ISSUE 4

WINTER 2022

THE DP EXPRESSTHE OFFICIAL STUDENT-LED OKINAWA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Preparing for the final exam
BY KIRARA TAKEKURA (DP 2 STUDENT)

Exams!
At Okinawa International School, the students undergo two semester exams ineach DP year and two mock exams before the final exams. For each subject,
the students are introduced to the exam styles as the course progresses.

In this issue
PREPARING FOR
EXAMSCongruently, the semester exams gradually resemble the final exam as students
are familiarized with more course content and exam styles. These exam stylesrefer to papers students must take in their final exams. The exam styles differ
among the subjects and the level of the subject (standard/high) the student istaking in the DP program. For instance, the exams for Chemistry standard levelare composed of papers 1 and 2; paper 1 is a multiple choice question paper(which is very rare in the DP program) and paper 2 is a structured response
paper that requires short and long answers. As a student who underwent theprogram, I strongly recommend that students explore past papers and examstyles before determining the subject choices. This will help the students toobserve the difference between the exams of standard level and higher level,INTERNALASSESSMENT
ITAEWON
STAMPEDEENTERTAINMENT:FILM
RECOMMENDATION

and the volume of exams for each subject. For example, the Economics course
at a higher level has an additional paper (paper 3) than the standard level
students, and the students taking the visual arts will not have a sit-in writing
exam at the end of the course.

THE OFFICIAL OIS STUDENT NEWSLETTERISSUE 4 // WINTER 2022

SCHOOL INFORMATIONISSUE 4 // WINTER 2022

Subsequent to the semester exams and completion of the course contents, the students will take a premock exam and a mock exam that imitates the final exam. Like the rehearsals before the performance, thestudents and the invigilators will conduct the exams with the same exam style, and at the same time as thefinal exams. These mock exams allow the students to get exposed to the flow of the examination andmeasure their current knowledge and skills. Personally, the mock exams have helped me to identify myweaknesses and the skills I needed to work on until the final exam. Although I was disappointed by myperformance in my pre-mock exam, I was able to work on my weaknesses, which resulted in a better
performance in the mock exam and the subsequent final exam. Thus, I encourage students not to bediscouraged if their scores from the mock exam are lower than their aims. Likewise, the main
examinations (apart from the unit exams) students undergo are the semester exams, pre-mock exams,
mock exams, and final exams.
Revision Tips!
There are 3 main revision tips I would like to give prospective/current DP students.
1.) Always keep in mind to study “effectively”
As the first graduating class of this school, it was challenging for me to obtain my own study strategy.
Thus, I underwent the entire curriculum, attempting to review all the contents learned in class to reach astrategy for the final exam. However, depending on the subjects, it is not possible to memorize all thecontents (such as History), and it will be a waste of time to take notes of the contents again without
memorization. Hence, I recommend the students explore past papers very carefully to determine what
they have to memorize, AND what skills they need to acquire by the examination before starting toreview. For instance, for Mathematics, I suggest that students solve many problems and mock exams after
reviewing the contents once, rather than reading through the textbooks repeatedly. On the other hand, forchemistry, attaining problem-solving skills and understanding the concepts are equally important, so I
recommend students go through the syllabus multiple times. These tips can be easily found online, so I
suggest students understand the exam styles and the tips very well before jumping straight into content
revision. Also, please approach seniors and the graduates like us for more detailed revision tips/strategies
for each subject.
2.) Start practicing past papers early
One of the things I realized while experiencing the DP program was that acquiring the skills to solve thepapers is more important than memorizing the contents. In the DP program, students will be trained toacquire skills such as source analysis, critical thinking, and essay writing. These skills are not somethingstudents can gain in a few months before the examination. Thus, after familiarizing themselves with theexam styles, I suggest that students solve past papers frequently even if they have not mastered thecontents yet. This will help the students to gradually acquire the skills needed to succeed in the final
exam, and also identify the contents they have to master/memorize by the final exam.

