SOCIAL STUDIES

Relationships, Sexual Health, Communication and Pro-Social Skills • How do I understand and manage the changes that are happening to me? • Evaluating and practising coping, communication and problem-solving skills to manage changes and emotions associated with puberty and getting older • Understand consent and apply assertivesness skills • Understand and apply online and social protocols to enhance relationships with others and protect their own wellbeing, including recognising and responding to inappropriate online content

GRADE 8 HEALTH AND WELL-BEING Unit Titles Essential Questions:

Communication Skills for Health and Well Being

Decisions that Promote being Healthy, Safe and Active • How can I contribute to different groups and communities in order to enhance my own and others wellbeing? • How do I develop healthy communication skills? • How do I cope with conflict? • How do my personal values , beliefs , attitudes contribute to my health , wellbeing, safety and activity levels? • How do I identify and implement effective goals that will help me achieve lifetime wellbeing? • How will personal actions and decisions affect one’s overall health? • What do I need to do to improve my own health and wellbeing and that of others? • How does our awareness of neuroscience (our brain) shape our thinking , feelings and behaviors? • What are the qualities of mind that will help with personal happiness and flourishing and how do we cultivate this?

Relationships and Sexual Health • How can I develop and maintain my health and wellbeing in sexual relationships? • How do I understand and manage the changes that are happening to me? • What makes a healthy relationship and how do I develop safe boundaries for myself and others? • What are the values, expectations, rights and responsibilities in relationships?

LANGUAGES WORLD LANGUAGE

PROGRAM AREA PHILOSOPHY SUMMARY

We believe communication is at the heart of the human experience. To thrive as global citizens, we need to effectively communicate within a wide range of multicultural contexts.

We believe world language learners are able to: » communicate effectively and confidently in the international community » understand and respond appropriately to spoken, written and body language » clearly communicate ideas and information appropriate to a given audience » generalize and apply language in new situations » connect to prior learning and cross curricular concepts and ideas » understand the nature of language and gain insight into other languages » understand the concept of culture and gain insight into other cultures » display cultural sensitivity to diverse perspectives, practices and products » be flexible, tenacious, self-reliant, reflective, and take risks

We believe world language learning happens best with a communicative approach, where learners build upon prior knowledge to actively construct and monitor their understanding through meaningful engage- ment that often extends beyond the school setting. The language learning expectations and experiences are developmentally appropriate and aligned to a coherent proficiency-based curriculum with multiple entry points.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAM INFORMATION

» In the MS World Language program (Language B) we offer French, Mandarin, and Spanish. » Thai Nationals are required to study Thai. » Any students new to ISB will be given a language placement test to support appropriate course placement. » One semester of “Thai Language and Culture” is required for non-native students who enrol at ISB during MS.

COURSES

World Language standards

This course focuses on the learning standards for Level 3 on the ISB World Language Continuum. Unit Titles: Essential Questions:

The Individual - Who am I • How can I communicate when my ideas are more complex than my ability to express them?

Family and Friends • How can I explore other cultures without stereotyping?

School - Daily Routines - Activities and sports Home • How can the approaches to learning a language help solve problems both within and outside my language classes?

• How can learning a language help us respond open-mindedly to different ideas and values?

INTERMEDIATE

This course focuses on the learning standards for Level 4 on the ISB World Language Continuum. Unit Titles: Essential Questions:

Around Town • How does language change in different situations?

Shopping in Town • How do customs and products increase the understanding of cultures? (perspectives, traditions) Food and Eating Out • How do customs and products increase the understanding of cultures? (perspectives, traditions) Vacation and Travel • How does language change in different situations?

ADVANCED

This course focuses on the learning standards for Level 5 on the ISB World Language Continuum. Unit Titles: Essential Questions:

Health and Emergencies • How can we be an effective communicator? The Environment • How can the approaches to learning a language help solve problems both within and outside my language classes?

Current Events • How does language change in different situations?

Childhood (hobbies and entertainment) • How can learning a language help us respond open-mindedly to different ideas?

LANGUAGE 1

This course focuses on the learning standards for Level 3-4 on the ISB World Language Continuum which aligns to the HS Language 1 course. Unit Titles: Essential Questions:

Self, Family and Friends • How can I communicate when my ideas are more complex than my ability to express them? Home • How can learning a language help us respond open-mindedly to different ideas and values? School - Daily Routines • How can the approaches to learning a language help solve problems both within and outside my language classes?

