French (Intermediate group with Christine)

During this period, we mainly talked about Health through Humanitarian aid. Different possibilities are offered to those who want to help, and this is what we discovered throughout the lessons.

We started this session with the case of students discussing between themselves on how to organize a fundraiser for the organization “Les Restos du Cœur” which gives food to people in need. We then spoke about “Emmaüs”, a well-known association in France which collects second-hand objects and furniture. Students from Cedar, Elm and Oak, staged a comic (“La boom Humanitaire”) talking about how a group of friends decided to give out personal things to help this association.

In addition to that, we read and discussed about other documents talking about “Téléthon” which supports medical research and deals with first aid we can give when we are part of an accident.

This is an interesting subject which has given us once again the opportunity to see and practice the grammatical side of the language.

We also read different stories involving Inspector Omniberge, to develop reading skills and find the solution to the mysteries!

French (Advanced group with Marie)

Nous avons poursuivi l’étude de notre programme de français. Durant cette cinquième période, les élèves ont continué d’intégrer les notions de français en articulant leurs apprentissages autour des différentes matières :

en grammaire: révision des natures et fonctions des mots, des compléments de phrases (lieu, temps, manière, de but, de moyen)

en conjugaison: l’impératif présent et le présent du conditionnel (avec révision des temps du passé)

en orthographe: la polysémie, les bases grecques et latines des mots, les homophones/homonymes et antonymes, les préfixes et les suffixes, noms génériques et noms particuliers

en mémorisation: 1 dictée a été faite et 1 poésie a été apprise et récitée

en poésie: création d’un poème pour la fête des mères et découverte d’un acrostiche à l’occasion de la fête des pères.

en littérature: la mythologie grecque avec la lecture du livre Le message d’Athènes d’Odile Weulersse puis différentes fiches de lecture, lectures silencieuses.

1 évaluation a eu lieu pendant cette 5ème période.

French IMYC with Marie

Cette cinquième période a été consacrée au thème de “l’entreprenariat”.

Nous avons aussi abordé le thème des abeilles à l’occasion de la journée mondiale des abeilles (le 20 mai).

French IMYC Cedars with Joanna

This term the Cedar class learned the importance of the EU Erasmus + programme for education, training, youth and sport. They researched the history of this programme, the partner countries, the allocated budget etc. They also watched videos of university students from various European countries discussing their incredible experiences studying abroad and they were able to interview Ms. Stefania Gargioni who had the amazing opportunity of being an Erasmus student.

English

Cedar continued to examine texts for argument, evaluating the use of argument and persuasive techniques in a variety of forms. They looked at how to spot bias and faulty logic, and to know when their emotions are being targeted. They learnt how to spot a writer’s purpose and to recognise facts from opinions. At the end of term, the class returned to the novel they studied at the beginning of the year, The Alchemist by Paul Coelho, and tested their recollection and understanding of the book in an Escape Room challenge.

Geography

This term Cedar learnt about the weather, something we all have to put up with and which is increasingly a subject of interest given the effects of climate change. The class learnt that it is the sun that influences our weather as it heats the Earth, but not evenly. They learnt that ‘weather’ takes place in the lowest layer of the atmosphere, called the troposphere. The class made their own barometer to measure air pressure.

History

The Cedar class continued to work on the development of dictatorships in Europe, focusing on Nazi Germany as a case study. They continued to examine the persecutions of Jews and visited the Shoah Memorial as part of the Holocaust remembrance project founded by the Olga Lengyel Foundation. The students created a Padlet to present the outcomes of their museum visits and research, sharing it with their twinned class (Liceul “Preda Buzescu” in Berbesti, Romania). They also explored the work carried out by the Romanian students for the project.

Global Perspectives

During this term, the Cedar class learned the method of qualitative research. They conducted semi-structured interviews with teachers and parents in our school community about their experiences as foreigners settling in France. The students conducted these interviews as part of the “Europe in Schools” project, which is supported by the European Association of History Educators. As part of the project, the Cedar students had the opportunity to interact with a Global Perspectives class from Canisius College in the Netherlands and examine their work on migrations in that geographical area.

