ICS News
Today on the ICS News, I am finally able to dive into what is happening in each class. I have decided to interview each class to find out what they are learning about. Each student that I interviewed seems to enjoy the topics that they are learning about. They are using their teachers as sources, but MYP5 is also using textbooks to find out more about their topics.
Kate MYP3
Creative Writing
It was red.
Dripping from the windowsill
The hand was in a state of slumber but it was stuck in a continuous loop of piano-like motion
It was making this tapping sound.
That tapping sound!
I didn’t think much of it at first.
Tap, Tap, Tap.
Its continuity kept me awake at night
The stench arose into the clouds of the bedroom
It started to rain.
The sun had started to set
The goody-doers who had previously had been ’agents’ started to descends the staircase of shadows
Please tell me they’re not dressed in black and white?
Please(!)
They were dressed in black & white, they had some sort of preconceived hostility towards myself
Their weaponry loaded with “words built with futility and arrows of deliverance”
“Out of the darkness and into the light” “It’s simple “they said
Once a good man, always a good man
A bad man was a good man that had not watched his footing
I remember my thoughts at that moment
It consisted of a four-letter word
I am under oath to my entire thought process to not reveal my thoughts in the public domain
I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time
I had broken my curfew again
What was I thinking?
One little slice of a piece of flesh wouldn’t have harmed anybody
It wouldn’t even harm a fly
The dinner concluded with wounds to the forearm, wrist and the upper torso and a vital rupture to the arteries and veins which were embedded inside the part-bone, part skin structure which we call the hand
I should atone for my sins
I lost count of how many deities I prayed to
The evil-doers stayed far, far, far away it didn’t matter whether I pleaded with tears or blood
The system had given me a ‘thumbs down’
Justice had passed its judgement
My ruling was over
I once had stood tall
Once I had seen everything vanish in air
“Just like that” “Click”
Just like that tapping sound.
Poem 2:
Stanza 1-The recoil of pessimism comes to fruition
Dear Gaia
The pessimists are the most subversive throughout the land
I am a by-product of pessimism
I am a product of my environment
Optimism comes like the wind
Coming and going as it pleases
Stanza 2
It's disappointed with itself.
It didn't cry with laughter.
It didn't become over-joyous with tears running down my cheeks
It watched and observed without a variation in mood or emotion
The revolution died down as quick as it scampered up
Stanza 3-The beast inside of our hearts
It might die tomorrow
It's middle finger's up to morbidity and humanity
It' will be gone before you read this message
It will be gone before you had time to celebrate
I had hope
I lost hope
It was epitome of meaning
It called it dreaming
It might die tomorrow
But there's no one watching
There's no telescopes
There's no ray of light
The darkness of the ovarian tree illuminates it
The child was sickly from birth
It's name 'Sodom & Gomorrah "
There's no one watching
There's no streetlight
There's no one watching
Stanza 4
It needs to be reminded
It knows where the knife is
I wonder who was stealing all the knives from the kitchen ?
It knows who
It rages with solitude ,and roars with angst
We thought it would be killed with submersion
It resurfaced in the darkest hour
Our darkest hour
It's last vindication
The last chance.
Stanza 5
It was just a drawing
It started on his forehead
The masterstroke ended in his stomach
Stanza 6
Its life was hauled into the trashcan
They cried with pleading with blood ‘contracts' to save it’s life
The life shook it's head
Horizontally, Of course ?
The police of liberalism remained tight-lippe d
"It was to preserve the balance" they said
The other parties nodded in agreement
Callaghan, 13th November 2016
Dripping from the windowsill
The hand was in a state of slumber but it was stuck in a continuous loop of piano-like motion
It was making this tapping sound.
That tapping sound!
I didn’t think much of it at first.
Tap, Tap, Tap.
Its continuity kept me awake at night
The stench arose into the clouds of the bedroom
It started to rain.
The sun had started to set
The goody-doers who had previously had been ’agents’ started to descends the staircase of shadows
Please tell me they’re not dressed in black and white?
Please(!)
