Trips, Visits and Events
Mum and Dad go back to school
By Cynthia Kaiser, Barbara Trudeau, Ann King, Marie Roux, Martine Jablonski-Cahours, Penny Rosenfeld, Isabelle Avenas, Antoine Loue.
Mini-classes were set up on Oct. 16th for parents to discover what the SIS education project really is from the inside. Here are some parent feedbacks
Pat Short class: Poetry from the anthology for 3e/4e - “Empathy”
Our mini-class examined the poem Song of the Battery Hen by Edwin Brock. Pat Short asked us to read through the poem, one in a series she compiled to inspire reluctant readers, and share our thoughts.
Ensuring us that there were no right or wrong answers, she egged us on to examine how the poem is different from a traditional poem, the point of view from which it is written, and how it appeals (or not) to the senses with its references to moss-green apple trees, rain drumming on the sheet-iron roof, and the smell of “chicken shit.” She encouraged us to put ourselves in the hen’s shoes, or rather pen, to feel her irony about her living conditions and her pride at being unique despite sharing a building with several hundred hens who all look the same.
Pat says her aim in having students study poetry is to bring them to think for themselves and discover on their own the literary devices and allusions the poet has included in his work. Mission accomplished.
Cynthia KAISER
Peter Rist class: Third world development
- Peter Rist
Mr Rist is a graduate of the London School of Economics, and it was clear from his presentation that he takes great pleasure in discussing his subject, which he approaches with an obvious breadth and depth of knowledge.
Our wide-ranging discussion, with much parental participation, touched on such topics as developed/developing countries, sustainability in development, types of development, and the environmental impact of development. We touched on the greco-roman roots of western civilization and spoke of modern issues such as corruption and humanitarian catastrophes such as that which has taken place in Darfur, Sudan.
The varied topics of our discussion and the importance of geography in modern current events underscored the meaningful nature of this subject for our children as they become young citizens.
Barbara TRUDEAU
Betty Lau class: John Donne - Making metaphysical poets sexy
The OIB, metaphysical poets and ... sex? Could 17th century English poets captivate 21st century teenagers and even make them squirm? Betty Lau led attentive parents through John Donne’s sonnet Batter my heart, three-person’d God.
While we explored the language and images of Donne’s religious expression, Ms Lau also explained how discussions of sensual themes and imagery are handled with sensitivity and intelligence.
Impressed that our children would be capable of discoursing on these topics for the OIB orals, we left to meditate on our own definition of what «erotic» means.
Ann KING
Paddy Salmon class: Early romantic views of London - two poems
The French Revolution ... English geography ... frightening paintings on the web ... What would the study of English literature be without Paddy Salmon’s wide-ranging anecdotes to enrich our appreciation?
After answering queries about vocabulary, Paddy set pairs of eager parents to the task of finding differences between two poems: London (1793) by William Blake and Composed upon Westminster Bridge (1802) by William Wordsworth.
Within a few minutes, the teams noted several findings and the deft ability of the poets to convey either the political repression and social ills of London or the beauty of the great city when seen from a distance. If our curiosity was aroused by the intriguing context of these poems, we could then rush home to find Blake’s The Ghost of a Flea on the web, content with our new learning.
Ann KING
Vicki Salmon Creative Writing class: Grabbing the reader
- Vicki Salmon
We know that the first page is essential in any novel, but how do you “grab” the attention of the reader? This was the subject Vicki Salmon asked the parent pupils to negotiate. We feverishly tried to emulate Phillip Pullman’s fast-paced first paragraph, and then the teacher collected our papers.
Too bad we didn’t have time to really work at it! Could we have another chance, please, Mrs Salmon? We would love to be students again in your class.
Marie ROUX
Darren Griffiths class: The aims of OIB Geography
The class started at 18:30 sharp! We already knew we were not in France anymore!
Mr Griffiths explained the basic structure of the OIB examination, how geography is taught differently in the UK, and the importance of using the appropriate geographical language. The focus this year will be mainly on document questions (it is not as easy as it looks); however, Mr Griffiths assured the parents that during the school year their children would practise all the various types of exercises required for the OIB. Mr Griffiths, as well as Mr Black, works closely with the national teachers in order to complete the programme. By the end of the year, the pupils are able to write an essay in English even if they have been taught some parts of the programme in French. Mr Griffiths also emphasized the benefits of the OIB revision trip, which takes place in May. It is an intensive working week, the atmosphere is very studious, and it prepares the pupils well for the OIB exam.
Martine JABLONSKI-CAHOURS
Maryama Antoine: A comparison of Sympathy and The Caged Bird
There was no time for staring out of the window in this class. Alert parents worked hard to discover the meaning of these two American poems written nearly 100 years apart by Paul Laurence Dunbar and Maya Angelou, but connected by the powerful image of the suffering, caged bird.
