Students develop fundamental reading skills using familiar texts and environmental print. They learn the importance of asking and answering questions about the text, and practice these skills through shared, partner, and independent reading experiences.
Through reading familiar texts, students begin to use one-to-one matching of letters and sounds, and further develop decoding skills. As they work to improve their fluency, they learn that end punctuation determines when to pause during reading.
As students learn the difference between narrative and informational texts, they develop strategies to identify and use patterns to improve fluency, comprehension, and accuracy when reading. There is an emphasis on retelling, asking and answering questions, and making predictions about text.
As they explore the genre of informational books, students learn to identify the topic, use expert words, and compare and contrast texts.
Through storytelling, students acquire tools that help them transition to becoming writers. They orally rehearse stories and transfer their stories to drawings, before finally adding words using phonemic awareness, word walls, and high frequency word lists.
As students are introduced to Writing Workshop, they develop a topic, draw the topic, and then do their best approximation of writing. Students learn to move through the writing process of drafting, revising, and editing as they work towards publishing their writing.
Through the lens of the narrative genre, there is a focus on the overall readability of student writing. Students learn to put spaces between words and capitalize the first word of a sentence. While they continue to work on spelling, they also develop understanding of rereading and revising their work as they add details and elaboration.
Students develop understanding of the power of persuasive writing as a way to convince readers of something. They learn the difference between fact and opinion, how to research to find facts, and how to use facts to persuade.
Through an inquiry into mentor texts that teach the reader how to do something, students write step-by-step "how-to" books that include diagrams and labels. There is a continued focus on readability, using spelling strategies and tools, capitalization, and revising.
Students begin phonics study using the letters in their names as they are immersed in sounds, rhyme, and word play.
A students move from writing labels to writing sentences, they learn to use word-part power to grasp the power of phonograms. The word wall is introduced to support students in learning a growing number of high-frequency words. There is a focus on learning digraphs (sh, th, wh, ch) and using them with word parts to make words.
Through a focus on letter knowledge and letter-sound correspondence, phonological awareness, and high-frequency words, students study the alphabet chart and use high-frequency words to read and write. Songs, games, poems, and nursery rhymes are introduced and revisited again and again to support phonemic awareness and early reading concepts.
To further their study of short a and short i, students are introduced to the high-frequency words, am and did. They study vowels in words that are longer than CVC words, and learn how knowledge of CVC words is foundational to writing other words.
At the start of the year, time is devoted to setting up the mathematics classroom culture and creating routines that support the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
As students focus on counting to 10, they work with number names and symbols, and attach a quantity to each number. Students compare numbers to 10 using the mathematical language of more than, less than and equal to.
Using number bonds, ten frames, real objects, and drawings, students learn to compose and decompose the numbers 1-10. This is foundational learning for addition and subtraction.
Through exploration and discovery, students begin to learn to name, describe, and sort 2- and 3-D shapes. There is a focus on foundational work with position words.
As students are introduced to the concept of addition, they learn that it can be seen as putting-together and adding-to through concrete situations. Students work with objects and drawings to develop conceptual understanding of addition.
Further developing their understanding of shape, students describe and classify basic 2-D shapes by their attributes. They learn to model and compose 2D shapes, and join simple 2-D shapes to form larger more complex 2-D shapes.
As students model subtraction with manipulatives, they acquire a repertoire of strategies for solving subtraction stories. Students write their own subtraction story situations and solve them in multiple ways.
Through hands-on inquiries, students further develop their understanding of shape as they learn to describe and classify basic 3D shapes by their attributes. Students model and compose 3D shapes, and join simple 3-D shapes to form larger more complex 3D shapes.
in order to develop an understanding of the numbers 11-19 (teen numbers), students connect ten frame representations with numerals. They compare quantities and numbers to determine which is greater and which is less.
Using counters, math drawings, ten frames, and equations, students describe, explore, and explain how the counting numbers from 11 through 19 are ten ones and some more ones. They compose and decompose the numbers 11 through 19 by telling how many tens and ones are in the number, and connect composition and decomposition with number stories and represent numbers in various ways.
Working with measurable attributes, students compare and sort objects. They revisit the idea of sorting by attribute as a way to differentiate between attributes that are measurable and those that are not. In
Fluency to 5 means that students recognize, understand, and can use a variety of representations for addition and subtraction and can solve addition and subtraction problems within 5. The focus is building fluency for addition and subtraction within 5 and continuing to develop students' understanding of addition and subtraction, in context, up to 10.
Students receive a welcome to the world of music with a focus on who a musician is. They learn correct singing posture, beat, and high/low pitch, and begin to associate music with movement to make connections with lyrics, beats, and the sounds of music.
Through celebrations of Malaysia, students listen to cultural songs and learn proper technique for singing in unison. They practice simple rhythm and beats with high/low pitch, and are introduced to non-pitched percussion instruments.
Using common household items, students build a specific instrument from a particular culture. They study the culture and learn or create a song using their instrument. Students investigate the classification of instruments in order to display their instrument in the museum.
Through listening to a variety of styles of music, students review overall concepts of how the elements of music create feelings and thoughts in a musical piece.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
Using a variety of materials, students explore the elements of line, shape, and pattern and learn how line is used in art.
Through the context of seasons of the year and their characteristics, students explore and create artwork using lines and color.
Through an exploration of how artists are inspired, students create musical instruments using found objects and papier-mâché.
Developing an understanding that color gives visual dimensions, students are introduced to the primary and secondary colors on the color wheel. They explore mixing and creating new colors based on their observations of the world around them.
As they become more familiar with the Reading Workshop model, students develop strategies to use before, during, and after reading. They learn tools for decoding, and engage in conversations about their reading.
Students review self-monitoring strategies and apply those strategies to nonfiction reading as they learn the importance of previewing a text,. As the read informational text, they work towards becoming vocabulary experts by using word detective strategies and context clues to solve tricky words.
As they strengthen their strategies for self-monitoring, students further develop problem-solving skills for when they encounter difficulties with decoding and comprehension. They enhance their abilities when retelling, use images to help determine meaning and importance, and continue to strengthen their vocabulary.
With a focus on character, students learn to cite evidence from the text as they describe characters by referencing their actions and feelings, compare and contrast them, and ask and answer questions about them. Students continue to develop fluency and accuracy when reading aloud.
As they review the roles and responsibilities of Writing Workshop, students focus on small moments from their lives. With an emphasis on increasing writing stamina and generating ideas, they acquire strategies and learn to elaborate and add details to their writing.
Students share and engage in conversations to discover whether or not they need to add or change details from their work as they write informational books. They learn different ways to elaborate through the use of comparisons, examples, and elements of persuasion. Additionally, there is a greater emphasis on editing for punctuation as they get ready to select a book for publishing.
Writing reviews helps students begin to understand that evidence must be provided to support an opinion. There is an emphasis on the idea of collecting good evidence and working through the process of writing a claim, a reason, and an explanation or details about the reason.
Through the realistic fiction genre, students create a character, give that character adventures in a series of booklets, and create a “boxed set” of the stories. As they extend previously learned narrative skills, students create a series of events and bring characters to life by describing what they do, say, and think. They showcase their work by adding illustrations, a “meet the author” page, and editing and revising in meaningful ways to make their work publication-ready.
This unit provides cumulative review and reinforcement for key concepts in phonics that students encountered in Prep Senior. These include letter names and sounds, short vowels in CVC words, phonograms, blends, and digraphs, and a short list of approximately fifty high-frequency and high-utility words.
Through Phonics Workshop, a place to study words closely and make discoveries, students gain more insight into understanding how language works. They investigate CVCe words with a different vowel, and look closely at words and word parts to decode difficult words by breaking them into parts and putting those parts back together.
As students read nonfiction closely and thoughtfully, they learn that doing so involves looking all the way across words. They learn phonograms that contain blends and digraphs and continue acquiring new high-frequency words.
Students construct words, and challenge themselves to build longer, bigger words. As they learn vowel teams, they are also introduced to a new set of high-frequency words.
As students investigate analyze word structures and learn new snap words, they study r-controlled vowels: ar, or, ur, ir, and er. They learn that words can be combined to make larger words and continue to develop their concept of compound words.
At the start of the year, time is devoted to setting up the mathematics classroom culture and creating routines that support the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
As students review and build upon addition and subtraction concepts learned in Prep Senior, they use visual models to gain a better understanding of addition and subtraction to 10, and learn how addition and subtraction are connected to each other.
As students work to describe shapes based on defining attributes, they learn that color, size, and orientation are non-defining attributes. Alongside an exploration into halves and fourths of circles, students learn to tell time to the nearest hour and half hour.
As students acquire different strategies for solving addition problems, they also learn that knowing some facts, such as the Doubles and Double +1 facts, makes it easier to solve addition problems.
Using a variety of strategies and models and what they know about addition, students begin to make sense of subtraction.
Using non-standard measurement tools, students compare and order lengths and heights. Building on the concepts from their work with circles, they continue to tell time to the hour and half hour.
Working towards greater fluency with problem solving, students begin to consider what operation works best for what situation and why.
As students reason about 3D shapes, they extend their understanding of defining and non-defining attributes from their work with 2D shapes.
As students continue to extend their addition and subtraction skills, they begin to work with different kinds of problems that involve more complex situations and more difficult combinations of numbers.
As students examine how two-digit numbers are composed of tens and ones, they build numbers up to 100 using concrete models and representations. Students add and subtract numbers within 100 and compare numbers by analyzing the amount of tens and ones in each number.
As students begin to learn about the ways to organize data, they are introduced to a table with tallies, a picture graph, and a bar graph. They use these tools to collect data and ask and answer questions about that data.
Through simple rhythms, students are introduced to solfege. They begin to explore rhythm and beat, and develop awareness for types of sounds and music using non-pitched percussion instruments.
Extending their knowledge of solfege and simple rhythms, students develop an awareness for types of sounds in music using non-pitched or pitched percussion instruments.
Using common household items, students build a specific instrument from a particular culture. They study the culture and learn or create a song using their instrument. Students investigate the classification of instruments in order to display their instrument in the museum.
Celebrating their learning, students compose their own selection of music that is performed by their peers.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
Through an exploration of basic elements of art, students learn how artists use elements in different ways. They discover how art elements are components that can be isolated and defined.
Through an exploration of seasons and weather, students learn a variety of techniques and processes for creating art as they make use of lines and shapes to create textural appearances. They experiment with lines to show movement, change, and color variations throughout the seasons.
As students learn how artists tell stories and communicate culture through their art, they create the shadow puppets of Malaysia, Wayang Kulit.
Through a study of office buildings and living spaces, students explore what futuristic dwellings may look like. Using the art elements of lines and shapes, students design and draw a “City of Buildings”.
As students enter second grade, they learn to think more deeply about which strategies they use as they read, how much they read, and how to self-monitor their comprehension. They further develop skills to solve tricky words, decode, and determine the importance of specific words in a text.
As students work to improve reading fluency, there is focus on reading using punctuation, adding tone, and making sure there is an understanding of pace. They explore how words are used in special ways, and think about what the author is trying to do by writing the words in these ways. Students also develop strategies to help them summarize important events in their reading.
As students study nonfiction texts, they further develop strategies to find the main idea, key vocabulary, and supporting details. They expand their knowledge of information text by paying attention to details, seeing how text fits together, and by asking questions about what they read. There is an emphasis on vocabulary development, fluency, and working with tricky words, as well as comparing and contrasting across informational texts.
As they follow characters across different books within a series, students develop an understanding of the main character’s interactions and motivations. They work towards becoming experts on a particular series by collecting information about a character and studying the plot. Through this study across a series, students understand how authors use literary language to convey meaning.
Through a study of mentor texts, students learn to craft stories using details in a step-by step-order. The writing process is highlighted as they learn how to cycle through collecting ideas, choosing an idea, and nurturing the idea before drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.
As students become immersed in poetry, they learn that poets are inspired by objects and feelings that they translate into words. They learn to pay special attention to sound as they experiment with line breaks, and come to understand that a poem is different from a story. There is an emphasis on meaning and crafting through the use of figurative language, repetition, and white space.
Through an investigation of mentor texts, students learn the the characteristics of nonfiction, informational books. With an emphasis on elaboration and "showing not telling", students cycle through the writing process as they craft and publish their own informational texts designed to teach others about a topic.
As they further develop the persuasive writing skills acquired in Grade 1, students write reviews of texts they are familiar with. They begin by generating ideas while developing and revising opinions about the text, and then focus on collecting evidence while reading, and applying this evidence as support for their opinions.
At the start of the year, time is devoted to setting up the mathematics classroom culture and creating routines that support the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
As students continue to build addition and subtraction fluency, they learn new strategies such as doubling and grouping. Grouping objects prepares students for multiplication in future mathematics.
Working with standard units of measurement, students build upon the work in first grade to estimate, measure, compare, and reason about lengths.
Extending their work with addition into the hundreds place, students solve word problems using a variety of strategies.
Using real-world situations, students learn to tell time to the nearest minute and work on distinguishing notations for morning and afternoon, as well as other conventions for reading and describing time.
Applying what they have already learned about addition to their work with subtraction, students use a variety of strategies to solve real-world problems.
As students encounter more complex problems with unknowns, they consider what operation works best for different kinds of situations and why.
As students continue to work with numbers into the hundreds place, they use their previous experiences with place value, grouping, and skip counting to make numbers greater than than 100 in many ways.
Building on their knowledge of addition and subtraction, students work with more complex problems. They add and subtract 3-digit numbers with manipulatives, and they add as many as four 2-digit numbers within the same problem.
Using previous learning about shapes from Prep Senior and Grade 1, students formalize definitions and ways of composing and decomposing shapes.
Using strategies from 1-step word problems, students work with 2-step problems where they often have to add and subtract within the same problem.
Building on their knowledge of data and graphs from Prep Senior and Grade 1, students generate data, organize it on a variety of graphs, and learn to ask and answer questions about the data.
Through review and reinforcement of good habits, students learn dynamics with musical terms.
As students continue to work on good singing habits, they apply dynamics to performances and receive an introduction to the music staff/stave.
Using common household items, students build a specific instrument from a particular culture. They study the culture and learn or create a song using their instrument. Students investigate the classification of instruments in order to display their instrument in the museum.
As students learn about whole note, whole rest, ¾ meter, and pentatonic patterns, as well as form (binary), they continue developing their understanding of dynamics. Students compose a short 8-beat rhythmic selection.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
Thinking and working like artists, students learn to create rhythm and rhythmic expression through the use of patterns in art.
Gaining an understanding of the rhythmic expression of color through value - using white and black to create light and dark values of color, students learn to use primary and secondary colors to create related colors.
As students observe the connection between patterns and textures which are present in our surroundings, they learn to imprint these textures on ceramic.
As students explore and examine the art of Southeast Asia, they complete a butterfly design in batik.
As students transition to more complex texts, they revisit the roles and responsibilities of Reading Workshop. There is an emphasis on routines, book selection, and reading in the company of partners. Students build and refine reading strategies for comprehension, such as self-monitoring, predicting, and retelling stories. They continue to work on strategies for tackling tricky words, enhance their knowledge of literary language, and begin to unpack author’s purpose.
Students work to increase their stamina by reading longer stretches of nonfiction texts as they learn to construct a mental summary of what they read, complete with big ideas and supporting details. There is an emphasis on the skills of main idea and supporting details, synthesizing across texts, summarizing, and questioning the text.
As students are challenged to consider how stories are put together in deliberate ways and begin to debate ideas about texts, they learn to closely observe characters, make predictions, and sharpen their skills of interpretation. There is an emphasis on making inferences and noting patterns in the behaviors of characters based on actions, words, and thoughts.
Through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals, students learn to research, synthesize information, and compare and contrast information across multiple texts. They use this information as the basis for their Persuasive Writing pieces.
Using real experiences or events from their own lives, students develop personal narratives with a clear event sequence that unfolds naturally and includes exact details and specific words. They incorporate dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, feelings, and responses to further develop their writing.
Using information found while working in the Informational Reading unit, students write booklets on topics they select that include well-structured paragraphs packed with details, examples, anecdotes, and expert vocabulary. There is focus on concrete strategies, such as elaboration and the intentional use of grammar to enhance meaning.
As students further develop narrative writing skills, they adapt a familiar fairytale or myth. As they become more comfortable with the genre, they work through the writing process independently, generating ideas, drafting, and revising. There is a continued focus on enhancing details and editing for conventions.
Building upon their experiences with numbers and the base-ten system, students extend that work with addition and subtraction to the hundreds place.
As students work with telling time to the minute, they also compute elapsed time and think about why that matters.
The foundational work with multiplication in Grade 3 sets students up for success with fractions in elementary school and ratios in middle school. For this reason, much time in Grade 3 is devoted to multiplication. Through the multiplication of the numbers 2-9 by the numbers 2-5, students begin to gain conceptual understanding as well as fluency and accuracy.
Building on the reasoning students have been doing with shapes since they entered school, they work with shapes in different categories, focusing on different types of quadrilaterals (also known as four-sided figures). They also extend their work with shapes to include perimeter.
Continuing their work with multiplication, students begin multiplying the numbers 2-9 by the numbers 6-9.
Having now worked with factors 2 - 9, students move on to seeing patterns in multiples of 10, and how the digit zero holds place value. They continue to build their fluency with multiplication.
As students begin to work with division, they learn that division can be seen as separating into groups. They learn that this can be done in two ways: quotative division/grouping (making groups of the same size over and over) or partitive division/sharing (make a fixed number of groups).
As students build on the work they did in Grade 2 with recognizing and naming fractions, they practice many strategies to understand, show, and compare fractions.
Using real-world contexts, students learn how area and perimeter are related and how they are different. Rather than working with formulas, Third Graders build conceptual understanding by working with concrete models.
Continuing to use the tally table, picture graphs, and bar graphs that they learned in Grade 2, students extend their understanding by drawing scaled graphs to show data in multiples.
Using standard units of measurement, students estimate, measure, compare and reason about volume and mass.
Using their understanding of the four mathematical operations, students make sense of real-world problems involving two-steps by modeling with diagrams and equations and by using a letter for the unknown.
As students work with the musical concepts of dynamics, rhythms in simple meter, and tempo, cultural celebrations with traditional songsare incorporated. Students review proper singing technique and compose basic rhythmic patterns.
Using their knowledge of basic rhythms, students create musical compositions.They develop understanding of how melodies move, and further their understanding of dynamics, timbre, and tempo.
Using common household items, students build a specific instrument from a particular culture. They study the culture and learn or create a song using their instrument. Students investigate the classification of instruments in order to display their instrument in the museum.
Using their knowledge of basic rhythms, students create musical compositions.They develop understanding of how melodies move, and further their understanding of dynamics, timbre, and tempo.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
Through the lens of nature, students learn to use basic art elements and structures to create a landscape. They incorporate colors to convey the mood of the place or a mood that generates an emotion to the viewer.
Through an exploration of how art is used as a symbol in many cultures, students create designs of a particular culture, using bright or light color values and lines to create a variety of shapes.
Expressing creativity and a connection to nature, students create three-dimensional art. They learn modeling techniques to communicate the likeness and expression of an animal through three-dimensional form.
Artists design and depict objects seen in daily life. Student learn about ceramics, from functional to abstract pottery. They create pottery using simple techniques and develop their creativity by shaping and hand building with coils.
Students begin to challenge themselves to read with increasing stamina and fluency as they learn how to choose books that are just right in level and interest, to carry books between home and school, and to collect and study data about their reading rates and volume. In reading partnerships, students learn to retell and summarize texts and to share ideas that are grounded in the specifics of their books.
As students look at the nonfiction genre, they learn how to deconstruct nonfiction texts and take notes according to the structure the author uses. There is an emphasis on summarizing and paraphrasing as students develop skills to synthesize information.
Students begin to think more deeply about characters as they learn to make inferences, build theories, and uncover life lessons in texts. They further develop strategies to read with fluency, and participate in collaborative discussions about what they read.
As students work to further their understanding of content knowledge, they learn multiple strategies to identify main idea and supporting details, and develop self-monitoring skills and the ability to decipher important vs. interesting information. They then work to transfer their understanding of main ideas, details, craft, and structure to the research process, integrating and synthesizing the information they collect.
As they analyze how history affects the actions, words, and thoughts characters, students learn to read passages closely. During this close reading, they determine themes, investigate symbolism, and revise their interpretations as needed.
Through the lens of the personal essay, students generate ideas, a thesis, and claims. As they move into creating paragraphs, they learn to develop their elaboration skills and craft moves. There is a focus on the writing process as students work to revise, edit, and publish their work.
Using small moments from their lives, students create a realistic fiction story. They learn to develop the main character's wants and needs, motivations and struggles, and external versus internal character traits. Students spend time understanding the plot of a narrative through a story arc by focusing on a few specific scenes. With guidance, students work through the writing process to make their stories audience ready.
Students strengthen their information writing skills by first writing about areas of personal expertise, and later writing a feature article connected to science content. They study mentor texts to review text structure, and plan the content of each chapter of an information book before focusing on elaboration and structure while working through the writing process,
Using the genre of literary essay, students write structured, compelling essays in which they make and support claims, and analyze, unpack, and incorporate evidence. While writing about favorite texts, students learn to resist closure on an issue, to value complexity, and to commit themselves to examining all sides of an issue with as little bias as possible.
At the start of the year, time is devoted to setting up the mathematics classroom culture and creating routines that support the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
Building upon their experiences with the base-ten number systems, students work with the understanding that any digit in a multi-digit number represents a number that is ten times greater than what it would represent one place to the right. This critical understanding is important to all future mathematics.
As they practice multiplication facts learned in Grade 3, students also work with larger numbers. They learn to compare using multiplication and to multiply using an area model. Learning the area model before an algorithm builds the conceptual understanding needed for algebra in middle school.
Applying what they have learned about multiplication to division, students begin to develop a deep understanding about what division is and how to use it. Learning partial quotients division before an algorithm builds conceptual understanding needed for future mathematics.
As students continue to focus on the important ideas about place value, they extend their thinking to decimal numbers and learn that any digit in a multi-digit number is ten times greater than what it would represent one place to the right.
Using visual models to build conceptual understanding, students compare, add, and subtract fractions.
Extending their practice with multiplication, students analyze the patterns of scaling up a number with its multiples and understand that the factors of a whole number are the numbers that divide it evenly with no remainder.
Using standard units of measurement, students solve real-world problems involving area and perimeter, and convert between units of the same system.
Building upon previous work with two- and three-dimensional shapes, students classify and categorize polygons based on sides and angles.
Extending their understanding of patterns, students describe them with words, tables, and numbers.
With a focus on reinforcing good posture and technique habits when singing, students review the elements of music including rhythm, beat, dynamics, pitch, and phrasing.
Applying their knowledge of the elements of music, students further develop notation reading skills and their cultural repertoire.
Using common household items, students build a specific instrument from a particular culture. They study the culture and learn or create a song using their instrument. Students investigate the classification of instruments in order to display their instrument in the museum.
As students deepen their understanding of instrument families within the orchestra and band in order to prepare them for Grade 5 Band, they draft, compose, and perform their individual compositions with traditional music notation on their chosen instrument.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
As students learn about the elements of art and structures and ideas behind cultural designs, they gain an understanding and learn about creating artwork based on radial symmetry.
As students learn to design and create masks that have a purpose, they gain an understanding as to why masks are made and how they are used in some cultures.
Through an exploration of Batik from different cultures, students learn the technique of Batik using design elements seen in their own personal environments.
As students gain an insight into how artists use observation of a subject matter at a specific time as a basis for their work, they compose forms representing the unique features of their neighborhoods.
(integrated Reading and Writing): Taking a closer look at author craft moves, particularly the use of symbolism and allegory, students track characters' problems, and identify internal and external character conflicts and themes that run through fantasy books. They use what they learn from authors, to create fantasy stories of their own.
(integrated Reading and Writing): Through a study of interpretation, students work together in Book Clubs to identify themes.They look closely at author’s craft to compare and contrast the ways in which themes are developed across texts, and how and why an author created a character or developed a plot line. They then choose a piece of narrative text that has impacted them, amd use it to generate ideas about the literature, and develop a thesis statement and supporting details.
(integrated Reading and Writing): Through an inquiry into mentor texts, students develop their understanding of ethical journalism. Applying a variety of writing tools and techniques that help working journalists, students craft a news article from start to finish as they strive to include the specifics in their articles by observing something; an event, a location, or a person. They understand that specific details make a tremendous difference in journalistic writing.
(Integrated Reading & Writing) Through an integrated reading and writing inquiry, students explore more complex texts. They research topics related to the Sustainable Development Goals, collect information, take notes, and produce a report on a topic. Students inquire into the multimodal ways authors present information, investigating the characteristics of each mode before choosing the best mode to share their information, adding visuals, sound, and other media to best convey their ideas.