They were dressed in black & white, they had some sort of preconceived hostility towards myself
Their weaponry loaded with “words built with futility and arrows of deliverance”
“Out of the darkness and into the light” “It’s simple “they said
Once a good man, always a good man
A bad man was a good man that had not watched his footing
I remember my thoughts at that moment
It consisted of a four-letter word
I am under oath to my entire thought process to not reveal my thoughts in the public domain
I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time
I had broken my curfew again
What was I thinking?
One little slice of a piece of flesh wouldn’t have harmed anybody
It wouldn’t even harm a fly
The dinner concluded with wounds to the forearm, wrist and the upper torso and a vital rupture to the arteries and veins which were embedded inside the part-bone, part skin structure which we call the hand
I should atone for my sins
I lost count of how many deities I prayed to
The evil-doers stayed far, far, far away it didn’t matter whether I pleaded with tears or blood
The system had given me a ‘thumbs down’
Justice had passed its judgement
My ruling was over
I once had stood tall
Once I had seen everything vanish in air
“Just like that” “Click”
Just like that tapping sound.
Poem 2:
Stanza 1-The recoil of pessimism comes to fruition
Dear Gaia
The pessimists are the most subversive throughout the land
I am a by-product of pessimism
I am a product of my environment
Optimism comes like the wind
Coming and going as it pleases
Stanza 2
It's disappointed with itself.
It didn't cry with laughter.
It didn't become over-joyous with tears running down my cheeks
It watched and observed without a variation in mood or emotion
The revolution died down as quick as it scampered up
Stanza 3-The beast inside of our hearts
It might die tomorrow
It's middle finger's up to morbidity and humanity
It' will be gone before you read this message
It will be gone before you had time to celebrate
I had hope
I lost hope
It was epitome of meaning
It called it dreaming
It might die tomorrow
But there's no one watching
There's no telescopes
There's no ray of light
The darkness of the ovarian tree illuminates it
The child was sickly from birth
It's name 'Sodom & Gomorrah "
There's no one watching
There's no streetlight
There's no one watching
Stanza 4
It needs to be reminded
It knows where the knife is
I wonder who was stealing all the knives from the kitchen ?
It knows who
It rages with solitude ,and roars with angst
We thought it would be killed with submersion
It resurfaced in the darkest hour
Our darkest hour
It's last vindication
The last chance.
Stanza 5
It was just a drawing
It started on his forehead
The masterstroke ended in his stomach
Stanza 6
Its life was hauled into the trashcan
They cried with pleading with blood ‘contracts' to save it’s life
The life shook it's head
Horizontally, Of course ?
The police of liberalism remained tight-lippe d
"It was to preserve the balance" they said
The other parties nodded in agreement
Callaghan, 13th November 2016
World News
Education is something that we typically take for granted, probably because education has always been available for us. We are fortunate for something that has been given to us and denied for others, and we don’t even realise it. Young people all over the world are fighting corrupt governments for their education, courageously risking their lives while doing so.
19-year-old Malala Yousafzai has been an education activist for many years now. After the Taliban seized control of Malala’s hometown, Swat, in Pakistan, they began eradicating female education in the name of Islam. Being Muslim myself, I find this extremely ludicrous since this decision is completely unfounded within the context of Islam. The Taliban and their leader, Fazlullah, manipulated the population, which was mostly Muslim, into believing that they were going to bring back Islamic law and follow the orders given by God in the Holy Quran. However, they abused the power they held over the population by denouncing everything they hated as un-Islamic. In Malala’s novel, I Am Malala, she describes how the Taliban and others before them have misinterpreted Islamic teachings since they do not know how to speak fluent Arabic, therefore the teachings that they claim to be Islamic are essentially lost in translation. On page 92 of her autobiography, Malala writes, “Mullahs often misinterpreted the Quran and Hadith when they teach them in our country as few people understand the original Arabic. Fazlullah exploited this ignorance.” This proves that the Taliban’s so-called ‘Islamic teachings’ were completely inaccurate and unsupported. On the contrary, the Quran explicitly expresses the importance of education to the extent that it could be counted as one of the responsibilities of a Muslim. The first word believed to have been sent to Prophet Muhammad from the Quran is ‘read’, which only proves the importance of education in Islam, despite what the Taliban may believe.