Art

During this term, the Cedar students explored the works of the eclectic Irish painter Mary Swanzy, with a particular focus on her Cubist phase. The students studied Swanzy’s use of shapes and colors and created medium-sized canvases inspired by her art, representing elements of nature such as leaves, branches, and flowers.

Creative Writing and Drama Workshops

During this term, the Cedar class wrote and learned how to perform a short comedy script for the school’s summer show. In the creative writing workshop, the students collaboratively created a script, which they then performed and rehearsed in the drama class. They covered all elements of production, from backdrops to props.

Sailing Trip to Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer

One week adventure so far away from home. Oak, Elms and Cedar pushed themselves to the limit, physically and mentally while kayaking, surfing and catamaraning. Young adventurers improved or learnt new skills but most importantly matured and became a little bit more independent.

Mathematics and “Young Entrepreneurs” Project

A business is more than just a product or a service. Behind every item that we buy, every service that we use, there is a story. Running a business involves many skills – creativity, leadership, team work, communication, budgeting, planning, design, customer-awareness and many more. During this unit, children learnt these vital business skills, as they embarked on their business journey. The children were encouraged to take risks, be independent and realise that the hard work that goes into planning and setting up a business pays off.

Oak, Elm and Cedar visited Koezio , adventure park located in Cergy.

This event took place to celebrate the achievements of our Young Entrepreneurs who, as you know, recently devised, planned, acquired bank loans for and ran businesses, the proceeds of which partially have covered the cost of this well-deserved class activity.

Gardening Project

Harvesting our own sweet peas and potatoes. Cucumbers and tomatoes will continue to grow over the summer.

Green Garden – Whole School collaborative project. Our second Eco-Ecole badge ‘Alimentation’.

End of year certificates of achievements and Les Concours de Archimedes (Mathematical games and enigmas)

Well done and all the best!

Enjoy your summer!

FISP Middle School Team

Literacy

Cedar are currently reading The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, their second Victorian novella following last term’s A Christmas Carol by Dickens. The class are building on their understanding of Victorian England, particularly London, which at the time of this story was the richest city on Earth, yet with some of the world’s poorest slums. Besides reading the book and interpreting the themes of duality in human nature as well as in society, the class are learning about the culture of the era with regard to science, religion, literature and art to gain an understanding of the world that Robert Louis Stevenson lived in and to put into context Victorian literature.

French

Intermediate group with Christine

From January to February we explored the world of collections and passions, with Antoine, one of the eight students featured in our study manual. As a reminder, in December we had spoken about the topic of houses with Manon. Through this new topic, we discovered the collections and passions of Antoine, and then each student had the opportunity to make a presentation of their own collections or passions. By doing this, we learned that one of the class has a passion for shells, another for turtles, specific books, specific cats, dogs…

While the students made their presentations, others were able to ask them questions about their passion (why, since when, how many…?)

In order to speak about their passions, they had to use some specific sentences such as « ma passion c’est… », « je suis passionné(e) de… », as well as specific adjectives (ce/cet/cette/ces). Those who asked questions also had to master questions « how many/combien de » etc.

In this lesson, we also had to master numbers up to 100 (orally and in writing) when speaking about prices or pocket money.

Alongside this topic, the class learnt a poem about Winter, and because of Epiphany in January and Pancake Day in February, we spent time reading and preparing two popular recipes « galette des rois » and « crêpes ». Cooking is appreciated by all the class and it was a nice opportunity for all of us to work together. After the break, we will start a new lesson with Akiko who will speak about food, recipes and healthy meals.

