Secondary Newsletter 15 – December 10, 2021
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) – Grade 12
Counselor Corner
Science Department News
The Service as Action Expo
DP Theater Spotlight
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) – Grade 12
It is the time of the year where the grade 12 students have started their final essay for TOK. This final essay, marked by the IB is worth 67% of the student’s final TOK mark. TOK is one element of the IB DP CORE together with the Extended Essay and CAS, and can help students to earn up to 3 additional points. Students must complete TOK successfully to be able to receive their full IB Diploma. Yesterday, Thursday 9th of December students and teachers gathered in the library for a TOK – ‘Speed dating’ session in which 10-minute conversations took place to share ideas, perspectives and examples from various academic backgrounds.
The IB released Essay Titles for May 2022 are as follows;
- Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture? Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge.
- To what extent do you agree with the claim that “there’s a world of difference between truth and facts” (Maya Angelou)? Answer with reference to two areas of knowledge.
- Is there solid justification for regarding knowledge in the natural sciences more highly than knowledge in another area of knowledge? Discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge.
- How do historians and human scientists give knowledge meaning through the telling of stories? Discuss with reference to history and the human sciences.
- How can we distinguish between good and bad interpretations? Discuss with reference to the arts and one other area of knowledge.
- If we conclude that there is some knowledge we should not pursue on ethical grounds, how can we determine the boundaries of acceptable investigation within an area of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
Counselor Corner
In the health lessons in some of the secondary school grades (Grade 8,10,12), we have talked about substance use, with a focus on health risk and prevention. We had an interesting visit with three guest speakers from The Lighthouse, sharing their experiences with the students in Grades 10 and 12. (Grade 9 and 11 will get this opportunity in January).
Grade 8 had a regular health lesson on the use of e-cigarettes, more known as vaping.
In this e-news, I share with you this resource from Canada about vaping, for you to start a conversation with your children or continue the discussion we started in the lessons at school.
Science Department News
Students in all of Secondary have been conducting experiments in their science classes these past few months. Grade 6 was introduced to the scientific process (more on that later). This is an important first step in learning how we conduct proper scientific explorations. These experiences that begin in Grade 6 lead to students in Grade 12 conducting their own experiments from scratch to fulfill the requirements for their Internal Assessment for the IB. The journey from Grade 6 to Grade 12 for our students in Science shows tremendous growth and development.
Here are some snippets from various grades in Secondary Science:
Grade 6 students are coming in for a smooth landing this semester! They are learning about the Scientific Method by investigating factors that affect the flight of a paper airplane! The students designed their own experiments collected and measured data, and used the results to draw conclusions.
Grade 9 has been busy doing a lab these past weeks. They had to revisit their first unit on Waves and do their lab, since at that time they were online and couldn’t do the lab. Their focus was on the Transverse wave. This is the typical sine wave you see when you are at the beach and see waves hit the shore.
The lab was divided into two parts: 1. The design of the lab, and 2. the results and analysis of their results. The students worked in pairs to collect data and then worked on their own to write up their reports.
This is a screenshot from a student video using slinky’s to conduct their experiments.
Students in Grade 12 Biology, Chemistry and Physics have been completing their IAs this semester. This is a major undertaking because students have to complete an entire laboratory experiment all on their own. We had some great experiments that covered the following: voltaic cells, titrations for presence of different nutrients in foods, enzyme reaction rates, seed germination rates with certain chemicals, and colorimetry. Excellent job Grade 12! The final IA papers will be due in January!
The G12 ESS students have been studying Unit 6: Atmosphere. They have looked at the layering of the atmosphere, its behaviour and composition. As part of their studies on stratospheric ozone and its role in protecting life from solar radiation, the students did a lab that allowed them to measure Ozone in the air.
The Service as Action Expo will take place on Thursday, December 16 during MYP Hour in the covered courts. This event will give students the opportunity to share their experiences, both successes and challenges, as we come to a close in Service as Action for Semester 1.
The Services as Action program aims to provide students with the opportunity to collaborate and connect with global issues in a local setting. The Expo on Thursday afternoon will involve the PYP, MYP, and DP students and teachers as participants. Parents are welcome to view the decorated boards on Friday morning during the assemblies.
DP Theater Spotlight
Students in Grade 12 DP Theatre completed a research presentation project on a world theatre tradition of their choice. As part of their journey, the class participated in a research trip to Setia Darma Museum of Masks and Puppets. What an amazing opportunity to explore the fascinating cultural diversity of theatre and dance drama traditions from around the world and study the extensive collection of masks and puppets. Charlie focused on Noh Theatre from Japan, while Pablo investigated the Barong tradition from Bali.
A showcase of the original work students produced to demonstrate their understanding of the performance conventions of Noh and Barong is coming up during the final assembly on Friday, December 17.
