MATH
The first week of kids at home and Maths went on like normal.
The year 7 class are exploring angles and how to calculate them; while the year 8s finished writing numbers in standard form (writing big numbers in understandable means). The year 9 class was using degree of accuracy to determine how accurate an answer was and determining the error margin whereas year 11 analyzed 3D objects by using trigonometry. Conference calling has helped so much and the excitement see everybody always made each lesson so much fun. We hope to continue having fun and enjoyment throughout this trying time.
HISTORY
In KS3 this week students in Year 7 have been learning about different types of castles built in England in the middle ages. In Year 8 students are studying the French Revolution and learning about why the French disliked Louis XVI. The students have been getting to grips with interpreting sources and have produced some very mature work.
SCIENCE
What exciting, and frightful, times we are living in! The buzz word on everybody’s lips is Corona, a word hardly used before December 2019. We are bombarded with this 24/7on every media platform around the globe – there is hardly anything newsworthy but this (despised) virus. And the more time we spend watching News, the more hopeless and fearful we become. The lockdown did not help either – we now look at every person we encounter as a possible Corona incubator, especially if they are foreign…
So I decided to arm our students with knowledge as the main weapon of mass panic destruction. My first PSHE lesson focused on learning more about what Covid-19 is, what it looks like, how it is spread and what the symptoms are. The second lesson is aimed to equip our students to find correct ways to deal with the disease should someone they know get infected. This might be a harsh reality for some of our students, and we must aim not to stigmatize those affected/infected.
Meanwhile, school life continued as normally as it could. Within the blink of an eye, teachers and students mastered the art of “Canvassing” – the new platform used to continue the high standard of work we are used to. For most of my classes we finished the Units we were busy with, and had to write online Tests on the work covered. These Tests will count for the overall mark on the end of year Report, thus it is important that students keep up and do their best. Next week we will start with brand new Topics in both Biology and Chemistry, and I will continue to keep lessons simple yet interesting at the same time.
Although things look bleak on Health and Socio-Economic fronts, it is as if Mother Nature is blissfully unaware that she is amidst one of the biggest crisis’ of our lives. The sun returned to Moscow after a bleak Winter, birds are singing away cheerfully, flowers are for sale in shops (in times like these!), and bare branches came alive with signs of new life. I even saw a squirrel at school, although he ran away when I came too close (maybe he was scared of Corona too). We don’t know what the future will bring, but for me, I decided to stay positive. I will buy those yellow flowers, count my blessings on both hands, and sing my song as if there is no tomorrow!
RUSSIAN LANGUAGE
It had been a difficult week, but we have continued with some great learning and there has been interaction with both students and parents via Canvas. Many thanks to parents and students for the feedback.
PE
It has been a busy week with online learning PE lessons. It has been unusual but very interesting and fun. We have carried out T25 workouts, worked on Cardio, Ab intervals and Total Body Circuit. The students have submitted their own videos and photos showing how they have performed the exercises. There is a lot of enthusiasm! Thank you to all of students for ensuring the lessons have continued, albeit in unusual surroundings!
ENGLISH
Despite the circumstances, the learning this week has been successful. All of the pupils have adapted extremely well to the virtual classrooms to enable the lessons to continue. In Year 7 we have started reading an adapted text on Dracula. After a discussion about Gothic aspects and just exactly who Dracula is, the pupils have dived into the novel to learn about blood sucking vampires and the delights of sleeping in a coffin. In Year 8 we have continued with Lord of the Flies and the descent into savagery when people are left without authority. The Year 9s have been studying Charles Dickens and a haunted man in the Signal-Man, and the Year 11s are continuing with their IGCSE preparations and examination practice. As the sample work shows, the pupils are still able to complete and submit work, all of which can be marked on Canvas giving instant feedback to them.