Advanced group with Marie

Cette troisième période a été bien chargée au niveau des apprentissages. Les élèves ont continué d’intégrer les notions de français.

en grammaire: les différentes propositions, voix active/voix passive, les compléments de verbe (cod, coi).

en conjugaison: les temps du récit imparfait/passé simple, le passé-composé, le participe passé/l’infinitif.

en orthographe: le pluriel des noms et des adjectifs, le féminin des noms et des adjectifs, une dictée préparée

en mémorisation: 2 poésies ont été apprises et récitées

en littérature: étude du genre poétique et versification

en expression écrite: la phrase et sa ponctuation

2 évaluations ont lieu pendant cette 3ème période

French/English IMYC with Joanna

This term Cedar worked on a very important topic: the Student Council. They began the term by introducing the topic to Oak and Elm students showing their skills of public speaking, getting their points across, speaking in a clear & concise way to be understood by all. During these meetings the 0ak & Elm students voted for the person they wanted to represent their classes for the rest of the school year (Arwen for Elm and Chloé for Oak). In further meetings the aim was to brainstorm within each class (Cedar students being the activity leaders) on any suggestions students would want to present to the Head of School (they discussed various things such as the cantine, computers, field trips, equipment, craft workshops, fundraising etc). At the end of this term the Student Representatives held their very first & very successful Student Council meeting with the Head of School where all these subjects were discussed. The 3 classes also voted on a beautiful motto : Learning to Love and Loving to Learn and created a ‘Pass on the Positivity poster’.

Ils ont appris et chanté 2 chansons: Les petits souliers de Guy Béart et Aux Champs Elysées de Joe Dassin.

Geography

The focus this term was Africa and after testing our knowledge of the countries in this vast continent (by trying to identify them on a blank map), each member of the class selected a particular country to research. They looked at its geographichal location, weather and climate, population, physical and human features and, where applicable, tourism and its effects. They also researched historical facts about the country and changes in population, economy and migration over time. The class looked at the effects of climate change, desertification where relevant, rural to urban migration and the particular strengths and challenges facing their selected country.

History

Our Cedars have been engaged with the study of the struggles for civil rights conducted by African Americans in the USA between the 1950s and 1970s. The students looked at the life of famous African Americans, like Jesse Owens and Martin Luther King. They also explored how African Americans fought for their civil rights, looking at the different ways in which they protested over the course of twenty years. Alongside that, our Cedars practised analytical writing, getting more and more familiar with a paragraph structure used to answer GCSE style questions. 

Science

Cedar students enjoyed learning about more chemistry concepts around the electron’s arrangement in shells; they learned about chemical and physical properties of group 1 and their reaction with water and metals. Cedar also explored the properties and trends of halogens and noble gases. Cedar students are now capable of naming metal-metal and metal-nonmetal compounds. They explored the different chemical bondings like covalent and ionic bonds.

ICT

In this unit, Elm students explored the concept of variables in programming through games in Scratch. First, learners find out what variables are and relate them to real-world examples of values that can be set and changed. Then they use variables to create a simulation of a scoreboard. They used the Modify-Create model in which learners experiment with variables in an existing project and then modify them before they create their own project.

Mathematics

In Statistics:

Cedar students constructed and interpreted various data tables, charts and diagrams, including frequency tables, bar charts, pie charts, pictograms, line graphs, stem and leaf charts and scatter graphs (correlation). Cedar students can clearly distinguish between positive and negative correlation, identify if it is strong, moderate or weak and understand that all outliers are not taken into consideration while drawing the line of the best fit. We then dived deeper into the construction of pie charts and calculated desirable percentage and number of degrees for the specific group of data. We also solved probability problems where we had to find all possible outcomes and calculated the probability of the desirable outcome. We then moved onto solving problems with ratio and proportion and now know how to simplify ratios and how to use ratio to compare quantities.

On the 2nd of February Elm and Cedar students participated in Les Concours Archimède. Les JEUX ÉNIGMES SOLIDAIRES pour collégiens francophones depuis 1989.

These puzzle games allowed children to highlight their knowledge, clearly express their mathematical thoughts and use their sense of observation.

37th International Mathematical Games

6 of our Elm and Cedar Mathematicians will participate in the 1/2 final of the 37th International Mathematical Games and on the 18th of March will proudly represent our school. Good luck with crunching those numbers and solving tricky logical problems.

Design and Technology

So they say that I worked hard this term… I had better put my feet up then, I think I deserve it.

Mrs. Harrington would agree…

Art

Our Cedars looked at the life and work of the Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky, looking at the links between art and music suggested by his paintings. Using Kandinsky’s art as inspiration, Cedar students explored the use of lines, shapes and colour to communicate different moods. Over the course of the term, each Cedar student chose an instrumental piece of music to be represented through abstract painting, using both water colours and paint. 