THE OFFICIAL OIS STUDENT NEWSLETTERISSUE 4 // WINTER 2022

SCHOOL INFORMATIONISSUE 4 // WINTER 2022

3.) Use weekends, summer breaks, and winter breaks effectively
Solving past papers while reviewing the contents can be very time-consuming. From my experience, there
are papers that are more than 1 hour and 30 minutes long, and with the checking time and the reflection
time, it took me an average of 2 to 3 hours to complete one paper. Thus, the students may not haveenough time to do sufficient revision on regular school days. This is why I felt the importance of utilizing
weekends and long breaks effectively even from the first year. Although students might prioritize theirIAs, Extended Essay (EE), and CAS during the break, allocating a small amount of time to revision andpast papers is also very important. However, I also feel that getting enough sleep and taking some time offfrom studying during the break are equally important. Experiencing DP, I realized what makes DP very
challenging is the workload students have to handle. I had a very difficult time reviewing the contents
while trying to complete my EE, CAS activities, and six IAs. Thus, many DP students are often sleepdeprived like I was; I had countless nights where I did not sleep at all. Therefore, long breaks andweekends allow the students to charge their energy again by getting sufficient amounts of sleep.
Likewise, I advise the prospective DP students to use their breaks effectively (starting from the first year),by balancing school work and resting.

Internal Assessments
BY KIRARA TAKEKURA (DP 2 STUDENT)An Internal Assessment (IA) is a compulsory examination evaluated by the subject teacher, which is incontrast to the external exam that includes exams taken at the end of the course, and students are evaluatedby the IB examiners. Students must complete an IA for each subject, and the assessment could be an oral
examination in languages, fieldwork in geography, laboratory work in the sciences, investigations inmathematics, and artistic performances in the arts. The tips I could give on the IAs are first, be very
cautious in selecting the topic/pieces before you begin. IA is not something that students can complete in aday, and depending on the topic you have chosen, it may take students longer and more time to complete
their work. For example, for my History IA, I changed my topic from “To what extent was Englisheducation in elementary schools embraced by Okinawan educators and civilians under the US occupationfrom 1945 to 1972” to “To what extent was the German intervention in the Spanish Civil War due toideological reasons?” This leads to my second tip: read exemplar papers very well and understand thecriteria before selecting the topic. I only briefly read the criteria and the exemplar papers before starting thefirst draft for my first topic. However, after analyzing the exemplar papers and evaluating my paper against
the criteria, I realized that it is very challenging to show perspectives and conduct a deep analysis of thetopic. After rewriting my essay several times, I decided to change my topic to something I could write abetter essay with. Likewise, for any subjects, students should read (in-depth!) the exemplar papers,
understand the criteria, AND write their own outline before starting the IA process.

THE OFFICIAL OIS STUDENT NEWSLETTERISSUE 4 // WINTER 2022

WORLD NEWS / ETHICSISSUE 4 // WINTER 2022

Inada, K. (2022). Embassy: 2 Japanese women among dead in Seoul
Stampede. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14756470

ITAEWON STAMPEDEBY SUBIN SHIN (DP 2 STUDENT)

Less than a month ago, on the night of October 29th, over 150 people were killed in a stampede inItaewon, one of South Korea’s most popular nightlife districts. More than 100,000 people – mostly in theirteens and 20s – converged in a narrow, down-sloping street near Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon during aHalloween celebration. People pushed and thrusted into each other, falling and in the same while knocking
others down, which created a piling up of people that trapped others from escaping, akin to a domino. The
casualties encompassed not only Koreans but also foreigners, with 2 Japanese women included.
This reputed “tragedy” by the South Korean government is the worst disaster that has occurred in thecountry since the sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014 which killed 304 people, a majority of them being
high school students who were on a field trip. As a Korean, the news was a both a sorrow and amortification that had demonstrated the incompetence of the government and partially the dangercomplacent behavior of Koreans to the world. When I first encountered the news on NHK, I could not
believe what I was hearing because it was an accident rather unanticipated in today’s world. Although athird party, my condolences were with the bereaved. I also could not fully spare myself from theresponsibility I felt as a Korean for not being able to make Korea a safe and contented place for theforeigners who have passed away.