19-year-old Malala Yousafzai has been an education activist for many years now. After the Taliban seized control of Malala’s hometown, Swat, in Pakistan, they began eradicating female education in the name of Islam. Being Muslim myself, I find this extremely ludicrous since this decision is completely unfounded within the context of Islam. The Taliban and their leader, Fazlullah, manipulated the population, which was mostly Muslim, into believing that they were going to bring back Islamic law and follow the orders given by God in the Holy Quran. However, they abused the power they held over the population by denouncing everything they hated as un-Islamic. In Malala’s novel, I Am Malala, she describes how the Taliban and others before them have misinterpreted Islamic teachings since they do not know how to speak fluent Arabic, therefore the teachings that they claim to be Islamic are essentially lost in translation. On page 92 of her autobiography, Malala writes, “Mullahs often misinterpreted the Quran and Hadith when they teach them in our country as few people understand the original Arabic. Fazlullah exploited this ignorance.” This proves that the Taliban’s so-called ‘Islamic teachings’ were completely inaccurate and unsupported. On the contrary, the Quran explicitly expresses the importance of education to the extent that it could be counted as one of the responsibilities of a Muslim. The first word believed to have been sent to Prophet Muhammad from the Quran is ‘read’, which only proves the importance of education in Islam, despite what the Taliban may believe.
Young Malala Yousafzai
At the young age of 12, Malala blogged for the BBC about the lack of education and the injustice that the Taliban had instigated. After gaining numerous supporters in Pakistan and around the world, a Talib shot Malala, who was 15, and her friends on their school bus. Miraculously, Malala survived this traumatic experience and was medically treated for it in the UK.
Malala Yousafzai, 15, at Queen Elizabeth hospital, Birmingham.
Getting shot only strengthened Malala’s courage, and enabled her to gain more people to support her cause. She has given multiple speeches at the United Nations, appeared on TV programmes like the Ellen Show, and has even been the youngest to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She has petitioned to the Global Partnership for Education asking them to fund 12 years of education for all girls everywhere. The petition has confirmed its victory with over 1,000,000 supporters.
Despite Malala’s courage and the revolution she has inspired, there are still others just as dauntless who have stood up for their rights to be educated. In a heart-breaking online petition, 10-year-old Jonathan Bryan asks the world to sign this petition in support the education of those who, like himself, suffer from disabilities.
Jonathan Bryan is a disabled boy in a wheelchair, and he also suffers from cerebral palsy and the inability to voice his thoughts and opinions. According to the NHS, cerebral palsy is, “the general term for a number of neurological conditions that affect movement and co-ordination”, which means that Jonathan is constantly struggling to control his movements. Additionally, Jonathan has to be given a constant supply of oxygen.
Despite Malala’s courage and the revolution she has inspired, there are still others just as dauntless who have stood up for their rights to be educated. In a heart-breaking online petition, 10-year-old Jonathan Bryan asks the world to sign this petition in support the education of those who, like himself, suffer from disabilities.
Jonathan Bryan is a disabled boy in a wheelchair, and he also suffers from cerebral palsy and the inability to voice his thoughts and opinions. According to the NHS, cerebral palsy is, “the general term for a number of neurological conditions that affect movement and co-ordination”, which means that Jonathan is constantly struggling to control his movements. Additionally, Jonathan has to be given a constant supply of oxygen.
Jonathan Bryan, 10, and his mother, Chantal Bryan.
Up until last year, Jonathan did not have any means of communication, since the special needs school that he went to gave a very limited education. Merely because of his physical disabilities, he was labelled as having ‘profound and multiple learning difficulties’. This offensive stereotype that he was sorted into as well as the fact that the school did not help him develop any communication methods had caused Jonathon’s parents to take responsibility of his education through home schooling.
His parents have taught him to read and write using only his eyes to indicate what he is trying to say on a ‘spelling board’.
His parents have taught him to read and write using only his eyes to indicate what he is trying to say on a ‘spelling board’.
The above is an image of Jonathan’s spelling board. Although this is quite a slow means of communicating, the family has found that it is the most effective method.
After developing this means of communication, Jonathan has discovered that he has a passion for writing. Currently Jonathan publishing blog posts on his blog Eye Can Talk. He has Jonathan is also a talented poet. Here is an example of one of his most recent poems, Baking Beauty:
Filling, beating, stirring, pouring,
Baking beauty life restoring,
Dripping goodness love in sharing,
Aromatic health repairing,
Pleasant parcels held with pleasure,
Tantalising tastes to treasure.