Drama Workshops

During this term, the Cedar class began to work on Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap”. The Cedar students started to read and perform the first act of the play, also doing significant work on tweaking and adjusting the play to the performance that they wanted to create. Our Cedars also worked on the study of their own characters, using the “hot seat” activity as a way to explore the background and the main characteristics of their own characters. The students designed their own questionnaire for the “hot seat” activity, reflecting on the best questions to explore the complexity of their characters. 

Creative Writing Workshops

Over the course of this term, the Cedar class continued their creative writing workshops, looking at how to edit their own fictional texts. The students learnt how to make small or bigger changes to their own writing, making sure that their fictional piece of writing included the main elements of narrative conventions. By doing that, the Cedar students appreciated the complexity of the editing process, learning how to modify their text to convey a specific meaning. 

Global perspectives

Over the course of this term, the Cedar class learnt how to create an academic poster to communicate the outcomes of their research. They focused on migrations – choosing case studies appropriate to answer their research questions. Working in two groups, the students designed their own posters, working on all the relevant sections, like the presentation of the research questions, the discussion of the methodology and the conclusions they developed from the results of their research. 

English

Cedar read Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol this term, delving deep into the familiar story of the cold-hearted Scrooge whose exclamation ‘Bah! Humbug’ has become synonymous with a curmudgeonly outlook on life. The class read the story in the context of London in 1843 when the Industrial Revolution was in full swing and thousands lived in squalor and misery. While Dickens used the book to express his outrage at their exploitation and to hold society’s wealthy accountable for the treatment of the poor, it is an uplifting story of second chances and redemption and has plenty of wit and humour. Cedar analysed characterisation, mood and atmosphere in the story and also discovered how our modern concept of Christmas is based on the images created by Dickens in this much-loved novella.

Alongside this, Cedar focused on Expository / Informational writing, and how authors inform and explain their purpose in writing. The class looked at the differences between informational, explanatory and descriptive writing and worked on using effective transitional words and phrases.

French

Intermediate Group with Christine

During this period, from November to December, the first topic we worked on was the one of the House with all his rooms and furniture. They had to be able to name and write properly the different places and all what is inside. We did a focus on the bedroom and each of the children had to make presentation of their dream bedroom including the things in it that reflect their passions (video games, poster or books about animals…). It was also an opportunity to speak about some castles in France and make them do a short presentation of one the famous monument in their own country. We ended this period talking about buying presents through a dialogue in their book and in another dialogue in which they had to do a roleplay.

Through written and oral exercises, they had the possibility to acquired new vocabulary, learn grammar/conjugation structures or review some others.

In January, we will go on working on the topic of purchase and we will speak about food (shops, menu, receipt, healthy food…).

I wish a Merry Christmas to all the families.

Advanced Group with Marie

Pendant cette deuxième période, les élèves ont continué à approfondir les notions de français:

en grammaire: les différentes fonctions de l’adjectif qualificatif (épithète/attribut du sujet), le complément du nom, phrases simples/complexes, les différentes propositions (subordonnées/conjonctives/juxtaposées).

en conjugaison: les temps du récit, l’imparfait, le passé simple.

en vocabulaire: étude de la notion du conte ainsi que la carte mentale du conte, vocabulaire du merveilleux et du fantastique, les différentes origines d’un mot.

en orthographe: l’infinitif et le participe passé, 2 dictées ont été effectuées.

en mémorisation: 1 poésie a été apprise et récitée.

en littérature: choix d’un livre de lecture puis rendu de la fiche en lien avec le livre, apprentissage du schéma narratif.

2 évaluations ont eu lieu durant le 2ème terme.

Spanish

This term we worked on the importance of family in Hispanic culture. We discovered the symbol of «La Llorona» through the popular Mexican song* in its most recent version* and saw the different versions of this legend so popular in the Hispanic world.

Then CHRISTMAS. They discovered the different characters existing in the Spanish Christmas and shared a moment of cooking to discover the TURRON.