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WORLD NEWS/ ETHICS

Nonetheless, I also could not curtail the anger I had for the government and authority that haddemonstrated none but poor planning, control, and management. Despite the possibility that occurrencessuch as this were eventual and were not completely unforeseen, the accident would have been avoided if
the authority had allocated a police force at the right time. The government should also have prepared andenforced a proper manual where heavy crowds were expected. I was let down again by not only theineptitude but also the responsibility-evading behavior of the government to cope with situations likethese. Instead of pinning down a certain group to blame, South Korea needs to realize the greater
importance of preventing such accidents henceforth.
I also interviewed a few OIS students regarding the stampede to see how the incident was reflected in
middle and high school students studying in Japan, a country that is being compared with Korea withrespect to the management of the Halloween celebration in Shibuya, a nightlife district like Itaewon. Manystated that they were “shocked” by the news. Niina Tokuda from DP1 remarked that she was “sad thatmost of the casualties were young.” Most students also stated that the event was caused by a lack ofcommunication and security practices and that it could have been evaded. Lana Weightman from MYP5
had commented that the “administrative systems could be improved to inform the [bereaved] morequickly,” and that a revision of the planning of the Halloween celebration that takes greater considerationof the participants is imperative hereinafter.
After hearing our opinions, what is your outlook on the accident?

References:Lock, S. (1 November, 2022). Crowd crushes: how disasters like Itaewon happen, how can they be prevented, and the‘stampede’ myth. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/01/how-do-crowd-crushes-happen-stampedemyth-what-happened-in-the-seoul-itaewon-halloween-crush
The Korea Times. (30 October, 2022). At least 151 killed, 82 injured in Halloween stampede in Seoul's Itaewon.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/11/113_338821.html
Hur, A. (17 November, 2022). Young South Koreans Don’t Trust a State That Betrays Them. FP.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/11/17/southkorea-itaewon-stampede-halloween/

THE OFFICIAL OIS STUDENT NEWSLETTERISSUE 4 // WINTER 2022

ENTERTAINMENTISSUE 4 //WINTER 2022

Winter Movie Rec.
BY SUBIN SHIN (DP 2 STUDENT)In addition to well-known winter movies such as Frozen,
Chronicles of Narnia, and the beloved Home Alone, I havea lesser-known winter movie that you might enjoy withyour family snuggled up on your couch drinking hot cocoa.
The movie I would like to recommend this time of the year
is Little Women (1949). Many of you would have watchedor at least heard of the 2019 version of the movie, starring
Emma Watson. While I think the 2019 film was a great
retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved classic I haveadored since childhood.
The four March sisters, with their father away at war, findmeans to cope with privation throughout winter and harshencounters within the family. Along the way, they grow up,
finding love and their own place in the world. This comingof-age story is one that I believe resonates with all
generations despite the time gap between now and the time
it was originally published. I believe this version of Little
Women encapsulates the warmth of winter and familial love
flawlessly.
P.S. I have also made some donations to the school library,
so feel free to check them out whenever you visit thelibrary!

IMDb. (n.d.). Little Women (1949).
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041594/

Final Thoughts & Acknowledgments
BY SUBIN SHIN (DP2 STUDENT)

Special thanks to Tom Hamashima (DP1), Niina Tokuda (DP1), Kanna Sueyoshi (ILA2), Lana Weightman(MYP5), and Momo Oshiro (MYP5) who have participated in an online survey and contributed to thenewsletter with their valuable opinions, and Mrs. Sueyoshi, Mr. Tang, and Mr. Okuma who have supported
us throughout our project.
This is the end of online school newsletters from us DP2 students! Thank you for being a part of thereadership for a year-long journey. Without your readership, this project would not have been possible. Do
not be saddened, however. After our graduation, the incoming DP students will follow in our footsteps andcontinue bringing informative and intriguing newsletters for all of you!

THE OFFICIAL OIS STUDENT NEWSLETTERISSUE 4 // WINTER 2022