Mrs. Wiedower
International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO)
Glennwood Academy is preparing to join a long line of prestigious schools in becoming part of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). IBO, headquartered in Geneva, is a chartered foundation under the Swiss civil code and has consultive status with UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Founded in the 1960s, it is a private non-governmental organization created to establish a common international curriculum and university entry credential for geographically mobile students. "Beyond practical considerations, international educators were also motivated by an idealistic vision: they hoped that a shared academic experience emphasizing critical thinking and exposure to a variety of viewpoints would foster tolerance and inter-cultural understanding among young people". IBO set out to tie students academically without boundaries across the pond and around the world, having over 1,978 participating schools in over 125 countries.
The comprehensive curriculum is developed via three programs of study. The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) is designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the total growth of the developing child, touching hearts as well as minds and encompassing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic development. The PYP draws on research and best practice from a range of national systems with a wealth of knowledge and experience from international schools to create a relevant, engaging, challenging and significant educational framework for all children. (www.ibo.org)
I believe Glennwood Academy will be well served as an IB school. In the 5th grade IB units of inquiry we have developed this year I have found the overall level of learning to be remarkable. The students create their own learning through meaningful explorations. The units of inquiry are based on the guided questions of: Who We Are, Where we are in Time and Place, How We Express Ourselves, How the World Works, How We Organize Ourselves, and Sharing the Planet. As you can see, the units are easily integrated across the curriculum with a concentration on a particular topic or standard. Please visit our school's website for FAQs and more information :)
General IBO information was adapted from online resources & materials provided by International Baccalaureate Organization.
TIPS FOR READING COMPREHENSION...
Types of Retelling
Simple retelling
The student can:
•identify & retell the beginning, middle, and end of a story in order.
•describe the setting.
•identify the problem and the resolution of a story.
More complete retelling
The student can:
•identify and retell events and facts in a sequence.
•make inferences to fill in missing information.
•Identify and retell causes of actions or events and their effects.
Most complete retelling
The student can:
•identify and retell a sequence of actions or events.
•make inferences to account for events or actions.
•offer an evaluation of the story.
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Ice Cream is good but a frozen custard from Sheridan’s is even better.
I like all furry things. But dogs are my favorite.
Crafty projects keep our class creative.
Classroom Supplies
Tissues
Dictionaries
Pencils
Expo Markers
Loose Leaf Paper
Healthy Snacks-(perishable foods are fine since they don’t usually last more than 2 days)
Games
Risk
Tournament Scrabble
Extra Scrabble Tiles
Any Educational Games
Birthday Gifts
Cupcakes
Cookies
Anything you want to bring into celebrate your child’s birthday (preferably during Recess times)
Social Studies
We will be taking an in-depth look into World War I and World War II in the upcoming months. Of course we will also be learning about other historical events including: The Square Deal, Progressives and Reform, The Great Depression, The New Deal, Civil Rights, Vietnam, the Jazz Era, The Roaring 20s etc. etc.
Our projects include a written reflection from our recent WWII books. Students chose from a variety of WWII texts including The Diary of Anne Frank, Then Devil’s Arithmetic, and Number the Stars. The work will be graded based on a Response to Literature rubric.
During our WWII unit, students will create a Scrapbook (examples can be viewed on under “Teaching Tools’ on the Photos Page) after selecting a random person from the 1940s.
As a formative assessment, students will work to create a circle web based on WWII. After each lesson they will write down 2 facts on one side of the circle/shape and draw an image on the other.
If you are interested in the 5th grade curriculum visit www.georgiastandards.org or email me with any questions you may have at mrswiedower@gmail.com
What grade do I teach?
5th Grade
Who is the principal?
Dr. Gloria Lee
How many students are there in my class?
24
What are my
favorite subjects?
Language Arts
Mathematics
Arts & Sciences and I love Social Studies
What sports do I like?
Cycling on the Silver Comet
Hiking in Helen
Racquetball
Baseball
PowerPoint Projects
For our next class project the students will work in teacher selected groups to create a PowerPoint presentation. The groups will be announced before Spring Break. Groups will be choosing from any Social Studies teaching point of the 2007-2008 year. This means they can choose to cover any particular point of interest from the Civil War to Present Day.
I would like for the students to find a focus and not speak on an overly broad topic. They may want to focus on women’s role during one of the wars or how technology has played a role in war as a whole. I want to avoid choosing to cover a topic like WWII in one PowerPoint. They can also choose specific people like Anne Frank, Theodore Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler etc. Each group will likely consist of 2-3 students.
Doing something in addition to the PowerPoint is fine. Contrarily, doing something “other” than the PowerPoint is prohibited. I want all students to become familiar with the process of using technology to communicate.
The students will be given ample class time to work on their presentations as a group. Their work will be guided by a rubric. Please have a look.
Mathematics
Our system has once again adopted Everyday Math as our mathematics program. I will assign each student a student reference book to keep at home. If you have any particular needs please don’t hesitate to ask. You can also visit my Links page for many helpful websites for you and your child. www.georgiastandards.org
I am so excited to be part of Team in Training’s program to raise awareness as well as fundraise for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I will be running a half marathon (13 miles) in Disneyworld on January 12th. I am so glad to be part of such an amazing team fighting cancer! Feel free to my TNT web-page at
