Spring 2013

Welcome to the Spring 2013 edition of the MYP Update, published and edited by Brenda Kambakhsh, IB MYP Coordinator of Notre Dame Marist Academy. Through this newsletter we hope to inform our community of ways in which teaching and learning are evolving in the middle division as we continue implementation of the IB framework of education. Please do not hesitate to contact the grade appropriate coordinator listed at the end of the newsletter if you have any questions about the International Baccalaureate at NDPMA. Thank you for your continued interest and support.

Vets of America, Alcoholics Anonymous, and individuals such as a Nicholas Knotts, a 6th grader with a prosthetic leg, and Aaron Kowalski, a 19 year old man with autism, Tourettes Syndrome, and other challenges, who came with his mother Lisa Kowalski. Ms. Kowalski also served as the trainer for the Disability Awareness Program.

Community Read Day 2013

This semester we marked our 5th annual Community Read Day in the middle school. The topic for this year was understanding disabilities. The IB Middle Years Program (MYP) curriculum framework was used to guide the readings with the unit question: How do disabilities affect people? Although we usually read the same book across all three grades, this year each grade read a different book about those affected by a disability. The day began with a presentation by Marshall Weimer, an 8 th grade Marist student who has been working with a doctoral candidate at Michigan State University in the field of nanotechnology. Marshall explained how he has been assisting in developing heat sensors for prosthetic fingertips. He showed photos of pro-types currently being designed and explained his part in this development. Students showed great interest and had numerous questions for Marshall about his work at MSU. The students saw two inspirational videos. The first was about Nick Vujicic, a man born with no limbs but who has amazing faith, spirit and love of life. The second video focused on the Sports Illustrated Sportkids of the Year for 2012, Connor and Cayden Long. It showed the amazing love and care of a nine year old boy for his brother who has cerebral palsy.
Brian Gebara and Jon Mikal Dragojevic measure for accessibility

The day ended in small group discussions followed by a written reflection responding to the unit question, How do disabilities affect people? Thanks to over 20 parent volunteers and more than ten speakers, the day was an enriching learning experience for everyone involved. Student reflections on the day included:

"I learned that the only disability is a bad attitude. If you have a positive attitude it can conquer all disabilities. There is a way to do almost anything, even if it requires people's help or special tools." Led by parent volunteers and 8th grade student leaders, middle -Greg Turner, 8th grade division students rotated through activity stations where trained volunteer parents and teachers helped students experience what it "Disabilities have always been looked upon as a burden. Maybe might be like to be blind, hearing impaired, wheelchair bound, because they're not "normal" or "common," or maybe it's because dyslexic, autistic, and other types of disabilities. people see disabilities as a disadvantage. I used to think that too. I guess I realized that disabilities make you stronger, they don't In the afternoon students heard speakers from a variety of define who you are." organizations including Leader Dogs for the Blind, Oakland -Asha Raghavan, 7th grade Universitys Center for Autism Research, Michigan Paralyzed

"Today I learned a lot about disabilities through stations and people that came to speak to us. Nick, the youngest speaker with a prosthetic leg really helped me see a disability in a new way by looking at the scenario from his point of view." -Eric Marx, 6th grade

on Mary, made by 8th grade student Marshall Weimers mother, Mrs. Melissa Weimer. Our middle division choir students sang Hail Mary and led the student body in Immaculate Mary as the closing song.

International Day Celebration in the Middle Division

Students listen to Marilyn Smith while visiting Taiwan

MYP Interdisciplinary Units Abound in the Middle Division

Interdisciplinary Unit Explores Who We Are
Life in Kabul, Afghanistan under Taliban rule is a struggle for many families, including Parvanas family in the book The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. The main character, 11 year old Parvana, wants to help provide food for her family after her father is arrested by the Taliban, but she is a girl and not allowed in public without a male relative. The family transforms her into a boy so she can work, earning income to support her family. While reading The Breadwinner in an interdisciplinary unit in Humanities and Language A, our 7th grade students discovered factors in the world that define people. The MYP unit question was What defines who I am?

