Reflections Middle School - Pathways was abuzz with excitement as Middle School students ......

MPH-2 was abuzz with excitement as Middle School students filed in, post

lunch on the first of September, 2015. Since we at the Middle School had the pleasure

of participating in the DK Quiz the previous year, we knew what to expect from this

year. There was pandemonium as each of us ran towards our friends, looking for part-

ners with whom to complete the quiz. Once partnered, we paired up, anticipating the

next two hours of rigorous quizzing. The DK Quiz is a test of general knowledge, and

would certainly test us to our limits. Once the answer sheets were passed around, pens

poised above our sheets, gone was the sleepy stance of the afternoon. The atmosphere

was soon charged with pumping hearts and the rush of adrenaline through our veins as

each pair tackled the twenty general knowledge questions that were projected on the

screen. We had about 30 seconds to answer each question. After a nerve-wracking peri-

od of frantically racking our brains when we were unsure of the answer, or the sweet

triumph of being absolutely certain, the first round was over.

While our papers were being marked, and the top 6 pairs were being selected,

DK books were passed around for us to flip through. We got an insight into the compa-

ny, and learned about some of the excellent initiatives for children that were being

taken up, to help create life-long readers and learners.

After about a quarter of an hour, the wait was finally over. I could feel my

heart in my mouth as we waited for the top 6 to be announced. When my partner, Anta-

ra Verma, and my name was called, I truly felt over the moon. However, the challenge

was yet to be completed. We were once again put through a series of rounds, such as

word jumble, a buzzer round, and, of course, regular questions. The win was ultimately

a tie-breaker, with the correct answer at the last second by Team D, gaining a lead

over Team B. The winners were Antara Verma and myself, Aakriti Tewari, with a score

of 160 points, while the extremely close runner-ups were Vyoam Ashok and Avi Mal-

hotra, with a score of 140 points, only one question and 20 points behind. It was an

incredible experience all in all, and I’m sure I speak for all my fellow Middle School

students when I say the experience was one we all truly and thoroughly enjoyed. We

are looking forward to the interschool competition soon, in which Antara and I will be

representing Pathways.

Akriti Tewari

Grade IX A

Volume 5

Week of 31st August, 2015

Reflections—Middle School

The DK Quiz:

This quote portrays the foremost quality of being a lead-

er and creating one. Today’s assembly was based on this

very idea of creating leaders.

In a special assembly, Jayati Gogia and Vyoam Ashok of

Class IX shared their experience of the Student Global

Leadership Institute program in the Punahou School in

Hawaii. The SGLI program is an initiative taken by the

student global leadership institute to develop a commu-

nity of international youth leaders who understand and

are engaged in global challenges and who galvanize posi-

tive social change. It was the first time that the middle

school students from Pathways School, Gurgaon went to

the SGLI Program.

In the presentation, both the students shared their over-

all experience and learnings. The activities and work-

shops there compelled them to introspect their qualities

and bring out their hidden leaders and inspire others to

do the same. They also had a few goals which they want-

ed to achieve after the program and hopefully they did

achieve them- a few of them at least if not all. The way

they talked and shared their experience made everyone

want to be a part of the SGLI program. They know that

it will inspire them and encourage them to be a better

leader.

Here, the MYP is much similar to the SGLI program which

compels one to introspect and take the best out of it.

I believe that these programs should be initiated more

often and more students should be encouraged to partici-

pate. Here’s to the leaders of tomorrow!!

Antara Verma

Grade IX A

Sharing the Experience of Punahou School, Hawaii

True leaders don’t create follow-

ers, they create more leaders.

-- J. Sakiya Sandifer

Assembly on Science Fair orientation:

“A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to

fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great val-

ue.”

~Isaac Asimov

Students of grades 6 and 7 were oriented towards the pur-

pose and central idea of the upcoming annual Science fair

by the science teachers of Middle School. The students

were taken through the process of scientifc method and

were familiarised with MYP objectives for sciences- B

(inquiring and designing) & C (Processing and evaluating,

which are adressed through the science fair projects. The

students were explained the importance of time manage-

ment, organization and collaboration while working on the

timeline set for completion of the project for the Science

Fair exhibition on 24th Sepetember.

