ISD Third Grade International Baccalaureate Showcase: “How We Express Ourselves”

The International School at Dundee’s third graders performed the annual IB Showcase on Thursday.

The Showcase is a multidisciplinary project that explores the IB unit, “How We Express Ourselves” with the central idea that “feelings, ideas, and beliefs can be expressed through movement.”

The performances reflected a collaboration between English and Language Arts, Music, Art and Physical Education disciplines and was funded by the school’s PTA.

Over several weeks, third graders studied the narrative elements of folktales from all over the world.

Through this lens, students identified learner profile “traits” that the central characters portrayed and in small groups selected a scene from their chosen book to work with.

Some of the traits – written by students on the back of their event t-shirts – included balance, thinker, communicator, caring and risk taker.

In Art class, students created accompanying illustrations using oversized murals to visually accompany the performance.

In Physical Education, students worked with dance instructor, Scott Sisbarro, to learn new dances and movements, including hip hop, jazz, modern dance and ballet, all set to contemporary music.

After weeks of writing, editing, painting, drawing and dance rehearsals, students presented their final stories through art and movement, all while highlighting key IB traits.

“The third grade showcase really highlights the trans-disciplinary spirit that is at the heart of the instructional model here at ISD,” said ISD Principal, Phil Hammack. “By providing students the
platform to tell stories through movement, they are able to make connections across disciplines and develop their own narrative voice. Working in groups also allows students to practice the
essential teamwork and communication skills that are so essential both in school and outside our classrooms.”

This is Scott Sisbarro’s (aka “Mr. Scott’) sixth year in partnering with ISD for the Third Grade IB Showcase. Mr. Scott has been a dance teacher for over 30 years at St. Saviour’s School of Dance in Old Greenwich, and has been the director for the past 20 years.

“I am honored and thrilled to be collaborating with ISD for the sixth year of the Third Grade IB Showcase,” said Scott.

“This year’s Showcase is more than just Ballet as it has been in the past. We introduced Hip Hop, Jazz, Country Line, Tap, Modern and Ballet and the students have worked so hard to use the dance steps to develop these new storylines. On behalf of the entire Third Grade IB Showcase team, we can’t wait to see these stories come alive through these performances,” Sisbarro added.

The Third Grade IB Showcase was a collaboration among third grade teachers, Ms. Assarpour, Mrs. Pulitano and Ms. Sangerman; PE Teachers, Mr. Bragdon and Ms. Dunn; Dance Instructor, Scott Sisbarro; Art teacher, Mrs. Buddy;  ALP Teacher, Mrs. Salvatore and the ISD PTA.

The International School at Dundee was authorized in July of 2003 as an official International Baccalaureate school. ISD is one of only 181 authorized IB Primary Years Programme schools in the US, and one of only a few elementary schools in Connecticut to receive the IBPIB Primary Years Programme accreditation. ISD offers programs for students from kindergarten through fifth grade.