Ms Antoine wrote «freedom» on the board and asked parents to find words associated with the idea. We then had to make a sentence defining freedom and look for further words to describe the emotions created in the poems. Reading each poem three times and discussing, we moved together towards an understanding of the metaphor of the caged bird: the condition of the black man in America.
After this interesting, demanding class my brain needed a rest, and I decided that I could do with a spot of fun and games. Fortunately, a nearby classroom had just that on offer.
Penny ROSENFELD
Rew Lowe: Fun and games in The Importance of Being Earnest
- Rew Lowe
Mr Lowe briefly outlined the ins and outs of the complicated plot of The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde’s witty comedy of manners, first performed in 1895. We then read an extract from the play where Gwendoline and Cecily, two young Victorian ladies who have just discovered they are engaged to the same man, are served tea by Merriman, the butler.
In pairs, we read an icy exchange between the rivals where a superficially polite discussion on the subjects of tea, sugar lumps, bread, butter and cake becomes the battle ground for a vicious war of words with each girl scornfully scoring points off each other.
Mr Lowe told us that we didn’t express sufficient anger in our roles and wanted to make us feel the contempt the pair had for each other. Back to back on chairs in front of the class, two of us played a game where we had to turn round, look our partner up and down and then wink at the class! If we managed to do this while our partner wasn’t looking, we scored a point. We then had to repeat the exercise reading the text. General hilarity ensued in a turmoil of twisting and turning, reading and winking!
My brain thoroughly exercised and refreshed, I left reflecting on the highly enjoyable evening I had spent in the company of our engaging, thought-provoking SIS teachers.
Penny ROSENFELD
Ben See class: Shakespeare "Eggs ‘n’ Jelly" - King Lear (Act 3 Scene VIII)
Shakespeare est un auteur anglais incontournable au même titre que Racine ou Corneille pour la littérature française. Ben See nous a confirmé qu’une de ses œuvres est toujours au programme de l’OIB chaque année. Les élèves des SIS abordent donc l’étude de Shakespeare dès la classe de 4e.
Avec la dizaine de parents présents dans la salle, Ben See a abordé une scène de King Lear très violente, lorsque Gloucester se fait arracher les yeux. Pour situer la scène dans son contexte, nous nous sommes servis d’un livre fort intéressant : Shakespeare in a nutshell qui résume toutes les pièces de Shakespeare en vers agrémentés d’illustrations humoristiques.
Afin d’apprécier toute l’horreur de la scène, nous avons même visionné un extrait de la bande vidéo. Et nous étions prêts pour l’analyse du texte, c’est-à-dire relever les thèmes évoqués (vue et cécité, souffrance, famille, ...) et les images employées dans le texte pour appuyer l’ambiance du moment ("you dog", ...).
Il a fallu céder la salle au professeur suivant. Chacun des participants est probablement reparti à la fois frustré d’avoir dû interrompre l’étude de cet extrait, mais aussi éclairé par tous les détails découverts dans un si court texte. Sûr que nous ne lirons plus Shakespeare de la même façon.
Isabelle AVENAS
Brian Brazeau class: Gatsby and baseball
- Brian Brazeau and Rew Lowe
Although Brian Brazeau had just flown back from the US in time for his class, he managed to cast a new light on one of the most studied novels in American literature. The Great Gatsby, he explained, «is all about baseball». A simple game that every kid can play, and sometimes play up to the top, baseball can be seen as a symbol of the American Dream. The 1919 scandal of the World Series, referred to in the novel, belied that dream and ushered in an era of greed.
Innovative, witty and fun, this is the kind of analysis that students will remember when sitting for the OIB and, hopefully, for a long time afterwards.
Marie ROUX
Ross Black class: Aims, expectations and practice of history teaching at OIB
Ross Black began by explaining the history of the OIB. The current OIB History/Geography program, taught from a British perspective, is developed in collaboration with teachers from the Education Nationale in order to avoid redundancy and build close links between both programs.
In Première and Terminale, students have two hours a week of OIB History and two hours a week of OIB Geography as well as two hours a week of History/Geography with French teachers. Consequently, the work load is heavy and challenges students to be highly motivated.
Mr Black also explained the OIB History/Geography exam. The written exam lasts four hours, with separate History and Geography sections. Each section offers a choice between a structured, essay-based question or a document-based question.
The oral examination lasts 20 minutes and covers five topics each for History and Geography. Candidates choose one of the ten topics at random and have 20 minutes to prepare their commentary.
Marking is defined by a generic criterion-based scheme established by the Cambridge inspector for History/Geography. The combined OIB exam in English Literature, History and Geography carries a high coefficient, ranging from 30 to 40% of the total Baccalauréat score.
To finish the evening, Mr Black then gave an example of a lesson and his teaching methods, which aim to develop critical thinking and analytical skills as well as dexterity in using and interpreting a variety of sources.
Antoine LOUE
Dernière modification le 15-11-06 par