At the start of the year, time is devoted to setting up the mathematics classroom culture and creating routines that support the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
Building on and extending the work they did in Grade 4 with multi-digit multiplication and division, students make connections between different kinds of representations and become fluent with a standard algorithm for multiplication.
Building upon base-ten understanding from Grade 4, students work with decimals to the thousandths place.
Through exposure to and practice with a variety of strategies, students learn to add and subtract decimals and fractions.
Shifting their thinking about multiplication and division, students learn an important new concept, which is scaling: the idea that multiplying and dividing can magnify or shrink a number. This understanding is critical for their work in middle school with ratios and proportions.
Continuing to work with the structure of the base-10 number system, students now extend that work to multiplying and dividing decimals by decimals.
Using their understanding of multiplying whole numbers and decimals, students extend their work to fractions.
Using their understanding of dividing whole numbers and decimals, students extend their work to fractions.
Using concrete models, students recognize volume as an attribute of three-dimensional figures and understand that volume can be measured by finding the total number of the same-size units required to fill the space without gaps or overlaps. They then use that understanding when working with the formula for finding volume.
While continuing to build on pattern work, students begin to learn to use the coordinate plane as they graph and analyze number patterns.
Having worked with shapes throughout elementary school, students now formalize the distinctions between different types of polygons, focusing on nested (hierarchical) groups of quadrilaterals.
As students review their knowledge of pitch and rhythm from Grade 4, they begin to work with their chosen instrument and learn maintenance, tone production, articulation, and how to play 5 pitches.
As students continue working with their instrument, they begin to perform music with multiple parts, performing their first full band piece. Students also compose short, rhythmic ideas to perform on one to two pitches on their instrument.
As students continue working with their instrument, they add new rhythms and musical symbols, and discuss musicality. Students compose short, rhythmic and melodic ideas for their instrument and perform in smaller groups for the class. They listen and respond to recordings of experts on their instruments.
As students focus on their instrument for the May performance, they challenge their musical abilities, expand on their ensemble skills, and look towards the culmination of their elementary music learning Students continue developing their ear through listening to recordings of themselves and others.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
Through a study of the posture, movement, and proportion of human figures, student learn to create three-dimensional clay sculptures from preliminary studies and sketches of people.
As students explore prominent influences in architecture and heritage conservation, linking originality and historical importance to the people, culture, and times, they design and craft a building facade using clay.
Through an exploration of symbolism in art, students develop an understanding of how symbols can be used to communicate ideas and thoughts.
Using still life objects, students formally study composition and proportion, and explore the style and techniques involved. They design, draw, and paint still life.
Students explore and think critically about the rise of ancient civilizations and examine Mesopotamia as a case study. They develop their narrative writing skills by writing short stories, focusing on techniques such as descriptive language, plot structure, and building tension through conflict. They analyze historical fiction books through collaborative book clubs.
Students analyze the many roles that citizens play within a society. Students develop their explanatory writing skills through writing informational human interest articles. Students practice identifying the main idea and details in a nonfiction text as well as summarizing and build understanding of characterization in literature, focusing on how characters change throughout the fiction text. Students explore government systems and roles of citizens through inquiry and experiential learning.
Students build fictional reading skills surrounding theme through poetry and short narrative texts. Identifying author's purpose in nonfiction reading is also practiced. Students build conceptual knowledge surrounding economic issues and their impacts on individuals, businesses, and the world. They use that knowledge to evaluate solutions to these issues. Students write argumentative works relating to the economic learning done earlier in the unit. Speaking and Listening skills focus on presenting information to small groups and larger audiences.
Sudents learn through inquiry about factors, greatest common factors, and division of fractions utilising manipulatives, modeling, and grapple with real world problems to develop conceptual understanding of properties and processes.
Using modeling as a strategy for building understanding and collecting data to explore real-world applications, students learn about proportional relationships includingratios, rates and percents.
Learning about integers, absolute value, coordinate planes and the distributive property through connections to real-world contexts and hand on activites, students expand their understanding of the number line and what the position of numbers tell us about their value.
Students learn about areas of triangles and composite shapes and the volume and surface area of right rectangular prisms through discovery labs, explorations with concrete models, measurement tasks and a design challenge.
Students learn how to model real-world situations using expressions and equations by analyzing tables, patterns, and graphs and construct equations that generalize relationships.
Students learn how to collect data, represent data in multiple ways, calculate measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode), and interpret data sets. They will collect, represent, and analyze data sets in relation to a topic of their choice through inquiry.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zone areas such as basketball, European handball or endzone, and floor hockey.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zones areas such as soccer, ultimate frisbee, or touch rugby.
Students develop body control and balance through various movement patterns, positions and apparatus. A partner or small group performance is also a key piece where students design their own routine with music, showcasing their development.
Students focus on learning and becoming more proficient in the following strokes: freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke, culminating in an endurance swim challenge. Teamwork and communication skills are developed through various pool games and activities.
Students learn several aspects of climbing: technique (long arms, toes on the wall, step throughs, knee turns, shifting balance, smears, stem, crimp grips, etc.), the use of climbing equipment and associated safety procedures (8-knots and belaying with grigri and other devices), important climbing terminology and essential communication between climber and belayer.
Students are orientated with the weight room and fitness room facility. Gym etiquette and safety are key in lessons as students are able to explore with various equipment. Students are led through a series of individual & group workouts in various environments.
Students perform all run, jump and throw events. Students race against each other in relay races and participate in a two lesson mini-meet. Data is collected and students are graded according to grade averages.
Students explore a number of different activities such as softball, cricket, and rounders, in which players score points by striking an object and running to designated playing areas or prevent opponents from scoring by retrieving the object and returning it to stop the play. Students develop throwing, catching & batting skills as well as conceptual understanding through rules.
Students learn how to use a variety of offensive and defensive shots played in drill and game situations. Students become more proficient at moving their opponents around the court selecting spaces which are open & difficult to return. Students are introduced to different tournament styles and the pros and cons they bring.
Students learn how to hit an object towards a court or target area such as badminton, volleyball or smashball with a net or wall in between that an opponent is defending. The aim is to cause the object to land in the target area while making it difficult for the opponent to return the object. Students learn the basics of volleyball through the modified game smashball. They can learn the same with alternative net games such as table tennis and pickleball.
Students explore various self-defense techniques and whole-body movement patterns. Students are given the opportunity to develop skills in archery and golf.
Students experience a range of aquatic sports which may include water polo, water volleyball, water basketball, water baseball, endzone, triathlon, and various teacher-created games. By playing these sports/games students are focusing on aquatic fitness, communication as well as gameplay concepts.
Focusing on the cycling of matter and the transfer of energy within Earth systems, students learn about these concepts through inquiry, experiments and modeling. Students demonstrate their learning through the scientific practices of developing and using models, and engaging arguments from evidence.
Students learn about the creation and impact of natural disasters caused by plate tectonics and the transfer of energy in other Earth systems through observations, explorations, and data collection. Students demonstrate their learning through the scientific practice of developing and using models and analyzing and interpreting data..
Students learn about how the unequal heating of the Earth’s surface impacts weather systems through observations, explorations, and data collection. Students demonstrate their learning through the scientific practice of developing and using models, and analyzing and interpreting data.
Students learn about the body as a system of interactive subsystems, composed of groups of cells through inquiry, experiments, and modeling. Students demonstrate their learning through the scientific practices of developing and using models and engaging in arguments from evidence.
Students learn about cell theory, basic structures and functions of cells, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration through cell investigations and a yeast lab inquiry. Students demonstrate their learning through the scientific practices of developing and using models, conducting investigations, and engaging in arguments from evidence.
Students explore line as an element of art and complete a variety of mark-making exercises. Students should be able to identify vocabulary describing lines and identify them in everyday objects. Students will learn about how different kinds of line can express a variety of moods, and can also be used to imply direction and form and give drawings the illusion of three dimensions.
Students create a painting based on ideas and sketches that they have developed. They learn to mix acrylic paint to create shades and tints and painting a monochromatic colour scheme.
In this studio unit, students learn to design and make a three-dimensional sculptural form using clay. Students research and develop their own ideas and sketches around a theme. Student's attach pieces of clay and manipulate it using hand-building techniques. Students may wish to combine decoration and function in different ways and use glaze.
Students create a mixed-media collage based on the artist Romare Bearden. Students arrange and compose imagery around the theme of 'community' and explore different kinds of collage such as painted paper, decoupage and photo-montage.
Students explore their identity in different ways and learn about aspects of culture that are seen and unseen. They analyze the impact place has on human culture and individual identity, including important places that have shaped their own personal identity.
Students learn of the complexities of group identity. The concept of 'We and They' is explored through a variety of case studies examining people who were historically, or are now, marginalized and discriminated against based on their identity. Students consider how they are empowered to take action and to recognize themselves as allies.
Students scope of understanding is broadened to a global level. Students explore the ways that economic decision-making shapes societies and global interactions. They examine diverse case studies to connect economic principles to values they hold.
The concept of probability is explored along with key ideas of statistics through mathematical investigations. Students discover the concept of simple probability and express probability in the various forms of rational numbers (e.g., fractions, decimals, and percent) and are introduced to the concept of compound probability. The key skills of statistics that are covered include using random sampling and comparing two populations with numerical data.
Students apply skills learnt in a real-life situation of creating and running a restaurant. The students build fluency in key skills including working with rates and unit rates, proportional relationships, scale drawings, area of complex shapes, and operations with integers, fractions, and decimals.
Students engage in mathematical inquiry to explore the concepts of equality and balance as a necessary component to manipulating the algebraic representation of problems. They build fluency in the key skills of solving and representing multi-step equations and inequalities.
The focus is to apply skills learnt in a real-life situation of creating and running a music festival. The students build fluency in key skills including proportional relationships and geometric concepts relating to angles, triangles, and solid figures.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zone areas such as basketball, European handball or endzone, and floor hockey.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zones areas such as soccer, ultimate frisbee, or touch rugby.
Students develop body control and balance through various movement patterns, positions and apparatus. A partner or small group performance is also a key piece where students design their own routine with music, showcasing their development.
Students focus on learning and becoming more proficient in the following strokes: freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke, culminating in an endurance swim challenge. Teamwork and communication skills are developed through various pool games and activities.
Students learn several aspects of climbing: technique (long arms, toes on the wall, step throughs, knee turns, shifting balance, smears, stem, grips, etc.), the use of climbing equipment and associated safety procedures (8-knots and belaying with grigri and other devices), important climbing terminology and essential communication between climber and belayer.
Students are orientated with the weight room and fitness room facility. Gym etiquette and safety are key in lessons as students are able to explore with various equipment. Students are led through a series of individual & group workouts in various environments.
Students perform all run, jump and throw events. Students race against each other in relay races and participate in a two lesson mini-meet. Data is collected and students are graded according to grade averages.
Students explore a number of different activities such as softball, cricket, and rounders, in which players score points by striking an object and running to designated playing areas or prevent opponents from scoring by retrieving the object and returning it to stop the play. Students develop throwing, catching & batting skills as well as conceptual understanding through rules.
Students learn how to use a variety of offensive and defensive shots played in drill and game situations. Students become more proficient at moving their opponents around the court selecting spaces which are open & difficult to return. Students are introduced to different tournament styles and the pros and cons they bring.
Students learn how to hit an object towards a court or target area such as badminton, volleyball or smashball with a net or wall in between that an opponent is defending. The aim is to cause the object to land in the target area while making it difficult for the opponent to return the object. Students learn the basics of volleyball through the modified game smashball. They can learn the same with alternative net games such as table tennis and pickleball.
Students explore various self-defense techniques and whole-body movement patterns. Students are given the opportunity to develop skills in archery & golf.
Students experience a range of aquatic sports which may include water polo, water volleyball, water basketball, water baseball, endzone, triathlon, and various teacher-created games. By playing these sports/games students are focusing on aquatic fitness, communication as well as gameplay concepts.
Focusing on the flow of energy and matter through natural and designed systems, students learn about these concepts through inquiry, experiments, and modeling. Students demonstrate their learning through developing a model.
Focusing on the interdependence of species and population dynamics, students learn about these concepts through inquiry, observation, and data collection. Students demonstrate their learning by writing a research based article about maintaining biodiversity.
Focusing on the choices humans make and how those choices affect Earth’s natural resources, students learn about these concepts through inquiry, research, and data analysis. Students demonstrate their learning by constructing an explanation about how humans can consume natural resources more sustainably.
Focusing on heredity, students learn about it through labs, simulations, and modeling. Students demonstrate their learning by creating models of how traits are inherited and how DNA codes for specific traits.
Focused on biological evolution, students learn about this through simulations, research and inquiry. Students demonstrate their learning by constructing an argument from evidence about how organisms change over time.
Focusing on how science and engineering can impact society, students learn about this concept through experiments, research and inquiry. Students demonstrate their learning by creating a presentation about a specific advancement in science that synthesizes multiple sources of information.
Students explore actual and implied textures through found objects in a technique called frottage. Students look at the work of artist Max Ernst and explore how using different kinds of art media can create different results.
Students learn the process of Relief printing in this unit. They will make many prints from a single drawing and get familiar with the use of printmaking terms. In relief printing, they cut away or recess negative space in order to make a block print. The print is made from what is left of the original surface. They learn to transfer the image by placing the fully inked block face down along surface of the paper. A variety of techniques and tools for printmaking are introduced as they learn to block print.
Students use their Art as a visual representation that communicates something that is important to them. Students use their artwork to create a poster for an advocacy publication that can be shared in the community. Students learn about how different artists have responded to social issues and use their artwork to advocate a cause or injustice. Students may also explore the theme through printmaking and the work of art in the age of reproduction.
Students explore the use of shapes and shades in an artwork by observing an object of their choice, and translating the real and abstracted shapes . Students paint to mix a variety of different tones and consider other appropriate colour schemes for their piece.
Students design and make their own ‘creature’ from clay that is inspired by real or imagined creatures from land, sea, or mythology. Students explore their own subject matter through drawn designs and investigations may cover gargoyles, monsters, animals, popular culture, cartoons, or depictions of the human head or body. Students learn to use the ‘pinch pot’ method of clay construction and adapt it to their design. Students are introduced to the properties of clay and its possibilities and limitations. Students begin by making two hollowed pinch pots and attaching them together to create a hollow ball that forms the basic starting point of their design. Newspaper can be stuffed inside to strengthen and support forms. Different forms and textures are then added to the work to make their intended design or outcome. When finished, pots are left to go ‘bone dry’ and then ‘bisque’ fired at 1100 degrees Celsius. Students will next use colour and paint their work with glaze and the pots are then fired once more.
Students explore an art movement called Cubism. They create a mixed media artwork based on observational drawings of objects from different viewpoints. Students employ Cubist techniques such as abstracting, overlapping, reassembling and experiment with a different media including collage, pencil, oil pastel and/or monoprint.
Students create a large-scale dynamic group artwork. Using the work of other artists such as Okuda to inform their style, students collaborate constructively and think creatively to assemble an artwork.
Reading is a foundational skill for leading a literate life, a central goal of Humanities is to build strong reading habits and foster an appreciation for reading. Students choose books to read, up to 100 minutes per week, track and reflect on their progress throughout the school year. Reading provides a rehearsal of life’s events and builds our capacity to empathize with others, it also serves as a tool to become a proficient reader, writer, and communicator.
Through exploration and examination of a writer's process and techniques, students writing improves. Writing is a process in which abstract thinking is captured on paper. Cultivating confidence and craft, students learn to read like writers. Students study mentor texts and experiment with myriad literary techniques in different forms in their writer's notebooks to find and shape their writing style and craft.
Students learn that storytelling is an essential form of communication, a way in which humans connect with each other and preserve their thoughts, emotions, and values for posterity. They engage in a series of creative and collaborative narrative writing activities. From their collection of ideas, they select one response and develop it into a narrative that contains all of the basic elements of a story. Students “stretch a scene” to create a short story that utilizes a full range of narrative structures and techniques.
Students explore the many causes and effects of migration. People migrate for many reasons; some are involuntarily pushed from their homelands as casualties of war, crime, poverty and climate disasters, and others make a decision to leave, hoping to obtain better lives for themselves and their families. They develop understanding of relevant concepts through news articles and case studies from around the world. Students read examples in literature, participate in book club discussions, and analyze the decisions and consequences that migrants in these stories face. Nonfiction texts will be emphasized, along with statistical data that can be used as evidence to support their claims.
Students explore the year-long theme of Truth using engaging texts. Students choose from a set of Shades of Truth books to read and discuss with a same-text group. Groups track how truth is being manipulated or changed based on dynamics such as power, culture, perspective, or bias. The group's collaboration and discussion skills are also emphasized.
Students learn how Colonialism has shaped the modern world in ways that continue to impact us today. Students engage in a case study of colonialism in Africa to understand the historical forces that have shaped the continent and its people. Begining with an inquiry into the early history of African kingdoms, students explore the colonial and post-colonial experiences of Kenya, Algeria, the Congo, and Ghana. They analyze historical sources and are assessed on how colonial policies impacted the social, political, and economic systems of African societies.
What is the relationship between Power and Truth? Students explore this essential question using two different forms of literature. Using a Shakespearean drama (like The Tempest or Julius Caesar) as a full-class, model text. Students select a young adult novel to read and discuss in book club discussions. They focus on exploring the concept of "Power" and literary analysis, including annotating difficult texts, literary devices such as allusion and metaphor, and character analysis, using passages from their books.
Students, living in an increasingly globalized world, examine the costs and benefits of global interdependence from an economic, political, cultural, and environmental perspective. Their analysis is guided and informed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Students create models to explore the relationship between squares and square roots and cubes and cube roots. These understandings will be used to prove the Pythagorean Theorem. How math notation can be used to communicate complex ideas clearly, including how to represent the same value in different ways, and learn the properties of integer exponents will be reviewed.
Students examine the key characteristics of proportional relationships and learn how to represent these relationships in different ways: table, graph, story, and equation. Using knowledge of similar triangles to examine slope and determine methods for identifying the slope using different methods (from a table, graph, two points, etc). They derive the slope-intercept (y=mx+b) and standard forms (Ax+By=C) of a line and understand how they relate to a graph and how to choose the best form for the task at hand. Students solve one-variable equations with the variables being on both sides of the equal sign, including equations with rational numbers, the distributive property, and combining like terms. Students solve problems involving systems of linear equations, including those with one, no, and infinite solutions.
Students physically and digitally manipulate objects to discover the properties of similar and congruent figures and will describe different types of transformations with both words and numbers. Investigate different types of transformations and the effect that each type of transformation has on a figure. Use their knowledge of properties of angles and triangles to deduce the measures of angles formed by parallel lines and transversals, find the measures of exterior angles of triangles, and informally prove congruence and similarity.
Students explore the properties of inequalities in one and two variables (linear) and how these relationships can be represented using notation, graphs, and words. Using systems of linear inequalities to find possible solutions to real-world problems, students solve problems involving exponential growth and decay and quadratic relationships.
Students use hands-on activities to understand π and derive the formulas for the area of a circle and the volume of a cylinder, sphere, and cone. They solve real-world problems about the volume of these objects (including composite figures and truncated cones) using these formulas and test their solutions with both hand-drawn and physical models.
Students construct and interpret scatterplots for bivariate data. They review examples of different types of correlation and explore the differences between correlation and causation and understand the effect of outliers. Students estimate (or computer generate) the line of best fit and interpret what the line might suggest about the relationship shown in the data. Students model bivariate data using two-way frequency tables. Explore methods of communicating univariate data (dot plots, histograms, boxplots) and how to compare the centers (mean, median) and spread (IQR, standard deviation) of a data set. Students will use their understandings of these topics to solve a real-world problem in which they must choose what tools and methods to use to analyze a data set.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zone areas such as basketball, European handball or endzone, and floor hockey.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zones areas such as soccer, ultimate frisbee, or touch rugby.
Students develop body control and balance through various movement patterns, positions and apparatus. A partner or small group performance is also a key piece where students design their own routine with music, showcasing their development.
Students focus on learning and becoming more proficient in competitive strokes. Water safety and entries is a feature and differentiation is key with a variety of ability levels. Streamlining is the main concept & assessed in class & through an assignment.
Students learn safety aspects of climbing, the use and maintenance of climbing equipment, the important climbing terminology and safety procedures and essential communication between climber and belayer. Learning climbing-specific moves and more efficient body positioning on the wall.
Students are orientated with the weight room and fitness room facility. Gym etiquette and safety are key in lessons as students are able to explore with various equipment. Students are also led through a series of individual & group workouts in various environments.
Students perform all run, jump and throw events. Students race against each other in relay races and participate in a two lesson mini-meet. Data is collected and students are graded according to grade averages.
Students explore a number of different activities such as softball, cricket, and rounders, in which players score points by striking an object and running to designated playing areas or prevent opponents from scoring by retrieving the object and returning it to stop the play. Students develop throwing, catching & batting skills as well as conceptual understanding through rules.
Students learn how to use a variety of offensive and defensive shots played in drill and game situations. Students become more proficient at moving their opponents around the court selecting spaces which are open and difficult to return. Students are introduced to different tournament styles and the pros and cons they bring.
Students learn how to hit an object towards a court or target area such as badminton, volleyball or smashball with a net or wall in between that an opponent is defending. The aim is to cause the object to land in the target area while making it difficult for the opponent to return the object. Students learn the basics of volleyball through the modified game smashball. They can learn the same with alternative net games such as table tennis and pickleball.
Students explore various self-defense techniques and whole-body movement patterns. Students are given the opportunity to develop skills in archery and golf.
Students experience a range of aquatic sports which may include water polo, water volleyball, water basketball, water baseball, endzone, triathlon, and various teacher-created games. By playing these sports/games students are focusing on aquatic fitness, communication as well as gameplay concepts.
Students learn about energy transfer in the light of chemical reactions and the basics of chemistry. Students develop skills in the scientific practices of creating, using, and analyzing models, analyzing data, and applying basic math. Students build an understanding of crosscutting concepts like recognizing patterns, cause and effect relationships, and understanding the scaling of various quantities.
Students learn about the transfer of energy, and how forces affect motion. Developing students' abilities in the scientific practices of creating, using, and analyzing models, analyzing data, and applying basic math. Students build an understanding of crosscutting concepts like recognizing patterns, cause and effect relationships, and understanding the scaling of various quantities.
Students learn about electric and magnetic forces and waves and their applications in technologies for information transfer. They develop abilities in the scientific practices of creating, using, and analyzing models, analyzing data, and applying basic math. They build an understanding of crosscutting concepts like recognizing patterns, cause and effect relationships, and understanding the scaling of various quantities.
Students learn about the earth, sun, and moon systems. Focused on developing students’ abilities in the scientific practices of creating, using, and analyzing models, analyzing data, and applying basic math. Students develop an understanding of crosscutting concepts like recognizing patterns, cause and effect relationships, and understanding the scaling of various quantities.
Students apply the principles of two-point perspective in a drawing. Students are introduced the different ways of showing the illusion of space in a two-dimensional artwork by using techniques including size/scale, overlapping, shading, placement, and linear perspective. Students learn key concepts in perspective drawing, including vanishing point, horizon and parallel lines.
In this short studio unit, students choose an artwork of their choice using the Google Arts & Culture website and analyse and reinterpret it using a media of their choice.
Students learn about intaglio printmaking and drypoint etching. Students explore line and different shading techniques such as cross-hatching, stippling and random lines to create a gradation from light to dark. Students plan and create an image that is then etched and printed on to paper.
Students learn to design and make a three-dimensional sculptural form using the slab method of clay construction. Students research and develop their own ideas around a theme or guiding question, resulting in a final design cut out and template that forms the basis for the construction of their sculpture. They learn to attach pieces of clay and manipulate it using hand-building techniques. Students may wish to combine decoration and function in different ways. Optional surface decoration treatments include sgraffito or the application of glaze or underglaze are offered to enhance their sculptures.
Students read for pleasure to increase their stamina, range of texts, and appreciation of reading. Daily reading time and support is given to students to track what and how much they're reading through various tools such as reading logs, book chats, and book talks.
Students write to increase their stamina, range of texts types, and appreciation of expression of ideas. Daily writing time and support is given to students with prompts, links to works studied in class, reflections, and ideas leading to writing assignments.
Students analyze memoirs and narratives by professional writers as well as student writers, allowing them to understand the narrative structure, prior to writing their own piece. Through reading model text, discussion of excerpts, peer-editing, and mini-writing lessons, students learn the basic elements of narrative writing. They demonstrate their understandings through tasks such as: exploding a moment, using sensory detail to develop scenes, applying vivid verbs to text.