The students asked questions at the end, and while leaving,

they had already started brainstorming on possible inquiry

questions they would like to take forward as a project!

Science Fair project is an opportunity for the students to

conduct an open ended investigation on problems/

observations they wonder about, and share their results

with the entire school and the parent community during the

exhibition. The inquiry based project work revolves around

reinforcement of all the ATL skiLL. This year, the students

will be mostly working in pairs where they can chose their

partner. The project will be assessed as a summative task

under criteria B & C, for which task specific rubric will be

provided. Individual grades will be awarded as per the sub-

mission of complete work. Presentation of the project will

involve use of hardcopies of PowerPoint presentation to be

pasted on the display board provided by school. Resources

for supporting students in this inquiry task will be upload-

ed on Managebac, and will address the following:

Sharing information on Science Fair

Timeline for project completion

Steps of scientific method-pictures

Relevant video on steps of scientific method

Format for presentation on display board

Examples and ideas for science fair

We all are looking forward to the exhibition of the

science fair projects, where young inquiring minds

will present their profound connections with the

world around!

Varsha Sinha

Biology teacher

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/i/isaacasimo140876.html?src=t_inquiry



http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/i/isaac_asimov.html

Language and Literature: Ms. Megha

Week gone by:

Scores of the Formative assessment 1 have

been shared with the students.

A blue Print of the Marking scheme has been

shared, for the students to write a second

draft.

Submission of the cover Page of the book

they plan to write has been done.

We have started reading the Text- "Where

the Wild Things Are"; the reading of the

same is interspersed with journal entries

based on the discussions conducted in class.

Reading of one section culminates with

comprehension questions - the answers to

which are handwritten by the students.

Language and Literature: Ms. Deepika

Projections for the week:

Reading the Text and

making journal entries.

Worksheet as home

assignment to check their

reading comprehension

Inquiry:

Identifying the

elements of story in

the text- Freytag's

pyramid

Week gone by:

Students have completed Formative 1 and

the marking scheme has been discussed in

detail with the students.

They will now evaluate the gaps in their

responses and submit a second draft.

Reading the text " Where the wild thing are"

has commenced. Simultaneously the students

have been asked to maintain a day-wise

Journal of the class discussions.

The comprehension question worksheet has

been given to the students which they will

complete at home, as the reading progresses

in class.

Projections for the

week:

Going forward- the class

will continue with the

Textual Reading which will

be closely followed by the

comprehension questions.

Inquiry:

For the formative - stu-

dents are to write two

key areas to focus in their

assessment.

For text Reading -

students are inquiring

into the various elements

of the Freytag's pyramid.

Language and Literature: Ms. Shweta


Guided reading of the text-

“Where the wild things are”

Inquiry:

Inquiry about the

elements of the

story will be elicited

from the students

Week gone by:

Children have been marked on the

formatives.

They are expected to fill a self-reflection

sheet, to assess their performance and to

take the necessary steps towards a better

second draft.

Children have started reading the text -

Where the wild things are .

They are currently writing the answers to the

discussion questions that follow each

segment of the text in the book.

Parental Support:

Please encourage them to update their folders daily and leave

the subject folders in the class.

Language and Literature: Ms. Indu


Going forward- the class will

continue with the Textual

Reading which will be closely

followed by the


Inquiry:

For the formative - students will have to

write two key areas to focus on in their

assessment.

For text Reading - students are inquiring

into the various elements of the Freytag's

pyramid.

Week gone by:

Scores of the Formative

assessment 1 have been

shared with the students.

A blue Print of the Marking

scheme has been shared for

the students and has been

put up on Managebac to

write a second draft.

Cover Page of the book they

plan to write has been done.

