Grade 4 News
An insight into life in Grade 4 at BMS...
Dear Friends of Berlin Metropolitan School,
It has been a long and busy term for all involved and I'm sure that everyone is now ready for a break.
The last two weeks have, as always, been extremely busy. All Grade 4 classes have now completed their Unit of Inquiry, Who We Are, and presented their work either in assembly or to parents. They are now starting to investigate their next Unit, as well as taking part in the Winter Concert and other end of term activities.
On behalf of all the staff and children in Grade 4, I'd like to wish everyone a happy, safe and refreshing holiday!
Chris Farnen
Grade 4 Team Leader
New arrival in 4a
Firstly, I would like to thank both the students and yourselves for such a calm and positive reintroduction into working life. The main question I have been getting over the past 2 weeks is "How do you find being back?" and I felt I would need to show a high level of diplomacy when answering, but it really has been wonderful getting to know the students on a personal level as well as an academic one. I would like to thank Ms. Hope for the amazing work she has done over the past three months and hopefully I can continue this into 2016.
Our new unit has allowed me to engage with the students and get to know them a little better through discussion and debate. We have been discussing stereotypes and how appearance and behavior affect the way people or groups are perceived. We will continue to investigate attitudes and cultures from around the world and try and be mindful of those who do not think the same as we do.
I wish you all a peaceful and relaxing holiday.
Andrew Comerford
Grade 4b
We have also started talking about the next unit of inquiry under the transdisciplinary theme How We Express Ourselves. This unit focuses on personal identity and factors that may influence how people perceive us. To help us tune-in to our unit, we watched an amazing TED Talk with 4a about Jimmy Nelson, a photographer's quest to take pictures of endangered tribes. Not only did he create stunning portraits of indigenous tribes, he captured the beauty of their goals, beliefs, and family ancestry.
In Math, 4b have been looking at math clues when solving word problems. The students have been using a problem solving organizer to develop strategies, highlight keywords, and to draw or represent the problem. They have enjoyed sharing ideas when working with partner and presenting a word problem to the class.
I wish you all a great holiday!
Ms. Chung
The fortnight in 4c...
Everyone in 4c, including myself, are now in need of a break. For the children, I hope the holiday will be an opportunity for them to discover new places, form new interests and hopefully spend time with loved ones. Therefore, there will be no holiday homework - the children need time to switch off from their academic pursuits.
I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all the families of 4c a very happy holiday!
Chris Farnen
4d news
In 4d we have finished the unit about beliefs systems and values for the theme “Who We Are”. We had our summative assessment presentations on Monday, in which the students were able to make connections between what they have inquired about and their own beliefs and values. From Christianity to human equality, the children displayed outstanding understanding of how belief systems are the driving force behind people’s actions. They also showed an exceptional sense of open-mindedness and tolerance towards people who have beliefs that seem very distant from their own reality. Listening to their speeches gave me the reassurance that they are becoming well rounded, thoughtful young citizens, and I am incredibly proud of them!
I would like to thank all the parents who attended the presentations. I wish you all Happy Holidays!
Warm regards,
Ms Mariano
News from the German Team
Dear Parents,
During the last two weeks we have been finishing up our second Unit of Inquiry about beliefs and values. We have seen some very well-prepared presentations about the children´s beliefs and values, which were this unit´s end-assessment. The students were very open-minded, both as presenters and as listeners and have demonstrated an understanding of the unit´s content as well as the Learner Profile.
Our language focus has been on reading comprehension, which we are trying to develop through various exercises. This has transpired as an area still in need of improvement, so that we are going to further practice and develop this skill.
Ways to help at home: Let your child read a short text or an excerpt from a book and retell it to you by either focusing on the most important information or by retelling it as detailed as possible. You could also try to come up with questions about certain details from the text and have your child answer them.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Have a lovely and hopefully snowy holiday break!
Warm regards,
Frau Pointner and Frau Lucic
4a at the Buddhist Tempel
4a at the Buddhist Tempel
Dila presenting about her beliefs and values
Winter Concert
I would just like to take a quick opportunity to say how proud I am of the fourth grade students across the board. They have been very productive, preparing for the Winter Concert with great energy and enthusiasm. The repertoire has been challenging, and the students have exceeded expectations. I am very much looking forward to their performance this Thursday.
Toi, toi, toi!
Best wishes,
Miss E.
PE Update
For the last month, we were focusing on gymnastic skills and clearing any issues about technique and what means to perform in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. After Christmas break, we will start putting elements together into movement composition. We are looking forward to see student's creative performances at the end of the unit!
Ms.G and Mr. Hübner