Students understanding of the literary terms used are developed to discuss and analyse short fiction. They read a variety of fictional short stories as well as write and speak in response to literature to show their understanding and structure a literary essay that demonstrates their ability to write to embed quotes from a text to support their thesis statements.
Students learn to express their beliefs. Through mentor text studies, students identify and analyze the significant role that language plays in persuasion. Using the knowledge and skills gained through analyzing a variety of persuasive text, students will apply the techniques to their own writing in order to persuade their audience.
Students engage in reading comprehension, Socratic Seminars, research, and literary essays to explore the many themes in a novel. Seen through language, narrative structure, and literary techniques and elements, the craft of the novel will be analyzed for purpose and effect. Historical, social, and cultural context will give further depth of understanding to the nuances of the text.
Students study many different poets and poems in order to understand, analyze, and write poetry. They study methods, forms, and experiences that have helped develop these poets and they will write poetry using many of the same devices. Through in-class writing exercises, reading of model poems, and discussion of student work, students are encouraged to produce poetry of increasing quality. Students learn the basic elements of poetry, important types of poems, and fundamental poetic techniques. They explore different forms of poems from various time periods and begin to learn what it takes to create a poem. Students are expected to write analytically about poetry in addition to writing and reciting their own poetry.
Media is a relevant and contemporary text type used to express point of views and to educate audiences about global issues. Communication is particularly effective, as it is digestible and accessible to modern day audiences who already have prior experiences with media literacy through everyday interaction. Students watch a selection of shorts and discuss the impact on them as an audience. Visual and audio techniques are taught through modelling. Students practice analyzing shorts in groups before culminating their experience with a summative assessment.
Team building is the process of turning a group of individuals into a cohesive team. Students are challenegd to explore a variety team building cooperative games and see for themselves the power of team building and teamwork.
Students gain understanding in movement patterns that influence team performance. Develop strategies and use tactics to contribute to success of the team within a variety of invasion games
Students further their understanding of the components of fitness through the medium of creative movement. By studying, practicing, and creating examples of the elements of creative movement, students will be able to secure their understanding of how these elements connect to performance situations. Students gain confidence through expression, creativity and practiced routines.
Students develop movement patterns and skills in throwing, fielding, striking, and catching to promote success in gameplay.
Students learn dimensions of wellness and how they contribute to one's health. Students use the wellness wheel as a tool to assess their own personal health highlighting strengths and areas of improvement to a healthier lifestyle. Students focus on mindfulness, practicing various methods of relaxation, communication, and body language techniques. Building self-esteem is a core component of this unit, examining techniques, affirmations, and how to relate and interact in a positive manner with others. Identifying stress, stress triggers, protective factors, and how to cope with stress contributes to building students' self-esteem.
Students learn about and practise sending an object with aim and accuracy as they participate in a target game. Tactical problems related to target games include shot selection, judging distance, preventing points, and protecting the shot. Examples of target games may include golf, archery, bowling, bocce ball, darts and corn hole.
Students expand on their previous knowledge and skill level of run jump and throw activities as well as reinforce a positive attitude towards the sport and to their own abilities. Students’ beliefs and perceptions of the sport are challenged to provide them with the opportunity to improve individually as well as in a group setting.
Students understand and practice the various skills that will keep them safe in the water through stroke development, survival skills and various games students will understand first hand the advantages of increased aquatic fitness and critical skill development. A final skills test allows students the opportunity to physically display what they have learned and practiced.
Students focus on developing the connection between placement, striking force/angle, and positioning in helping to achieve successful execution of offensive and defensive tactics and strategies. The understanding of the rules and methods of play allows players to demonstrate sportsmanship. Tournament style culminating activities give students the independence to self-officiate and organize competition.
Students develop personal responsibility through a variety of fitness activities such as weight training, group fitness, yoga, and boxing. Students gain knowledge in technique, safety, and functional movement required to participate in weight room physical activity exercises. Students research methods and principles of training to promote strength, endurance, and flexibility.
Students read for pleasure to increase their stamina, range of texts, and appreciation of reading. Daily reading time and support is given to students to track what and how much they're reading through various tools such as reading logs, book chats, and book talks.
Students apply skills and strategies to write clearly and coherently for specific audiences and purposes. Journal writing allows them to articulate their thoughts freely, knowing that their writing will not be assessed.
Students read a variety of nonfiction prose in order to understand how they function differently according to the author’s intention and purpose. They appreciate how an author engages their audiences differently, depending on the purpose and/or text type. Students analyze the choices textual, structural and technical choices made on the part of the author in order to achieve their purpose.
Through close reading, analysis, and group discussions of Purple Hibiscus, students consider the different political, cultural and social contexts this novel is set in and understand the attitudes and values expressed by literary texts and their impact on readers. Students understand the role society plays in the development of an individual and demonstrate their leaning through a literary analysis.
Students study and analyze various forms of both written and spoken poetry. They examine how various techniques and structures impact meaning. Students write a commentary to show their understanding. Students write and workshop original poetry inspired by the poems studied in class.
Students are empowered to make their own choices of books to study, and to work collaboratively with their peers to gain a deeper understanding of the text. They develop stronger speaking and listening skills during book discussions and find patterns of literary features and analyze writer’s craft. Students become more careful, thoughtful, independent readers and they demonstrate learning through discussions and a literary analysis.
Students study modern editorial writing. After analyzing how a variety editorials for author's persuasive craft, students select an issue to research. Students compose their own editorial.
Students read the play, and watch a staging in the traditional context. Students write and present to deepen their understanding of aspects of the play
This unit highlights dimensions of wellness to provide the context for goal setting. Goal setting is a skill that allows students to evaluate their personal health and use the results to determine a goal they are willing to work on to improve their health. Students will work through the process, with the emphasis on the ability to apply the process in a thoughtful and meaningful way. Students envision what is possible and then develop a plan that focues on an aspect of their health to maintain or improve their health outcomes. They consider the strategies and skills needed to achieve the goal and determine how they will monitor progress and measure success. They reflect on their progress and determine the next steps to solidify this goal over the long term.
This mental health unit focuses on healthy practices. Students learn about and demonstrate self-management behaviours. Self-management is a skill to focus on what to do and identify and implement ways to be healthy. The emphasis is on enhancing mental health through positive behaviours such as practicing gratitude, mindfulness, and developing a variety of coping strategies. Mental health is discussed with a positive and proactive focus and includes recognition of warning signs for mental health issues and how to access support and mental health services.
This unit focuses on an important tool for adolescents, thinking critically about everyday decisions and how they can affect one’s health. Students consider the bigger picture when making decisions, become empowered to take ownership of their own health to make decisions that support healthy outcomes. This unit explores decision-making and ethics, detailing the physiological and behavioural impact of alcohol and other drugs on teenagers. Students discuss and analyse hypothetical scenarios and use the DECIDE model to explore the consequences of typical teenage decisions.
Students in this unit explore how to support healthy nutrition choices in their own life and the lives of others, including peers and family. Students apply functional nutritional knowledge to promote health-enhancing nutrition behaviours for themselves and others. Through a variety of learning activities, students reflect on their own nutritional habits and develop a healthy eating plan that aligns with personalised balanced nutritional recommendations. A major component of this unit is a research project and presentation that allows students to analyse influences on nutritional behaviours and develop the ability to advocate for health by promoting a health-enhancing position on a topic of their choice.
This unit provides important knowledge needed to develop healthy relationships and to empower students to make positive, well-informed decisions for themselves as they navigate the turbulent hormonal teenage years. Subtopics covered include anatomy of the reproductive systems, healthy relationships and consent, safe sex and contraception, decision making and consequences, and sexually transmitted infections. Learning activities in this unit allow students the opportunity to explore important components of relationships and communication skills. Student learn to seek and access valid and reliable information related to sexual health.
Students split time between self-selected book clubs and writing college/personal essays. Book clubs feature a selection of memoirs and biographies by authors across the globe, and serve as mentor texts for students as they write their college or personal essays. In book club groups, students discuss the literary techniques and writing moves that make the narratives so powerful. Using writing techniques learnt from the memoirs, students write either a college or personal essay depending on their current situation. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, book club discussions, giving and receiving peer feedback about their writing, and writing and showcasing their own personal essay.
Students examine the dystopian literary genre through reading, writing and discussion about various texts. A major component of examining the genre will be done through selected dystopian texts and a student-choice of one novel to be discussed in a book club. In book club groups, students discuss the literary techniques and writing moves that make the narratives so powerful. Using the writing techniques learnt from the novels and the discussions, students write short pieces of analysis breaking down various dystopian texts. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, book club discussions, and analysing texts using short written responses.
By exploring a range of nonfiction and fiction texts, students examine various sports-related themes with a specific focus on analysing how authors and directors create meaning and the different ways they use sport in their work. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, literary analysis paragraphs, Socratic seminars discussing specific texts and a visual presentation analysing a sports-related text of their choosing.
By exploring a range of non-fiction texts and mediums, students examine how media shapes, persuades and manipulates young people. Introducing specific media analysis language and concepts, students will develop a set of media literacy skills to breakdown various forms of media and their messages targeted at young people. Students show their learning through classroom discussion, critical analysis questions, a longer-form essay and Socratic seminars discussing specific texts.
Students approach this unit as researchers where they examine different types of evidence and explore how to evaluate that evidence by analyzing, discussing and writing about different texts. Students use these skills to research and write a research paper on a contemporary issue of their choice.
Students are the public speakers. In this role, students examine different types and styles of speeches throughout history up to the present day. They explore what makes an effective speech by analysing a wide range of speech styles and topics. Students use these skills to write and deliver a speech with their own defined purpose, topic and message.
Students examine the theories and types of comedy in order to determine what makes something funny. Shift to reading various comedic mentor texts (both fiction and non-fiction) to identify and analyze the various comedic and literary techniques an author uses to create humor for an intended audience. Students will write their own comedic piece of fiction or creative non-fiction and share it in a showcase of work with other teachers/mentors in the school. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, informal class discussion and writing groups, a vocabulary quiz, giving and receiving peer feedback and writing and showcasing their own creative humorous piece of fiction or nonfiction.
Students examine the art of filmmaking and the different decisions a director has to make compared to a writer. They first explore film terminology and apply those new concepts through discussion and individual written responses using various films and other texts. Students show their learning through vocabulary quizzes, a film genre presentation, a written film review with peer feedback and a Socratic seminar comparing and contrasting a short story to a film.
Students view, read and analyze the 1984 theatrical performance of the play "Master Harold...and the Boys." Taking a deep dive into 1950s apartheid South Africa, "Master Harold" is rich in historical and cultural significance, which illustrates to students how literature can both reflect on a society's problems and influence positive change at the same time. Students explore the context in which the play was written (and how it compares with today) and examine the techniques the author/director used to develop the conflict, characters, and themes of the play. Students show their learning through short written responses, class discussions, an argumentative essay, and a visual performance/presentation.
Students read and analyze various forms and styles of creative non-fiction writing as well as write their own original piece. Exploring themes of race, gender, sexuality and social justice, students will discover the techniques required to write a powerful and persuasive piece of creative non-fiction. They show their learning through Socratic seminars and by writing their own creative non-fiction text, which will be showcased at the end of the unit.
Students read, analyze, discuss, write and perform slam poetry on themes of their choice. Exploring the craft and structure of poetry, students dive into how poets purposefully use words and style to create meaning and expand on topics not easily explained using prose. Students look at how adding the element of performance changes slam poetry into a genre that is very unique and personal. Students show their learning through short written responses, class discussions, and slam poetry writing and performance.
Students focus on a creative writing project of their choice based on the topics covered over the course of the year. Using various creative writing examples and styles, students dive into how writers purposefully use words and style to create meaning and expand on topics not easily explained using other styles of writing. Students show their learning through a final creative writing piece, which will be developed through peer feedback and revision and showcased for a wider school audience.
Students split time between self-selected book clubs and writing college/personal essays. Book clubs feature a selection of memoirs and biographies by authors across the globe, and serve as mentor texts for students as they write their college or personal essays. In book club groups, students discuss the literary techniques and writing moves that make the narratives so powerful. Using writing techniques learnt from the memoirs, students write either a college or personal essay depending on their current situation. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, book club discussions, giving and receiving peer feedback about their writing, and writing and showcasing their own personal essay.
Students examine the dystopian literary genre through reading, writing and discussion about various texts. A major component of examining the genre will be done through selected dystopian texts and a student-choice of one novel to be discussed in a book club. In book club groups, students discuss the literary techniques and writing moves that make the narratives so powerful. Using the writing techniques learnt from the novels and the discussions, students write short pieces of analysis breaking down various dystopian texts. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, book club discussions, and analysing texts using short written responses.
By exploring a range of nonfiction and fiction texts, students examine various sports-related themes with a specific focus on analysing how authors and directors create meaning and the different ways they use sport in their work. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, literary analysis paragraphs, Socratic seminars discussing specific texts and a visual presentation analysing a sports-related text of their choosing.
By exploring a range of non-fiction texts and mediums, students examine how media shapes, persuades and manipulates young people. Introducing specific media analysis language and concepts, students will develop a set of media literacy skills to breakdown various forms of media and their messages targeted at young people. Students show their learning through classroom discussion, critical analysis questions, a longer-form essay and Socratic seminars discussing specific texts.
Students approach this unit as researchers where they examine different types of evidence and explore how to evaluate that evidence by analyzing, discussing and writing about different texts. Students use these skills to research and write a research paper on a contemporary issue of their choice.
Students are the public speakers. In this role, students examine different types and styles of speeches throughout history up to the present day. They explore what makes an effective speech by analysing a wide range of speech styles and topics. Students use these skills to write and deliver a speech with their own defined purpose, topic and message.
Students examine the theories and types of comedy in order to determine what makes something funny. Shift to reading various comedic mentor texts (both fiction and non-fiction) to identify and analyze the various comedic and literary techniques an author uses to create humor for an intended audience. Students will write their own comedic piece of fiction or creative non-fiction and share it in a showcase of work with other teachers/mentors in the school. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, informal class discussion and writing groups, a vocabulary quiz, giving and receiving peer feedback and writing and showcasing their own creative humorous piece of fiction or nonfiction.
Students examine the art of filmmaking and the different decisions a director has to make compared to a writer. They first explore film terminology and apply those new concepts through discussion and individual written responses using various films and other texts. Students show their learning through vocabulary quizzes, a film genre presentation, a written film review with peer feedback and a Socratic seminar comparing and contrasting a short story to a film.
Students view, read and analyze the 1984 theatrical performance of the play "Master Harold...and the Boys." Taking a deep dive into 1950s apartheid South Africa, "Master Harold" is rich in historical and cultural significance, which illustrates to students how literature can both reflect on a society's problems and influence positive change at the same time. Students explore the context in which the play was written (and how it compares with today) and examine the techniques the author/director used to develop the conflict, characters, and themes of the play. Students show their learning through short written responses, class discussions, an argumentative essay, and a visual performance/presentation.
Students read and analyze various forms and styles of creative non-fiction writing as well as write their own original piece. Exploring themes of race, gender, sexuality and social justice, students will discover the techniques required to write a powerful and persuasive piece of creative non-fiction. They show their learning through Socratic seminars and by writing their own creative non-fiction text, which will be showcased at the end of the unit.
Students read, analyze, discuss, write and perform slam poetry on themes of their choice. Exploring the craft and structure of poetry, students dive into how poets purposefully use words and style to create meaning and expand on topics not easily explained using prose. Students look at how adding the element of performance changes slam poetry into a genre that is very unique and personal. Students show their learning through short written responses, class discussions, and slam poetry writing and performance.
Students focus on a creative writing project of their choice based on the topics covered over the course of the year. Using various creative writing examples and styles, students dive into how writers purposefully use words and style to create meaning and expand on topics not easily explained using other styles of writing. Students show their learning through a final creative writing piece, which will be developed through peer feedback and revision and showcased for a wider school audience.
Students develop fundamental reading skills using familiar texts and environmental print. They learn the importance of asking and answering questions about the text, and practice these skills through shared, partner, and independent reading experiences.
Through reading familiar texts, students begin to use one-to-one matching of letters and sounds, and further develop decoding skills. As they work to improve their fluency, they learn that end punctuation determines when to pause during reading.
As students learn the difference between narrative and informational texts, they develop strategies to identify and use patterns to improve fluency, comprehension, and accuracy when reading. There is an emphasis on retelling, asking and answering questions, and making predictions about text.
As they explore the genre of informational books, students learn to identify the topic, use expert words, and compare and contrast texts.
Through storytelling, students acquire tools that help them transition to becoming writers. They orally rehearse stories and transfer their stories to drawings, before finally adding words using phonemic awareness, word walls, and high frequency word lists.
As students are introduced to Writing Workshop, they develop a topic, draw the topic, and then do their best approximation of writing. Students learn to move through the writing process of drafting, revising, and editing as they work towards publishing their writing.
Through the lens of the narrative genre, there is a focus on the overall readability of student writing. Students learn to put spaces between words and capitalize the first word of a sentence. While they continue to work on spelling, they also develop understanding of rereading and revising their work as they add details and elaboration.
Students develop understanding of the power of persuasive writing as a way to convince readers of something. They learn the difference between fact and opinion, how to research to find facts, and how to use facts to persuade.
Through an inquiry into mentor texts that teach the reader how to do something, students write step-by-step "how-to" books that include diagrams and labels. There is a continued focus on readability, using spelling strategies and tools, capitalization, and revising.
Students begin phonics study using the letters in their names as they are immersed in sounds, rhyme, and word play.
A students move from writing labels to writing sentences, they learn to use word-part power to grasp the power of phonograms. The word wall is introduced to support students in learning a growing number of high-frequency words. There is a focus on learning digraphs (sh, th, wh, ch) and using them with word parts to make words.
Through a focus on letter knowledge and letter-sound correspondence, phonological awareness, and high-frequency words, students study the alphabet chart and use high-frequency words to read and write. Songs, games, poems, and nursery rhymes are introduced and revisited again and again to support phonemic awareness and early reading concepts.
To further their study of short a and short i, students are introduced to the high-frequency words, am and did. They study vowels in words that are longer than CVC words, and learn how knowledge of CVC words is foundational to writing other words.
As they become more familiar with the Reading Workshop model, students develop strategies to use before, during, and after reading. They learn tools for decoding, and engage in conversations about their reading.
Students review self-monitoring strategies and apply those strategies to nonfiction reading as they learn the importance of previewing a text,. As the read informational text, they work towards becoming vocabulary experts by using word detective strategies and context clues to solve tricky words.
As they strengthen their strategies for self-monitoring, students further develop problem-solving skills for when they encounter difficulties with decoding and comprehension. They enhance their abilities when retelling, use images to help determine meaning and importance, and continue to strengthen their vocabulary.
With a focus on character, students learn to cite evidence from the text as they describe characters by referencing their actions and feelings, compare and contrast them, and ask and answer questions about them. Students continue to develop fluency and accuracy when reading aloud.
As they review the roles and responsibilities of Writing Workshop, students focus on small moments from their lives. With an emphasis on increasing writing stamina and generating ideas, they acquire strategies and learn to elaborate and add details to their writing.
Students share and engage in conversations to discover whether or not they need to add or change details from their work as they write informational books. They learn different ways to elaborate through the use of comparisons, examples, and elements of persuasion. Additionally, there is a greater emphasis on editing for punctuation as they get ready to select a book for publishing.
Writing reviews helps students begin to understand that evidence must be provided to support an opinion. There is an emphasis on the idea of collecting good evidence and working through the process of writing a claim, a reason, and an explanation or details about the reason.
Through the realistic fiction genre, students create a character, give that character adventures in a series of booklets, and create a “boxed set” of the stories. As they extend previously learned narrative skills, students create a series of events and bring characters to life by describing what they do, say, and think. They showcase their work by adding illustrations, a “meet the author” page, and editing and revising in meaningful ways to make their work publication-ready.
This unit provides cumulative review and reinforcement for key concepts in phonics that students encountered in Prep Senior. These include letter names and sounds, short vowels in CVC words, phonograms, blends, and digraphs, and a short list of approximately fifty high-frequency and high-utility words.
Through Phonics Workshop, a place to study words closely and make discoveries, students gain more insight into understanding how language works. They investigate CVCe words with a different vowel, and look closely at words and word parts to decode difficult words by breaking them into parts and putting those parts back together.
As students read nonfiction closely and thoughtfully, they learn that doing so involves looking all the way across words. They learn phonograms that contain blends and digraphs and continue acquiring new high-frequency words.
Students construct words, and challenge themselves to build longer, bigger words. As they learn vowel teams, they are also introduced to a new set of high-frequency words.
As students investigate analyze word structures and learn new snap words, they study r-controlled vowels: ar, or, ur, ir, and er. They learn that words can be combined to make larger words and continue to develop their concept of compound words.
As students enter second grade, they learn to think more deeply about which strategies they use as they read, how much they read, and how to self-monitor their comprehension. They further develop skills to solve tricky words, decode, and determine the importance of specific words in a text.
As students work to improve reading fluency, there is focus on reading using punctuation, adding tone, and making sure there is an understanding of pace. They explore how words are used in special ways, and think about what the author is trying to do by writing the words in these ways. Students also develop strategies to help them summarize important events in their reading.
As students study nonfiction texts, they further develop strategies to find the main idea, key vocabulary, and supporting details. They expand their knowledge of information text by paying attention to details, seeing how text fits together, and by asking questions about what they read. There is an emphasis on vocabulary development, fluency, and working with tricky words, as well as comparing and contrasting across informational texts.
As they follow characters across different books within a series, students develop an understanding of the main character’s interactions and motivations. They work towards becoming experts on a particular series by collecting information about a character and studying the plot. Through this study across a series, students understand how authors use literary language to convey meaning.
Through a study of mentor texts, students learn to craft stories using details in a step-by step-order. The writing process is highlighted as they learn how to cycle through collecting ideas, choosing an idea, and nurturing the idea before drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.
As students become immersed in poetry, they learn that poets are inspired by objects and feelings that they translate into words. They learn to pay special attention to sound as they experiment with line breaks, and come to understand that a poem is different from a story. There is an emphasis on meaning and crafting through the use of figurative language, repetition, and white space.
Through an investigation of mentor texts, students learn the the characteristics of nonfiction, informational books. With an emphasis on elaboration and "showing not telling", students cycle through the writing process as they craft and publish their own informational texts designed to teach others about a topic.
As they further develop the persuasive writing skills acquired in Grade 1, students write reviews of texts they are familiar with. They begin by generating ideas while developing and revising opinions about the text, and then focus on collecting evidence while reading, and applying this evidence as support for their opinions.
As students transition to more complex texts, they revisit the roles and responsibilities of Reading Workshop. There is an emphasis on routines, book selection, and reading in the company of partners. Students build and refine reading strategies for comprehension, such as self-monitoring, predicting, and retelling stories. They continue to work on strategies for tackling tricky words, enhance their knowledge of literary language, and begin to unpack author’s purpose.
Students work to increase their stamina by reading longer stretches of nonfiction texts as they learn to construct a mental summary of what they read, complete with big ideas and supporting details. There is an emphasis on the skills of main idea and supporting details, synthesizing across texts, summarizing, and questioning the text.
As students are challenged to consider how stories are put together in deliberate ways and begin to debate ideas about texts, they learn to closely observe characters, make predictions, and sharpen their skills of interpretation. There is an emphasis on making inferences and noting patterns in the behaviors of characters based on actions, words, and thoughts.
Through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals, students learn to research, synthesize information, and compare and contrast information across multiple texts. They use this information as the basis for their Persuasive Writing pieces.
Using real experiences or events from their own lives, students develop personal narratives with a clear event sequence that unfolds naturally and includes exact details and specific words. They incorporate dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, feelings, and responses to further develop their writing.
Using information found while working in the Informational Reading unit, students write booklets on topics they select that include well-structured paragraphs packed with details, examples, anecdotes, and expert vocabulary. There is focus on concrete strategies, such as elaboration and the intentional use of grammar to enhance meaning.
As students further develop narrative writing skills, they adapt a familiar fairytale or myth. As they become more comfortable with the genre, they work through the writing process independently, generating ideas, drafting, and revising. There is a continued focus on enhancing details and editing for conventions.
Students begin to challenge themselves to read with increasing stamina and fluency as they learn how to choose books that are just right in level and interest, to carry books between home and school, and to collect and study data about their reading rates and volume. In reading partnerships, students learn to retell and summarize texts and to share ideas that are grounded in the specifics of their books.
As students look at the nonfiction genre, they learn how to deconstruct nonfiction texts and take notes according to the structure the author uses. There is an emphasis on summarizing and paraphrasing as students develop skills to synthesize information.
Students begin to think more deeply about characters as they learn to make inferences, build theories, and uncover life lessons in texts. They further develop strategies to read with fluency, and participate in collaborative discussions about what they read.
