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| Around the World 2017! |
Upcoming Meetings:
May 10th- K-12 Human Resources Meeting for all about retirement plan
Course Syllabi Guidelines (Grades 7-12)
In the fall, WL teachers were asked to submit their course information and syllabus. In reading these, it seems we lack an alignment of information for our students. It is important to use this document to outline the course that we teach and give the student an overview of expectations.Let's review the document we have in place and modify it to include:
A course description: This can come directly from what is written in Atlas Rubicon or on the school website
Curriculum: This is an overview of lessons or units that will be covered
Resources: These are our texts and any other special requirement that needs to come to class
Assessments:This is the percentage breakdown of tests, homework, etc.
Sample Science Course Information here
Sample 8th grade from Norwood here
UBD Summer Workshops: Click Here
Collaboration Semester 2
It’s not always the case that a group of professionals that are forced to work together actually enjoy it, especially educators who, more often than not, teach in the isolation of their own classrooms.
There are so many ways that we connect. How do we collaborate? teams? Vertically/Horizontally With other departments? Library?
Click HERE to read the whole article.
Content to Choice
What is the difference between a teacher-centered and learner-driven classroom?
We’ve taken a look at examples of student-centered teaching before. It’s both a subtle (in theory) and dramatic (in function) shift in the entire ecology of a classroom, curriculum, and sense of student identity in the process of learning. This idea isn’t new in and of itself. John Dewey espoused many of these same ideas century ago. It’s an idea that continues to pick up steam with proponents of ‘progressive education.
Creative Times in our Classes
Here are a few examples of creativity hanging in our classes.
Visible thinking routines
Thinking routines form the core of the Visible Thinking program. What makes these routines work to promote the development of a student's thinking and the classroom culture are that each routine:
- Is goal oriented in that it targets specific types of thinking
- Gets used over and over again in the classroom
- Consists of only a few steps
- Is easy to learn and teach
- Is easy to support when students are engaged in the routine
- Can be used across a variety of context
- Can be used by the group or by the individual
Tech corner:
Tune in RadioListen to radio stations from around the world.
Wordless videos
Engage students to narrate these wordless videos.
Auto Draw
Have students write and make pictures of vocabulary
World Language Department News:
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| Got Paws? We will miss you! |
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| Spanish Buddies (Page) in Lower School |
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| Spanish Buddies (Page) In Lower School |
DON'T JUST TRAVEL, LIVE THE CULTURE!
We're continuing our Spring Break trip recaps this week, this time highlighting the wonderful experience that a group of Potomac 8th graders had in France.
At a cooking school in Paris, they whipped up a dish from scratch, later enjoying a delicious meal of chicken, carrots, potatoes, and un petit gâteau au chocolat. Everyone enjoyed participating in the cooking process.
The group also spent time in Montmartre, the artists' quarter of Paris. Under the direction of a local artist, the students sketched the dome of Sacré-Coeur Basilica and more.
To top off all of these great hands-on experiences, the students enjoyed a picnic in one of the Eiffel Tower gardens with pen pals from a French school. The young people sat in small groups, chatting in French and English. Later this month, these French friends will visit America and, on April 25, they will be at Potomac!
WHEN IN ROME...
We're continuing our Spring Break trip recaps this week with a look at the third and final destination, Rome!
Nine of our 8th grade Latin students stepped back in time during a trip to Italy to explore the ancient world. Accompanied by faculty members Sara Matey, Lucia Krul, and Henry Mulzac, the Latin students stayed in Rome and explored all of the attractions the city has to offer. Some of the favorites were the Colosseum, the Vatican, and the Trevi Fountain. The group also enjoyed two wonderful day trips. In Pompeii, students explored the ancient city and climbed Mount Vesuvius for an incredible view of the Bay of Naples. In the medieval town of Tivoli, they saw Hadrian's Villa and Villa D'Este. The travelers sampled an array of Italian cuisine, and one night even prepared their own pizzas after watching a demonstration. Everyone loved seeing the historic sites and immersing themselves in Italian culture!
STUDENTS TO REPRESENT POTOMAC AT VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (VDOE) FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACADEMIES
Congratulations to juniors Alan Vo and Tyler Sanok, who have been selected to represent Potomac at two of the VDOE-sponsored Governor's Foreign Language Academies this summer. Alan will be studying at the Spanish Academy, and Tyler will be studying at the Latin Academy. These residential programs allow talented Virginia students to experience either full or partial immersion in a language.
STUDENTS TO REPRESENT POTOMAC AT VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (VDOE) FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACADEMIES
Congratulations to juniors Alan Vo and Tyler Sanok, who have been selected to represent Potomac at two of the VDOE-sponsored Governor's Foreign Language Academies this summer. Alan will be studying at the Spanish Academy, and Tyler will be studying at the Latin Academy. These residential programs allow talented Virginia students to experience either full or partial immersion in a language.
FRENCH EXCHANGE STUDENTS VISIT THE IS
On Tuesday, April 25, IS French students welcomed 15 pen pals from Paris! The visiting students attend Ecole Collège Lycée Saint Erembert, located in Saint Germain-en-Laye, one of the suburbs of Paris. The French visitors enjoyed experiencing a day in the life of a Potomac IS student; highlights included dining in the Upper School, observing music classes, and enjoying snacks during break. Having recently spent time together during Potomac's Spring Break trip to France, all of the students enjoyed reconnecting.
LIVELY LATIN
Seventh grade Latin students spent the past week writing stories in Latin and bringing them to life using the website StoryJumper. The students worked in teams to draft and edit original stories, testing their understanding of Latin grammar. Once the stories were written, the authors used the website to add illustrations and make the tales come to life. The groups then presented their finished products to the class and took turns translating one another's stories.
Seventh grade Latin students spent the past week writing stories in Latin and bringing them to life using the website StoryJumper. The students worked in teams to draft and edit original stories, testing their understanding of Latin grammar. Once the stories were written, the authors used the website to add illustrations and make the tales come to life. The groups then presented their finished products to the class and took turns translating one another's stories.