We have started the reading

of the Text- "Where the Wild

Things Are"; the reading of

the same is followed by

students answering the


Surrealistic Book Covers by Students

English Language Support: Ms. Ruchi


Students write their second

draft of the formative 1

upon review of the first draft

Book reading continues,

accompanied by inquiry work-

sheets corresponding to MYP-

ELA/Assessment criterion B–

Comprehending written/visual

text

Inquiry:

What are the elements of a

story?

How is characterization

important to the plot?

Week gone by:

The students have completed the video

on Surrealism

They made their surreal poster for the

classroom

Formative assessment 1– conducted in

class

Classroom reading of-

“Where the wild things are,” begins.

Followed by Comprehension based inquiry

work sheets corresponding to MYP– ELA /

Assessment criterion B–

Comprehending written/visual text

English Language Support: Ms. Elena


Inquiry: What is culture?

Why are cultural differences

important?

Working towards the

summative assessment

Inquiry:

What is a poster?

What are the elements

of a poster?

Week gone by:

This week the students have completed

Formative Assessment 1

The listening activity was conducted with a

follow-up scaffolded speaking and

self-assessment (recordings)

The students have completed the inquiry

module about poster-making (worksheet,

teacher interviews) and began one about

the culture (scaffolded by a listening

assignment and form-filling)

Language Acquisition: Spanish—Ms. Jenny


We will learn Interrogation words: What?, Who?, Where?, How?

Inquiry:

What is the purpose to

greetings?

Week gone by:

In this week we have covered:

Greetings in Spanish

Definite & indefinite articles

Exercises in the classroom Making connection with

Spanish Language

Language Acquisition: French—Ms. Swati


They will perform the role play

as a part of their formative.

They will learn the names of

countries and nationalities in

French.

Inquiry:

Language allows us to

communicate our

identity through verbal

and non-verbal forms of

communication.

Week gone by:

They learnt numbers up till 100 and

played the game Bingo.

They learnt the names of days in a week

and names of the months in a year.

A formative on role play was announced.

Language Acquisition: Spanish –Ms. Shivani


They will take their first

formative based on criteria C and

D


countries and nationalities in

Spanish

Inquiry:


communicate our

identity through verbal


communication.

Week gone by:

Students learnt numbers up till 100.

They learnt to name colors in

Spanish and made sentences for the

same .

Language Acquisition: French—Ms. Charu

Week gone by:

The Students learnt French numbers up till

100 and played Bingo.

Dictation was taken for numbers 1-100.

The students learnt the vocabulary related

to days of the week and months of the year.

A formative on role play was announced.


They will Perform the role play

as a part of their formative.


the countries and

nationalities, in French

Inquiry:


communicate our

Identity through verbal


communication.

Week gone by:

Introduced letter- क,ख,घ,प,र,च ,ल with their phonic

sound

Language Acquisition: Hindi– Phase 1- Ms. Garima


Two letter words; reinforcement of Hindi letters was

done in class

Introducing Hindi

Week gone by:

The content covered includes:

mapping the form room for sections A to

D( B and c will do it next week)

Students also studied about aerial

photographs and remote sensing. They

will continue with same, next week

Individual and Societies: Ms. Bharti


Next week students will complete

inquiry questions and write the first

part of summative assessment

Inquiry:

The students inquired on-

How to map the class

room

How the mapping has

changed from earlier

times to modern age

Week gone by:

Inquiry questions based on characteristics of

the living organisms.

Discussion of conditions and experimental set

up of lab work, to identify the conditions that

are needed for seed germination.

Formative Assessment

Science: Ms. Ritu


Discussion on Scientific

Methods -different steps for

seed germination

Summative Assessment

Inquiry:

Are apples that are

plucked from a tree or

Kidney beans that are

stored in a jar or the

potatoes that are bought

from the vegetable

vendor all alive?