As students work to further their understanding of content knowledge, they learn multiple strategies to identify main idea and supporting details, and develop self-monitoring skills and the ability to decipher important vs. interesting information. They then work to transfer their understanding of main ideas, details, craft, and structure to the research process, integrating and synthesizing the information they collect.
As they analyze how history affects the actions, words, and thoughts characters, students learn to read passages closely. During this close reading, they determine themes, investigate symbolism, and revise their interpretations as needed.
Through the lens of the personal essay, students generate ideas, a thesis, and claims. As they move into creating paragraphs, they learn to develop their elaboration skills and craft moves. There is a focus on the writing process as students work to revise, edit, and publish their work.
Using small moments from their lives, students create a realistic fiction story. They learn to develop the main character's wants and needs, motivations and struggles, and external versus internal character traits. Students spend time understanding the plot of a narrative through a story arc by focusing on a few specific scenes. With guidance, students work through the writing process to make their stories audience ready.
Students strengthen their information writing skills by first writing about areas of personal expertise, and later writing a feature article connected to science content. They study mentor texts to review text structure, and plan the content of each chapter of an information book before focusing on elaboration and structure while working through the writing process,
Using the genre of literary essay, students write structured, compelling essays in which they make and support claims, and analyze, unpack, and incorporate evidence. While writing about favorite texts, students learn to resist closure on an issue, to value complexity, and to commit themselves to examining all sides of an issue with as little bias as possible.
(integrated Reading and Writing): Taking a closer look at author craft moves, particularly the use of symbolism and allegory, students track characters' problems, and identify internal and external character conflicts and themes that run through fantasy books. They use what they learn from authors, to create fantasy stories of their own.
(integrated Reading and Writing): Through a study of interpretation, students work together in Book Clubs to identify themes.They look closely at author’s craft to compare and contrast the ways in which themes are developed across texts, and how and why an author created a character or developed a plot line. They then choose a piece of narrative text that has impacted them, amd use it to generate ideas about the literature, and develop a thesis statement and supporting details.
(integrated Reading and Writing): Through an inquiry into mentor texts, students develop their understanding of ethical journalism. Applying a variety of writing tools and techniques that help working journalists, students craft a news article from start to finish as they strive to include the specifics in their articles by observing something; an event, a location, or a person. They understand that specific details make a tremendous difference in journalistic writing.
(Integrated Reading & Writing) Through an integrated reading and writing inquiry, students explore more complex texts. They research topics related to the Sustainable Development Goals, collect information, take notes, and produce a report on a topic. Students inquire into the multimodal ways authors present information, investigating the characteristics of each mode before choosing the best mode to share their information, adding visuals, sound, and other media to best convey their ideas.
At the start of the year, time is devoted to setting up the mathematics classroom culture and creating routines that support the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
As students focus on counting to 10, they work with number names and symbols, and attach a quantity to each number. Students compare numbers to 10 using the mathematical language of more than, less than and equal to.
Using number bonds, ten frames, real objects, and drawings, students learn to compose and decompose the numbers 1-10. This is foundational learning for addition and subtraction.
Through exploration and discovery, students begin to learn to name, describe, and sort 2- and 3-D shapes. There is a focus on foundational work with position words.
As students are introduced to the concept of addition, they learn that it can be seen as putting-together and adding-to through concrete situations. Students work with objects and drawings to develop conceptual understanding of addition.
Further developing their understanding of shape, students describe and classify basic 2-D shapes by their attributes. They learn to model and compose 2D shapes, and join simple 2-D shapes to form larger more complex 2-D shapes.
As students model subtraction with manipulatives, they acquire a repertoire of strategies for solving subtraction stories. Students write their own subtraction story situations and solve them in multiple ways.
Through hands-on inquiries, students further develop their understanding of shape as they learn to describe and classify basic 3D shapes by their attributes. Students model and compose 3D shapes, and join simple 3-D shapes to form larger more complex 3D shapes.
in order to develop an understanding of the numbers 11-19 (teen numbers), students connect ten frame representations with numerals. They compare quantities and numbers to determine which is greater and which is less.
Using counters, math drawings, ten frames, and equations, students describe, explore, and explain how the counting numbers from 11 through 19 are ten ones and some more ones. They compose and decompose the numbers 11 through 19 by telling how many tens and ones are in the number, and connect composition and decomposition with number stories and represent numbers in various ways.
Working with measurable attributes, students compare and sort objects. They revisit the idea of sorting by attribute as a way to differentiate between attributes that are measurable and those that are not. In
Fluency to 5 means that students recognize, understand, and can use a variety of representations for addition and subtraction and can solve addition and subtraction problems within 5. The focus is building fluency for addition and subtraction within 5 and continuing to develop students' understanding of addition and subtraction, in context, up to 10.
At the start of the year, time is devoted to setting up the mathematics classroom culture and creating routines that support the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
As students review and build upon addition and subtraction concepts learned in Prep Senior, they use visual models to gain a better understanding of addition and subtraction to 10, and learn how addition and subtraction are connected to each other.
As students work to describe shapes based on defining attributes, they learn that color, size, and orientation are non-defining attributes. Alongside an exploration into halves and fourths of circles, students learn to tell time to the nearest hour and half hour.
As students acquire different strategies for solving addition problems, they also learn that knowing some facts, such as the Doubles and Double +1 facts, makes it easier to solve addition problems.
Using a variety of strategies and models and what they know about addition, students begin to make sense of subtraction.
Using non-standard measurement tools, students compare and order lengths and heights. Building on the concepts from their work with circles, they continue to tell time to the hour and half hour.
Working towards greater fluency with problem solving, students begin to consider what operation works best for what situation and why.
As students reason about 3D shapes, they extend their understanding of defining and non-defining attributes from their work with 2D shapes.
As students continue to extend their addition and subtraction skills, they begin to work with different kinds of problems that involve more complex situations and more difficult combinations of numbers.
As students examine how two-digit numbers are composed of tens and ones, they build numbers up to 100 using concrete models and representations. Students add and subtract numbers within 100 and compare numbers by analyzing the amount of tens and ones in each number.
As students begin to learn about the ways to organize data, they are introduced to a table with tallies, a picture graph, and a bar graph. They use these tools to collect data and ask and answer questions about that data.
At the start of the year, time is devoted to setting up the mathematics classroom culture and creating routines that support the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
As students continue to build addition and subtraction fluency, they learn new strategies such as doubling and grouping. Grouping objects prepares students for multiplication in future mathematics.
Working with standard units of measurement, students build upon the work in first grade to estimate, measure, compare, and reason about lengths.
Extending their work with addition into the hundreds place, students solve word problems using a variety of strategies.
Using real-world situations, students learn to tell time to the nearest minute and work on distinguishing notations for morning and afternoon, as well as other conventions for reading and describing time.
Applying what they have already learned about addition to their work with subtraction, students use a variety of strategies to solve real-world problems.
As students encounter more complex problems with unknowns, they consider what operation works best for different kinds of situations and why.
As students continue to work with numbers into the hundreds place, they use their previous experiences with place value, grouping, and skip counting to make numbers greater than than 100 in many ways.
Building on their knowledge of addition and subtraction, students work with more complex problems. They add and subtract 3-digit numbers with manipulatives, and they add as many as four 2-digit numbers within the same problem.
Using previous learning about shapes from Prep Senior and Grade 1, students formalize definitions and ways of composing and decomposing shapes.
Using strategies from 1-step word problems, students work with 2-step problems where they often have to add and subtract within the same problem.
Building on their knowledge of data and graphs from Prep Senior and Grade 1, students generate data, organize it on a variety of graphs, and learn to ask and answer questions about the data.
At the start of the year, time is devoted to setting up the mathematics classroom culture and creating routines that support the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
Building upon their experiences with numbers and the base-ten system, students extend that work with addition and subtraction to the hundreds place.
As students work with telling time to the minute, they also compute elapsed time and think about why that matters.
The foundational work with multiplication in Grade 3 sets students up for success with fractions in elementary school and ratios in middle school. For this reason, much time in Grade 3 is devoted to multiplication. Through the multiplication of the numbers 2-9 by the numbers 2-5, students begin to gain conceptual understanding as well as fluency and accuracy.
Building on the reasoning students have been doing with shapes since they entered school, they work with shapes in different categories, focusing on different types of quadrilaterals (also known as four-sided figures). They also extend their work with shapes to include perimeter.
Continuing their work with multiplication, students begin multiplying the numbers 2-9 by the numbers 6-9.
Having now worked with factors 2 - 9, students move on to seeing patterns in multiples of 10, and how the digit zero holds place value. They continue to build their fluency with multiplication.
As students begin to work with division, they learn that division can be seen as separating into groups. They learn that this can be done in two ways: quotative division/grouping (making groups of the same size over and over) or partitive division/sharing (make a fixed number of groups).
As students build on the work they did in Grade 2 with recognizing and naming fractions, they practice many strategies to understand, show, and compare fractions.
Using real-world contexts, students learn how area and perimeter are related and how they are different. Rather than working with formulas, Third Graders build conceptual understanding by working with concrete models.
Continuing to use the tally table, picture graphs, and bar graphs that they learned in Grade 2, students extend their understanding by drawing scaled graphs to show data in multiples.
Using standard units of measurement, students estimate, measure, compare and reason about volume and mass.
Using their understanding of the four mathematical operations, students make sense of real-world problems involving two-steps by modeling with diagrams and equations and by using a letter for the unknown.
At the start of the year, time is devoted to setting up the mathematics classroom culture and creating routines that support the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
Building upon their experiences with the base-ten number systems, students work with the understanding that any digit in a multi-digit number represents a number that is ten times greater than what it would represent one place to the right. This critical understanding is important to all future mathematics.
As they practice multiplication facts learned in Grade 3, students also work with larger numbers. They learn to compare using multiplication and to multiply using an area model. Learning the area model before an algorithm builds the conceptual understanding needed for algebra in middle school.
Applying what they have learned about multiplication to division, students begin to develop a deep understanding about what division is and how to use it. Learning partial quotients division before an algorithm builds conceptual understanding needed for future mathematics.
As students continue to focus on the important ideas about place value, they extend their thinking to decimal numbers and learn that any digit in a multi-digit number is ten times greater than what it would represent one place to the right.
Using visual models to build conceptual understanding, students compare, add, and subtract fractions.
Extending their practice with multiplication, students analyze the patterns of scaling up a number with its multiples and understand that the factors of a whole number are the numbers that divide it evenly with no remainder.
Using standard units of measurement, students solve real-world problems involving area and perimeter, and convert between units of the same system.
Building upon previous work with two- and three-dimensional shapes, students classify and categorize polygons based on sides and angles.
Extending their understanding of patterns, students describe them with words, tables, and numbers.
At the start of the year, time is devoted to setting up the mathematics classroom culture and creating routines that support the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
Building on and extending the work they did in Grade 4 with multi-digit multiplication and division, students make connections between different kinds of representations and become fluent with a standard algorithm for multiplication.
Building upon base-ten understanding from Grade 4, students work with decimals to the thousandths place.
Through exposure to and practice with a variety of strategies, students learn to add and subtract decimals and fractions.
Shifting their thinking about multiplication and division, students learn an important new concept, which is scaling: the idea that multiplying and dividing can magnify or shrink a number. This understanding is critical for their work in middle school with ratios and proportions.
Continuing to work with the structure of the base-10 number system, students now extend that work to multiplying and dividing decimals by decimals.
Using their understanding of multiplying whole numbers and decimals, students extend their work to fractions.
Using their understanding of dividing whole numbers and decimals, students extend their work to fractions.
Using concrete models, students recognize volume as an attribute of three-dimensional figures and understand that volume can be measured by finding the total number of the same-size units required to fill the space without gaps or overlaps. They then use that understanding when working with the formula for finding volume.
While continuing to build on pattern work, students begin to learn to use the coordinate plane as they graph and analyze number patterns.
Having worked with shapes throughout elementary school, students now formalize the distinctions between different types of polygons, focusing on nested (hierarchical) groups of quadrilaterals.
Students receive a welcome to the world of music with a focus on who a musician is. They learn correct singing posture, beat, and high/low pitch, and begin to associate music with movement to make connections with lyrics, beats, and the sounds of music.
Through celebrations of Malaysia, students listen to cultural songs and learn proper technique for singing in unison. They practice simple rhythm and beats with high/low pitch, and are introduced to non-pitched percussion instruments.
Using common household items, students build a specific instrument from a particular culture. They study the culture and learn or create a song using their instrument. Students investigate the classification of instruments in order to display their instrument in the museum.
Through listening to a variety of styles of music, students review overall concepts of how the elements of music create feelings and thoughts in a musical piece.
Through simple rhythms, students are introduced to solfege. They begin to explore rhythm and beat, and develop awareness for types of sounds and music using non-pitched percussion instruments.
Extending their knowledge of solfege and simple rhythms, students develop an awareness for types of sounds in music using non-pitched or pitched percussion instruments.
Using common household items, students build a specific instrument from a particular culture. They study the culture and learn or create a song using their instrument. Students investigate the classification of instruments in order to display their instrument in the museum.
Celebrating their learning, students compose their own selection of music that is performed by their peers.
Through review and reinforcement of good habits, students learn dynamics with musical terms.
As students continue to work on good singing habits, they apply dynamics to performances and receive an introduction to the music staff/stave.
Using common household items, students build a specific instrument from a particular culture. They study the culture and learn or create a song using their instrument. Students investigate the classification of instruments in order to display their instrument in the museum.
As students learn about whole note, whole rest, ¾ meter, and pentatonic patterns, as well as form (binary), they continue developing their understanding of dynamics. Students compose a short 8-beat rhythmic selection.
As students work with the musical concepts of dynamics, rhythms in simple meter, and tempo, cultural celebrations with traditional songsare incorporated. Students review proper singing technique and compose basic rhythmic patterns.
Using their knowledge of basic rhythms, students create musical compositions.They develop understanding of how melodies move, and further their understanding of dynamics, timbre, and tempo.
Using common household items, students build a specific instrument from a particular culture. They study the culture and learn or create a song using their instrument. Students investigate the classification of instruments in order to display their instrument in the museum.
Using their knowledge of basic rhythms, students create musical compositions.They develop understanding of how melodies move, and further their understanding of dynamics, timbre, and tempo.
With a focus on reinforcing good posture and technique habits when singing, students review the elements of music including rhythm, beat, dynamics, pitch, and phrasing.
Applying their knowledge of the elements of music, students further develop notation reading skills and their cultural repertoire.
Using common household items, students build a specific instrument from a particular culture. They study the culture and learn or create a song using their instrument. Students investigate the classification of instruments in order to display their instrument in the museum.
As students deepen their understanding of instrument families within the orchestra and band in order to prepare them for Grade 5 Band, they draft, compose, and perform their individual compositions with traditional music notation on their chosen instrument.
As students review their knowledge of pitch and rhythm from Grade 4, they begin to work with their chosen instrument and learn maintenance, tone production, articulation, and how to play 5 pitches.
As students continue working with their instrument, they begin to perform music with multiple parts, performing their first full band piece. Students also compose short, rhythmic ideas to perform on one to two pitches on their instrument.
As students continue working with their instrument, they add new rhythms and musical symbols, and discuss musicality. Students compose short, rhythmic and melodic ideas for their instrument and perform in smaller groups for the class. They listen and respond to recordings of experts on their instruments.
As students focus on their instrument for the May performance, they challenge their musical abilities, expand on their ensemble skills, and look towards the culmination of their elementary music learning Students continue developing their ear through listening to recordings of themselves and others.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
Students learn both the front and back float, the slide-in water entry, exiting the water, putting on a life jacket, and the seated dive during the Water Safety lessons. In Stroke Development, lessons include freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. Students demonstrate arm and leg movement and breathing techniques for each stroke with a flotation device, and complete a five-meter swim.
As students develop hand-eye coordination, they demonstrate self toss, bounce and catch, underhand throw with form, and throwing at a target with some accuracy.
Students work on four main areas in Gymnastics and Parkour: tumbling, balances and supports, vaulting, and ropes. Balance, coordination, strength, and spatial awareness are the predominant physical skills focused on as students learn body management skills while static, moving, and inverted.
Students participate in activities that enhance their skills in jogging, sprinting, sliding, jumping from one foot to two feet, jumping from two to two feet, jumping over low objects, jumping for distance, and throwing various objects for distance and accuracy. They learn the correct technique for all activities and then take part in a school-wide Run, Jump, Throw Day.
As students take part in Dance, Rhythmics, and Jump Rope, they develop movement and collaborative skills, as well as learn to synchronize body movements, follow visual and verbal clues, and perform a variety of basic patterns.
Students take part in a variety of games, such as football, floor hockey, badminton, and pickleball, to promote the development of striking skills. Students learn to use long and short handled implements, as well as their feet and hands. All of the sports and skills are modified to meet both the students' age and ability level. This allows for learning of new games while developing age-appropriate skills.
At the beginning of Semester 1, students complete a variety of strength and cardiovascular fitness activities and The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test to assess their fitness level. Throughout the year, students continue to build their strength and cardiovascular fitness through various activities and complete the PACER test again in Semester 2 to assess progress.
Cooperative games are those in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. The goal of a cooperative game is to reduce emphasis on competition and increase emphasis on the social aspects of working in teams and groups.
In this unit students are introduced to the basic skills and knowledge associated with playing a variety of racquet sports such as tennis, badminton, and pickle ball. The ultimate goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for them to pursue playing racquet sports as a life-long activity.
Using a variety of materials, students explore the elements of line, shape, and pattern and learn how line is used in art.
Through the context of seasons of the year and their characteristics, students explore and create artwork using lines and color.
Through an exploration of how artists are inspired, students create musical instruments using found objects and papier-mâché.
Developing an understanding that color gives visual dimensions, students are introduced to the primary and secondary colors on the color wheel. They explore mixing and creating new colors based on their observations of the world around them.
Through an exploration of basic elements of art, students learn how artists use elements in different ways. They discover how art elements are components that can be isolated and defined.
Through an exploration of seasons and weather, students learn a variety of techniques and processes for creating art as they make use of lines and shapes to create textural appearances. They experiment with lines to show movement, change, and color variations throughout the seasons.
As students learn how artists tell stories and communicate culture through their art, they create the shadow puppets of Malaysia, Wayang Kulit.
Through a study of office buildings and living spaces, students explore what futuristic dwellings may look like. Using the art elements of lines and shapes, students design and draw a “City of Buildings”.
Thinking and working like artists, students learn to create rhythm and rhythmic expression through the use of patterns in art.
Gaining an understanding of the rhythmic expression of color through value - using white and black to create light and dark values of color, students learn to use primary and secondary colors to create related colors.
As students observe the connection between patterns and textures which are present in our surroundings, they learn to imprint these textures on ceramic.
As students explore and examine the art of Southeast Asia, they complete a butterfly design in batik.
Through the lens of nature, students learn to use basic art elements and structures to create a landscape. They incorporate colors to convey the mood of the place or a mood that generates an emotion to the viewer.
Through an exploration of how art is used as a symbol in many cultures, students create designs of a particular culture, using bright or light color values and lines to create a variety of shapes.
Expressing creativity and a connection to nature, students create three-dimensional art. They learn modeling techniques to communicate the likeness and expression of an animal through three-dimensional form.
Artists design and depict objects seen in daily life. Student learn about ceramics, from functional to abstract pottery. They create pottery using simple techniques and develop their creativity by shaping and hand building with coils.
As students learn about the elements of art and structures and ideas behind cultural designs, they gain an understanding and learn about creating artwork based on radial symmetry.
As students learn to design and create masks that have a purpose, they gain an understanding as to why masks are made and how they are used in some cultures.
Through an exploration of Batik from different cultures, students learn the technique of Batik using design elements seen in their own personal environments.
As students gain an insight into how artists use observation of a subject matter at a specific time as a basis for their work, they compose forms representing the unique features of their neighborhoods.
Through a study of the posture, movement, and proportion of human figures, student learn to create three-dimensional clay sculptures from preliminary studies and sketches of people.
As students explore prominent influences in architecture and heritage conservation, linking originality and historical importance to the people, culture, and times, they design and craft a building facade using clay.
Through an exploration of symbolism in art, students develop an understanding of how symbols can be used to communicate ideas and thoughts.
Using still life objects, students formally study composition and proportion, and explore the style and techniques involved. They design, draw, and paint still life.
Students explore and think critically about the rise of ancient civilizations and examine Mesopotamia as a case study. They develop their narrative writing skills by writing short stories, focusing on techniques such as descriptive language, plot structure, and building tension through conflict. They analyze historical fiction books through collaborative book clubs.
Students analyze the many roles that citizens play within a society. Students develop their explanatory writing skills through writing informational human interest articles. Students practice identifying the main idea and details in a nonfiction text as well as summarizing and build understanding of characterization in literature, focusing on how characters change throughout the fiction text. Students explore government systems and roles of citizens through inquiry and experiential learning.
Students build fictional reading skills surrounding theme through poetry and short narrative texts. Identifying author's purpose in nonfiction reading is also practiced. Students build conceptual knowledge surrounding economic issues and their impacts on individuals, businesses, and the world. They use that knowledge to evaluate solutions to these issues. Students write argumentative works relating to the economic learning done earlier in the unit. Speaking and Listening skills focus on presenting information to small groups and larger audiences.
Students explore their identity in different ways and learn about aspects of culture that are seen and unseen. They analyze the impact place has on human culture and individual identity, including important places that have shaped their own personal identity.
Students learn of the complexities of group identity. The concept of 'We and They' is explored through a variety of case studies examining people who were historically, or are now, marginalized and discriminated against based on their identity. Students consider how they are empowered to take action and to recognize themselves as allies.
Students scope of understanding is broadened to a global level. Students explore the ways that economic decision-making shapes societies and global interactions. They examine diverse case studies to connect economic principles to values they hold.
Reading is a foundational skill for leading a literate life, a central goal of Humanities is to build strong reading habits and foster an appreciation for reading. Students choose books to read, up to 100 minutes per week, track and reflect on their progress throughout the school year. Reading provides a rehearsal of life’s events and builds our capacity to empathize with others, it also serves as a tool to become a proficient reader, writer, and communicator.
Through exploration and examination of a writer's process and techniques, students writing improves. Writing is a process in which abstract thinking is captured on paper. Cultivating confidence and craft, students learn to read like writers. Students study mentor texts and experiment with myriad literary techniques in different forms in their writer's notebooks to find and shape their writing style and craft.
Students learn that storytelling is an essential form of communication, a way in which humans connect with each other and preserve their thoughts, emotions, and values for posterity. They engage in a series of creative and collaborative narrative writing activities. From their collection of ideas, they select one response and develop it into a narrative that contains all of the basic elements of a story. Students “stretch a scene” to create a short story that utilizes a full range of narrative structures and techniques.
Students explore the many causes and effects of migration. People migrate for many reasons; some are involuntarily pushed from their homelands as casualties of war, crime, poverty and climate disasters, and others make a decision to leave, hoping to obtain better lives for themselves and their families. They develop understanding of relevant concepts through news articles and case studies from around the world. Students read examples in literature, participate in book club discussions, and analyze the decisions and consequences that migrants in these stories face. Nonfiction texts will be emphasized, along with statistical data that can be used as evidence to support their claims.
Students explore the year-long theme of Truth using engaging texts. Students choose from a set of Shades of Truth books to read and discuss with a same-text group. Groups track how truth is being manipulated or changed based on dynamics such as power, culture, perspective, or bias. The group's collaboration and discussion skills are also emphasized.
Students learn how Colonialism has shaped the modern world in ways that continue to impact us today. Students engage in a case study of colonialism in Africa to understand the historical forces that have shaped the continent and its people. Begining with an inquiry into the early history of African kingdoms, students explore the colonial and post-colonial experiences of Kenya, Algeria, the Congo, and Ghana. They analyze historical sources and are assessed on how colonial policies impacted the social, political, and economic systems of African societies.
What is the relationship between Power and Truth? Students explore this essential question using two different forms of literature. Using a Shakespearean drama (like The Tempest or Julius Caesar) as a full-class, model text. Students select a young adult novel to read and discuss in book club discussions. They focus on exploring the concept of "Power" and literary analysis, including annotating difficult texts, literary devices such as allusion and metaphor, and character analysis, using passages from their books.
Students, living in an increasingly globalized world, examine the costs and benefits of global interdependence from an economic, political, cultural, and environmental perspective. Their analysis is guided and informed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sudents learn through inquiry about factors, greatest common factors, and division of fractions utilising manipulatives, modeling, and grapple with real world problems to develop conceptual understanding of properties and processes.
Using modeling as a strategy for building understanding and collecting data to explore real-world applications, students learn about proportional relationships includingratios, rates and percents.
