- The document provides information about the start of the 4th grade school year at ISB, including introducing new math, science, and language arts programs. - It discusses specific units that will be covered in math and science class this week, including factors and multiples in math, and magnetism and electricity in science. - Reading and writing workshops are launching with a focus on choosing books at an appropriate reading level and learning how to generate writing ideas from personal experiences. - The teacher, Cheryl Terry, introduces herself and her background, teaching philosophy, and goals for students.

1. Wednesday 18th August, 2010
Welcome to a fresh year at ISB. We’re looking forward to a fun-filled year ahead,
full of new challenges and adventures. We’ve made it through the first week of the
4th Grade where students are learning the new routines and beginning new
friendships. We are looking forward to launching our new math, science and language
arts programs this week to get the year off to a roaring start. I look forward to
working with you to give your child the best possible experience in 4th grade. This
promises to be a tremendous year ahead!
Mathematics Important Dates
This year we will be using Math Investigations as our Aug 26th Back to School Night
math program of study. As its name suggests, this Aug 31st Late start
program encourages students and teachers to investigate
Sept 17th ISB holiday
math concepts, by constructing knowledge, thinking about
Sept 21st Late start
our learning, making connections and discussing strategies
and learning with others.
Things to Remember
Our first unit of the year is ‘Factors, Multiples and
Please make sure your child has a:
Arrays’. Students will explore multiplication in a variety
of different ways as well as looking at the connections to
• Water bottle
geometry and other math topics. This program will be • Hat
discussed more fully at ‘Back to School Night’. • Markers
Look out for our new online math handbooks. You will be
able to access games and activities to explore at home on
the Math Investigations website. Information on user
names and passwords will be sent home in the next few
days.
Science
This week we’ve had a blast launching our study of
Magnetism and Electricity. Our science program, FOSS, is a
hands-on, inquiry-based program that will fully engage
students with investigation, experimentation and exploration
of electricity and magnetism. So much so that we’ll even be
constructing our own electromagnets! Students will work
independently, in groups and as a class to learn about these
forces of nature. It is hoped that parents and students will
take the opportunity at home to discuss learning and
questions connected to our learning at school. Look out for
the Home-School projects which will encourage students to
look for connections to their daily lives.
You’ve probably already heard the buzz, so enjoy exploring
magnets and electricity with your child!

2. Reading and Writing Workshops
Our official launch of the Readers’ and Writers’ Workshops
this year has got off to a tremendous start! The students in 4
Terry just don’t want to put down their books and are loving the
opportunities to write to their heart’s content. Our goal this
year, for both reading and writing, is for students to become
independent learners. By learning the skills, strategies,
behaviors and routines of accomplished readers and writers, we
hope that students at ISB will gain essential skills and stamina
which can be carried on into later life.
Our present focus is on choosing a ‘just right’ book. To grow as
a reader, it is essential that children read books at their own
level. A ‘just right’ book should feel very comfortable for a
reader. They should be able to read it quickly, understand it
fully and gain enjoyment from it. Please support our work in
school by asking your child which books and authors they like
and how they know that a book is ‘just right’ for them.
In Writers’ Workshop we are learning how writers create ideas
and choose their topics. Many writers begin by reflecting on
their own experiences, observations and thoughts. We are
currently exploring our own personal experiences for snippets
which we can zoom in on. By focusing on small moments, we will
learn how we can fully engage our audience.
A Little About Me
Kia Ora! I’m Cheryl Terry and I’d like to take this opportunity to
introduce myself. I’m a keen traveler and hope to pass on my love of
exploration and keen sense of adventure to my new class here at ISB.
Prior to arriving in Bangkok, I spent two years in Brussels, as well
as three years in Shanghai, teaching 4th grade at international schools.
Over the last thirteen years I have lived and traveled in many parts of
the world: Oceania, Asia, Europe, South America, the Middle East and
northern Africa. As well as teaching, I fed my travel bug by working as
a tour leader for adventure travel companies.
As a teacher, my hope is to create a stimulating classroom
environment where students will be challenged and develop the skills to
face an ever-changing world. While building the basic skills is vital to
education, problem-solving, cooperative learning, and integrating
realistic situations into the curriculum are important to enable students
to take an effective part in the 'real' world.
I believe that education is much more than churning out ‘A’ grade
students, and our role as teachers is to provide a well-rounded
curriculum which teaches skills in all areas, be they academic, sporting
or social. I aim to help your child to develop positive learning attitudes
Contact Me and behaviors to enable them to succeed in later life and reflect on
their learning. My goal is to inspire students to become life-long
cherylt@isb.ac.th
learners with a thirst for knowledge, who are willing to take risks and
challenge themselves to strive for higher achievements. By providing a
Check out our class blog safe and secure environment where learning is fun, I believe that
www.inside.isb.ac.th/cterry students can aspire to reach their goals and recognize their full
potential. I’m looking forward to an exciting year ahead!