Click here:

Mathematics

 Pythagoras’ Theorem. The children investigated with different triangles and understand the relationship between the three sides of the right angled triangle and know how to find the unknown side when two sides are provided. Cedar students solved different questions where the hypothenuse values were unknown and then used the trigonometric ratios of sine and cosine to find the value of certain angles. Young Cedar looked into real life applications of trigonometric ratios and solved problems with boats, planes and rockets where horizontal distance and angles of depression were unknown.

Cedar students used their previous knowledge of properties of faces, surfaces, edges and vertices of cubes, cuboids, prisms, cylinders, pyramids and cones and solved some complex problems where they had to calculate their volume and surface area.

Elm and Cedar Mathematicians participated in the 1/4 final of the 37 th International Mathematical Games and those that will qualify to the 1/2 final will be notified by e-mail before 18th of March 2023. Well done Elm and Cedar, you did your very best to crunch those numbers and solved some tricky logical problems.

Science

During this term Cedar class enjoyed a wonderful time learning about chemical concepts. Students built on their previous knowledge of the particle theory of matter and developed new knowledge on elements, compounds and mixtures. They developed and demonstrate the spherical model of the atom and that elements contain only one type of atom and therefore cannot be split into different substances. 

We had the chance to spend a fantastic learning time on PhET virtual lab where all students discovered which particles affect the mass, name, and charge of an atom. And they play around adding protons, neutrons, and electrons to the atom. 

Students had time to study elements of periodic table and their physical and chemical properties. They compared and discussed chemical properties of Alkali, Halogens and Noble gases elements and their reactivity with water.

History

The Cedar class looked at women’s struggle for voting rights in the United Kingdom and in the United States, exploring how women gained the right vote. Students looked at how men and women lived in the Nineteenth and Twentieth century, making sense of the inequalities between their conditions. Students also worked on analytical writing, practicing the structure of paragraph based on the use of evidence to support a point. In the last weeks of the term, students prepared a short presentation on Suffragettes, looking at specific figures of women involved in their campaigns. 

Geography

This term the topic was Population and it coincided with Earth’s population reaching eight billion in November. The class looked at population trends, density and distribution around the world and the factors influencing them. The class discussed the challenges faced by countries with ageing populations where birth rates are low;  here, young people will soon be insufficient to fill the job market. Conversely, countries such as Ethiopia, which have a growing young population, face the prospect of its young people finding it hard to find work.  The class researched their own families for examples of the change in birth rates around the world, in some cases reporting grandparents in families of 10 children or more as opposed to their own two- or one-child family units.

Design and Technology

Birch, Walnut , Oak , Elm and Cedar collaborative Christmas decorations and costume design project.

Soap Project

ART

Over the course of this term, Cedar students worked on the backdrop representing the main theme of the school’s Christmas show “Christmas Stories from Around the World”, using different colouring techniques like water colours and paint. They also worked on other pieces of art – like the cover of the book including all the texts of the Christmas stories performed on stage – reproducing the design they had created for the backdrop. 

Global Perspectives

The Cedar class worked on migrations, looking at different case studies from around the world. The main focus of the work carried out by Cedar students was to map out appropriate ideas when having to answer a research question. Therefore, they worked on research skills, trying to select and evaluate the most relevant concepts related with the research question that they have chosen. The students have carried out this work in small groups, creating poster that could map out their ideas. 

Drama Workshops

Cedar students accomplished some fantastic work over the course of the term. The students worked on the development of a two-acts comedy that served as introduction and conclusion of the Christmas show. Cedar students worked on how to bring characters on stage, studying their emotional and physical features. They developed voice and improvisation skills, learning how a script could be brough successfully on stage. 

Creative Writing Workshops

Cedar students looked at dystopian texts, exploring a variety of mentor texts – Bradbury, Orwell, Jackson – to reflect on the main features and the most important themes conveyed by dystopian texts. The students focused on the planning stage of writing, using the Freytag’s pyramid as a tool to develop the plot of their story. During each workshop, Cedar students had the opportunity of sharing their work with a classmate, discussing ideas, and giving suggestions to each other.