Ms. Coutts' Class

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News & Media Literacy

April 5, 2022 / / 1 Comment

Division 3 has been developing our digital citizenship. Digital citizenship is thinking critically and using technology responsibly in order to learn, create, and participate. Information comes at us fast when we are online, and it can be tricky telling which information is credible and which is not. Some keywords we’ve been learning about are:

  • credibility
  • corroboration
  • bias

It’s important to understand our reactions to the news. The following is an activity for you to try at home with one or more family members. Read the set up before doing the activity!

Set Up

Read aloud: The news can cause strong reactions. Sometimes we’re reacting to what actually happened. Sometimes we’re only reacting to a headline or how someone else interprets what happened. It’s important to know the difference. Reading some headlines and discussing our reactions can help us pause and think.

Activity

Read Aloud: Let’s read the headline pairs below. Then, let’s talk about the differences between them and how we or others might react differently to each headline. After each set of headlines, talk about your answers to the discussion questions.

Headline 1: “Students participate in walkout to protest new district policies.”

Headline 2: “Angry kids ditch school after district promises more officers to keep students safe.”

Headline 1: “New research shows link between social media and anxiety in some teens.”

Headline 2: “Studies show social media major cause of anxiety epidemic among young people.”

Headline 1: “Teen raises $2000 to fund new community garden.”

Headline 2: “Honour student transforms community with thousands in donations.”
Discussion

How might someone reaction to headline 1 and 2 in each case? How are the headlines different? How might those differences influence someone’s reactions?

Tips for Parents from commonsense.org

 

Métis Finger Weaving

March 2, 2022 / / 3 Comments

Today Division 3 learned a bit about the history of the Métis sash, or ceinture fléchée. We tried our hand (or rather our fingers) at a textile technique called “finger weaving,” used by Indigenous peoples all over North America.

There are different styles of finger weaving, and some can be very complex, so we started simply with using five loops (check out the instruction video here).

Students worked in pairs to help each other learn the process. One student held the yarn while the other did the weaving.  Weaving was like learning some new dance steps, but once we understood the pattern we were flying!

We only started with two colours, and some people tried three or four colours for their second try, but I wonder how it will look with five different colours? More experimentation to come! We will also try some other methods of finger weaving.

 

They look amazing! We all used the same yarn–can you think of why some weaving might be wider than others?

Pink Shirt Day👚

February 23, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Do you know what Pink Shirt Day is REALLY about? It’s more than just wearing a pink shirt! It started as an act of kindness combatting homophobia.

 

 

Here is some more information about the day and its origins:

What is something you do to spread kindness? How can you be an advocate for others?

Also, here is the short video we watched in class:

This video has lots of layers. Use your On/Between/Beyond the Line reading skills to unpack what this video is about:

  • On the line–what are we seeing and hearing?
  • Between the lines–what implicit message(s) are being communicated?
  • Beyond the lines–what connections can you make to other texts, experiences, or events?

La tire d’érable 🍁

February 14, 2022 / / 1 Comment

The process for maple syrup can begin as early as mid-February in Québec, but is often between mars and avril. During les temps de sucre, sap is slowly collected from maple trees , and boiled down into the delicious amber syrup we use on our pancakes and French toast.

Division 3 was amazed to learn that the sap that comes out of the tree is 97% water, and only 3% sugar! The sap needs to be boiled down so much that only 1.5L syrup is created from 60L of sap! One student remarked, “No wonder it’s so expensive!” Agreed–it’s like liquid gold! The sap-to-syrup process ties into our Science learning with extraction methods: getting the sap from the trees, and reducing the liquid down by evaporating the water. Check out this video on the process of making syrup!

In French, Division 3 has been learning some winter vocabulary, about the tradition of Carnaval de Québec, and about les temps des sucres. Today we enjoyed learning about and making le tire d’érable. (There are lots of recipes, but it’s a pretty simple process as long as you get the temperature right! Find a recipe here.)