The middle school celebrated their 4th annual International Day on May 3, 2013. Ten countries were represented including Taiwan, Brazil, India and Romania. Parent volunteers served as country chairpersons while other parents helped with activities and serving food. NDPMA parent, Ms. Julie Chow-Wah, again served as the parent chair and leader of the morning country rotations, organizing and planning with parent country chairs throughout the year.

At lunchtime, all students and teachers left school on field trips. The 6th graders went to Mexican Village for lunch at Los Galanes and a scavenger hunt, 7th graders went to the National Arab American Museum for lunch and tours, and the 8th grade stopped at Steves Soul Food in Detroit for lunch, followed by a tour of the African American Museum. A few of the reflections by students illustrate the impact of the day. Students explored how the Taliban set restrictions based on gender. Girls schools closed, Parvana was not allowed out of the Today I learned that there are many beautiful places in the world house without a male relative, and her family was forced to live in and that it would be beautiful to visit all of them. a bombed out building. While reading The Breadwinner, students -Christina Nassi, 7th grade explored who they are as Americans and what factors define their lives. Students found that government, families, culture, and I learned lots of interesting stuff. I learned that every country has friends help define who they are. its own religion, language, and culture. My favorite part was tasting all the food from different countries. At the conclusion of the unit, students participated in a Socratic -Alex Impellizzeri, 7th grade Circle during Humanities class where they focused on the topic: What defines who I am? In Language A, they wrote a Response to Amazing day! Today was the best day I ever had in any school! Literature essay about what they think defines children in -Logan Wenneshiemer, 6th grade America and Afghanistan. Students found connections between their lives in America and Parvanas life in Afghanistan. Although many laws are different, students found that both governments define how people live their daily lives. May Crowning Ceremony Students in the middle division gathered around the statue of Mary outside of the Media Center on May 14, 2013 for the crowning of Mary. Ms. Guest and Mr. Taylor sang Hail Mary, Gentle Woman as students assembled. Ms. Mistretta talked with students about the crowning of Mary. A flower wreath was placed It was neat how both classes were doing the same thing so we could get both varieties of teachers and opinions and ways of learning. - David P. I liked it (The Breadwinner). It was interesting to learn about Afghanistan women, how they live, and how it was so unfair to

women [under Taliban rule], and it makes me be thankful for the Although Spanish classes were not directly involved in the unit freedom I have. -Kendall K. this year, Ms. Kruger reported, to her surprise, that her students were having some difficulty one week with currency conversions Completing the unit with Ms. Guest was a lot of fun for me as a and the next week clearly understood the concept. She realized teacher. We collaborated on ideas for activities during the book. the math work from this unit had carried over into her Spanish In order to see how much space the family lived in we taped out classes. the size of Parvanas apartment including the little possessions they owned. Students representing Parvanas family members sat rd th down in the space and were surprised at how small it was. Ms. The 3 annual Notre Dame Marist Academy 6 Grade Guest was in my room for this activity and we had the opportunity Cookbook is out! to have a dialogue in Language A that connected so well to her For the third year in a row, math and Humanities class. -Ms. Patterson technology have come together through an MYP interdisciplinary unit to produce a cookbook full of tasty recipes perfect for the young chef in your home. From breakfast salsa to pita pizzas to glazed salmon to a four layer chocolate cake you are sure to find a recipe that will please the entire family!

Bella Ignagni, Brian Blakeslee, Alex Impellizzeri, Jillian Karloski, Kelly Niepokuj, and Emma DiNardo exp lore Parvanas house size

