Summer Reading

Dear GSP families,
summer break is right around the corner, though it sure does not look like it today!
The question I get asked most this time of the year is: What can we do to bridge the long summer gap for our children? While there are many beneficial - and fun - activities, the most important activity in my opinion is reading! Summer is also a good time to form new habits of reading together or with a friend. And why not read in unusual places?

Our local libraries offer summer reading programs and our teachers here at GSP have put together fun summer reading activities for different grade levels. More information about the GSP program will go out by classroom teachers soon. Our GSP library is open all summer, to give your child access to our vast selection of German books as well. An upcoming summer trip, for example, can create an opportunity to read non-fiction books to learn more about the area visited. I understand that it can be difficult for a book to compete with the ever flashing electronic devices in our lives, but summer is an ideal time to unplug and read - make it a challenge and lead by example!
Here are some links to local summer reading programs:
Summer Reading Beaverton Library

Summer Reading Barnes and Noble

Play-ful Learning

After weeks of preparation our second grade class was ready to perform their play this week!
I had seen the project develop: students creating backgrounds for the play, discussing ideas and writing the script. Frau Wester put ideas from a German language development workshop into practice by giving students the opportunity to develop the story themselves. They made it their own
and the outcome was fantastic! Not only did students have fun preparing for the play but they impressed all of us with their ability to perform so fluently. I hope to be able to post the video and pictures here soon.
By creating a learning opportunity that was meaningful and student-centered our second grade class developed a deeper understanding about the German language.
Well done second grade!

Portland Adventures

Our 3rd grade students are working hard on their Portland unit.
They are learning about various landmarks of Portland and Portland's history. Landmarks range from the Benson Bubblers, to Powell's bookstore and the world's smallest park.
Students are enjoying researching and writing about their landmarks. The students practice writing full paragraphs in proper form and Mrs. Prince does a great job helping them to put it all together. Once the research and writing is done, students will integrate previously learned mapping skills by locating and marking the landmarks on a Portland map.  They will discuss site locations and best walking routes before wrapping up this exciting unit with an opportunity to explore downtown Portland on a "treasure hunt" field trip. I can't wait to hear all about it!
If you have a moment, stop by the 3rd grade board to check out the fantastic job they’re doing!”

Together we can do it!

This teacher appreciation week is all about our teachers and the amazing things they do here at GSP every day.
At GSP we are fortunate enough to have a team that is willing and able to discover its hidden talents and put them to good use. During Frau Weinhardt's visit this week (she is our German educational consultant) we started analyzing our Peer Review findings - which we will share with the GSP community this coming week- and met in small groups to learn more about how to effectively work in quality circles for the purpose of school development. This is a new professional facet of being a teacher for many of us, but as a team we have made a commitment to continue to develop and grow these skills so that we can become better teachers and GSP can become the school we all dream of.
We are also fortunate enough to be surrounded by families that care just as much and we surely appreciate the wonderful surprises brought our way this week! Thank you!
We can only do this together, but together we can do it!

Book resources

If you are like me, you are always on the search for a good book - for yourself and your children.
This can become increasingly difficult as their interests develop. Our well stocked GSP library is a good place to start and luckily our students get to go there each week during class. One of the skills they are practicing there is how to choose a good book for their reading level. Besides being interesting, the reading level needs to be challenging enough but not too hard. Especially with a second language it can be a good strategy to read a book in German that your student read in English before, this can help them expanding their vocabulary and follow even a more complex story line. We have many popular series available in both languages.
If your child rereads his/her favorite book over and over again, do not despair!
There are many websites with lists of award winning books, but the following is one of my favorite for English books because it has suggestions from Oregon students. ORCA.
For German books the following link can be a good start: Goethe Institut
And if your child is stuck with Diary of the Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants, maybe the following can change things up a bit. I believe there aren't many children's books out there written by a mathematician. This book can start conversations about how the author creates a story line, but also about how your choices lead to consequences, or you can just enjoy the quirky story together with your child! It is the winning book in the upper elementary category from ORCA this year and I promise it will change the way you order your ice cream forever! Here is the link to the book. Meanwhile
And if you like Mystery stories, I invite you to read through our 5th grade mystery stories on display next to the English room.