who will represent the church leaders, will judge your work.

Example summative assessment from third grade:

To be Proficient in the assignment you must: Create two models, diagrams, or

demonstrations to compare/contrast what Galileo believed and what the Church believed about the relationship between the Earth, Sun, and Moon.

Include an explanation about what makes

day and night using Galileo’s model. Discuss how the Sun, Moon, and stars appear to move across the sky because of the Earth’s rotation.

Discuss how the phases of the Moon are

determined by the location of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.

Add any other information that supports

your presentation.

Use five or more astronomy terms from the unit that apply to this task.

Each student in the group must participate

in planning, preparing, and presenting your work.

IB Summative Assessment:

IB Organization Programme Models

Common Elements to all three IB Programmes: The IB Learner Profile Approaches to teaching Approaches to learning Action/Service Exhibition/Personal

Project/Extended Essay International-Mindedness

Many Sessions families have (or will have in the future) children in not just the PYP, but in the MYP and/or DP programmes as well. These Programme Models show the elements common to all three programmes and how the programmes articulate from grades pre-K to the 12th Grade.