Interdisciplinary Unit Explores Currency Conversion

In Ms. Wangs Chinese 8 class, students recently learned about Chinese shopping customs. The unit question was What is a good deal? Significant concepts included 1) culture in fluences peoples shopping and selling habits, 2) math influences decisions in daily Michelle Khan with her Pea Pulao life, and 3) money is math at work in a global economy. Included were all the terms needed for shopping such as names of clothing The MYP unit question students answered was: How does items, size, and color. Students explored Chinese currency and the presentation affect the way you feel about something? They monetary system. They also learned bargaining techniques. were encouraged to look at the question in several ways: first in the way they presented their prepared dish to family members and to classmates, and then how they presented their recipe for the cookbook. In math, students learned about fractions and how to convert recipes depending upon number of people being served. As students prepared their cookbook pages in technology class, they worked through the design cycle, which is the model of thinking and the strategy to help students investigate problems and design, plan, create, and evaluate the products/solutions they generate. (MYP Technology Guide). In the cookbook you will find the familiar several versions of macaroni and cheese, the healthy frozen strawberry yogurt, several ethnic dishes including pea pulao, and an incredibly delicious brownie for those of you who are on a specific carbohydrate diet or who just love peanut butter! ND Marist 6 th graders along with their teachers, Ms. Brown and Ms. Pauwels, hope you enjoy the 2013 ND Marist 6th grade cookbook. You may access it on the www.ndpma.org website by searching cookbook. Bon Appetite!

David Molnar, Elle McGuire, and Daniella Cabral work on their market skills

The MYP unit was designed as an interdisciplinary unit in conjunction with math teachers. Students learned currency conversion and value placement which they applied to converting US dollars to Chinese Ren Min Bi (RMB) and vice versa. To allow students to use the terms and math concepts, students conducted a market day in the classroom and a fashion show.

Sixth Graders Build a Boat

What do you do when the rest of your classmates take a year end class trip and you stay behind? You build a boat! Every year now for at least eight years, Mrs. Pauwels has been reading Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong, to 6th graders. The book is a story of survival and leadership, recounting the story of Ernest Shackleton who led 17 men on a trip to the Antarctic in 1914. According to Mrs. Pauwels, It is one of the greatest adventure stories ever, and it is all true!

To access the private video on YouTube, have your student speak with or email Makaela Crute.

Alternative Exams Created by Middle Division Teachers

Across the nation in middle schools, high schools, and universities, students and teachers are experimenting with new forms of the final exam. Rather than lengthy multiple choice exams, students are being tested in new ways. They are being assigned projects which test their research skills, collaborative skills, ability to synthesize learning, organize presentations, and articulate knowledge before an audience of their peers. Some of our teachers in the middle division offered alternative exams this year. Read about some of the exam models designed by our When twelve students did not go on the class trip to Cedar Point teachers. this year, Mrs. Pauwels thought it was the perfect opportunity to actually build a replica of the James Caird, the lifeboat that saved Spanish the men. Students had two days to complete the project Cindy Brown drew up the plans and the kids went dumpster diving for Sixth grade Spanish students will create a way station poster to cardboard. Students could hardly wait to show off their boat to the tell the Notre Dame community how important it is to plant way rest of the class who were on the class trip. stations in their own gardens for protecting butterflies and other important wildlife. They will use vocabulary and grammar learned in the current unit about monarch butterflies to do so. Students will present their poster to the class entirely in Spanish as their final exam, with part of the assessment based on oral presentation. Ms. Krugers 7th graders will create a travel brochure or advertisement for a Latino museum or festival using Spanish commands, conjugation, and vocabulary. They will describe the place and invite the audience to visit the museum or festival. Students will have to use Spanish to present their advertisement to the class. They will be communicating, not just "reading." Chinese Ms. Wangs 6th grade students will complete a project in which they create handprints of family members in order to answer the unit question: What makes a person unique? They gathered information from family members and wrote details in Chinese on a poster. During the exam, students will present their family in Chinese, using the poster as a visual aid. Seventh grade students will create a skit for their final exam. Each group of 3-4 students explored one anothers hobbies and leisure activities. The unit question was How does culture impact leisure activities and hobbies? Students considered Chinese cultural activities such as playing yo yo, shuttlecock, and singing songs. They also linked a learner profile to each activity or hobby. A rubric is being used to grade students oral presentations. Humanities In Miss Guest's 7th grade Eastern World class, students will prepare a PowerPoint Presentation on Google Drive answering the unit question: What influences population? Students will choose an urban or rural area around the world that they would be