On BBC radio 4, celebrated broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli interviews and has lunch with Jonathan Bryan and his family, asking them about Jonathan’s life. In the interview, Hardeep says, “One cannot begin to contemplate the frustration that Jonathan must feel.” This ‘frustration’ refers to Jonathan’s means of communication, since they are slow and demanding. Here is a link to the complete interview: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07zxnh5#play.
Filling, beating, stirring, pouring,
Baking beauty life restoring,
Dripping goodness love in sharing,
Aromatic health repairing,
Pleasant parcels held with pleasure,
Tantalising tastes to treasure.
On BBC radio 4, celebrated broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli interviews and has lunch with Jonathan Bryan and his family, asking them about Jonathan’s life. In the interview, Hardeep says, “One cannot begin to contemplate the frustration that Jonathan must feel.” This ‘frustration’ refers to Jonathan’s means of communication, since they are slow and demanding. Here is a link to the complete interview: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07zxnh5#play.
Jonathan Bryan, 10, and Hardeep Singh Kohli
Currently, Jonathan is petitioning to the ministers, Edward Timpson and Justine Greening, asking them to give disabled children an adequate education. The petition is titled: Stop using labels as an excuse! Teach disabled children to read and write #TeachUsToo. After signing his petition, I emailed Jonathan Bryan, asking him to expand on his views surrounding the current education system for disabled children. Here is his reply to my email:
Hi Aryam,
My views are:
My name is Jonathan Bryan and I am 10 years old. Until last year I was unable to communicate, as I am in a wheelchair with Cerebral Palsy and my voice does not work. Learning to spell, using only my eyes, has totally transformed my life, but it is only possible because my mother taught me to read and write. What brings me incredible sorrow is watching my non-verbal friends in wheelchairs miss out on the fullness of life because no-one believes that they are worth teaching literacy to, and waiting locked in for someone to give them a chance to have a voice.
In my experience, non-verbal children like me can’t be described as having Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) when they have never been taught. At the age of 4, I entered the special education system yoked with the label PMLD despite no-one having taught me; or having found a way for me to communicate. I believe children like me should be reclassified as having Profound and Multiple Access to Learning Difficulties. Special needs teachers must believe in the potential of their pupils, take the time to find out how the different children will access literacy, and then teach them. Disabled children with communication issues are not being taught in special schools. They are being babysat!
If literacy was taught to children in special schools more children would be unlocked like me. My dream is that every non-verbal child is taught to read and write. Underestimating special needs children is robbing them of their right to education and communication. Until this is seen as the abuse it is, nothing will change. Reforming the special needs curriculum must be a priority. My campaign for children like me to be taught to read and write is supported by 152,000 people on change.org https://www.change.org/teachustoo and I regularly update my blog: www.eyecantalk.net At the end of this month I am meeting the Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families.
All the best,
Jonathan
Hi Aryam,
My views are:
My name is Jonathan Bryan and I am 10 years old. Until last year I was unable to communicate, as I am in a wheelchair with Cerebral Palsy and my voice does not work. Learning to spell, using only my eyes, has totally transformed my life, but it is only possible because my mother taught me to read and write. What brings me incredible sorrow is watching my non-verbal friends in wheelchairs miss out on the fullness of life because no-one believes that they are worth teaching literacy to, and waiting locked in for someone to give them a chance to have a voice.
In my experience, non-verbal children like me can’t be described as having Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) when they have never been taught. At the age of 4, I entered the special education system yoked with the label PMLD despite no-one having taught me; or having found a way for me to communicate. I believe children like me should be reclassified as having Profound and Multiple Access to Learning Difficulties. Special needs teachers must believe in the potential of their pupils, take the time to find out how the different children will access literacy, and then teach them. Disabled children with communication issues are not being taught in special schools. They are being babysat!
