Arts Class

The current e-learning platform for Art and Design has come with its restraints in terms of not being able to collaborate in practical projects or use a variety of resources due to specific items not being available for students at home. But, this has not prevented students from developing their artistic abilities and knowledge. Currently within Grades 2-8, most of the tasks are kept drawing based, which allows all students to be actively involved in each task. Each assignment for Art and Design is delivered on either ClassDojo (G2-4) or Teams (G5-8). Each week a new assignment is set for the students that correlates with the Yew Wah curriculum and the topic that the students have been studying since they left for the Chinese New Year break.

Each Grade has its own unique topic;

Grade 2 – African Art

Grade 3 - Animals

Grade 4 – Everyday items

Grade 5 - Illusions

Grade 6 – Food & drinks

Grade 7 - Cubism

Grade 8 – Surrealism

The tasks and projects that we are unable to conduct will be given to students once we return to classroom learning. Students are also encouraged to ask questions throughout the week through ClassDojo or Teams messaging and to ask for clarification during our live lessons on Zoom (Grades 2-4) or on Teams (Grades 5-8). These live sessions provide students with face to face time, which makes the learning experience familiar. It also allows students to ask questions with their peers and gives them an opportunity to explain to others what they might not fully understand using “translanguaging”. So far, I’ve seen students providing support, translation and clarification for each other and this is making the e-learning process easier for everyone. Regardless of the situation, students have kept to their passions and talents and I have received an overwhelming amount of excellent artwork and I would like to thank all the students for their efforts, especially during this time. Please see below examples of e-learning outcomes from various students and grades.

“I would suggest anyone put their child in a YWIES school. Working in the holistic school, I think you not only have students’ who are after high grades, but I think you build a character as well. We are not a school that’s pumping out robots, we want to have students who have a good relationship, become a world citizen and have a good character. That’s the main thing and I think we have that at YWIES,” an Arts teacher said.

It is challenging time now, but, in YWIES Beijing all the teachers and staff are together with our parents and students!

English Class

In Grades 7 and 8, they have a task every day focussing on a different skill in English, whether it be a reading or a writing skill following our topic in English lessons. Grades 7 and 8 have their English lessons in the morning and we have structured in two hours of independent work time for our students to ensure they have enough time to review and complete their tasks. If they do not have a live English lesson, they will have a live Science or English Humanities lesson in the morning.

Work is posted to their Teams page every morning with a full break down, audio guides and more for them to work through. On Teams we have a chat function that allows students to ask for help and collaborate with each other to ensure full understanding of the topic.

Students are given a variety of instructional materials to help guide them through the daily tasks. In the mornings, parents and students are sent an overview of the English work for the day and the message is sent on our ClassDojo story in English and Chinese instructing them where to find their work for the day and what time their live lessons are.

Here is what a typical morning looks like for Grade 7 and 8 English instructed lessons.

On the days when we have our live lessons together, we discuss the learning objectives and share PPTs, Posters, Websites, Videos, etc. that help aid them to complete the tasks for the week. It is also an excellent opportunity for those with a lower level of English feel comfortable as we often use “translanguaging” in our live lessons to ensure complete understanding.

Our English Humanities and Science lessons are also a great opportunity for the students to further develop their English skills. Students are encouraged to work with each other and discuss their ideas and share their learning with us and their peers.

In each of our live lessons in the morning, myself and Mr Simon both attend to support each other and to support the students during this period of e-learning, which has been very beneficial to the students and provides an excellent example of teamwork and support in our Secondary Learning Communities.

Students submit their work on Teams and then are given feedback on their assignments.

See the photos for some examples of what the students are given on their Teams Class Notebooks every day.

The admissions process is still on going at YWIES Beijing. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact us as below:

Tel.: 010-8783 6006

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: www.ywies-bj.com