Learning about integers, absolute value, coordinate planes and the distributive property through connections to real-world contexts and hand on activites, students expand their understanding of the number line and what the position of numbers tell us about their value.
Students learn about areas of triangles and composite shapes and the volume and surface area of right rectangular prisms through discovery labs, explorations with concrete models, measurement tasks and a design challenge.
Students learn how to model real-world situations using expressions and equations by analyzing tables, patterns, and graphs and construct equations that generalize relationships.
Students learn how to collect data, represent data in multiple ways, calculate measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode), and interpret data sets. They will collect, represent, and analyze data sets in relation to a topic of their choice through inquiry.
The concept of probability is explored along with key ideas of statistics through mathematical investigations. Students discover the concept of simple probability and express probability in the various forms of rational numbers (e.g., fractions, decimals, and percent) and are introduced to the concept of compound probability. The key skills of statistics that are covered include using random sampling and comparing two populations with numerical data.
Students apply skills learnt in a real-life situation of creating and running a restaurant. The students build fluency in key skills including working with rates and unit rates, proportional relationships, scale drawings, area of complex shapes, and operations with integers, fractions, and decimals.
Students engage in mathematical inquiry to explore the concepts of equality and balance as a necessary component to manipulating the algebraic representation of problems. They build fluency in the key skills of solving and representing multi-step equations and inequalities.
The focus is to apply skills learnt in a real-life situation of creating and running a music festival. The students build fluency in key skills including proportional relationships and geometric concepts relating to angles, triangles, and solid figures.
Students create models to explore the relationship between squares and square roots and cubes and cube roots. These understandings will be used to prove the Pythagorean Theorem. How math notation can be used to communicate complex ideas clearly, including how to represent the same value in different ways, and learn the properties of integer exponents will be reviewed.
Students examine the key characteristics of proportional relationships and learn how to represent these relationships in different ways: table, graph, story, and equation. Using knowledge of similar triangles to examine slope and determine methods for identifying the slope using different methods (from a table, graph, two points, etc). They derive the slope-intercept (y=mx+b) and standard forms (Ax+By=C) of a line and understand how they relate to a graph and how to choose the best form for the task at hand. Students solve one-variable equations with the variables being on both sides of the equal sign, including equations with rational numbers, the distributive property, and combining like terms. Students solve problems involving systems of linear equations, including those with one, no, and infinite solutions.
Students physically and digitally manipulate objects to discover the properties of similar and congruent figures and will describe different types of transformations with both words and numbers. Investigate different types of transformations and the effect that each type of transformation has on a figure. Use their knowledge of properties of angles and triangles to deduce the measures of angles formed by parallel lines and transversals, find the measures of exterior angles of triangles, and informally prove congruence and similarity.
Students explore the properties of inequalities in one and two variables (linear) and how these relationships can be represented using notation, graphs, and words. Using systems of linear inequalities to find possible solutions to real-world problems, students solve problems involving exponential growth and decay and quadratic relationships.
Students use hands-on activities to understand π and derive the formulas for the area of a circle and the volume of a cylinder, sphere, and cone. They solve real-world problems about the volume of these objects (including composite figures and truncated cones) using these formulas and test their solutions with both hand-drawn and physical models.
Students construct and interpret scatterplots for bivariate data. They review examples of different types of correlation and explore the differences between correlation and causation and understand the effect of outliers. Students estimate (or computer generate) the line of best fit and interpret what the line might suggest about the relationship shown in the data. Students model bivariate data using two-way frequency tables. Explore methods of communicating univariate data (dot plots, histograms, boxplots) and how to compare the centers (mean, median) and spread (IQR, standard deviation) of a data set. Students will use their understandings of these topics to solve a real-world problem in which they must choose what tools and methods to use to analyze a data set.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zone areas such as basketball, European handball or endzone, and floor hockey.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zones areas such as soccer, ultimate frisbee, or touch rugby.
Students develop body control and balance through various movement patterns, positions and apparatus. A partner or small group performance is also a key piece where students design their own routine with music, showcasing their development.
Students focus on learning and becoming more proficient in the following strokes: freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke, culminating in an endurance swim challenge. Teamwork and communication skills are developed through various pool games and activities.
Students learn several aspects of climbing: technique (long arms, toes on the wall, step throughs, knee turns, shifting balance, smears, stem, crimp grips, etc.), the use of climbing equipment and associated safety procedures (8-knots and belaying with grigri and other devices), important climbing terminology and essential communication between climber and belayer.
Students are orientated with the weight room and fitness room facility. Gym etiquette and safety are key in lessons as students are able to explore with various equipment. Students are led through a series of individual & group workouts in various environments.
Students perform all run, jump and throw events. Students race against each other in relay races and participate in a two lesson mini-meet. Data is collected and students are graded according to grade averages.
Students explore a number of different activities such as softball, cricket, and rounders, in which players score points by striking an object and running to designated playing areas or prevent opponents from scoring by retrieving the object and returning it to stop the play. Students develop throwing, catching & batting skills as well as conceptual understanding through rules.
Students learn how to use a variety of offensive and defensive shots played in drill and game situations. Students become more proficient at moving their opponents around the court selecting spaces which are open & difficult to return. Students are introduced to different tournament styles and the pros and cons they bring.
Students learn how to hit an object towards a court or target area such as badminton, volleyball or smashball with a net or wall in between that an opponent is defending. The aim is to cause the object to land in the target area while making it difficult for the opponent to return the object. Students learn the basics of volleyball through the modified game smashball. They can learn the same with alternative net games such as table tennis and pickleball.
Students explore various self-defense techniques and whole-body movement patterns. Students are given the opportunity to develop skills in archery and golf.
Students experience a range of aquatic sports which may include water polo, water volleyball, water basketball, water baseball, endzone, triathlon, and various teacher-created games. By playing these sports/games students are focusing on aquatic fitness, communication as well as gameplay concepts.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zone areas such as basketball, European handball or endzone, and floor hockey.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zones areas such as soccer, ultimate frisbee, or touch rugby.
Students develop body control and balance through various movement patterns, positions and apparatus. A partner or small group performance is also a key piece where students design their own routine with music, showcasing their development.
Students focus on learning and becoming more proficient in the following strokes: freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke, culminating in an endurance swim challenge. Teamwork and communication skills are developed through various pool games and activities.
Students learn several aspects of climbing: technique (long arms, toes on the wall, step throughs, knee turns, shifting balance, smears, stem, grips, etc.), the use of climbing equipment and associated safety procedures (8-knots and belaying with grigri and other devices), important climbing terminology and essential communication between climber and belayer.
Students are orientated with the weight room and fitness room facility. Gym etiquette and safety are key in lessons as students are able to explore with various equipment. Students are led through a series of individual & group workouts in various environments.
Students perform all run, jump and throw events. Students race against each other in relay races and participate in a two lesson mini-meet. Data is collected and students are graded according to grade averages.
Students explore a number of different activities such as softball, cricket, and rounders, in which players score points by striking an object and running to designated playing areas or prevent opponents from scoring by retrieving the object and returning it to stop the play. Students develop throwing, catching & batting skills as well as conceptual understanding through rules.
Students learn how to use a variety of offensive and defensive shots played in drill and game situations. Students become more proficient at moving their opponents around the court selecting spaces which are open & difficult to return. Students are introduced to different tournament styles and the pros and cons they bring.
Students learn how to hit an object towards a court or target area such as badminton, volleyball or smashball with a net or wall in between that an opponent is defending. The aim is to cause the object to land in the target area while making it difficult for the opponent to return the object. Students learn the basics of volleyball through the modified game smashball. They can learn the same with alternative net games such as table tennis and pickleball.
Students explore various self-defense techniques and whole-body movement patterns. Students are given the opportunity to develop skills in archery & golf.
Students experience a range of aquatic sports which may include water polo, water volleyball, water basketball, water baseball, endzone, triathlon, and various teacher-created games. By playing these sports/games students are focusing on aquatic fitness, communication as well as gameplay concepts.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zone areas such as basketball, European handball or endzone, and floor hockey.
Students explore the concept of space through fast-paced games focusing on teamwork, keeping possession, scoring, and defending. Invasion games are the term used for any game where the aim is to attack an opponent's territory and score a goal or point in a target area or end zones areas such as soccer, ultimate frisbee, or touch rugby.
Students develop body control and balance through various movement patterns, positions and apparatus. A partner or small group performance is also a key piece where students design their own routine with music, showcasing their development.
Students focus on learning and becoming more proficient in competitive strokes. Water safety and entries is a feature and differentiation is key with a variety of ability levels. Streamlining is the main concept & assessed in class & through an assignment.
Students learn safety aspects of climbing, the use and maintenance of climbing equipment, the important climbing terminology and safety procedures and essential communication between climber and belayer. Learning climbing-specific moves and more efficient body positioning on the wall.
Students are orientated with the weight room and fitness room facility. Gym etiquette and safety are key in lessons as students are able to explore with various equipment. Students are also led through a series of individual & group workouts in various environments.
Students perform all run, jump and throw events. Students race against each other in relay races and participate in a two lesson mini-meet. Data is collected and students are graded according to grade averages.
Students explore a number of different activities such as softball, cricket, and rounders, in which players score points by striking an object and running to designated playing areas or prevent opponents from scoring by retrieving the object and returning it to stop the play. Students develop throwing, catching & batting skills as well as conceptual understanding through rules.
Students learn how to use a variety of offensive and defensive shots played in drill and game situations. Students become more proficient at moving their opponents around the court selecting spaces which are open and difficult to return. Students are introduced to different tournament styles and the pros and cons they bring.
Students learn how to hit an object towards a court or target area such as badminton, volleyball or smashball with a net or wall in between that an opponent is defending. The aim is to cause the object to land in the target area while making it difficult for the opponent to return the object. Students learn the basics of volleyball through the modified game smashball. They can learn the same with alternative net games such as table tennis and pickleball.
Students explore various self-defense techniques and whole-body movement patterns. Students are given the opportunity to develop skills in archery and golf.
Students experience a range of aquatic sports which may include water polo, water volleyball, water basketball, water baseball, endzone, triathlon, and various teacher-created games. By playing these sports/games students are focusing on aquatic fitness, communication as well as gameplay concepts.
Focusing on the cycling of matter and the transfer of energy within Earth systems, students learn about these concepts through inquiry, experiments and modeling. Students demonstrate their learning through the scientific practices of developing and using models, and engaging arguments from evidence.
Students learn about the creation and impact of natural disasters caused by plate tectonics and the transfer of energy in other Earth systems through observations, explorations, and data collection. Students demonstrate their learning through the scientific practice of developing and using models and analyzing and interpreting data..
Students learn about how the unequal heating of the Earth’s surface impacts weather systems through observations, explorations, and data collection. Students demonstrate their learning through the scientific practice of developing and using models, and analyzing and interpreting data.
Students learn about the body as a system of interactive subsystems, composed of groups of cells through inquiry, experiments, and modeling. Students demonstrate their learning through the scientific practices of developing and using models and engaging in arguments from evidence.
Students learn about cell theory, basic structures and functions of cells, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration through cell investigations and a yeast lab inquiry. Students demonstrate their learning through the scientific practices of developing and using models, conducting investigations, and engaging in arguments from evidence.
Focusing on the flow of energy and matter through natural and designed systems, students learn about these concepts through inquiry, experiments, and modeling. Students demonstrate their learning through developing a model.
Focusing on the interdependence of species and population dynamics, students learn about these concepts through inquiry, observation, and data collection. Students demonstrate their learning by writing a research based article about maintaining biodiversity.
Focusing on the choices humans make and how those choices affect Earth’s natural resources, students learn about these concepts through inquiry, research, and data analysis. Students demonstrate their learning by constructing an explanation about how humans can consume natural resources more sustainably.
Focusing on heredity, students learn about it through labs, simulations, and modeling. Students demonstrate their learning by creating models of how traits are inherited and how DNA codes for specific traits.
Focused on biological evolution, students learn about this through simulations, research and inquiry. Students demonstrate their learning by constructing an argument from evidence about how organisms change over time.
Focusing on how science and engineering can impact society, students learn about this concept through experiments, research and inquiry. Students demonstrate their learning by creating a presentation about a specific advancement in science that synthesizes multiple sources of information.
Students learn about the earth, sun and moon systems. Focused on developing students’ abilities in the scientific practices of creating, using and analyzing models, analyzing data and applying basic math. Develope students understanding of cross-cutting concepts like recognizing patterns, cause and effect relationships and understanding the scaling of various quantities.
Students learn about the transfer of energy, and how forces affect motion. Developing students abilities in the scientific practices of creating, using and analyzing models, analyzing data and applying basic math. Students build understanding of cross-cutting concepts like recognizing patterns, cause and effect relationships and understanding the scaling of various quantities.
Students learn about electric and magnetic forces and waves and their applications in technologies for information transfer. They develop abilities in the scientific practices of creating, using and analyzing models, analyzing data and applying basic math. They builds understanding of cross-cutting concepts like recognizing patterns, cause and effect relationships and understanding the scaling of various quantities.
Students learn about energy transfer in the light of chemical reactions and the basics of chemistry. They develop students abilities in the scientific practices of creating, using and analyzing models, analyzing data and applying basic math. Students build understanding of cross-cutting concepts like recognizing patterns, cause and effect relationships and understanding the scaling of various quantities.
Students explore line as an element of art and complete a variety of mark-making exercises. Students should be able to identify vocabulary describing lines and identify them in everyday objects. Students will learn about how different kinds of line can express a variety of moods, and can also be used to imply direction and form and give drawings the illusion of three dimensions.
Students create a painting based on ideas and sketches that they have developed. They learn to mix acrylic paint to create shades and tints and painting a monochromatic colour scheme.
In this studio unit, students learn to design and make a three-dimensional sculptural form using clay. Students research and develop their own ideas and sketches around a theme. Student's attach pieces of clay and manipulate it using hand-building techniques. Students may wish to combine decoration and function in different ways and use glaze.
Students create a mixed-media collage based on the artist Romare Bearden. Students arrange and compose imagery around the theme of 'community' and explore different kinds of collage such as painted paper, decoupage and photo-montage.
Students explore actual and implied textures through found objects in a technique called frottage. Students look at the work of artist Max Ernst and explore how using different kinds of art media can create different results.
Students learn the process of Relief printing in this unit. They will make many prints from a single drawing and get familiar with the use of printmaking terms. In relief printing, they cut away or recess negative space in order to make a block print. The print is made from what is left of the original surface. They learn to transfer the image by placing the fully inked block face down along surface of the paper. A variety of techniques and tools for printmaking are introduced as they learn to block print.
Students use their Art as a visual representation that communicates something that is important to them. Students use their artwork to create a poster for an advocacy publication that can be shared in the community. Students learn about how different artists have responded to social issues and use their artwork to advocate a cause or injustice. Students may also explore the theme through printmaking and the work of art in the age of reproduction.
Students explore the use of shapes and shades in an artwork by observing an object of their choice, and translating the real and abstracted shapes . Students paint to mix a variety of different tones and consider other appropriate colour schemes for their piece.
Students design and make their own ‘creature’ from clay that is inspired by real or imagined creatures from land, sea, or mythology. Students explore their own subject matter through drawn designs and investigations may cover gargoyles, monsters, animals, popular culture, cartoons, or depictions of the human head or body. Students learn to use the ‘pinch pot’ method of clay construction and adapt it to their design. Students are introduced to the properties of clay and its possibilities and limitations. Students begin by making two hollowed pinch pots and attaching them together to create a hollow ball that forms the basic starting point of their design. Newspaper can be stuffed inside to strengthen and support forms. Different forms and textures are then added to the work to make their intended design or outcome. When finished, pots are left to go ‘bone dry’ and then ‘bisque’ fired at 1100 degrees Celsius. Students will next use colour and paint their work with glaze and the pots are then fired once more.
Students explore an art movement called Cubism. They create a mixed media artwork based on observational drawings of objects from different viewpoints. Students employ Cubist techniques such as abstracting, overlapping, reassembling and experiment with a different media including collage, pencil, oil pastel and/or monoprint.
Students create a large-scale dynamic group artwork. Using the work of other artists such as Okuda to inform their style, students collaborate constructively and think creatively to assemble an artwork.
Students apply the principles of two-point perspective in a drawing. Students are introduced the different ways of showing the illusion of space in a two-dimensional artwork by using techniques including size/scale, overlapping, shading, placement, and linear perspective. Students learn key concepts in perspective drawing, including vanishing point, horizon and parallel lines.
In this short studio unit, students choose an artwork of their choice using the Google Arts & Culture website and analyse and reinterpret it using a media of their choice.
Students learn about intaglio printmaking and drypoint etching. Students explore line and different shading techniques such as cross-hatching, stippling and random lines to create a gradation from light to dark. Students plan and create an image that is then etched and printed on to paper.
Students learn to design and make a three-dimensional sculptural form using the slab method of clay construction. Students research and develop their own ideas around a theme or guiding question, resulting in a final design cut out and template that forms the basis for the construction of their sculpture. They learn to attach pieces of clay and manipulate it using hand-building techniques. Students may wish to combine decoration and function in different ways. Optional surface decoration treatments include sgraffito or the application of glaze or underglaze are offered to enhance their sculptures.
Students are introduced to the principles of design and why it plays a role in the success of a front-end web page design. Activities are conducted to explore brand identity through role-play scenarios and analysing websites as case studies to ensure the design is fulfilling the design brief. The essential tools that are found across the Adobe Creative Suite programmes are the keys to creating a successful digital product.
The first web page design incorporates the knowledge we learned in Unit 1 with the Adobe Xd software. Students develop their business cards as a brand identity for a website design that portrays who they are. The design principles play an even bigger role as students begin to experiment with layouts, typography, hierarchy and color schemes to create the web pages. By focusing on their personal identity, students can begin to understand their own design style and the importance of content.
The final half of the semester focuses on collaboration as students bring to the table the skills and knowledge they have acquired as individuals in the class. A 'client' is assigned to the groups and their goal is to successfully deliver the client's message to the masses. Students learn to analyse design choices and be able to provide justification.
This unit introduces students to the Java programming language, graphic user interface, and the classes, providing students with a firm foundation of programming concepts. Students focus on programming code that uses variables, constants, and mathematical expressions.
Algorithms/computer programs are composed of three building blocks: sequencing, selection, and iteration. This unit introduces students to the selection process using conditional/ IF statements. The students learn the syntax/format of the IF statements and apply/use them in their programs.
Algorithms/computer programs are composed of three building blocks: sequencing, selection, and iteration. This unit introduces students to the iterative process using looping statements. The students learn the syntax/format of the FOR and WHILE loop statements and apply/use them in their programs.
This unit introduces students to programming using functions. The students learn to use library functions offered by the programming language in their code. They also develop functions (user-defined) to create solutions with modularity and reuse the same in different parts of the solution without writing the same code again.
This unit introduces students to database/ files programming. The students learn to write programs that store data permanently in files/databases. They also write code modules to retrieve, edit, and filter data to generate multiple views.
In this unit, students are guided through the process of setting up the programming environment, programming the robot, and running the basic moving forward program. The type of learning experiences that students engage in include group challenges, hands-on experiences in getting their codes to run properly, and troubleshooting any issues that arise.
Students will control basic movements of their robots through coding to accomplish a goal. The students will use group and individual challenges in these learning challenges.
Students will use the pen tool and loops to repeat behaviours and draw. This is an inquiry based unit which will use rubrics to assess.
Students will use the sensor input to navigate their robots within an environment using their bumper sensor.Students will use an inquiry approach and be assessed through rubrics.
Students will learn to use distance sensors to navigate their robotos without having to touch any walls. This is an inquiry-based lesson that will use rubrics for assessment.
Students will use a location sensor to move their robots around a grid. This is an inquiry-based unit with rubrics for assessment.
Students will be introduced to conditional statements in coding and use of camera sensors to detect changes in color. This is an inquiry-based unit with rubrics for assessment.
Students will learn to use sensor feedback and nested loops to move objects with electromagnetic attachments. This is an inquiry-based unit with rubrics for assessment.
Students will be introduced to algorithms to help solve dynamic problems with their robots. This is an inquiry-based unit with rubrics for assessment.
Students create a mechanical advantage prototype that demonstrates the use of gears to create a mechanical advantage. Students explore how mechanical advantages and gear ratios can be applied to their builds, daily lives, and in robotic competitions.
Students will learn how to program loops to get their robots dancing.
Students are asked to program a robot to deliver medication to patients on a hospital floor that they create.
Students will go through the engineering design process for an open-ended build activity.
Students learn the basic tools and techniques of storyboarding, camera operation, editing to communicate effectively with video. Students also learn how to collaborate and why it is important to be a reliable team member. Students learn through modelling, and direct instruction, but primarily through project-based instruction. Students demonstrate their understanding through collaborative project-based assessment and subsequent reflection.
Students build their learning about the three phases of video production to create an advertisement to either inform or persuade. They analyze examples of real-world advertisements to help them develop a video segment that appeals to their specific target audience.Through a collaborative project-based assessment, they will also learn how to work within specific roles and apply the video composition principles to effectively communicate their vision.
Students learn how to effectively conduct, shoot, and edit an interview. They watch examples of real-world news reports, documentaries and other forms of video journalism to understand the purpose of video interviews. They then imagine an interview that would appeal to their specific audience. Finally, through a project-based assessment, they must collaborate and communicate effectively within their specific roles to create an engaging video interview.
Students learn how to design and create an ongoing online TV broadcast that provides project-based learning that could vary from advertisements to video interviews. The show’s main objective is to broadcast news about the high school community and serve various clientele within ISKL to support them in promoting their message about a specific product or story. Students are individually assigned to rotating roles on the team each week, and must collaborate effectively to create and deliver a show segment that is appropriate to their authentic audience and the clientele’s request. At two points in the semester, students select their best evidence of learning for pre-production, camera operation, editing, and After Effects for summative assessment.
Students learn how to effectively use Adobe After Effects in a dynamic, hands-on approach. With their project-based assessment, they have the opportunity to design and create specialized video effects, motion graphics and 2D and 3D text animation to supplement our online show. They explore a wide range of advanced video effects tools within the program and digitally create media artworks that are appropriate to the specific theme or audience.
Students reflect upon their relationship with food. To demonstrate their learning, students complete a narrative writing piece: The Personal Meaning of Food, a self-portrait using only food visuals and a small questionnaire about their relationship with food now.
Students learn about safety in the Food Tech Lab, knife skills, and how to follow a recipe. They practice new skills by making different kinds of salsas. Students demonstrate their acquired skills and understandings through making an Apple Mango Salsa and using at least three knife cutting techniques.
Students learn how to make different kinds of soups from scratch. They learn how to make their own vegetable and chicken broth. They also learn the difference between a bouillon, a cream, and a soup. Students demonstrate their understanding by making a vegetable soup from scratch, starting by making their own chicken or vegetable broth.
Students learn all there is to know about dough - bread rolls, hamburger buns, Iranian flatbread, French baguette, sourdough, puff pastry dough, pie dough, and quiche dough. They learn about what makes each dough different from another. To demonstrate their understanding, students have to bake three different kinds of bread and experiment with different kinds of yeast.
Muffins are everywhere! They can be savoury, sweet or healthy. Students learn that muffins are a great healthy snack option because they bring highly nutritious ingredients. Students demonstrate their learning by making three different kinds of muffin and explaining what makes them healthy.
Students explore different food-based dietary guidelines. These guidelines are intended to establish a basis for public food and nutrition, health and agricultural policies and nutrition education programmes to foster healthy eating habits and lifestyles. Students learn through different sites and they demonstrate understanding by designing a healthy diet based on the food guidelines and the 8 tips for eating well.
Students learn about the sustainability of food production as “a method of production using processes and systems that are non-polluting, conserve non-renewable energy and natural resources, are economically efficient, are safe for workers, communities and consumers, and do not compromise the needs of future generations.” Students demonstrate their understanding by creating a guide which will promote 12 ways of being sustainable in the Food Industry.
Students learn about the new trends in Food Technology. Students demonstrate their understanding by creating a Google slide presentation on one of the new trends. They also have to find concrete examples on how these new trends affect their daily life.
Students reflect upon their relationship with food. To demonstrate their learning, students complete a narrative writing piece: The Personal Meaning of Food. They show understanding that food is always present at different celebrations. Students create a self-portrait using only food visuals and conduct a questionnaire about their relationship with food.
Students learn about safety in the Food Tech Lab, sanitation, knife skills, and how to follow a recipe. They practice new skills by making different kinds of salsas and soups. Students demonstrate their acquired skills and understandings through making an Apple Mango Salsa and a Vegetables soup, using at least three knife cutting techniques. They also have to demonstrate the proper way of cleaning their tools and station once they are done with their cooking.