If literacy was taught to children in special schools more children would be unlocked like me. My dream is that every non-verbal child is taught to read and write. Underestimating special needs children is robbing them of their right to education and communication. Until this is seen as the abuse it is, nothing will change. Reforming the special needs curriculum must be a priority. My campaign for children like me to be taught to read and write is supported by 152,000 people on change.org https://www.change.org/teachustoo and I regularly update my blog: www.eyecantalk.net At the end of this month I am meeting the Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families.
All the best,
Jonathan
Personally, I completely agree with Jonathan, which is why I signed his petition. If any of you agree with his cause, sign the petition in order to reform the special needs curriculum.
If people like Malala Yousafzai and Jonathan Bryan are out there defending our educational rights, then why can’t we support them? These inspiring young people are helping to improve the world’s quality of education, and we can repay them by supporting their causes and voicing our own opinions on any injustice that we see.
Sources:
https://www.change.org/p/justine-greening-mp-stop-using-labels-as-an-excuse-teach-disabled-children-to-read-and-write-teachustoo?source_location=discover_feed
https://www.change.org/p/stand-withmalala-for-girls-education
https://eyecantalk.net/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07zxnh5#play
Aryam, DP1, 13/11/2016
If people like Malala Yousafzai and Jonathan Bryan are out there defending our educational rights, then why can’t we support them? These inspiring young people are helping to improve the world’s quality of education, and we can repay them by supporting their causes and voicing our own opinions on any injustice that we see.
Sources:
https://www.change.org/p/justine-greening-mp-stop-using-labels-as-an-excuse-teach-disabled-children-to-read-and-write-teachustoo?source_location=discover_feed
https://www.change.org/p/stand-withmalala-for-girls-education
https://eyecantalk.net/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07zxnh5#play
Aryam, DP1, 13/11/2016
Popcorn
You were once a seedling
That no one else believed in.
But you can change to something else
All you need is to melt and…
PRESTO!!!!
Look at you now!
If you were broken into pieces,
Then you would be impossible to solve.
Your ghostly salt and melted butter,
Is celestial to zest.
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
When I smack you with my incisor and premolar,
Then you bring the sound of ten year knuckle bones
being stamped upon to my ear.
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
Before you sat there sizzlin’
On the metal frying pan
Surrounded by your brothers and sisters
who started as seedlings too.
And then…
CRASH! BOOM! FLIP! FLOP! ZOOM! SIZZLE! POP!
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
You were a greasy little popped seed,
With skin so different in so many ways,
Feel the remains of your outside crunch like caramel
And you inside being subdivided silently,
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
The light smell of greasy mollified dairy sticks shines like a diamond ring
The faded whiff of salt is invisible,
But still there.
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
I still remember the time that you were just a seed.
A seed that no one else believed in.
But I knew that you could be something else,
You just had to believe it
You are now white and fluffy and as light as a cloud,
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
You are now - a piece of popcorn!
That no one else believed in.
But you can change to something else
All you need is to melt and…
PRESTO!!!!
Look at you now!
If you were broken into pieces,
Then you would be impossible to solve.
Your ghostly salt and melted butter,
Is celestial to zest.
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
When I smack you with my incisor and premolar,
Then you bring the sound of ten year knuckle bones
being stamped upon to my ear.
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
Before you sat there sizzlin’
On the metal frying pan
Surrounded by your brothers and sisters
who started as seedlings too.
And then…
CRASH! BOOM! FLIP! FLOP! ZOOM! SIZZLE! POP!
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
You were a greasy little popped seed,
With skin so different in so many ways,
Feel the remains of your outside crunch like caramel
And you inside being subdivided silently,
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
The light smell of greasy mollified dairy sticks shines like a diamond ring
The faded whiff of salt is invisible,
But still there.
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
I still remember the time that you were just a seed.
A seed that no one else believed in.
But I knew that you could be something else,
You just had to believe it
You are now white and fluffy and as light as a cloud,
And before you were just a seedling
That no one else believed in.
You are now - a piece of popcorn!
By Robert Welton, MYP1
FIFA Ballon d'Or is near
The Ballon dO’r is near and we are very close to know who will be the best player in the world, who will be in the team of the year and who will be the manager of the year?
The nominees of Goalkeeper of 2016 are:
The nominees of Goalkeeper of 2016 are:
The nominees of Defender of the 2016 are:
The nominees of Midfielder of the 2016 are:
The nominees of Forwards of the 2016 are:
But the real question is who will be the best player of 2016 Messi or Ronaldo?