Unit Titles: Essential Questions:

Activities - Shopping in Town • How do customs and products increase the understanding of cultures? (perspectives, traditions) Food and Eating Out • How do customs and products increase the understanding of cultures? (perspectives, traditions)

Media, Sports and Entertainment • How can learning a language help us respond open-mindedly to different ideas and values?

THAI LANGUAGE and CULTURE FOR NON-THAI STUDENTS WHO ARE NEW TO THAILAND Unit Titles: Essential Questions:

Me, Myself and I

Go Shopping

Around Town

• How can I communicate when my ideas are more complex than my ability to express them? • How do customs and products increase the understanding of cultures? (perspectives, traditions) • How do customs and products increase the understanding of cultures? (perspectives, traditions) Eating Out • How do customs and products increase the understanding of cultures? (perspectives, traditions) Exploring the Kingdom • How can learning a language help us respond open-mindedly to different ideas and values?

NATIVE LANGUAGE PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY

We believe that... » language is at the heart of human communication, thinking, and feeling » language is a marker of identity and culture, helping us to make sense of ourselves, our perspectives and our world » it is our right to maintain our own language and be empowered to acquire other languages whenever possible (academic language of the school, and additional languages) » multilingualism and multiculturalism are assets in our increasingly interconnected world, leading to higher levels of empathy and risk-taking » native language learning benefit an individual’s emotional well-being, enhances academic success, and promotes the acquisition of additional languages

We believe that Native Language Learning happen best when students: » understand the nature of learning and how it connects across and between languages » engage in various aspects of language, literature, and culture » explore a wide range of literary and non-literary text types, writing styles and techniques » actively dialogue with others through effective listening, questioning, and responding » use metacognitive skills in authentic contexts » engage with accessible, meaningful, language-rich learning experiences » have exposure to engaging, challenging and culturally inclusive practice » actively use language to promote global-mindedness » experience a strong home-school partnership

MS NATIVE LANGUAGE PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A native/near native language is generally described as a language that is used on a daily basis with at least one parent. A child with native/near native language is typically orally conversant, and is comfortable expressing emotions in this language. This language also links the child to his or her cultural identity. Literacy skills may or may not be present. On occasion, students who have had extensive prior experience with a non-native language in an immersion setting might exhibit the level of proficiency that we would expect from a near native language learner, and would therefore qualify to take part in the program.

In the MS we offer native language classes as part of our regular academic program in the following languages (minimum of 6 students): French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish in addition to Thai, if there is sufficient enrollment. We offer these particular languages in the MS, as there is a continuous support for study of these native languages in the HS through grades 9 and 10 and the IB Language A program.

Our Thai native language program is a requirement for all Thai nationals. This program is formally offered during school hours. This requirement does not necessarily exclude a student from studying another World Language. Students interested in this option should speak with their counselor to see the impact that this might have on other aspects of our MS program. All students who wish to take a native language class will need to take an oral proficiency assessment. Literacy skills will also be assessed as determined by the teacher.

Our MS native language classes may have a mix of students from grade 6, 7, and 8, and we expect a wider range of levels of proficiency in the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Teachers of our native language program will identify the proficiency level of each student in the four main skills and support each child to demonstrate continued growth and progress through differentiated instruction, and individualized support.

Our MS native language classes provide for a combination of independent study, with teacher support, and full group instruction around cultural aspects of the language being studied. There will often be individualized approaches to learning due to the diverse ages and skills of the children in the class. The curriculum and emphasis of the class will also vary based on the needs of the learners in the class.

The overarching goal of our program is to support students to make progress with and develop their native language. While the program seeks to guide students toward proficiency at IB language A level by graduation, depending on the level of proficiency of the child when s/he enters the program, we cannot guarantee that the child will achieve the level of proficiency needed to be successful with the IB language A program in the high school.

The course content and curriculum for our Native Mandarin, Spanish, French, Korean and Japanese courses have been influenced by the learning goals outlined in the MYP (Middle Years Program) Framework for Language A.

Native Language Standards

As the Native Language Program offers mixed-grade class, the program was designed as a three-year sequence of units. Below you can find the units that make up the three years of instruction.

YEAR 2022-2023 Unit Titles:

Friendship

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Travel and Tourism • What kind of tourist are you? • How can travel and tourism promote global citizenship? • How are the perspectives of those who travel different from those who don’t?

Essential Questions:

• Why are friends so important to us? • What is love? What is friendship? • How can we differentiate real friendship from superficial friend- ship? • How are we manipulated by what we see, hear and read? • What techniques do advertisers employ to influence our behaviour and decisions? • Are advertisements necessarily cultural? Why or why not? • How does culture influence advertisement?