In this post...
- MYP LP Atrributes: Open-Minded
- Spring Journeys
- What We Are Learning...highlights from Individuals & Societies and PHE.
- Things To Do in our Community
MYP LP Attributes: Open Minded
A central feature of the IB is the Learner Profile, a series of 10 attributes that reflect the desired outcome of an IB education. "The aim of all IB programmes," the profile suggests, "is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world." How to achieve this goal? Be an inquirer, be knowledgeable, be a thinker, be a communicator, be principled, be open-minded, be caring, be a risk-taker, be balanced, and be reflective. Over the course of this academic year, our All-Schools and Division Chapels will focus on one of these traits each month. During the month of September, we focused on what it means to be Caring, and in October, we turn our attention to being Open-Minded.
Our All Schools Chapel on Monday coincided with Rosh Hashanah, the start of the year on the Jewish calendar. This gave us a wonderful opportunity to learn a little bit about the holiday and about Judaism more generally. We heard a reading from the book of Genesis, an excerpt of the portion that is traditionally read in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah, that tells the story of the Akedah, the binding of Isaac. In this story, Abraham believes that he has been instructed by God to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, but an Angel stops him. I offered a reflection during this Chapel, and I commented that scholars and theologians have explored this story and its meaning for centuries, with each generation of interpreters finding new layers of relevance. I drew on my own scholarship and experience teaching this text to students for many years. My students were frequently drawn to a peculiar grammatical anomaly in the text that could suggest that God didn't necessarily ask Abraham to sacrifice in son, but - importantly and dangerously - Abraham believed that God asked this of him.
We live in a religiously diverse society and culture. One scholar has suggested that today, the US is the most religiously diverse society in the history of the world. It's easy to rely on the things that each of us believes, but if, like Abraham, we rely only on the things that we believe, then we risk ignoring, excluding, or even harming others. We also risk limiting our own potential for growth. This is where the attribute Open Minded really resonates.
Open-Minded: We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We see and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience. from the IB Learner Profile
It's not just about learning about the values and traditions of others. It's about applying a critical lens on our own cultures and histories; it's about actively seeking other points of view and about being open to transformation by them.
Spring Journeys
If you haven't already, please register your student for the Spring Journeys via the links below by October 16, 2016.- 6th Grade Journey to California To register your 6th Grader, click here.
- 7th Grade Journey to the Southwest To register your 7th Grader, click here.
- 8th Grade Journey to Costa Rica To register your 8th Grader, click here.
What we are learning...
This week, we highlight our Individuals & Societies and PHE programs!We're reciting the Declaration of Independence...
In Seventh Grade, students are working to memorize and then recite the most famous sentence from the Declaration of Independence. In addition to increasing their familiarity with this historic document, it’s also another opportunity to practice the public speaking skills we’re working on in Language & Literature. Here’s a fun recording of the sentence from a past Seventh Grade year.
...exploring the Seven Wonders...
In Sixth Grade Individuals & Society we took our first test last week on the readings, geography notes and finding absolute location. I continue to encourage all of them to review their notes periodically; this test was my first opportunity to see if they are hearing my mantra. We also started our first project that will align with our MYP inquiry statement, “Absolute and relative locations have consequences for human and economic development.” The students will have an opportunity to research their own 7 Wonders based on their passions. They will then create a Google Earth tour of those locations with pictures and paragraphs about the significance as it applies to them. We will be working on how to cite sources, developing research skills and paraphrasing their information. Mrs. Strate will be working with the kids on their paragraphs making sure they have topic sentence, clinchers and zero “no excuses” errors. We will be devoting a lot of class time to this project but some will also have to be done at home. The end product they create will be very informative and unique to them. Let me know if you have questions along the way.
...and pursuing Utopia...
In Eighth Grade I&S we started the year with the foundations and ideals that shaped the Founding Fathers’ vision for the United States, including readings from John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The students also created their own Utopian Societies which focused on government formation, social dynamics, and conflict resolution. The first major project will be assigned next week which will be a presentation and essay on a significant individual from the American Revolution.
We're learning the components of fitness...
PHE is off to a great start this year! The students have began to answer the question “What is Fitness?” They eagerly await the movement learning activity of the day, such as the 5 Components of Fitness scooter relay. The team atmosphere encouraged each student to do their best while using their combined knowledge to sort the definitions. This past two weeks PHE students have almost completed the first round of the FitnessGram assessment. The FitnessGram assessment is a comprehensive health-related and activity related assessment tool in which students complete a series of activities displaying their current level of physical fitness. Each student's individual information is used to set goals and write personal health and fitness plans. Our goal is to promote personal fitness and health and make students aware of the choices they make.
...exploring the Seven Wonders...
In Sixth Grade Individuals & Society we took our first test last week on the readings, geography notes and finding absolute location. I continue to encourage all of them to review their notes periodically; this test was my first opportunity to see if they are hearing my mantra. We also started our first project that will align with our MYP inquiry statement, “Absolute and relative locations have consequences for human and economic development.” The students will have an opportunity to research their own 7 Wonders based on their passions. They will then create a Google Earth tour of those locations with pictures and paragraphs about the significance as it applies to them. We will be working on how to cite sources, developing research skills and paraphrasing their information. Mrs. Strate will be working with the kids on their paragraphs making sure they have topic sentence, clinchers and zero “no excuses” errors. We will be devoting a lot of class time to this project but some will also have to be done at home. The end product they create will be very informative and unique to them. Let me know if you have questions along the way.
...and pursuing Utopia...
In Eighth Grade I&S we started the year with the foundations and ideals that shaped the Founding Fathers’ vision for the United States, including readings from John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The students also created their own Utopian Societies which focused on government formation, social dynamics, and conflict resolution. The first major project will be assigned next week which will be a presentation and essay on a significant individual from the American Revolution.
We're learning the components of fitness...
Things To Do in our Community...
Looking for ways to explore Tacoma and Seattle? Stay up to date with the events calendar on The Tacoma Weekly and Visit Seattle.
Celebrate Green Tacoma Day with Citizens for a Healthy Bay! Help with invasive species removal and trash pick-up on Saturday, October 8, 10:00am-1:30pm. Meet at Gog Le Hi Te Wetlands (1402 Lincoln Ave, Tacoma). Tools, gloves, food, and drink will be provided
Celebrate Green Tacoma Day with Citizens for a Healthy Bay! Help with invasive species removal and trash pick-up on Saturday, October 8, 10:00am-1:30pm. Meet at Gog Le Hi Te Wetlands (1402 Lincoln Ave, Tacoma). Tools, gloves, food, and drink will be provided