Although I want Messi to win the Ballon d’Or, I believe that Ronaldo will get the ‘Golden Ball’ because he deserves it- He won the Champions league with Real Madrid, he got the price of the best player in Europe and he won with Portugal the Euros you don’t need more than that!
By Ron, MYP4
November's top 5
ROCKABYE by CLEAN BANDIT
This song has some rap part in it as well as some slower music but the refren is quite catchy and the female singer does have a great voice. It’s a great party song or just to plain listen to.
SAY YOU WON'T LET GO by JAMES ARTHUR
The theme is love and the song quite slow. It’s similar to some of Ed Sheeran’s songs so if you are into that James Arthur will give you a similar tune a vibe.
SHOUT OUT TO MY EX by LITTLE MIX
This song came out in mid october and it got a huge love from people immediately. It’s not the typical love song it’s actually the opposite it’s getting over an ex and being a better and a stronger person. The girls in Little mix put a lot of personal experience into this song and it came out as a favorite among people and i must admit it is catchy.
This song has some rap part in it as well as some slower music but the refren is quite catchy and the female singer does have a great voice. It’s a great party song or just to plain listen to.
SAY YOU WON'T LET GO by JAMES ARTHUR
The theme is love and the song quite slow. It’s similar to some of Ed Sheeran’s songs so if you are into that James Arthur will give you a similar tune a vibe.
SHOUT OUT TO MY EX by LITTLE MIX
This song came out in mid october and it got a huge love from people immediately. It’s not the typical love song it’s actually the opposite it’s getting over an ex and being a better and a stronger person. The girls in Little mix put a lot of personal experience into this song and it came out as a favorite among people and i must admit it is catchy.
BLACK BEATLES by RAE SREMMURD FT GUCCI MANE
If you are into rap, I sure guess this is your song. This song is popular among the new challenge that people do: the so called “mannequin challenge”. Basically, you can take any moment in your life and stop it and record it . People have to act like statues and not move while the person with the camera records. When edited this song is played in the background.
STARBOY by WEEKND FT DAFT PUNK
Like the other song, Starboy is extremely catchy. The Weeknd sings through the whole song whenever it’s slower or faster and Daft Punk comes in the chorus and as well as when it came to the editing of the music, giving it a slight robot effect.
If you are into rap, I sure guess this is your song. This song is popular among the new challenge that people do: the so called “mannequin challenge”. Basically, you can take any moment in your life and stop it and record it . People have to act like statues and not move while the person with the camera records. When edited this song is played in the background.
STARBOY by WEEKND FT DAFT PUNK
Like the other song, Starboy is extremely catchy. The Weeknd sings through the whole song whenever it’s slower or faster and Daft Punk comes in the chorus and as well as when it came to the editing of the music, giving it a slight robot effect.
These were November’s most popular song I hope you give some a listen and find a favourite among them.
Csenge MYP4
Csenge MYP4
International Food Fair
This term in Design class we have taken part in the project International food. The statement of inquiry was “The culture of a community can be understood through the food they share”. Since we are an international school, there are many different cultures and the point of this project was to teach our community about a few of those cultures through food. Throughout this project, we needed to figure out how food conveys a country's culture.
Personally, my project was focused on the untrue stereotypes that are spread through the media in today's society and finding a way to prevent them through giving people a chance to try their food and how it connects to the country’s culture.
I worked with my chemistry teacher, Ms. Elizabeth Fielder whose parents are from Jamaica. I chose to work with her because I wanted to use this project as an opportunity to learn about a culture that is unknown to me. Also, since my project was about stereotypes, I decided to choose a culture that is very often stereotyped. I enjoyed having a teacher as my client because unlike in some previous projects, having someone who knows about how the IB works as a client was very helpful to my grades. Working with a teacher that I have class with was also interesting because it allowed me to learn more about her and her heritage.
There were different parts that went into preparing for the fair. During Criteria A, we researched about different aspects of our chosen culture, the problem we want to solve and on different food stands. During Criteria B, we had to research about different traditional foods from our chosen culture, pick one, develop a recipe, and lastly, design our stand through initial ideas, developed ideas and working drawings. We had one week to make all of the decorations for our stand and practice making our meal.