6 graders build a replica of the James Caird from front to back, left to right, Makaela Crute, Deirdre Schiefer, Ethan Carino, Mary Bonema, Lauren Prost, Brian Gebara, Matthew Wood, Mitchell Housey, Vincent Larsson, Dawson Hubbard, Anthony Bologna, Ms. Brown, and Ms. Pauwels

th

We built the boat in three pieces and put it all together in the triangle. High schoolers walking by asked the 6th graders what they were doing. When the older students heard it was the James Caird, former Marist students remembered when they had read the same book when they were in 6th grade. It was a great time and the twelve students did not seem to mind too much that they were not at Cedar Point, said Mrs. Pauwels. Students were surprised at the size of the boat Shackleton and his men sailed on the open sea. According to Makaela Crute who made a video about the construction of the boat, I thought that making the boat out of cardboard and duct tape was harder than wood and nails because the duct tape was hard to work with and kept sticking together. She also said it was great to hang out with friends while everyone was on the class trip.

All of the 6th graders in Ms. Browns math classes measured fabric and created fleece blankets for charity. Their final exam was to deliver the blanket to the charity of their choice, write a reflection essay with a photo and give a presentation to the class during their exam period. The students had fun with this project and often went together to donate to the same group, especially to animal shelters. They donated to the Red Cross aid to tornado Language A victims in Oklahoma, Grace Centers of Hope, fire stations, animal shelters, several different hospitals, the Salvation Army, and a To correlate with the novel Life As We Knew It, by Susan Pfeiffer, crisis pregnancy center. 8th grade Language A students in Ms. Knapps class created presentations and wrote their own science fiction narratives for News from Counseling in the Middle Division their final examination. As the students (in groups of 4) were reading the novel, they pretended to be living in another part of Mrs. Smith Teaches about Dignity the world and kept careful journal entries introducing the major events and conflicts in the novel within the new environment. On th their exam day, each student turned in a science fiction narrative Kim Smith, our school counselor, met with the 8 grade students piece detailing the events of the journey from their perspective. In to discuss the topic of dignity and choice this semester. She began addition, each group shared a four-part multimedia presentation the presentation by showing a dollar bill being crumpled. Ms. with the class detailing the groups perspective of the events they Smith asked, Does the dollar still have value? This represents us as we go through life, sinning or making mistakes but we endured along their journey together. still have value. A discussion followed about the power of reconciliation and choices we make to better ourselves. Science interested in populating if they chose to live somewhere other than where they currently live. They will identify three reasons for populating this area and explain their choices. They will be provided time in class to gather research and prepare for the presentation. The PowerPoint will have few words and must be used as a visual aide for both the presenter and his/her audience. Students in Ms. Thomass 6th grade Integrated Science are completing a research project and a presentation about the trees of Michigan. They have been studying how to identify trees, the habitat of trees, characteristics of leaves, and similarities and differences between trees. Each student was assigned a Michigan tree to research. During the exam period, presentations will be shared orally along with students leaf rubbings. A rubric will be used to grade each students presentation. In the passage John 8:7, Jesus states, Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. The students discussed that sometimes we can play the part of sinner, the accuser, the silent bystander, or the one who stands up to the crowd. Although we may play all these parts, we have choices to improve our behavior and improve how we treat others.

Mrs. Smith had visited the 9/11 memorial in April and shared her experience of listening to survivor, Bill Spade, the only survivor of Rescue Company 5 firehouse. Bill was not a silent bystander Technology as he risked his life running into the two towers to save many Sixth graders in Mrs. Pauwels technology class have been people. Bill is one of many who responded heroically to this studying the MYP assessment process. They have learned about brutal act of terror. MYP objectives and criterion-referenced grading. For their final exam, students will use the same MYP rubric used by the teachers Donna Hicks Ten Essential Elements of Dignity was discussed. to assess a 7th grade students game created in technology class. Ms. Hicks is known for her work in international conflict They will be assessed on how well they assess another students resolution and has worked with communities in conflict regions in the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Cuba, and Northern work and therefore understand the MYP assessment process. Ireland. She is also an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. The elements include: Math Acceptance of Identity, Recognition, Acknowledgment, Graphing can be a great way to assess, analyze, and predict Inclusion, Safety, Fairness, Independence, Understanding, Benefit information. Students in Ms. Becker's Algebra class will have the of the Doubt, and Accountability (Apologize). chance to come up with their own surveys or experiments to answer some real-world questions that can be displayed in pie A poem called I Choose (unknown author) was also shared and graphs, bar graphs, box and whisker plots, stem and leaf plots, discussed. I Choose histograms, and line graphs. During the exam time, students will present their projects through the use of a posterboard, To live by choice, not by chance; powerpoint, or video. They will answer questions such as... To make changes, not excuses; To be motivated, not manipulated; What are students favorite cafeteria foods? To be useful, not used; Who is taller in 6th grade, boys or girls? To excel, not compete. How many hours of TV do students watch each day of I choose self-esteem, not self-pity. the week? I choose to listen to my inner voice, What is the most popular social media used by NDMA? Not the random opinion of others.

