Middle School English Language Arts (Mr. Arial and Ms. Leadbetter)

At Surabaya Intercultural School, we continue to teach our students via the online platform. Despite the challenges that arise with this style of teaching, the Middle School English Language Arts students have embraced the subject enthusiastically and have been positively learning about a multitude of topics within the subject. Throughout the academic year, students in all Middle Year English Language Arts classes have been encouraged to read for pleasure at least four times a week. It is advised that students create a quiet and peaceful place for this important activity. Reading can help in a number of ways with language development and skills within the subject.

Grade 6 and 7 (Mr. A)

In 6th Grade English Language Arts we are currently studying Elements of fiction. A typical class begins with a bell ringer or warmup related to that day’s topic or lesson. It is usually followed by instructions for that day’s lesson where students are given time to inquire and ask for clarification. Next we either work together on an activity as a class or in breakout sessions.

Usually students are partnered with a classmate and put in breakout rooms where they work as a team to complete the task at hand. After the breakout session is over we usually come back together as a class to discuss our work or we follow up on that day’s lesson in the following class. Students have responded well to working in small groups or pairs and I look forward to our continued progress in this regard!

The 7th grade is in the midst of an expository-informational unit. Currently, we are studying how to craft a well-worded, purposeful thesis statement. To accomplish this task, students have worked as a class to identify good from bad thesis statements.

The 7th Grade has also worked in small groups to craft thesis statements based on sample summaries paying close attention to the structural elements of a thesis. The 7th graders are no strangers to small group participation and have eagerly engaged in the lessons on thesis statements as well as other expository writing skills that have preceeded this recent endeavor.  

Grade 8 (Ms. Leadbetter)

The Grade 8 class has been working exceptionally well on their units of study in this academic year. The group began their studies with the unit Meaningful Experiences: Personal Narrative. Students considered what makes experiences meaningful and how these events in one’s life can be captured successfully in print.

The organization of narrative was focused upon with the use of a Topic Sentence, Main Body of Writing and a Closing Sentence. During the unit, students created interesting and imaginative writing about some of their life experiences; thus exhibiting much creative thought in the process. The class also demonstrated their verbal skills in the unit, with the telling of their own written narrative. Students learned how to effectively engage an audience through various story telling technique

This was followed by our second unit, Nonfiction: the Realm of the Real World. The focus of the work was to read and comprehend literary nonfiction and informational text independently and through guided learning practice. Students were able to experience a strong link to the subject of Science through given texts and other articles of the student’s choice. The group also gained knowledge of a useful way of organizing information from a nonfiction text, called a Graphic Organizer.

This enabled students to determine the central idea and supporting details of evidence to support the main topic in their reading. Finally, students were able to demonstrate their skills of Summary Writing in this unit. In
the classes, students have had the opportunity of working independently, and also as groups within Breakrooms in our online sessions. It has been an absolute pleasure working with the Grade 8 class in English Language Arts.

HS Physics (Ibu Wahyu)

The HS PPKn class is studying various topics. The grade 9 class now focuses on learning about “Sovereignty of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia”. Students study the nature and theory of sovereignty and learn to identify the forms and principles of the Republic of Indonesia.

The grade 10 students are studying “The Authority of State Institutions According to the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia”. They study various state institutions, duties and rights of state institutions and learn about citizen participation in the political system in Indonesia.

The grade 11-12 students are studying “Indonesian Archipelago”. Through discussion, students learn to identify the position, function and objectives of the archipelago insight of Indonesia. We focus on learning behaviors that show an attitude of participation as citizens in supporting the application of the National Insight.

It is great to see students showing their enthusiasm for participating in the classroom through different activities during our online learning. They are also taking responsibility for completing their assignments. Thank you HS students!

See also: A Message from Administration Alley: The Summer Reading Challenge!

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