Students learn about food preparation and specific catering skills. Students demonstrate their understanding by creating beautiful finger foods that look good and are healthy. Students also have to create different finger foods for different dietary requirements.
Students explore different food-based dietary guidelines. These guidelines are intended to establish a basis for public food and nutrition, health and agricultural policies and nutrition education programmes to foster healthy eating habits and lifestyles. Students learn through different sites and they will demonstrate understanding by designing a healthy menu for their catering company.
The final half of the semester will focus on collaboration as students bring to the table the skills and knowledge they have acquired as individuals in the class. A 'client' is assigned to the groups and their goal is to successfully deliver the client's order. Students learn to analyse design choices and are able to provide justification. Students will create their own catering company.
Students read for pleasure to increase their stamina, range of texts, and appreciation of reading. Daily reading time and support is given to students to track what and how much they're reading through various tools such as reading logs, book chats, and book talks.
Students write to increase their stamina, range of texts types, and appreciation of expression of ideas. Daily writing time and support is given to students with prompts, links to works studied in class, reflections, and ideas leading to writing assignments.
Students analyze memoirs and narratives by professional writers as well as student writers, allowing them to understand the narrative structure, prior to writing their own piece. Through reading model text, discussion of excerpts, peer-editing, and mini-writing lessons, students learn the basic elements of narrative writing. They demonstrate their understandings through tasks such as: exploding a moment, using sensory detail to develop scenes, applying vivid verbs to text.
Students understanding of the literary terms used are developed to discuss and analyse short fiction. They read a variety of fictional short stories as well as write and speak in response to literature to show their understanding and structure a literary essay that demonstrates their ability to write to embed quotes from a text to support their thesis statements.
Students learn to express their beliefs. Through mentor text studies, students identify and analyze the significant role that language plays in persuasion. Using the knowledge and skills gained through analyzing a variety of persuasive text, students will apply the techniques to their own writing in order to persuade their audience.
Students engage in reading comprehension, Socratic Seminars, research, and literary essays to explore the many themes in a novel. Seen through language, narrative structure, and literary techniques and elements, the craft of the novel will be analyzed for purpose and effect. Historical, social, and cultural context will give further depth of understanding to the nuances of the text.
Students study many different poets and poems in order to understand, analyze, and write poetry. They study methods, forms, and experiences that have helped develop these poets and they will write poetry using many of the same devices. Through in-class writing exercises, reading of model poems, and discussion of student work, students are encouraged to produce poetry of increasing quality. Students learn the basic elements of poetry, important types of poems, and fundamental poetic techniques. They explore different forms of poems from various time periods and begin to learn what it takes to create a poem. Students are expected to write analytically about poetry in addition to writing and reciting their own poetry.
Media is a relevant and contemporary text type used to express point of views and to educate audiences about global issues. Communication is particularly effective, as it is digestible and accessible to modern day audiences who already have prior experiences with media literacy through everyday interaction. Students watch a selection of shorts and discuss the impact on them as an audience. Visual and audio techniques are taught through modelling. Students practice analyzing shorts in groups before culminating their experience with a summative assessment.
Students read for pleasure to increase their stamina, range of texts, and appreciation of reading. Daily reading time and support is given to students to track what and how much they're reading through various tools such as reading logs, book chats, and book talks.
Students apply skills and strategies to write clearly and coherently for specific audiences and purposes. Journal writing allows them to articulate their thoughts freely, knowing that their writing will not be assessed.
Students read a variety of nonfiction prose in order to understand how they function differently according to the author’s intention and purpose. They appreciate how an author engages their audiences differently, depending on the purpose and/or text type. Students analyze the choices textual, structural and technical choices made on the part of the author in order to achieve their purpose.
Through close reading, analysis, and group discussions of Purple Hibiscus, students consider the different political, cultural and social contexts this novel is set in and understand the attitudes and values expressed by literary texts and their impact on readers. Students understand the role society plays in the development of an individual and demonstrate their leaning through a literary analysis.
Students study and analyze various forms of both written and spoken poetry. They examine how various techniques and structures impact meaning. Students write a commentary to show their understanding. Students write and workshop original poetry inspired by the poems studied in class.
Students are empowered to make their own choices of books to study, and to work collaboratively with their peers to gain a deeper understanding of the text. They develop stronger speaking and listening skills during book discussions and find patterns of literary features and analyze writer’s craft. Students become more careful, thoughtful, independent readers and they demonstrate learning through discussions and a literary analysis.
Students study modern editorial writing. After analyzing how a variety editorials for author's persuasive craft, students select an issue to research. Students compose their own editorial.
Students read the play, and watch a staging in the traditional context. Students write and present to deepen their understanding of aspects of the play
Students split time between self-selected book clubs and writing college/personal essays. Book clubs feature a selection of memoirs and biographies by authors across the globe, and serve as mentor texts for students as they write their college or personal essays. In book club groups, students discuss the literary techniques and writing moves that make the narratives so powerful. Using writing techniques learnt from the memoirs, students write either a college or personal essay depending on their current situation. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, book club discussions, giving and receiving peer feedback about their writing, and writing and showcasing their own personal essay.
Students examine the dystopian literary genre through reading, writing and discussion about various texts. A major component of examining the genre will be done through selected dystopian texts and a student-choice of one novel to be discussed in a book club. In book club groups, students discuss the literary techniques and writing moves that make the narratives so powerful. Using the writing techniques learnt from the novels and the discussions, students write short pieces of analysis breaking down various dystopian texts. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, book club discussions, and analysing texts using short written responses.
By exploring a range of nonfiction and fiction texts, students examine various sports-related themes with a specific focus on analysing how authors and directors create meaning and the different ways they use sport in their work. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, literary analysis paragraphs, Socratic seminars discussing specific texts and a visual presentation analysing a sports-related text of their choosing.
By exploring a range of non-fiction texts and mediums, students examine how media shapes, persuades and manipulates young people. Introducing specific media analysis language and concepts, students will develop a set of media literacy skills to breakdown various forms of media and their messages targeted at young people. Students show their learning through classroom discussion, critical analysis questions, a longer-form essay and Socratic seminars discussing specific texts.
Students approach this unit as researchers where they examine different types of evidence and explore how to evaluate that evidence by analyzing, discussing and writing about different texts. Students use these skills to research and write a research paper on a contemporary issue of their choice.
Students are the public speakers. In this role, students examine different types and styles of speeches throughout history up to the present day. They explore what makes an effective speech by analysing a wide range of speech styles and topics. Students use these skills to write and deliver a speech with their own defined purpose, topic and message.
Students examine the theories and types of comedy in order to determine what makes something funny. Shift to reading various comedic mentor texts (both fiction and non-fiction) to identify and analyze the various comedic and literary techniques an author uses to create humor for an intended audience. Students will write their own comedic piece of fiction or creative non-fiction and share it in a showcase of work with other teachers/mentors in the school. Students show their learning through close reading with annotations, informal class discussion and writing groups, a vocabulary quiz, giving and receiving peer feedback and writing and showcasing their own creative humorous piece of fiction or nonfiction.
Students examine the art of filmmaking and the different decisions a director has to make compared to a writer. They first explore film terminology and apply those new concepts through discussion and individual written responses using various films and other texts. Students show their learning through vocabulary quizzes, a film genre presentation, a written film review with peer feedback and a Socratic seminar comparing and contrasting a short story to a film.
Students view, read and analyze the 1984 theatrical performance of the play "Master Harold...and the Boys." Taking a deep dive into 1950s apartheid South Africa, "Master Harold" is rich in historical and cultural significance, which illustrates to students how literature can both reflect on a society's problems and influence positive change at the same time. Students explore the context in which the play was written (and how it compares with today) and examine the techniques the author/director used to develop the conflict, characters, and themes of the play. Students show their learning through short written responses, class discussions, an argumentative essay, and a visual performance/presentation.
Students read and analyze various forms and styles of creative non-fiction writing as well as write their own original piece. Exploring themes of race, gender, sexuality and social justice, students will discover the techniques required to write a powerful and persuasive piece of creative non-fiction. They show their learning through Socratic seminars and by writing their own creative non-fiction text, which will be showcased at the end of the unit.
Students read, analyze, discuss, write and perform slam poetry on themes of their choice. Exploring the craft and structure of poetry, students dive into how poets purposefully use words and style to create meaning and expand on topics not easily explained using prose. Students look at how adding the element of performance changes slam poetry into a genre that is very unique and personal. Students show their learning through short written responses, class discussions, and slam poetry writing and performance.
Students focus on a creative writing project of their choice based on the topics covered over the course of the year. Using various creative writing examples and styles, students dive into how writers purposefully use words and style to create meaning and expand on topics not easily explained using other styles of writing. Students show their learning through a final creative writing piece, which will be developed through peer feedback and revision and showcased for a wider school audience.
This unit highlights dimensions of wellness to provide the context for goal setting. Goal setting is a skill that allows students to evaluate their personal health and use the results to determine a goal they are willing to work on to improve their health. Students will work through the process, with the emphasis on the ability to apply the process in a thoughtful and meaningful way. Students envision what is possible and then develop a plan that focues on an aspect of their health to maintain or improve their health outcomes. They consider the strategies and skills needed to achieve the goal and determine how they will monitor progress and measure success. They reflect on their progress and determine the next steps to solidify this goal over the long term.
This mental health unit focuses on healthy practices. Students learn about and demonstrate self-management behaviours. Self-management is a skill to focus on what to do and identify and implement ways to be healthy. The emphasis is on enhancing mental health through positive behaviours such as practicing gratitude, mindfulness, and developing a variety of coping strategies. Mental health is discussed with a positive and proactive focus and includes recognition of warning signs for mental health issues and how to access support and mental health services.
This unit focuses on an important tool for adolescents, thinking critically about everyday decisions and how they can affect one’s health. Students consider the bigger picture when making decisions, become empowered to take ownership of their own health to make decisions that support healthy outcomes. This unit explores decision-making and ethics, detailing the physiological and behavioural impact of alcohol and other drugs on teenagers. Students discuss and analyse hypothetical scenarios and use the DECIDE model to explore the consequences of typical teenage decisions.
Students in this unit explore how to support healthy nutrition choices in their own life and the lives of others, including peers and family. Students apply functional nutritional knowledge to promote health-enhancing nutrition behaviours for themselves and others. Through a variety of learning activities, students reflect on their own nutritional habits and develop a healthy eating plan that aligns with personalised balanced nutritional recommendations. A major component of this unit is a research project and presentation that allows students to analyse influences on nutritional behaviours and develop the ability to advocate for health by promoting a health-enhancing position on a topic of their choice.
This unit provides important knowledge needed to develop healthy relationships and to empower students to make positive, well-informed decisions for themselves as they navigate the turbulent hormonal teenage years. Subtopics covered include anatomy of the reproductive systems, healthy relationships and consent, safe sex and contraception, decision making and consequences, and sexually transmitted infections. Learning activities in this unit allow students the opportunity to explore important components of relationships and communication skills. Student learn to seek and access valid and reliable information related to sexual health.
Students learn to represent all possible outcomes of both single and compound events using multiple representations (two-way tables, Venn diagrams, and tree diagrams). Through the use of games and open-ended inquiry tasks, they will develop an understanding of the difference between theoretical probability and experimental probability, while at the same time learning to apply the general rules of theoretical probability to predict outcomes.
Students refine their algebraic thinking skills by writing algebraic expressions and equations to generalise visualise patterns. Solve linear and quadratic equations both algebraically and graphically and will extend this practice to include literal equations with variable coefficients. Students learn to write equivalent algebraic expressions in different ways by factoring trinomials, expanding binomials, and adding and subtracting polynomials expressions, frequently making connections between the algebraic operations of multiplication and addition and the geometric models of area and perimeter.
Students understand the definition of a function and domain and range, explore transformations of functions in relation to the absolute value function, and compare properties of different functions including absolute value, linear and quadratic functions. Develop a conceptual understanding of function transformations through inquiry, with significant use of technology to analyse characteristics of graphical representations.
Students compare exponential functions to linear functions in terms of their respective patterns of change as well as explore the properties of exponential functions and their graphical transformations. Investigate the properties of integer exponents and use them to simplify complex exponential expressions and apply their knowledge of exponential patterns and functions to solve real-world exponential growth and decay application problems.
Students explore quadratic functions and their solutions both graphically and algebraically. Students recognise all three forms quadratic functions (standard form, intercept form, and vertex form) from their equations, tables, and graphs. Study forms and identify under which circumstances each form is most appropriate. Additionally, they can graph quadratics in each form, convert between forms, and solve quadratic equations in a variety of ways.
Students extend their knowledge of the coordinate plane to include analysis of two-dimensional plane figures. Through inquiry, develop formulas to find both distance and midpoint as well as explore the properties of parallel and perpendicular lines. Using these skills, they classify polygons by sides and angles. They learn to write and graph equations of circles in the coordinate plane.
This is an overview of similar triangles in order to develop an understanding of the three basic trigonometric ratios. Students explore relationships in special right triangles and apply these relationships as well as the trigonometric ratios to solve real-world problems involving angles of elevation and depression.
Students learn to represent all possible outcomes of both single and compound events using multiple representations (two-way tables, Venn diagrams, and tree diagrams). Through the use of games and open-ended inquiry tasks, they develop an understanding of the difference between theoretical probability and experimental probability, while at the same time learning to apply the general rules of theoretical probability to predict outcomes.
Students refine their algebraic thinking skills with both applications of classic algebra word problems involving numerical relationships, motion problems and mixtures and through investigating and generalizing visual patterns. Review how to solve equations including two step equations, multi-step equations, literal equations, rational equations, and squared equations. Understanding the concept of absolute value as the distance from zero, they solve absolute value equations and inequalities. Students learn to manipulate, simplify, and perform operations with polynomial and radical expressions as well as factor polynomials by inspecting the form.
Students understand the definition of a function and domain and range, explore function transformations through the absolute value function, and compare properties of different functions including absolute value, linear, quadratic, and linear piecewise functions. Develop conceptual understanding of function transformations through inquiry, with significant use of technology to analyze characteristics of graphical representations. Students explore the basic characteristics of polynomial functions, including end behavior, x intercepts from factored form, multiplicity of roots and an informal look at the fundamental theorem of algebra.
Students explore quadratic functions and their solutions both graphically and algebraically. Students recognise all three forms quadratic functions (standard form, intercept form, and vertex form) from their equations, tables, and graphs. They study the forms and are able to identify under which circumstances each form is most appropriate. Students are able to graph quadratics in each form, convert between forms, and solve quadratic equations in a variety of ways. They explore the concepts of roots of a quadratics and understand the the discriminant can be used to describe the number and type of roots as well as explore the idea of complex roots and imaginary numbers.
Students compare exponential functions to linear functions in terms of their respective patterns of change as well as explore the properties of exponential functions and their graphical transformations. Investigate the properties of integer exponents and use them to simplify complex exponential expressions. Students extend their understanding of exponents to rational exponents and convert between exponential and radical forms of expression. Applying their knowledge of exponential patterns and functions to solve real-world exponential growth and decay application problems.
Student extend their knowledge of the coordinate plane to include analysis of two-dimensional plane figures. Through inquiry, develop formulas to find both distance and midpoint, as well as explore the properties of parallel and perpendicular lines. Students use these skills to classify geometric polygons by sides and angles. They learn to write and graph the equations of circles in the coordinate plane. Students extend their coordinate geometry to work with vectors in two dimensional including operations with vectors and apply the vector equation of a line.
This is an overview of similar triangles in order to develop an understanding of the three basic trigonometric ratios. Students explore relationships in special right triangles and use them to understand how to create ordered points for special angles of rotation on the unit circle. Lastly, students use their knowledge of right triangle trigonometry to solve word problems involving angles of elevation and depression and bearings of objects. Radian unit of angle measure is not considered in this course.
Students build on their understanding of functions (graphs/equations) and are introduced to the concept of function and test to determine whether different representations meet the requirements of a function. Students find the domain and range of relationships. Composite and inverse functions are introduced. Finally, students focus on the transformations of functions (mostly linear, quadratic and piecewise) - a skill that will prepare them for further study in functions.
Students look at bivariate data to find a line of best fit, specifically using linear regression. Students calculate the correlation coefficient and learn specific vocabulary to describe how well the data fit a linear model. Making predictions based on their model and sebsequently discuss the reliability of their predictions.
Students build their understanding of functions; graphs/equations. Introduced to three forms of quadratic functions (vertex, factored and standard form), students identify key features (vertex, intercepts, and axis of symmetry) in order to graph functions. Students will continue to develop their algebraic skills through factoring, multiplying binomials and rearranging into equivalent expressions. They develop quadratic models (both analytically and using regression) and apply their understanding of quadratic models to solve problems.
Students build on their understanding of key features of functions; zeros, intercepts, and asymptotes. They focus on developing the calculator skills and understanding of types of models that can be used to model data in the real world. Revisiting concepts of domain and range, the understanding of a horizontal asymptote from exponential functions will be broadened to include horizontal and vertical asymptotes. The x-intercepts from quadratic functions will be extended to look at the zeros of polynomial functions.
Students identify key features (zeros, asymptotes, intercepts) of exponential and logarithmic functions whilst revisitng exponantial functions (graphs/equestions). Students use exponent and log properties to write equivalent expressions proficiently. Students should move fluently between exponential and logarithmic form. Develop models to represent real-world data and solve for parameters (like growth rate, initial value, etc). Models are used to solve real-world applications of exponential and logarithmic growth.
Students build their understanding of right triangle trigonometry to investigate special right triangles and use them to find common ratios for angle values larger than 90 degrees on the unit circle. They use these relationships to create sinusoidal functions to model periodic real-world data. Students identify key features (period, amplitude, midline, phase shift) in order to graph trigonometric functions. Students will also use trigonometry to find the surface area and volume of more complex figures.
Students build on their understanding of functions (graphs/equations) and are introduced to the concept of function and test to determine whether different representations meet the requirements of a function. Students find the domain and range of relationships. Composite and inverse functions are introduced. Finally, students focus on the transformations of functions (mostly linear, quadratic and piecewise) - a skill that will prepare them for further study in functions.
Students look at bivariate data to find a line of best fit, specifically using linear regression. Students calculate the correlation coefficient and learn specific vocabulary to describe how well the data fit a linear model. Making predictions based on their model and sebsequently discuss the reliability of their predictions.
Students build their understanding of functions; graphs/equations. Introduced to three forms of quadratic functions (vertex, factored and standard form), students identify key features (vertex, intercepts, and axis of symmetry) in order to graph functions. Students will continue to develop their algebraic skills through factoring, multiplying binomials and rearranging into equivalent expressions. They develop quadratic models (both analytically and using regression) and apply their understanding of quadratic models to solve problems.
Students build on their understanding of key features of functions; zeros, intercepts, and asymptotes. They focus on developing the calculator skills and understanding of types of models that can be used to model data in the real world. Revisiting concepts of domain and range, the understanding of a horizontal asymptote from exponential functions will be broadened to include horizontal and vertical asymptotes. The x-intercepts from quadratic functions will be extended to look at the zeros of polynomial functions.
Students identify key features (zeros, asymptotes, intercepts) of exponential and logarithmic functions whilst revisitng exponantial functions (graphs/equestions). Students use exponent and log properties to write equivalent expressions proficiently. Students should move fluently between exponential and logarithmic form. Develop models to represent real-world data and solve for parameters (like growth rate, initial value, etc). Models are used to solve real-world applications of exponential and logarithmic growth.
Students build their understanding of right triangle trigonometry to investigate special right triangles and use them to find common ratios for angle values larger than 90 degrees on the unit circle. They use these relationships to create sinusoidal functions to model periodic real-world data. Students identify key features (period, amplitude, midline, phase shift) in order to graph trigonometric functions. Students will also use trigonometry to find the surface area and volume of more complex figures.
Students learn that the Earth is an dynamic open system and that human activity causes disturbances and imbalances that impacts the biotic and abiotic factors of ecosystems. Students learn through modelling, data analysis, claim evidence and reasoning.
Students learn that the Models of the Earth with a layered structure are derived from indirect evidence. Waves and the behaviour form part of that indirect evidence. Motions of the mantle and its plates occur through thermal convection generated primarily through radioactive decay of unstable isotopes. An inquiry-based approach guides students through analysis of visual and numerical data.
Students learn that atoms have a charged substructure that determines the atoms behaviour. Repeating patterns in the periodic table can be explained by atomic substructure. Attraction and repulsion between charges at the atomic scale explains the structure and properties of material objects. An inquiry-based approach has students looking for patterns through development of their own research questions.
Students learn that the sun is the source of energy for our planet and is changed into different usable molecules by autotrophs. This energy and matter is passed up the food chain and is always conserved. Students learn by guided inquiry through phenomena. Wet lab and simulated inquiry to develop planning and data analysis and evaluation. Students use 3D modeling and systems models to show the transfer of energy through an ecosystem.
Students explore the relationship between forces and motion while developing skills with computer-based lab equipment. By studying collisions in an ideal system, students will learn how to identify systems where momentum is conserved.
Students explore the model of the atom and how the arrangement of electrons in the outermost energy level contributes to energetic stability, and reactivity with other atoms. After exploring how atoms bond and naming compounds, students use simulations and hands-on collaborative experiences and modelling exercises to quantitatively determine the amount of substance (moles) and collect analyse data with respect to reaction rates and energy changes within a reaction.
Students explore the human organism as a collection of interdependent systems for maintaining homeostasis. Beginning with cellular respiration as a means for generating the ATP that powers all cellular processes, students explore how water, glucose, oxygen, and carbon dioxide levels are maintained by cellular structures, organs, organ systems, and, ultimately, regulated by voluntary and involuntary reactions to the environment. By exploring the human organism’s quest for energy at many levels, students develop an understanding of the hierarchical structures biologists use to describe complex systems.
Using graphical and tabular representations of data to quantitatively analyze forces, impulses, and momentums, students apply their scientific knowledge to the engineering problem of reducing traffic fatalities.
The purpose of the journal is both artistic (a record of processes, ideas and research) and pedagogic (a reflection on learning, challenges and discoveries). It is both retrospective (looking at experiences that have already been encountered) and developmental (considering how things can be done differently in the future) as well as a record of insights and intentions for future artistic and personal development.
Students get to know the HS Theatre space and their peers. They become familiar with the expectations of the HS Theatre classroom and the facilities to which they have access. They learn a variety of warm up games that are used to create familiarity and ensemble techniques amongst the students.
Students learn to utilize performance skills to engage their audience using picture books to share with elementary school classes. They extend the storytelling to reader's theatre pieces that they devise to share with younger classes.
Students are iontroduced to the basic principles of improvisation. They learn the rules of improv, as well as games to build improvisation skills and develop conflict and storylines. Students learn six different improv games from the theatre sports collection, and perform for their peers.
Students work together as a full ensemble to choose, rehearse and peform in a live theatrical event. They learn about the importance of ensemble thinking where everyone is focused on a common goal, which is to present the best production possible. This singular focus guides the overall production process. For example, if something goes wrong – which it inevitably will – with ensemble thinking, students are more focused on solving problems as a team rather than worrying about how something might affect them personally.
Students learn and practice specific combat skills in order to develop and perform a safe and effective fight scene for the stage. They learn the basics of all aspects of unarmed stage combat, including falling, grappling, punches, kicks, etc. Character analysis, communication, timing, intention, and motivation are also core acting components learnt. Stage combat also helps actors get to know their bodies and how to use them as an effective instrument for telling a story.
Students demonstrate their understanding of the various elements of musical theatre by examining the history of musical theatre, watching and analysing musical theatre, as well as putting on a musical mashup original piece.
Students work together as a full ensemble to choose, rehearse and perform in a live theatrical event. This unit gives students an opportunity to be in an ensemble and to be leaders in the ensemble. In an atmosphere that focuses on ensemble thinking, everyone is focused on a common goal, which is to present the best production possible. This singular focus guides the overall production process. For example, if something goes wrong – which it inevitably will – with ensemble thinking, students are more focused on solving problems as a team rather than worrying about how something might affect them personally.
The purpose of the journal is both artistic (a record of processes, ideas and research) and pedagogic (a reflection on learning, challenges and discoveries). It is both retrospective (looking at experiences that have already been encountered) and developmental (considering how things can be done differently in the future) as well as a record of insights and intentions for future artistic and personal development.
Students get to know the HS Theatre space and their peers. They become familiar with the expectations of the HS Theatre classroom and the facilities to which they have access. They learn a variety of warm up games that are used to create familiarity and ensemble techniques amongst the students.
Students write a one minute story about a momentous moment in their lives, recording their voices telling the story. While the voiceover plays they pantomime the action and emotions of the story.