In conclusion, each student shared and listed the traits that make them to share. It will make for some great conversation. them worthy of being respected and honored. These traits were written on a mock dollar bill that highlights the words In God International Baccalaureate News We Trust. The dollar bills, representing each 8th grade student,

IB Middle Years Program Self-Study Underway

This semester Notre Dame teachers and administrators began an IB/MYP Self Study in preparation for our first evaluation visit in the spring semester of next year. A lengthy process of review and revision related to IB standards and practices and MYP policies and structures is underway as we prepare for our three day site visit by IB representatives.

IB Coordinator Changes for Next School Year

were hung on the DigniTree (see photo) to remind students that As you may know by now, Ms. Shari Derico, current DP they are very valuable and should continue to be aware of their Coordinator, has accepted the position of Assistant Principal at own dignity. NDP for next year and Ms. Kim Anderson will become the new Diploma Program Coordinator for Grades 11-12. Ms. Katrina What do Personality Profiles Teach Us? Sagert has been working with the MYP coordinators this year, transitioning to her new role as MYP Coordinator for grades 9-10. Mrs. Smith has been in classrooms this semester with all 7th Ms. Brenda Kambakhsh will remain as the MYP Coordinator for graders discussing personalities. Each 7th grader took a grades 6-8, and Ms. Emily Giacona will remain as PYP personality profile test created by Florence Littauer. (author, Coordinator of our lower division. If you would like to contact an marriage counselor, and presenter). Mrs. Smith explained that IB coordinator with questions about our International personality profiles are a great tool to get to know ones self Baccalaureate Programs, please see below for the appropriate better and also a stepping stone to career searches. They are also a grade level and email address: good device to review a persons strengths and weaknesses. Mrs. Smith shared the following quote by author Florence Littauer: Primary Years Program (PYP, JK-5): Ms. Emily Giacona, egiacona@ndpma.org "As Christians, and especially as Christian leaders, we should use Middle Years Program (MYP, 6-8): Brenda Kambakhsh, personality tests to better understand ourselves and others. They are not intended to lock us in to one particular personality. We are bkambakhsh@ndpma.org (MYP, 9-10): Ms. Katrina Sagert, ksagert@ndpma.org not allowed to blame our sin on our personality type. We are not slaves to our personality, we are slaves to Christ. If Christ is Diploma Years Program (DP, 11-12): Ms. Kim Anderson, changing us day by day, He will sand away our rough edges so kanderson@ndpma.org that we will become more like Him." Next year, all 8th graders will take the ACT Interest Inventory and use the World of Work Map to find an occupation that has a Best wishes for a safe and relaxing summer to all of our connection between their work world and the things they like to Notre Dame families. do.which also ties into their personality profile. Students have God Bless, copies and an explanation of all the personality types. All the Brenda Kambakhsh details are in the packet they brought home. Please be sure to ask

Students Help Stamp Out Hunger

Gleaners Food Bank recently contacted Mrs. Pauwels looking for help with their annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive for canned goods. When Mrs. Pauwels responded that we would help, we received 20,000 bags that needed to be stapled to postcards for the May postal drive. Mr. Jezdimir helped organize teams during the lunch hour to work on the project and students also came after school and worked with Mrs. Pauwels to complete the 20,000 packets. Mr. Pattersons third grade class at the lower divi sion also participated. Students stayed focused until the last card was stapled, and only two staplers were destroyed in the process! Thanks to all who participated. You helped feed the hungry in our community.