Language Acquisition: Hindi– Phase 2- Ms. Suman


Paragraph writing

Formative assessment-Criteria A-

comprehend visual and spoken

text

Inquiry:

The students have inquired about

how adjectives and imperatives

are used in a language, with a spe-

cific purpose

Week gone by:

Continued with formative

Assessment-Spoken

Adjectives

Imperatives

Identifying Adjectives Taking a

speaking

assessment

Mathematics: Ms. Ratnika


Arithmetic operations on

integers.

Investigating prime and

composite numbers

Inquiry:

Inquiry into the relevance of

integers in real life context.

Week gone by:

Introduction to integers

Arithmetic operations on

integers

Week gone by:

Interconversion between

Fractions, Decimals and

Percentages.

Formative Assessment was

conducted.

Mathematics: Mr. Amit


Application of percentages in

real life.

Inquiry:

Inquiry into why we need

interconversions of different

numbers.

Parental Support:

Kindly ensure that your child revisits the work done during classroom inquiry for

the Formative Assessment 2, scheduled for next week.

Mathematics: Ms. Shikha


Investigation: Prime & composite

numbers.

Multiplication & division of

integers

Inquiry:

Inquiry into the operations on

integers

Week gone by:

Operations on integers.

Games on addition, subtraction of

integers

Students playing games based on ‘Integers’

Digital Design: Ms. Poonam


Discussion on Criteria B– ‘Developing

Ideas’ for the summative.

Week gone by:

Students completed the practice

sheet based on Excel Formulae.

Students completed their formative

Assessment.

Students were tested on their

knowledge of Excel Charts, using an

online resource.

Discussion on the criteria A

‘Inquiring and analyzing’ for the

summative task.

All the resources are up on

Managebac

Digital Design—Mr. Sumit


Discussion on Criteria B–

‘Developing Ideas’ for the

summative.

Inquiry:

Inquiry on the Nutritional

content of the food items,

included in a birthday

menu

Week gone by:

Students completed a practice

sheet based on Excel Formulae.

Students completed their

formative Assessment.

Students are working towards the

summative task of planning a

healthy birthday party

Inquiry:

Inquiry on the calorie

intake according to age

group.

Parental Support:

The students are working as a dietician for the summative task. Please take

them to a restaurant of their choice, where their client would like to celebrate

his/her birthday and collect the menu card of the place.

Product Design—Mr. M.R Jackson

Projections for the

week:

Stern and bow cuts!

Inquiry:

It is important to measure and mark

accurately

Week gone by:

Students have been introduced to

the DT workshops, new tools, new

materials.

Check out the action and learning

on http://psgdt.wordpress.com Parental Support:

Recommended discussion topics on tools, materials and of course

the blog. Help students identify carpentry in the home or the

environment.

Parental Support:

The students are working towards finalizing the menu for their

birthday party along with the set budget. Please help them in

terms of options towards forming a menu

Music : Mr. Keith/Mr. Haokip

Week gone by:

PPT presentation : Musical Instruments of your choice ( PPT )

1) History and development

2) parts and functions of the instrument

3) playing techniques and methods

4) application of the instrument in different performances

Formative Quiz : musical instrument


Performance : learning and practicing how musical instruments and musicians interact during a performance

Inquiry:

Research : Musical instrument of your choice

Formative Quiz : musical instrument

Physical and Health Education:

Week gone by:

Basketball: Offensive zone

tactics.

Gymnastics: Students practiced

various types of jumps on

trampoline like- straight, tuck

and straddle jump, dive roll

with the help of the

trampoline.


Basketball: Defensive zone tactics.

Gymnastics: Students will practice

cartwheel and handstand as floor

exercises.

Inquiry:

Basketball: Inquiry on

communication .

Gymnastics: Inquiry on

basic techniques of

jumps and dive roll in

gymnastics

Week gone by:

Practice for a Mime Performance being prepared by the

students

Drama—Mr. Santanu


Practising the performance with Light, Sound

and Costume etc.

Week gone by:

The process of Natyanjali (invocation of kuchipudi dance)

Dance: Ms. Akash


performance with aditalam (rhythm)

Reflections Middle School - Pathways was abuzz with excitement as Middle School students ......

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