March was an exciting month of school at QISS. The Grade 2 class was able to interact with Grade 3 on multiple occasions, including the first Skype Inspires Literacy session with author Paul Czajak. Grades 2 and 3 also had a lot of fun playing a predator vs. prey game out on the soccer field that helped them understand the interactions between the two groups within a habitat. The Grade 2 students finished the unit by creating food chain mobiles displaying the transfer of energy in various habitats. March ended with an awesome surprise! Thanks to PE teacher Mr. Krakowski, the Lower School attended a presentation from a local fencing club. Grade 4 student Lucas' father is a member of the fencing club, and Lucas is a competitive fencer as well. The students learned about fencing equipment, and some students were able to go on stage and learn some standard positions. Two members of the fencing club then treated everyone to an impressive duel! It was an impressive display of skill and athleticism. To end the presentation, Lower School principal Mr. Page and Upper School principal Mr. Thorpe had a duel of their own. I'm not sure who won, but they had a lot of fun! This was a great opportunity for the students to see a unique sport, and it showed the students that there are tons of different activities that they could join here in Qingdao. Thank you to our guests, and to Mr. Krakowski for organizing the event! Enjoy many more pictures below, and click on them to make them bigger.
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Key Assignment Day for Unit 3 came the weekend before vacation, and what a day it was! The QISS Upper School held its annual Science Fair, which dozens of creative, inquiry-based experiments designed and put forth by Upper School students. This is a marvelous opportunity for the Lower School students to see the scientific method in action. The variety of theories and displays captured their attention, and truly inspired them to explore the sciences in their own studies. Though Grade 2 did not present a Key Assignment for Unit 3, it was still a busy day for the students. They began by watching the Grade 5 balloon car races, where groups of students had designed balloon-powered cars to achieve maximum speed and/or distance. The races were very exciting, and the class showed great vitality by cheering them on! The students then learned about tsunamis and crystalizing origami roses from some Upper School students. The class also attended the Grade 1 Key Assignment on forms of transportation, where the Grade 1 students did an excellent job teaching their audience. The day finished with a Chinese Key Assignment presentation from Grade 3 about the Chinese Zodiac Animals. This is something the class learned about in Unit 1, so they were ready to hear more about this interesting tradition. Grade 2 did an outstanding job listening attentively, asking thoughtful questions, and following instructions. Congratulations to everyone involved with Key Assignment Day for Unit 3!
January and February were busy months here at QISS. The entire school came together for several events, such as the week-long Festival of Words, Entrepreneur's Day, and the China Day celebrations. The Festival of Words featured English Spelling Bees held for Grades 2 and lower, Grades 3 through 5, the Middle School, and the High School. Lower School students also took part in Chinese language and character competitions. Grade 2 was well represented in these competitions, with five top-3 finishes! Yurim took first place in the Spelling Bee, and Luca placed third. Yurim was also in second place for the Grade 2 & 3 intermediate Chinese competition. Ye Seul placed second in the Grade 2 & 3 beginner Chinese competition, and Gina finished second in the Grade 2 & 3 advanced Chinese competition. They all did an outstanding job! Some of the pictures from January have already been posted on the Grade 2 Class Blog. You can click here to see the blog post about Entrepreneur's Day, and click here for the blog post featuring pictures from the Grade 2 field trip to Polar Ocean World. There are plenty more pictures from the first part of Quarter 3 below. You can click on them to make them bigger. Enjoy!
Grade 2 went to Polar Ocean World for their Unit 3 hook! The class had an amazing time on their field trip, taking full advantage of the opportunity to see these animals up close and in person. The students got to see penguins, beluga whales, arctic wolves, polar bears, sharks, eagle rays, eels, and hundreds of fish! Many students said their favorite part of the field trip was seeing the dolphin show. The dolphins displayed their intelligence by performing on command and doing several impressive tricks. It was an incredible experience that got the students excited about studying animals and habitats in Unit 3. Enjoy the pictures below, and remember to click on them to make them bigger.
QISS ended Unit 2 with our second Key Assignment Day. Grade 2 showed their knowledge of the states of matter with a Key Assignment presentation in the Lower School Science Lab. The students explained the differences between solids, liquids, and gases, and how matter can change states. The class also performed several experiments to show the properties of matter, including the fact that all matter takes up space (even air!), gas wants to expand, and examples of matter changing states. The class did an excellent job with their speaking roles and their experiments! The students displayed proper laboratory safety by wearing lab coats and goggles during the experiments. You can see more of the Key Assignment presentation in the picture gallery below. Click on the pictures in the gallery to make them bigger!
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Mr. AntonioQISS Grade 2 Teacher Archives
June 2015
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