On the day of the fair, we had until 2pm to finish our decorations, set up our stand and make our dish. Once it was time for the fair, everyone had a table to set their stand onto. Each class came into the room and walked around to each stand. When someone came to your stand, you would have to serve them the food you made and tell them a little about your chosen culture. We had a wide diversity of cultures that were represented; British, Australian, Spanish, Indian, Greek, Maldivian, Irish, Polish, Jamaican and Tunisian. Once they tried the food, they would fill in a survey. It was exciting to be able to share the knowledge we have gained through the term and the project we have been working so hard on with other students, especially seeing them enjoy what we had made. I found the fair quite stressful because there were a lot of students keen to see our work and not quite enough time to walk everyone through the project, but it was still a good experience.
This is the second cooking unit that I have done during my 5 years at ICS so there were a lot of new skills that my classmates and I gained. Most of us had never made our chosen dish before or even any food from that culture so that was a new experience in itself. I made jerk chicken with rice and peas, which I had never even heard about before the project. Because we had a short amount of time to create our product, I learnt a lot about time management and deciding what the priorities were. I also used some new skills to make my stand such as using chicken wire to build a structure. Lastly, I now know how to make a recipe that I didn’t before.
In conclusion, even though it was hard work, my classmates and I really enjoyed this project and it was really great to look around and see how excited everyone was to learn more about all these different cultures.
It was really good for us to take part in this project as I feel that it has made us more open minded about different cultures and gave us a chance to try new dishes. I am intrigued to see what the current MYP4 students will come up with next year.
Pilar Giraldez MYP5
Personally, my project was focused on the untrue stereotypes that are spread through the media in today's society and finding a way to prevent them through giving people a chance to try their food and how it connects to the country’s culture.
I worked with my chemistry teacher, Ms. Elizabeth Fielder whose parents are from Jamaica. I chose to work with her because I wanted to use this project as an opportunity to learn about a culture that is unknown to me. Also, since my project was about stereotypes, I decided to choose a culture that is very often stereotyped. I enjoyed having a teacher as my client because unlike in some previous projects, having someone who knows about how the IB works as a client was very helpful to my grades. Working with a teacher that I have class with was also interesting because it allowed me to learn more about her and her heritage.
There were different parts that went into preparing for the fair. During Criteria A, we researched about different aspects of our chosen culture, the problem we want to solve and on different food stands. During Criteria B, we had to research about different traditional foods from our chosen culture, pick one, develop a recipe, and lastly, design our stand through initial ideas, developed ideas and working drawings. We had one week to make all of the decorations for our stand and practice making our meal.
On the day of the fair, we had until 2pm to finish our decorations, set up our stand and make our dish. Once it was time for the fair, everyone had a table to set their stand onto. Each class came into the room and walked around to each stand. When someone came to your stand, you would have to serve them the food you made and tell them a little about your chosen culture. We had a wide diversity of cultures that were represented; British, Australian, Spanish, Indian, Greek, Maldivian, Irish, Polish, Jamaican and Tunisian. Once they tried the food, they would fill in a survey. It was exciting to be able to share the knowledge we have gained through the term and the project we have been working so hard on with other students, especially seeing them enjoy what we had made. I found the fair quite stressful because there were a lot of students keen to see our work and not quite enough time to walk everyone through the project, but it was still a good experience.
This is the second cooking unit that I have done during my 5 years at ICS so there were a lot of new skills that my classmates and I gained. Most of us had never made our chosen dish before or even any food from that culture so that was a new experience in itself. I made jerk chicken with rice and peas, which I had never even heard about before the project. Because we had a short amount of time to create our product, I learnt a lot about time management and deciding what the priorities were. I also used some new skills to make my stand such as using chicken wire to build a structure. Lastly, I now know how to make a recipe that I didn’t before.
In conclusion, even though it was hard work, my classmates and I really enjoyed this project and it was really great to look around and see how excited everyone was to learn more about all these different cultures.
It was really good for us to take part in this project as I feel that it has made us more open minded about different cultures and gave us a chance to try new dishes. I am intrigued to see what the current MYP4 students will come up with next year.
Pilar Giraldez MYP5