We noticed that the longer the maple syrup heated, the stiffer the candy became, and at the end it became quite granular. Students hypothesized that the longer the syrup is boiled, the less water remains in the pot, and the more solid the maple syrup becomes. At the end, we were left with a sugar-like substance in the bottom of the pot, confirming our hypothesis. One student wondered if perhaps the sugar crystals settled to the bottom as the remaining syrup cools.

I hope everyone enjoyed their taste of le tire d’érable!

Division 3: Have you tried it before or was this your first time? Which stage was your favourite version (the softest, a little harder, or the sugar)?

Eye Spy

February 4, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Student in Division 3 have been developing their sketching skills. We’re learning about different tools and techniques that can help refine our drawing processes–varied pencils, erasers, light and shadow, values, and contour shading. This week we followed along with a video tutorial for learning how to sketch a realistic eye. This was the first time for many to create such a detailed drawing of an eye, and I was really impressed with the care and effort put in by many students!

Sketching helps us develop our fine motor skills, powers of observation, patience, perseverance, and revision skills. Keep up the practice and you’ll make progress!

 

 

Literacy Week

January 24, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Today kicked off the start of Literacy Week at University Highlands! We will be having various literacy activities throughout the week.

Divsion 3 had “Cozy Reading Day” to start our week. Some students brought blankets, pillows, and flashlights to make their own cozy little reading dens. As always, we had relaxing music playing, but this time we projected the image of a flickering fireplace for extra warmth! (It gets pretty chilly in here from having the windows open all day during Winter.) Maybe you could say it was almost like we were winter-camping!

Have you checked out the staff’s favourite books in the display case by the Music room? Do you know who’s who? Have you read any of the books displayed?

On Wednesday, don’t forget to wear a shirt with words on it! (Appropriate-for-school words, of course!)

Finally, don’t forget to fill out your Family Literacy Day ballot with your fun family outdoor activity! You could win a gift card to Iron Dog Books if your name is drawn! You have until Friday morning to hand it in.

Happy reading!📚

The First Computer Bug

January 21, 2022 / / 1 Comment

Division 3 has been working on coding with Code.org. We have been focusing on sequencing and algorithms with the goal to create “beautiful code,” meaning code that is efficient and straightforward. Sometimes we run into errors where our code doesn’t run as we expected, and we must review our sequence to find the “bug.”

In 1947, Grace Hopper and her team of computer scientists reported the world’s first computer bug.

It was a moth.

Click on the picture below for more information about Grace Hopper and the world’s first “debugging!”

Directed Drawing

January 12, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Division 3 has done a couple of directed drawing sessions so far. We challenge ourselves to draw with marker because then we can’t get hung up on the drawing-erasing cycle (i.e., trying to make it “perfect.” Art isn’t perfect!) We also talked about shape/lines and colour/shading can add dimension. I love how everyone’s drawing came out a little different, and some students put their own individual spin on the little green guy.

These Baby Yodas were too cute not to share!

Global Goals

January 11, 2022 / / 5 Comments

The Global Goals are seventeen goals to end poverty, fight inequality, and address climate change. Governments need to work together to make big changes in policies, but each individual citizen also has a role to play in order to build a better future for everyone.

The Global Goals were developed by the United Nations in 2015, with the aim to build a better world by 2030. We are already seven years in–there has been progress made, but we still have a ways to go.

 

 

Division 3–what are some actions you are taking or are willing to take in order to contribute to the Global Goals?

 

Happy New Year!

January 4, 2022 / / 5 Comments

Happy New Year, Division 3!

It has been an… interesting… start to 2022. I’m writing this as I sit, alone, in our classroom–what a strange feeling! Everyone is working to figure out what our plan of action will be moving forward, and we’re ready to be flexible as the situation requires. I look forward to seeing you next week!

I hope everyone had a happy, healthy, and restful winter break, and I’m sure many of you made the most of the amazing snowfall we had. What did you get up to? Feel free to share in the comments!

With care,

Ms. Coutts 😊

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