If it wasn't for the cool nights and mornings it would be hard to believe that the first month of school is already over and fall is now upon us. As I have been popping in and out of the school this year I can see that the first month of school has been as big of a success as I hoped it would be.
St. Jude's Academy has begun sending out monthly newsletters to all parents and families on the St. Jude's Academy email list. This newsletter has important updates, reminders and a reflection on what has taken place over the last month at SJA. If you have not received the newsletter or would like to and are not on the SJA email list please send me an email to receive a copy cnelson@stjudesacademy.com. As this month is winding down so is the first IB Unit of Inquiry for the school year. I hope that you have seen the fun, knowledge and life-skills that develop from these units.
Each of the six IB units taught in every classroom at SJA has two 'key concepts' that are linked to the unit which are skills, questions and thinking patterns that the teachers hope to encourage in their students. Please take a look at the key concepts that have been highlighted for your child's current Unit of Inquiry on the large board in the front foyer. We have this information posted there so that parents can join in on the development of their children at home as well. I have a break-down of the IB Key Concepts listed for you below so that you can see the skills and thought processing your child will be developing throughout this school year through these important key concepts. These key concepts form questions that you can be asking your child at home as well to give them extra practice with these inquiry based skills.
Enjoy!
| Form: What is it like? | Describe, Name, and Tell |
| Function: How does it work? | How does it…? Why do we…? |
| Causation: Why is it the way it is? | Compare/Contrast How was it formed? How did it arrive at this state? Why did it happen that way? |
| Change: How does it change? | What if…? How does it adapt? What changes have occurred? Why did it change? In what ways… |
| Connection: How is it connected to other things? | Compare/Contrast How are these concepts interdependent? How are they the same/different? How are these ideas connected through time, space, people, things, or beliefs? |
| Perspective: What are the major points of view? | How many different ways…? Feeling, opinions, personification questions, advantages/disadvantages… What are the consequences of this point of view? |
| Responsibility: What is our/my responsibility? | How should we/I behave? Opinions, feelings, rights. Who should describe this? Ethics questions |
| Reflection: How do we know? | What did I know? What do I know now? How did I know that to be true? What resources did I use to help form my opinion? Do you agree with the results? |
Best regards,
Mrs. Nelson
