Secondary English

Grade 7 English and I and S

Grade 7 English and I and S

In English we have investigated and analysed techniques in speeches.  Students are now ready to write and perform their own speeches, which is the summative task for this unit. In I and S we have created timeline of ancient civilisations. Students are just about to...

How far back can you trace your family?

How far back can you trace your family?

  This  week  in Grade 8 we  started  going  deeper  into  our  exploration  of  how human connections inform identity. The central idea is "Our personal and extended family connections give meaning and a sense of purpose to our unique identities and...

Bring It All Together

Bring It All Together

Project Presentation and Reflection This week in Grade 7 was all about consolidation and reflection. All students were risk~takers, each standing up in front of their peers and sharing their work.  We spent time carefully planning what those presentations might sound...

A Little Help from my  Friends (7 & 8)

A Little Help from my Friends (7 & 8)

Assessment As Learning This week in Grade 7, students used their Personal Timeline Projects to workshop around self-evaluation, self-assessment and using feedback to elevate their work. They used their project checklists and student friendly success criteria...

Once Upon a Timeline …

Once Upon a Timeline …

It may have been short, but this week in 7LA/I&S was one of our busiest. We have been working intensively on our Communication and Self-Management AtL's. As student's worked to act on feedback, and ensure they have submitted all their formative assessment tasks,...

What’s in a word?

What’s in a word?

Language Acquisition Grade 7 English Language Acquisition students are becoming more and more familiar with using a variety of note-taking and visual thinking techniques. We use them to build background, develop vocabulary and deconstruct ideas. We use them at the...

Top Trumps!

Top Trumps!

This week in Grade 8 we took a gamified approach to developing academic language, critical thinking, communication and collaboration ATL's.

History, Geography or Both?

History, Geography or Both?

What is Individuals & Societies (I&S)? Grade 7 Language Acquisition/I&S class got off to a strong start this week. Students are confidently using visual thinking routines and translanguaging strategies. They are strengthening their self-management and...

Academic Honesty

Academic Honesty

Academic Honesty What is expected of you? We have had a disturbing trend in grades 7-8 regarding authentic work by students. I suspect that there may be students in other grades that skate a thin line between academic honesty and plagiarism.  Let's set the record...

English Language Learning in Grade 7

English Language Learning in Grade 7

At ABIS, English is a tool for learning and a tool for talking about learning. Students in the MYP & DP need to become proficient users of English as an Academic Language both verbally & in its written form. Over the last week or so in Grade 7, we have been...

Welcome to Grade 9 English Language and Literature

Welcome to Grade 9 English Language and Literature

In the first two weeks of term Grade 9 has revisited the underlying approaches and expectations of MYP.  They have started their fist unit which has travel as its topic.  Students will be reviewing many different genres of literature related to travel and asking...

Unit transition

Unit transition

In English Grade 8 students finished their unit on fitting in by creating a poster.  They analysed a character from ‘The Outsiders’ and compared it to their own personality.  This term we have started studying newspapers; inquiring about why they exist and the impact...

Grade 9 English

Grade 9 English

Students have been continuing their studies of bias and propaganda by reading ‘Animal Farm.’   We have seen how the ideals of the revolution have been twisted to serve the purposes of the pigs.  We are investigating how the pigs used propaganda in order to keep...

Grade 9 English Language and Literature

Grade 9 English Language and Literature

Grade 9 completed their first unit on Travel by creating their own blogs or vlogs, using the appropriate techniques.   They have just started the second unit in which they are investigating bias and propaganda.  Students have defined these two words and have...

Grade 8 English, Individuals and Societies

Grade 8 English, Individuals and Societies

In both English and Individuals and Societies we have completed the first units.  As a summative task in English, students wrote an essay analysing the techniques and success of an advert.  In Individuals and Societies, students worked in small groups to present a...

Grade 9 Language and Literature

Grade 9 Language and Literature

During the last three weeks we have continued our investigation into travel writing. Students looked at examples of travel writing from books, for newspapers and blogs.  Then they identified common techniques and differences between the text types.  In addition they...

Grade 12 DP English A

Grade 12 DP English A

Our English A students did not waste any time diving into the final four months of their IB journey. We started the classes with mock individual oral (IO) assessments. Students reflected on these assessment to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Using the...

Critical thinking and creative writing in grade 9

Critical thinking and creative writing in grade 9

Grade 9 has been engaged in an interdisciplinary unit with I&S for the past few weeks. While they get the factual information about various genocides around the world in their history class, in English, we read creative pieces written on these subjects and also...

Grade 12 feeling the pressure

Grade 12 feeling the pressure

It was an intense week with some major deadlines for our grade 12 students. Students worked hard to meet their EE deadline (4000 word essay) and their English essay deadline. Additionally, we also reviewed the requirements of paper 1 from last year and learned some...

Grade 9 MYP English

Grade 9 MYP English

After weeks of researching background/contextual information, presenting to classmates and learning some drama related literary terms, this week we started reading the play. It definitely is an interesting experience to read our separate parts from each of our homes...