Grade 2 classes have been busy in the art room recently. Miss Anja asked the students to make an image that represents Norway for them. We compressed the images into a collage for our 17th May booklet, in an effort to celebrate their work.
A big thanks to Grade 2 and to Miss Anja for their lovely and colourful images!
Below is a basic overview for 17th May celebrations at Asker International School. More information will be provided closer to the date.
For now, a big thanks as always to the parents who make such days possible!
Resources
Following last years acquisition of the Nivå reading scheme for Grades 1-3, Zeppelin Abeidsbok for grade 1, Leseforståelse for Grades 1-7, and a subscription to Aftenposten Junior for 7 copies to be delivered each week, we have also acquired the Prosjekt X, Zeppelin Leseseries and Salto bokhylle reading schemes. Furthermore, the administration has also invested significantly in the acquisition of textbooks for each grade. In Grades 1-7 the Salto Series and Førsteklasses Mat are used, while in Grades 8-9 Kontekst series and Matopedia Teoribok 5-7 & 8-10 are used. This is in addition to the purchase of class set (21 copies) novels for the MYP such as Sofies Verden, Katakombens Hemmelighet, Et Dukkehjem, Barna Som Forsvant, Clue 1-4, Nærmere Høst, and Tid for Ti anthology. As always we are constantly adding to the Norwegian section in the school library and welcome any book title recommendations, or donations.
To support students who may have fallen behind grade expectation we have also recently purchased the Tim and Tom series, ABC for minoritetsspråklige elever, and the Repetert Lesing series. Additionally, to ensure that the language of Norwegian has a high status in the school one of our three designated support rooms is now used only for Norwegian.
Teaching and Learning
The Norwegian team is presently in the process of implementing some of the strategies employed by our local state schools. The team now uses the SOL
(Systematisk Observasjon av Lesing) reading approach to monitor the reading progress of students, along with the 100-500 word checks.
The team is also committed to providing academic targets for Grades 1-5 (approximately every 6-8 weeks) in student homework books. Moreover, one lesson a week is dedicated to reading comprehension.
In the MYP there are two Norwegian teachers working with Grades 6-8. Miss Karoline focuses on reading comprehension, while Miss Jeanita delivers the IB Norwegian units. The students in the MYP have also received one extra Norwegian lesson per week since we returned in January to make up for those Norwegian lessons that were missed before Christmas due to teacher illness.
I am aware that some are of the opinion that Norwegian substitute teacher agencies would be a good solution for short term cover. Personally I would much rather the students are taught by a teacher they already have a relationship with, and make up for missed time at a later date. I think it is worth mentioning that the teaching time (for Norwegian) allocated to students is more than double the required time as stipulated by the IB.
Outside of the designated three hours of Norwegian, the PYP class teachers have been introducing Norwegian maths vocabulary into their lessons and using Norwegian Maths websites & resources.
Training
The team (both teachers and assistants) has been working with Dysleksi Norge, and will shortly receive training from the kommune's reading specialist on SOL. I met with the specialist during the vinterferie. She was pleasantly surprised by the students performance in the nasjonale prøver considering our students receive only 3 hours of Norwegian a week. These results will of course fluctuate year to year due to a whole range of factors, and context is everything when reading such statistics. Additional training linked to improving the Norwegian provision at AIS includes:
Final Thoughts
I am very grateful to those parents who have taken the time to meet with me to discuss the development of the Norwegian provision on offer. Such meetings provide an opportunity to dispel some of the myths that appear to circulate the parent body regarding the Norwegian provision. They also allow me to gain valuable insight into some parental perceptions. I would also like thank the parental council for allowing me to present at the March 2018 meeting. The parent council is a fantastic avenue for having your opinions expressed - after meeting with the class teacher and the administration.
What do we hope you find when you spend a day at Asker International School? We asked the same question to our two curriculum coordinators to see what they would say. Have a read below!
THE PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME, GRADES 1 TO 5
"A typical day in the PYP is busy, engaging and alive with connections and possibilities. Following the Norwegian convention of 45 minute lessons, there is little time to waste, especially when the children may be taught by several specialist teachers in a day. The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is transdisciplinary, meaning that we try to 'join the dots' of learning to create meaningful connections across different subjects. Inquiring into Polar explorers, for example, can mean learning about compass directions, distances and negative numbers to measure temperature in Maths. At the same time, Science focuses on melting, freezing and experimenting to find the best thermal insulators; Art develops cool colours to paint Arctic landscapes. We aim to offer a balanced programme which covers the necessary skills and knowledge required by the Norwegian authorities, as well as the requirements of the International Baccalaureate. 
"First lesson rolls around and what does the timetable read? It there a double design session exploring new technologies, or will students be heading to the gym for P.E? Maybe they’ll be extending their knowledge in language learning, whether it be English, Norwegian, Mandarin or Spanish. Are they off to the Science Lab and continuing on new experiments? What new Maths challenges might they be presented with? Or is it time to ready a new performance or a new creative challenge in the Arts?
Regardless, the day will come and it will fast go. Teachers will present new challenges and students will develop new skills. Student-centred classrooms will ensure that curiosity builds and that both critical and creative thinking is needed. The expectations will be set high and students will want to meet them. They know they own the responsibility for their learning. Knowledge will grow as students communicate, collaborate and investigate across the disciplines. Connections will be made as different concepts are explored. Groups and individuals will work through the varying tasks tailored to their learning needs. Inclusiveness will be evident and friendships thriving. Another day in the MYP classroom awaits."
Gamle Borgenvei 3, 1383 Asker. Tel: +47 908 90 609 E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.