Students create characters, practice storytelling through stage movement and tableaux, collaborate on a one-minute scene, and write a play. Improvisational games help unleash the students’ creativity and build their in-class ensemble skills. Games, activities, and talking points are provided to help students learn about stagecraft, stage movement, and the creative writing aspect of devising a play.
Students develop their improvisation skills. They study the theatre practitioner Viola Spolin and learn the history and theories of Improv and Sketch Comedy theatre. Students hone their improvisational skills and culminate their learning by using a live theatre audience to enhance their experience.
Students expand their knowledge of the origins of theatre and dramatic performance by creating a timeline portfolio and doing an oral presentation of a chosen historical period of theatre.
Students explore and analyze the components of a good monologue and duet scene. They go through the steps needed to research, choose, rehearse and perform their scenes for a critical audience.
Students work in small groups of 3-4. They choose a script and take on specific roles of director. production designer, technical director of the scene. Each of the students also plays characters in the scene where/when needed.
Students work together as a full ensemble under the direction of the teacher to rehearse and perform in a live theatrical play. The play focuses on advanced level acting skills and all the elements needed for an actor to bring their character to life as part of a full ensemble production that includes costumes, props and set pieces.
The purpose of the journal is both artistic (a record of processes, ideas and research) and pedagogic (a reflection on learning, challenges and discoveries). It is both retrospective (looking at experiences that have already been encountered) and developmental (considering how things can be done differently in the future) as well as a record of insights and intentions for future artistic and personal development.
Students get to know the HS Theatre space and their peers. They become familiar with the expectations of the HS Theatre classroom and the facilities to which they have access. They learn a variety of warm up games that are used to create familiarity and ensemble techniques amongst the students.
Students develop production design ideas specifically for the first semester Full School Production (musical or play) that is being staged at that time. Students learn how to create a set design that follows the script and the director's choices. They also learn to design and make sets, props and transitions to indicate multiple settings on the stage.
Sudents will explore the driving question: “How do we, as theatre technicians, create a technically effective performance?” They learn the importance of being thoughtful about how we use costumes effectively. They demonstrate their understanding through slideshow presentations, research projects and hands on character costuming.
Students are introduced to sound and utilize the sound system in the drama studio, along with learning how to set and run sound cues in Qlab. Students explore the basic concepts of sound design for the theatre and how sound is used as a vehicle for a story. Students focus on building an understanding of key design elements.
An introduction to lighting using the drama studio lighting system. Students work toward being able to demonstrate their knowledge of lighting effectiveness.
Students demonstrate their understanding of the basic concepts of applying stage makeup by creating a basic makeup design as well as application of various types of stage makeup.
Students learn how to make basic set and prop elements using tools, paints, and other building materials. Students also learn safety procedures and protocols necessary for building sets and props.
The purpose of the journal is both artistic (a record of processes, ideas and research) and pedagogic (a reflection on learning, challenges and discoveries). It is both retrospective (looking at experiences that have already been encountered) and developmental (considering how things can be done differently in the future) as well as a record of insights and intentions for future artistic and personal development.
Applied Stagecraft is an internship, hands-on course in which students apply skills learned in Stagecraft and Applied Stagecraft. Students are expected to run lighting and sound for authentic concerts and performances in the Performing Arts Centre. Initially, they assist our PAC technicians and ultimately run the events themselves.
Students choose an area of production design to focus on including sets, costumes, makeup and props. They complete a project from design to execution to demonstrate their learning of the skills needed in all areas of production.
An advanced unit for sound that is completed by the student while working on a complete show using the Performing Art Centre's sound system. Students work toward being able to demonstrate their knowledge of the theatre sound equipment including microphones. They also demonstrate their skill in executing the sound needs for an actual performance to include setting and running sound cues in Qlab.
An advanced unit for lighting that is completed by the student working on a complete show using the Performing Art Centre's lighting system. Students work toward being able to demonstrate their knowledge of lighting effectiveness and their skill in executing the lighting needs for an actual performance in one of our theatre spaces.
Students learn the requirements of stage management and are expected to stage-manage or assistant stage-manage a production at the school during the academic year.
Collaboration is an essential skill for working successfully in an ensemble. Aspects of collaboration for this class include work ethic, communication (listening and sharing), on task, and feedback (giving, receiving, and applying). Students are encouraged to model and reflect upon their collaboration strengths and weaknesses through a variety of collaborative group projects and through learning music together. Multiple times throughout the semester, they reflect in their journal and orally about their own collaborative skills, experiences, and knowledge. This is a skill that continues to develop over time and with experiences.
Using proper singing technique allows a singer’s voice to grow and mature over time as they are developmentally ready. The building of technique must start with a solid foundation and the basics must consistently be implemented to in order to add on the next element. In ISKL Singers the students reinforce singing techniques learned in concert and chamber choir (diction, resonance breathing/airflow, evenness and control of tone and range in all registers and through their passaggio) and in addition focus on scat, runs, vibrato, belting, and appoggio breathing. They do this through direct instruction, modelling, and implementation to various types of repertoire and warmups. Students have isolated and combined performance assessments on each of these components of singing and receive feedback in their journal on where they are at on each aspect.
Each student has their own choir reflection journal where they add their thoughts, insights, experiences, and reflections for major and minor units throughout the year. This journal is an investigation into their musical developments and the goal is to use sophisticated, specific, and appropriate musical vocabulary to capture their insights. The journal offers a space for them to evaluate their own and others' musical works and performances. Feedback is given on their ability to self-reflect and the hope is that as they mature in their understanding of music and its components, so does the quality and depth of their journal reflections.
Students perform for the class in a small ensemble and also for high school students and teachers at a lunch time performance. Each group creates their own cover of an already existing pop song. Through guided inquiry and collaborative learning, each group chooses a piece to arrange, interpret, and perform for the class based on their expertise and interests. They learn how to harmonize, arrange, and structure a performance to engage the audience and showcase their abilities. Students are assessed on their collaboration, reflections, and performance technique and etiquette.
Music theory is the foundation of music literacy and understanding how to decode, read, and comprehend musical scores. Through direct instruction and self-directed mini lessons students learn about chord progressions with Roman Numerals and letters, dictating melodies, creating harmonies, and 12-bar blues. Students move at their own pace and have written quizzes.
ISKL Singers start the year by interpreting three SATB pieces of varying styles and languages for the semester one concert and learning an SATB arrangement of the National Anthem "Negaraku". This unit is meant to prepare music that is at a foundational level in the first month of the semester and then refine the pieces three weeks before the semester one concert. This unit is approached with direct instruction, collaborative learning, and modelling. Students are assessed with performance assessments that focus on specific technical skills and their application to the pieces. The feedback and reflections throughout help to improve their overall performance skill and prepare them for live performances.
Choir students choose, prepare, and perform one pop or jazz style piece as a collaborative ensemble at the annual Talent Show in front of a large audience. This endeavour requires them to think of the audience they are performing for and choose a piece that is engaging and they can perform successfully with a high degree of performance etiquette, confidence, and musical skill. This unit is approached with direct instruction, collaborative learning, and modelling. Students are assessed with singing assessments that focus on specific technical skills and for their etiquette and execution on the day of the performance. The feedback, refinements, evaluations, and reflections throughout help to improve their overall performance skill and better prepare them for this specific performance and future ones.
Choir students perform four SATB jazz pieces as a collaborative ensemble at Jazz Night in front of a large audience of students, teachers, and parents. This endeavour requires them to prepare, refine, and evaluate their performance skills in order to successfully perform with a high degree of performance etiquette, confidence, and musical skill. This unit is approached with direct instruction, collaborative learning, and modelling. Students are assessed with singing assessments that focus on specific technical skills and for their etiquette and execution on the day of the performance. The feedback, refinements, evaluations, and reflections throughout will help to improve their overall performance skill and better prepare them for this specific performance and future ones.
In this duet project, students create a cover of a Jazz piece and perform it for Jazz Night. There is guided inquiry and collaborative learning as each group chooses a piece to arrange, interpret, and perform for the class, and the student and adult audience at Jazz Night, based on their expertise and interests. They learn how to harmonize, arrange, and structure a performance to engage the audience and showcase their abilities. Students are assessed on their collaboration, reflections, and performance technique and etiquette.
Choir students perform two pieces as a collaborative ensemble plus two pieces as a mass choir (all four ISKL choirs joining together) at the semester two concert in front of a large audience. This endeavour requires them to prepare, refine, and evaluate their performance skills in order to successfully perform with a high degree of performance etiquette, confidence, and musical skill. This unit is approached with direct instruction, collaborative learning, and modelling. Students are assessed with singing assessments that focus on specific technical skills and for their etiquette and execution on the day of the performance. The feedback, refinements, evaluations, and reflections throughout will help to improve their overall performance skill and better prepare them for this specific performance and future ones.
Students perform for the class in a small ensemble and also for high school students and teachers at a lunch time performance and/or the GAP launch assembly. Each group creates their own cover of an already existing pop song. There is guided inquiry and collaborative learning as each group chooses a piece to arrange, interpret, and perform for the class based on their expertise and interests. They learn how to harmonize, arrange, and structure a performance to engage the audience and showcase their abilities. Students are assessed on their collaboration, reflections, and performance technique and etiquette.
Students interpret two or three pieces of varying styles and languages to develop and refine their technical, collaborative, and musicianship skills. Students prepare for learning new pieces to develop the foundational skills that are needed for performing collaborative ensemble pieces. Teaching includes direct instruction, collaborative learning and modelling. Students are assessed with performance assessments that focus on specific technical skills and their application to the pieces. The feedback and reflections throughout help to improve their overall performance skill and prepare them for live performances in the future.
Sight singing is the skill in which someone can see a melody and be able to sing it with the proper rhythm, solfege, and pitch, with little to no help from another instrument. Sight singing uses decoding and analysis skills and helps to encourage musical literacy. Modelling and direct instruction is used to cover the notes "doh" through "soh" and basic rhythms in simple time (2/4, 3/4, and 4/4). The goal is to get through 12-15 pages of Stuart Hunt’s “4 Minute Mastery” method book chunked by keys throughout the year. At the end of each chunk, students are assessed by performing a four-measure line of music on their own in a set amount of time using accurate solfege, rhythm, and pitch.
Music theory is the foundation of music literacy and understanding how to decode, read, and comprehend musical scores. Direct instruction and self-directed mini lessons on note naming in the treble and bass clefs, identifying notes on the keyboard, whole tones and semitones, intervals, major scales, major and minor chords, and key signatures. Students move at their own pace through various units and have written quizzes at the end of each unit.
Collaboration is an essential skill for working successfully in an ensemble. The aspects of collaboration include work ethic, communication (listening and sharing), on task, and feedback (giving, receiving, and applying). Students are encouraged to model and reflect upon their collaboration strengths and weaknesses through a variety of collaborative group projects and through learning music together. Multiple times throughout the semester they reflect in their journal and orally about their own collaborative skills, experiences, and knowledge. This is a skill that continues to develop over time and with experiences.
Students perform two pieces as a collaborative ensemble plus two pieces as a mass choir at the semester one concert in front of a large audience. This endeavour requires them to prepare, refine, and evaluate their performance skills in order to successfully perform with a high degree of performance etiquette, confidence, and musical skill. Students are assessed with singing assessments that focus on specific technical skills and for their etiquette and execution on the day of the performance. The feedback, refinements, evaluations, and reflections throughout help to improve their overall performance skill and better prepare them for this specific performance and future ones.
Each student has their own choir reflection journal where they add their thoughts, insights, experiences, and reflections for major and minor units throughout the year. This journal is an investigation into their musical developments and the goal is to use sophisticated, specific, and appropriate musical vocabulary to capture their insights. The journal offers a space for them to evaluate their own and others' musical works and performances. Feedback is given on their ability to self-reflect and the hope is that as they mature in their understanding of music and its components, so does the quality and depth of their journal reflections.
Using proper singing technique allows a singer’s voice to grow and mature over time as they are developmentally ready. The building of technique must start with a solid foundation and the basics must consistently be implemented in order to add on the next element. Students learn and refine a variety of technique skills and strategies through direct instruction, modelling, and implementation to various types of repertoire and warmups. Techniques covered include: range, diction, evenness of tone, diaphragmatic breathing, placement, articulations, and registers. Students have isolated and combined performance assessments on each of these components of singing and receive feedback in their journal on where they are at on each aspect.
Students choose, prepare, and perform one pop-style piece as a collaborative ensemble at the annual Talent Show in front of a large audience. This endeavour requires them to think of the audience they are performing for and choose a piece that will be engaging and they can perform successfully with a high degree of performance etiquette, confidence, and musical skill. Students are assessed with singing assessments that focus on specific technical skills and for their etiquette and execution on the day of the performance. The feedback, refinements, evaluations and reflections throughout help to improve their overall performance skill and better prepare them for this specific performance and future ones.
Students perform two pieces as a collaborative ensemble plus two pieces as a mass choir at the semester two concert in front of a large audience. This endeavour requires them to prepare, refine, and evaluate their performance skills in order to successfully perform with a high degree of performance etiquette, confidence, and musical skill. Students are assessed with singing assessments that focus on specific technical skills and for their etiquette and execution on the day of the performance. The feedback, refinements, evaluations, and reflections throughout help to improve their overall performance skill and better prepare them for this specific performance and future ones.
Students perform for the class in a small ensemble. Each group creates their own cover of an already existing pop song. Through guided inquiry and collaborative learning each group chooses a piece to arrange, interpret, and perform for the class based on their expertise and interests. They learn how to harmonize, arrange and structure a performance to engage the audience and showcase their abilities. They perform their piece for the class and possibly at a lunch time or talent show performance. Students are assessed on their collaboration, reflections and performance technique and etiquette.
Students learn a selected classical solo in a foreign language and create a video performance of it with a karaoke piano accompaniment track. Students are required to focus on specific technical components and are assessed on each technical component and given feedback in their journal and face to face in class. Students are required to analyze, evaluate and refine their performance over time through self reflection and teacher feedback.
Chamber choir students start the year by interpreting two or three pieces of varying styles and languages in class to review and refine their technical, collaborative, and musicianship skills. This unit is meant to prepare them for learning new pieces, so that when they choose one for a concert, they have the foundational skills needed for performing collaborative ensemble pieces. Students are assessed with performance assessments that focus on specific technical skills and their application to the pieces. The feedback and reflections throughout will help to improve their overall performance skill and prepare them for live performances in the future.
Sight singing is the skill in which someone can see a melody and be able to sing it with the proper rhythm, solfege, and pitch, with little to no help from another instrument. Sight singing uses decoding and analysis skills and helps to encourage musical literacy. Modelling and direct instruction is used to cover the notes "doh" through "soh" and basic rhythms in simple time (2/4, 3/4, and 4/4) and compound time (3/8, 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8). The goal is to get through 12-15 pages of Stuart Hunt’s “4 Minute Mastery” method book chunked by keys throughout the year. At the end of each chunk, students are assessed by performing a four-measure line of music on their own in a set amount of time using accurate solfege, rhythm, and pitch.
Collaboration is an essential skill for working successfully in an ensemble. The aspects of collaboration include work ethic, communication (listening and sharing), on task, and feedback (giving, receiving, and applying). Students are encouraged to model and reflect upon their collaboration strengths and weaknesses through a variety of collaborative group projects and through learning music together. Multiple times throughout the semester they reflect in their journal and orally about their own collaborative skills, experiences, and knowledge. This is a skill that continues to develop over time and with experiences.
Music theory is the foundation of music literacy and understanding how to decode, read, and comprehend musical scores. Direct instruction and self-directed mini lessons on chords and inversions, chord progressions with Roman Numerals and letters, dictating melodies, and creating harmonies. Students move at their own pace through various units and have written quizzes at the end of each unit.
Using proper singing technique allows a singer’s voice to grow and mature over time as they are developmentally ready. The building of technique must start with a solid foundation and the basics must consistently be implemented to in order to add on the next element. In chamber choir the students reinforce the singing techniques learned in concert choir (range, diction, evenness of tone, diaphragmatic breathing, placement, articulations, and registers) and in addition focus on airflow, passaggio, control, phrase shaping, and resonance through direct instruction, modelling, and implementation to various types of repertoire and warmups. Students have isolated and combined performance assessments on each of these components of singing and receive feedback in their journal on where they are at on each aspect.
Each student has their own choir reflection journal where they add their thoughts, insights, experiences, and reflections for major and minor units throughout the year. This journal is an investigation into their musical developments and the goal is to use sophisticated, specific, and appropriate musical vocabulary to capture their insights. The journal offers a space for them to evaluate their own and others' musical works and performances. Feedback is given on their ability to self-reflect and the hope is that as they mature in their understanding of music and its components, so does the quality and depth of their journal reflections.
Students perform for the class in a small ensemble. Each group creates their own cover of an already existing pop song. Through guided inquiry and collaborative learning each group chooses a piece to arrange, interpret, and perform for the class based on their expertise and interests. They learn how to harmonize, arrange, and structure a performance to engage the audience and showcase their abilities. They perform their piece for the class and possibly at a lunch time or talent show performance. Students are assessed on their collaboration, reflections, and performance technique and etiquette.
Choir students choose, prepare, and perform one pop-style piece as a collaborative ensemble at the annual Talent Show in front of a large audience. This endeavour requires them to think of the audience they are performing for and choose a piece that is engaging and they can perform successfully with a high degree of performance etiquette, confidence, and musical skill. Students are assessed with singing assessments that focus on specific technical skills and for their etiquette and execution on the day of the performance. The feedback, refinements, evaluations, and reflections throughout help to improve their overall performance skill and better prepare them for this specific performance and future ones.
Choir students perform two pieces as a collaborative ensemble plus two pieces as a mass choir at the semester one concert in front of a large audience. This endeavour requires them to prepare, refine, and evaluate their performance skills in order to successfully perform with a high degree of performance etiquette, confidence, and musical skill. Students are assessed with singing assessments that focus on specific technical skills and for their etiquette and execution on the day of the performance. The feedback, refinements, evaluations, and reflections throughout help to improve their overall performance skill and better prepare them for this specific performance and future ones.
Students learn a selected classical solo in a foreign language and create a video performance of it with a karaoke piano accompaniment track. This piece is learned in class through direct instruction and modeling. Students are required to focus on specific technical components and will be assessed on each technical component and given feedback in their journal and face to face in class. Students are required to analyze, evaluate, and refine their performance over time through self reflection and teacher feedback.
Choir students perform two pieces as a collaborative ensemble plus two pieces as a mass choir (all four ISKL choirs joining together) at the semester two concert in front of a large audience. This endeavour requires them to prepare, refine, and evaluate their performance skills in order to successfully perform with a high degree of performance etiquette, confidence, and musical skill. This unit is approached with direct instruction, collaborative learning, and modelling. Students are assessed with singing assessments that focus on specific technical skills and for their etiquette and execution on the day of the performance. The feedback, refinements, evaluations, and reflections throughout will help to improve their overall performance skill and better prepare them for this specific performance and future ones.
Students perform for the class in a small ensemble. Each group creates their own arrangement of short and simple folk song using various types of harmonizing, ostinatos, and percussive elements. Using guided inquiry and collaborative learning each group chooses a folk song from a selected list that is in a minor key. They learn how to harmonize, arrange, and structure a performance to engage the audience and showcase their abilities. They perform their piece for the class and students will be assessed on their collaboration, reflections, and performance technique and etiquette.
The focus is on selecting music that will be learned throughout the semester. The students go through a process of what to look for in music as a way to help them open and broaden their minds as they look for music. Students demonstrate their understanding through class conversations, small group conversations, and exit slips.
The focus is on two of the three pillars of Band: Skill and Knowledge development. Skills focus on the technique required of students in order to perform on their instruments, and Knowledge development focuses on what do students need to know in order to give a convincing performance. Key assessment tasks in this unit include individual playing tests and exit tickets.
Students prepare to perform their learning. The music that they have learned is polished and turned into an aesthetically pleasing work. The culmination of this unit showcases what students have learned, how they have individually grown as musicians, and what their next goal is as a musician. They show their learning through journal reflection and recording keepsakes.
The focus is on selecting music that will be learned throughout the semester. The students go through a process of what to look for in music as a way to help them open and broaden their minds as they look for music. Students demonstrate their understanding through class conversations, small group conversations, and exit slips.
The focus is on two of the three pillars of Band: Skill and Knowledge development. Skills focus on the technique required of students in order to perform on their instruments, and Knowledge development focuses on what do students need to know in order to give a convincing performance.
Students prepare to perform their learning. The music that they have learned is polished and turned into an aesthetically pleasing work. The culmination of this unit showcases what students have learned, how they have individually grown as musicians, and what their next goal is as a musician. They show their learning through journal reflection and recording keepsakes.
The chamber music unit is a synthesis of all previous learning. Students form small chamber ensembles, select repertoire that is correct for their ensemble, rehearse their ensemble, and then finally present the performance. The students demonstrate their understanding by having a small in class adjudication. The top ensembles from band and strings will form the pre-music for graduation.
The focus is on selecting music that will be learned throughout the semester. The students go through a process of what to look for in music as a way to help them open and broaden their minds as they look for music. Students demonstrate their understanding through class conversations, small group conversations, and exit slips.
The focus is on two of the three pillars of Band: Skill and Knowledge development. Skills focus on the technique required of students in order to perform on their instruments, and Knowledge development focuses on what do students need to know in order to give a convincing performance.
Students learn how to improvise over a basic 12 bar blues pattern. Instruction will be mostly large group with supplementary videos if required. Students showcase their learning through a small ensemble performance and solo performance.
Students showcase what they have learned this semester. Their music is learned, polished and turned into an aesthetically pleasing work. After a performance students complete a reflection.
The focus is on selecting music that will be learned throughout the semester. The students go through a process of what to look for in music as a way to help them open and broaden their minds as they look for music. Students demonstrate their understanding through class conversations, small group conversations, and exit slips.
Students use modern technologies as well as their instrument to create a cover of a song. They collaborate in small groups to create all the necessary parts of their song to use in their creation. Each year a student does this unit they need to select a new work. They show what they have learned in a showcase concert.
The focus is on two of the three pillars of Band: Skill and Knowledge development. Skills focus on the technique required of students in order to perform on their instruments, and Knowledge development focuses on what do students need to know in order to give a convincing performance.
Students showcase what they have learned this semester. Their music is learned, polished and turned into an aesthetically pleasing work. After a performance students complete a reflection.
The chamber music unit is a synthesis of all previous units. Students form small chamber ensembles, select repertoire that is correct for their ensemble, rehearse their ensemble, and then finally present the performance. The students demonstrate their understanding by having a small in-class adjudication. The top ensembles from band and strings form the pre-music for graduation.
Team building is the process of turning a group of individuals into a cohesive team. Students are challenegd to explore a variety team building cooperative games and see for themselves the power of team building and teamwork.
Students gain understanding in movement patterns that influence team performance. Develop strategies and use tactics to contribute to success of the team within a variety of invasion games
Students further their understanding of the components of fitness through the medium of creative movement. By studying, practicing, and creating examples of the elements of creative movement, students will be able to secure their understanding of how these elements connect to performance situations. Students gain confidence through expression, creativity and practiced routines.
Students develop movement patterns and skills in throwing, fielding, striking, and catching to promote success in gameplay.
Students learn dimensions of wellness and how they contribute to one's health. Students use the wellness wheel as a tool to assess their own personal health highlighting strengths and areas of improvement to a healthier lifestyle. Students focus on mindfulness, practicing various methods of relaxation, communication, and body language techniques. Building self-esteem is a core component of this unit, examining techniques, affirmations, and how to relate and interact in a positive manner with others. Identifying stress, stress triggers, protective factors, and how to cope with stress contributes to building students' self-esteem.
Students learn about and practise sending an object with aim and accuracy as they participate in a target game. Tactical problems related to target games include shot selection, judging distance, preventing points, and protecting the shot. Examples of target games may include golf, archery, bowling, bocce ball, darts and corn hole.
Students expand on their previous knowledge and skill level of run jump and throw activities as well as reinforce a positive attitude towards the sport and to their own abilities. Students’ beliefs and perceptions of the sport are challenged to provide them with the opportunity to improve individually as well as in a group setting.
Students understand and practice the various skills that will keep them safe in the water through stroke development, survival skills and various games students will understand first hand the advantages of increased aquatic fitness and critical skill development. A final skills test allows students the opportunity to physically display what they have learned and practiced.
Students focus on developing the connection between placement, striking force/angle, and positioning in helping to achieve successful execution of offensive and defensive tactics and strategies. The understanding of the rules and methods of play allows players to demonstrate sportsmanship. Tournament style culminating activities give students the independence to self-officiate and organize competition.
Students develop personal responsibility through a variety of fitness activities such as weight training, group fitness, yoga, and boxing. Students gain knowledge in technique, safety, and functional movement required to participate in weight room physical activity exercises. Students research methods and principles of training to promote strength, endurance, and flexibility.
