September 13-17, 2021

Bonjour tout le monde !

What a full week! We are settling into our class community in Division 9. This week we built teacher-student connections and were able to have Music class with Ms. Loo and Phys. Ed. with Mme Parks! Next week, we will hopefully be able to visit Ms. Dias in the library.

Please see this month’s Division 9 newsletter, if you missed the paper copy sent home earlier this week:Brantford Division 9 Newsletter – September

A monthly math tradition will be creating our calendar. Students were assigned a number, and asked to represent it with words, numerals, and pictures. On one side of a small card, students were asked to draw a picture of something they could count that matched their assigned number. Each day, the card representing the date will be flipped over. Every month will have a new challenge related to the math we are learning at that time.

Following the Respecting Diversity program from Jennifer Katz, we have been learning about Howard Gardner’s 9 Multiple Intelligences. We learned about different intelligence strengths, took a survey on our own strengths, and then graphed out the data in a bar graph. The graphs represent each person’s learning profile, or how we each learn best. It is important to note that the intelligence strengths are not a competition or a test, but are meant to be a reflection of how we learn, and of our interests. This is meant to encourage self-efficacy and self-awareness, but also helps me to better understand each learner. We wrote poems of ourselves, our interests and learning strengths, then added these strengths to our Class Brain.

For Math, we reviewed patterns by sorting blocks and beads. We made necklaces to hold our masks when they are removed for eating or drinking so that they do not touch the tables or floors or get lost. Using different sized beads, students were asked to create repeating, increasing, or decreasing patterns and use mathematical vocabulary to describe their patterns.

In French, we practiced vowel pronunciation and identifying nouns. We also learned about the Three Ways to Read a Book: looking at the pictures, reading the words, and retelling the story. Division 9 students were excellent at modelling the process for Read to Self, by choosing their books, sitting in one spot and maintaining focus. Bravo, les élèves!

After exploring outdoors, searching for colours in nature and what we can see, students wrote more poetry, but this time about what we experience in Burnaby! We learned a calming exercise called 5-4-3-2-1, where the goal is to find five things to see, four things to hear, three things to feel, two things to smell, and one thing to taste. This exercise can be very helpful when feeling anxious. Our poetry was based on what we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel in our environment.

Ms. Aujla visited our class on Thursday to discuss Orange Shirt Day and to read Shin-Chi’s Canoe. We will be reading more stories related to residential schools in the coming weeks, as well as participating in activities as a school to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Please remember to have weather-appropriate clothing, as Brantford participates in West Coast Recess! I hope you all have a lovely weekend, and stay warm and dry out of the rain!