Students are introduced to key elements of art and principles of design, including a deep dive into colour theory. Students gain understanding of key vocabulary words that demonstrate their understanding of these in a visual format. Through an assessment of their knowledge of colour theory and a visual portfolio, they demonstrate their knowledge about the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design.
Students explore the visual art elements of line, colour, contrast and shape as explored through the works of Patrick Caulfiled. They learn foundational Procreate skills (or develop those they may already have), develop compositional skills, and combine this knowledge to create a final A4 digital art piece.
This course focuses on observational drawing skills. Students are introduced to basic drawing skills including shading, stippling, hatching, cross-hatching, tonal work, and use these to record their observations from life. Students build a small portfolio of these drawing exercises and culminate their learning by creating a final A4 tonal/colour pencil drawing.
Applying their knowledge of the principles and elements of art, students analyze the work of a selected artist. Students choose and analyse at least three artworks and with the support of guiding questions, create a presentation (poster, slides) of their understanding of the artworks/artist.
Students learn about and develop foundational paper cutting and collage skills. Students explore Notan paper cutting, physical collage, and the foundations of digital collage. Students explore these discrete techniques but also explore the interaction of these to see what new ideas and developed artworks they might create using these traditional and emerging media/techniques. Students then apply their newly acquired and developed skills to create a final artwork (at least A4 in size) which expresses a message intended by the artist.
Students develop digital artmaking skills through the exploration of Photoshop. Students learn foundational skills in using Photoshop, including document set up, essential tools and processes, and the use of filters. This understanding will be demonstrated in the creation of a reflective portfolio where students document their learning and reflection.
Students apply their knowledge of the principles and elements of art in the analysis of a selected artist (chosen by the students from a list provided. Students use guiding questions to create a slide presentation on their selected artist. They present their learning to the class Students learn how an artist works on an independent project, managing class time and finishing remaining work outside class.
This is intended as an introductory unit on printmaking. Students areintrodu ced to basic monoprinting, collograph and relief printing skills. Students carry out a series of introductory printmaking exercises including designing a print tile, and creating a relief print tile. Studentsbuild a small portfolio of these print exercises and culminate their learning by creating a final portfolio of prints and a final individual relief print (focused on pattern).
Student in this course are introduced to basic painting skills including wet into wet, stippling, dry brush, and scumbling. Students carry out a series of painting exercises, using a range of techniques. Students build a small portfolio of these painting exercises and culminate their learning by creating a final A4 or A3 painting. Students explore cultural items from a culture they feel connected to, enabling them to compose a final painting embracing this aspect of their identity.
This unit aims to explore the extension of mixed media skills. Using graphite pencils, students focus on the elements of contrast, tone, emphasis, focal point/dominant image, and balance. Students then choose their own subject matter and create a composite painting, with a similar structure to their pencil work. Students also extend their drawing skills into digital formats, exploring Procreate/Photoshop as extension media.
Students independently explore and extend their artmaking skills in order to create a body of work for presentation. Students complete between 2-5 final artworks, depending on scale and media. Throughout this extended unit, students also seek and provide peer/teacher feedback in order to develop their work and the work of others. A final creative portfolio of these works and an accompanying developmental portfolio demonstrates their planning and feedback cycles toward the completion of the final pieces.
Students select and curate upto three of their works from throughout the year and work collaboratively to create an exhibition for display in our school community. They include a portfolio of reflective practices including a brief curatorial rationale to be displayed with their body of work, a photograph/link of the completed exhibition, as well as a reflective practice exercise providing encouraging feedback to a peer from another class.
A self directed exploration that covering multiple stages of experimentation and reflection, this course leads to a final completed artwork. This overall extended process is designed for students to explore areas of personal interest. Students carry out personal reflection and evaluation of their work as they progress, engaging with peer/teacher feedback throughout the process, synthesising this learning and experimentation into a final, resolved artwork. Teachers support the process with guidance and skill extension as they proceed throughout the creative design cycle.
A self directed exploration that covering multiple stages of experimentation and reflection, this course leads to a final completed artwork. This overall extended process is designed for students to explore areas of personal interest. Students carry out personal reflection and evaluation of their work as they progress, engaging with peer/teacher feedback throughout the process, synthesising this learning and experimentation into a final, resolved artwork. Teachers support the process with guidance and skill extension as they proceed throughout the creative design cycle.
Students self directed exploration cover multiple stages of experimentation and reflection, leading to a final completed artwork. This overall extended process is designed for students to explore areas of personal interest. Students carry out personal reflection and evaluation of their work as they progress, as well as engaging with peer/teacher feedback throughout the process - synthesising this learning and experimentation into a final, resolved artwork. They receive teacher support and skill extension as they proceed throughout the creative design cycle.There are five summative assessments throughout this unit, including:
Summative assessment one: Drawing in: Research Stage one (moodboard, image research, artist research, intention statement).
Summative assessment two: Drawing in: Research Stage Two (media experimentation and reflection)
Summative assessment three: Drawing in: Idea generation and development
Summative assessment four: Drawing out: completion of final artwork (including peer/teacher feedback and ongoing reflection)
Summative assessment five: Final evaluation of completed artwork
Designed as a self directed exploration, this course covers multiple stages of experimentation and reflection, leading to a final completed artwork. This overall extended process is designed for students to explore areas of personal interest. Students carry out personal reflection and evaluation of their work as they progress, engaging with peer/teacher feedback throughout the process, synthesising this learning and experimentation into a final, resolved artwork.
Students select and curate their works from throughout the year and work collaboratively to create an exhibition both physically and virtually for display in our school community. Students select up to 5 works for the physical exhibition, and up to ten works for the virtual exhibition. A portfolio of reflective practices includes a brief curatorial rationale to be displayed with their body of work, a photograph/link of the completed exhibition, as well as a reflective practice exercise providing encouraging feedback to a peer from another class.
In this ntroductory unit, students grow their ability to critically analyze and evaluate film texts. They learn how to identify formal elements and story essentials in films to both communicate a filmmaker’s intention and also evaluate the quality of film art. Students primarily learn through collaborative discussion and guided inquiry and are assessed through written analysis.
Students learn the basic tools and techniques of storyboarding, camera operation, editing to communicate effectively with video. Students learn how to collaborate and why it is important to be a reliable team member. Through modeling, direct instruction, but primarily through project-based instruction, they demonstrate their understanding through one independent project-based assessment and one collaborative project-based assessment, each with subsequent reflections.
Students learn how essential story structure is to filmmaking, while continuing to practice their pre-production, production, and post-production skills. Students learn the principles of the 3-Act structure and identify those principles in several short and feature-length films. Through modeling, collaborative discussion, independent analysis, and research, they demonstrate their understanding with a project in which they plan, shoot, and edit a condensed version of a film of their choice that highlights essential narrative structure elements.
Student explore how conflict moves a story forward, how to build suspense, and how to use continuity editing to improve their filmmaking while continuing to practice their pre-production, production, and post-production skills. Students learn the principles of “The Macguffin,” and the relationship between getting coverage and cutting on action. Through modelling, collaborative discussion, independent analysis, and from analyzing examples from films, they demonstrate their understanding through a collaborative project in which they plan, shoot, and edit a film that showcases their learning and reflection on the creative process.
In an introduction to the auteur Edgar Wright, students use his films as inspiration to create their own short films. Students practice analyzing Scott Pilgrim vs. The World for story essentials and formal elements. They use more advanced editing techniques and basic techniques of sound design to bring energy to their stories. Students work on collaborative teams to storyboard, shoot footage, capture sound. Students then independently edit visuals and audio. Through inquiry, modeling, direct instruction, they demonstrate their understanding through a collaborative project and reflection on the creative process.
Using basic lighting principles and lighting techniques, students help tell their original stories. They learn terminology, techniques, and tools that are important in lighting design. In collaborative teams, they execute these techniques in both a film reel and an original short film that involves a flashback and a conversation. Students work on collaborative teams to write, storyboard, light, shoot footage, capture sound. Students then independently edit visuals and audio. Through inquiry, modeling, direct instruction, they demonstrate their understanding through a collaborative project and reflection on the creative process.
Students are introduced to general sound design principles and how to use foley sound design to enhance their original stories. Students learn terminology, techniques, and tools that are important in sound design. In collaborative teams they will execute sound capture, editing, and mixing techniques in a film reel that involves a variety of video clips. Students work on collaborative teams to plan and record sound. Students then independently mix and edit sound with the visuals. Through inquiry, modeliing, direct instruction, they demonstrate their understanding through a collaborative project and reflection on the creative process.
Students learn basic principles of stop motion animation to help tell their original stories. Students watch examples of stop motion films that effectively tell stories. Students apply techniques and tools that are important in stop motion animation. In collaborative teams, they will execute these techniques in an original short film that involves an object as a main character. Students work on collaborative teams to write, storyboard, light, shoot footage, capture sound. Students then independently edit visuals and audio. Through inquiry, modeliing, direct instruction, they demonstrate their understanding through a collaborative project and reflection on the creative process.
Students are introduced to key photographic composition skills: Leading Lines, Rule of Thirds, Bird's Eye, Ant's Eye, Symmetry. Students have an opportunity to research these and then demonstrate their understanding through their own photos. Formative and summative feedback is used in the form of a submitted padlet with the students' own photos, demonstrating their understanding of the target compositional skills.
Students explore the manual settings available on the DSLR camera. Students learn about and experiment with ISO, shutter speed and aperture. Students demonstrate understanding of the purpose and appropriate use of these settings through photos shared in a Google slides/padlet presentation.
Students are introduced to the basics of photographic editing using both Lightroom and Photoshop apps. They complete a padlet demonstrating their understanding of key skills such as importing, editing, saving and sharing edited photos.
Students apply the compositional techniques of Minimalism focusing on a variety of subject matter including architecture and objects. They submit twelve edited images of their own creation in a Minimalistic style in a Google album.
Students apply the compositional techniques of Pop Art inspired by a brief study of key Pop Artists like Andy Warhol and Tom Wesselmann. They submit four edited images of their own creation, two focussed on the style of Andy Warhol and two focussed on the style of Tom Wesselmann in a Google album.
Students select an established photographer and form a presentation considering their background, influences, and select and examine key examples of their work. In a Google slides presentation, they present their work to the class. Their artist study is work often started in class and then completed as an independent study outside of class.
Students explore the portraiture triptychs of artist Adde Adesokan as inspiration for their own triptych artworks. Students complete a reflective practice portfolio where they will reflect on the nature of Adesokan's work and their own creation of artworks. Students create two completed triptych artworks and a reflective practice portfolio.
Students explore multiple exposure photography, combining this with portraiture knowledge. They practice composition skills as well as extend their Photoshop knowledge. Students create two resolved multiple exposure artworks for final submission.
Students combine three key compositional techniques with their existing Photoshop skills, applying these to the subject matter of food. Students explore three key styles of food photography: birds eye view, creative editing and deconstructive food photography. Students explore each style and then apply developed skills in the creation of their own artworks share in a Google Album of four final photos.
Students explore the skill of capturing water in photographic images through the exploration of a range of techniques including reflection, object, colour, movement and submerged. They build a portfolio documenting their experimentation as well as a body of work including at least six refined photos demonstrating three compositional techniques of their choice.
Students are introduced to the analogue photography process, with a focus on the techniques of pinhole camera photography, cyanotype prints, and chemigraphs. In a reflective portfolio, students curate and reflect on their learning.
Students independently explore and extend their photographic skills in order to create a body of work for presentation. Students complete at least TEN artworks. Throughout this extended unit, students also seek and provide peer/teacher feedback in order to develop their work and the work of others. They build a final creative portfolio of these ten works and an accompanying developmental portfolio demonstrating planning and feedback cycles toward the completion of their final works.
Students select and curate their works from throughout the year and work collaboratively to create an exhibition both physically and virtually for display in our school community. Students select up to 5 works for the physical exhibition, and up to ten works for the virtual exhibition. Their exhibition will include an accompanying portfolio of reflective practices including a brief curatorial rationale to be displayed with their body of work, a photograph/link of the completed exhibition, as well as a reflective practice exercise, providing encouraging feedback to a peer from another class.
This unit provides the foundation in all the basic language skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students learn pronunciation and the Hanyu pinyin phonetic system. They learn that the Pin Yin system with its uniqueness of pictorial characteristic, the stroke order, radical, traditional & modern dictionary skill, measure words & basic character writing and classroom expressions, Students use the keyboard for typing Chinese characters basic technology tools for learning and are introduced to calligraphy /brush writing, basic questioning phrases, expression of numerals, dates and time in Chinese.
Students are exposed to Chinese culture by having hands on experience and fun in making Chinese Moon cakes in conjunction with Mid Autumn Festival. Students also use the new language knowledge to learn a few more challenging but important phrases about the festival.
This unit focuses on developing learners ability to use phrases related to family and introduce their family members. Students engage in learning activities such as Quizlet, oral presentation, role play, essay typing and writing, and they demonstrate their understanding through class activities, interactive speaking activities, reading comprehension and writing.
Students are introduced to basic sentence structure with " subject + time + action ". They engage in learning activities such as Quizlet, role play, text typing, interview, sentence order rearrangement etc, They demonstrate understanding through various listening and reading activities, talking about their own or family members' hobbies and leisure activities in oral and written formats.
Students learn about the components of learning Chinese and how to write a diary including details about their daily life at home, at school, and on holidays. They demonstrate their understanding through listening comprehension activities, oral presentation, reading and writing activities.
Students learn about Weather and Climate in general and about the weather in China using their Chinese language skills. They demonstrate their understanding through presentation and role play.
Students learn about food culture (food, eating and cooking) in China. They demonstrate their understanding through performance task.
Community is the focus in this unit as students learn about communities in school and townships. They learn how communities are structured so that the students can see their impact on the community. They will demonstrate their understanding through a performance task related to their understanding of communities.
Students explore many different types of transportation in China and learn about the subway system and public transportation system in China. They demonstrate their understanding of the types of transportations through a performance task.
Students understand that staying healthy is a key to preventing sickness. Using Chinese language skills, health related vocabulary, students understand the importance of vaccinations as a way to prevent diseases.
Students reflect on themselves and their relationships with the people around them. They learn how to express information and opinions about their family and their friends.
Students reflect on school life, school systems, and the working world. They draw comparisons to their own country and analyze differences and similarities. They learn about the different subject areas and the different pathways to the workplace.
The first unit in French focuses on the basics of the French language where students are introduced to the French perspective on and appreciation of food. Through a study of celebrations, recipes and supermarkets, students engage in French dialogue, learn greetings, exchange money and learn about currencies and measuring units. Basic grammar including verb tenses, conjugation, articles and negations are learned.
Students explore health and fitness. They engage in conversations about illnesses, visiting the doctor and give advice for maintainng a healthy lifestyle. They understand how to use verbs for movements and how to express commands. Using the imperfect tense and idiomatic expresses, students learn to consult with the doctor, ask for prescriptions and seek help for medical emergencies.
Leisure and pastime activities is the topic for this unit. Students consider sports, music, cultural activities movies and all sorts of entertainment that families enjoy for fun. Students learn to use a variety of writing formats from formal letters, articles, journal entries and brochures to talk about outdoor activities and other leisurely pursuits. Students learn to use the future tense, demonstrative and possessive pronouns and adjectives as well as comparatives and superlatives to describe fun with family and friends.
The students will learn about traveling in France, about the importance of traveling. They will reflect on traveling and its carbon footprint. They will learn about different ways of traveling in France, and look at innovation and technological progress made in the area of transportation.
Students learn about France, they will study areas like politics, its geography, its demography, they will look at current economical situations, study some main French industries, but also study cultural differences in France, for example the "pain au chocolat" and "chocolatine" border.
Students will learn about other frenchspeaking countries in the world, learn about their customs and traditions, and analyze some language differences, They will learn about the importance of La Francophonie in terms of fostering understanding, empathy, mutual aid, culture and identity.
Students focus on the four key areas of language study: listening, speaking, reading and writing. There is a strong emphasis on pronunciation to help them develop their speaking and decoding skills with confidence. Key vocabulary structures are introduced to help students speak about themselves in a natural way. Students will learn to ask and provide personal information, how to give physical and personal descriptions about themselves, their family and friends, as well as talk about their hobbies and interests.
Students continue to work on all four language skills in order to talk about themselves and family members. They identify daily routines, leisure activities, and how to express likes/dislikes. Students become familiar with regular verb conjugation in Present Tense. By recognising the appropriate register to communicate themselves in a formal and informal setting, students understand more about relationships in Hispanic culture. Students' understanding and language production is assessed through listening comprehension activities, conversations, reading comprehensions and written texts.
Students use all four language skills in order to talk about daily routines, leisure and free time activities, transportation, entertainment, and how to express likes/dislikes. The focus is in building vocabulary, reviewing structures studied in previous units, and expanding their repertoire with new grammatical structures that allow them to be more accurate and thorough. Students become familiar with regular and irregular verb conjugation in Preterit Tense. Their understanding and language production is assessed through listening comprehension activities, conversations, reading comprehensions and written texts.
Students use all four language skills in order to talk about geographical landforms, weather and neighbourhood. The focus is in building vocabulary, reviewing structures studied in previous units, and solidifying their knowledge and understanding of grammatical structures in order to be more accurate. Students start using basic idiomatic expressions in context. Their understanding and language production is assessed through listening comprehension activities, conversations, reading comprehensions and written texts.
Students review vocabulary, structures, and Present Tense conjugation of regular, irregular, and stem-changing verbs. Students speak about and describe themselves, their classes, schedules, and routines expressing preferences with the aid of reflexive verbs, adjectives, and the use of prepositions. Short passages are read in order to identify the content in context, help students know themselves better, reflect on life, and work on reading comprehension, virtues, and values. Students demonstrate their learning through listening comprehension activities, oral presentations, reading comprehension activities, and written formats like a diary entry or an interview.
"My home and community" focuses on the family, house, places and professions in the community. Students describe routines and include family life and individual responsibilities in the house. Students are introduced to past tenses and use them in context like comparing their lives when they were little to now, and narrating events from the past. Students expand their vocabulary and go over high frequency words like relatives, places in the city, and professions. Students review previously learned expressions and content and expand their understanding on hispanic culture, shopping or describing outfits, and giving instructions using maps. They demonstrate their learning through listening comprehension activities, oral presentations, reading comprehension activities, and written formats like an interview or an e-mail.
Focusing on Hispanic culture: Cuisine, a major objective is to be able to give and follow commands. Students use the imperative for familiar or unfamiliar situations, with a focus on cooking. Part of the assessment requires students to become familiar with kitchen utensils and practice giving affirmative and negative commands. Students learn about traditional Hispanic dishes, ingredients, and their background as they research, choose, prepare and present a recipe. Students demonstrate their learning through listening comprehension activities, oral presentations, reading comprehension activities, and written formats like an e-mail or brochure.
Students learn vocabulary related to emergencies, and use their prior knowledge to discuss weather conditions, emergencies, crises, rescues, and heroic acts. They understand cultural perspectives on natural disasters and legends, and how important these legends have been to our native people in order to explain the unexplainable. Students demonstrate their learning through listening comprehension activities, oral presentations, reading comprehension activities, and written formats like a text messages or an informal letter.
Students review nature and weather in order to describe outdoor activities and discuss sport competitions. They read about national parks in Latin America and prepare a presentation on a hispanic country in order to promote outdoor activities and places in this country.
Students are taken on a journey to learn about hispanic art: painting, music, dances, sculpture, theatre, cinema, and literature. Reading comprehension strategies are reinforced. Students are able to identify the contribution hispanic artists have made and the influence of art on society as well as how art is used as a tool to express yourself: thoughts, feelings, opinions, send a message.
Students identify ways to have healthy habits in order to maintain healthy emotions, body, and mind. They identify why our body needs nutrients and where to obtain these nutrients, do exercise, and find way to maintain a healthy emotional state.
Students explore personality qualities and characteristics that affect or build relationships. They reflect on how they react to conflict and devise conflict resolution strategies to strengthen their self-esteem and confidence, while acknowedgeing the importance of accepting responsibility. Students are provided with more complex structures to express emotions and impersonal expressions
Students explore professions they are interested in and identify the characteristics needed for those professions. They reflect on how technology is changing our lives positively and negatively, and the ways in which it is changing the way we do things. Students report on scientific, military, and leisure gadgets and tools that are helping us build our future.
Students are introduced to Malay phonics including pronunciation and spelling through simple conversation in various social and cultural contexts. They learn through a variety of language tasks and demonstrate their understanding through verbalisation of words and sentences, listening and repeating, speaking and reading with speed and accuracy and writing simple conversations.
Students learn the vocabulary of consumerism, education and leisure activities with the grammatical focus on word order and contextual understanding of vocabulary. With an emphasis on the difference between formal and informal language, the key learning is around vocabulary and sentence acquisition; students demonstrate their learning through identifying thematic vocabulary in isolation and in context including gap filling, reading and comprehension and sentence completion.
Students learn the vocabulary of physical appearance and illness, and emergency situations with a grammatical focus on the imperative tense. Students learn context specific vocabulary to express their ideas through the four skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening.
Students understand and describe self and others in these areas: personal information; family; physical and character description; accommodation. Students understand and describe the world of education and work in these areas andcommunicate future plans.
Students describe and discuss food and drink in relation to shopping, eating out and types of food. Students describe and discuss leisure in relation to hobbies and free time, local environment, holidays and accommodation.
Students understand the features of informal and formal writing. They develop their speaking and listening skills through day-to-day conversations and interviews. Students read and write about a range of topics including health, leisure, education, environment and technology.
Students explore the development of writing a factual essay, news report and activity report, with a particular focus on transition words. Students read and write about a range of topics including health, leisure, education, environment and technology.
Students explore letter writing and email with a particular focus on the elements of narrative. Students read and write about a range of topics including health, leisure, education, environment and technology.
Students handle a range of text types such as letters, emails, articles and blogs to be able to understand specific contextual vocabulary and textual features. Students reflect on the target language culture by exploring information and writing in a specific context.
Students study extracts from different centuries and genres (essays, memoirs, autobiography, autobiographical novels, diaries), focusing on forms of self-narration and self-portraiture in order to understand the reasons for and the meaning of narration and self-representation. Students content with issues of truth and identity through a range of autobiographical writing including Montaigne's Essays, Rousseau's Confessions and Richard Wright's Black Boy.
Students learn about courage, and whether there is a difference between courage "in real life" versus "life in literature". Students read fictional novels as well as autobiographies and non-fiction essays that have inspired readers in the past. The reflect on visual and representational texts such as songs as well as art to study various ways courage is portrayed.
Students study different speeches and reflections of women in the struggle for female emancipation. They study various argumentative texts that highlight the evolution of women's demands according to social and political advances. Students study two novels that highlight the influence of culture, customs, and traditions on the lives of girls and women and reflect on the struggles that are still exist today.
What does it mean to speak freely, is it important to be able to speak freely? How do we understand what we hear? This unit is about the liberty of speech and thinking and the importance of standing up for this liberty. This unit is also about the importance of freedom of thought, the skill of thinking and speaking critically, and the importance of voice.
Students learn that in the face of horror, we react differently. Traumatic experiences are unique to each individual. Optimism seems out of place, perhaps even frivolous and ofensive. Students learn how people react and act in extreme situations and how they emerge from tragedy. Students find that writing can be a tool for healing, especially autobiographical writing.
Students discover what elements make a friendship work and what are the things that can destroy friendship. They study a character play that describes the friendship of three men. Students learn that vulnerability and openess are essential to friendship.
Students explore ways to discover self identity by understanding history and culture. They learn to appreciate how one's cultural context affects identity and how we express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values.
Students explore different types of literary texts and bodies of works along with strategies for engagement and comprehension such as detail reading, annotation, textual analysis and critical literacy.
Literature from a variety of cultures helps us identify ourselves and our relationship with others. Students explore both literary and non-literary texts to understand how motivational writing can impact adolescent lives. Students will demonstrate their understanding through writing memoir and comparative essays.
Students explore what a healthy social and political environment looks like and how to protect basic human rights. They explore ways in which perspectives can be manipulated to influence the environment we live in. Being aware of the positive and negative power of mass communication helps students think critically about our society and develops balanced thinking. Students consider the importance of minority identities and their place in society.
Students study a variery of literary genres including short stories and poetry. Students learn the features of short stories and poetry, and how they can reflect the author's historical and social background. They also learn how the audience takes a role in the process of interpretation and analysis.
Students explore various texts such as drama, letters, films, plays and myths to examine how authors express ideas, feelings, beliefs and values within a cultural context. Students, as open-minded and critical readers, explore textual format and rhetorical features and make connections to meaning through logical inference. They examine cultural context in order to appreciate how text interacts with the world.