Category: First Nations

Our guest blogger today is Isobel

Today was a fun day for div. 3. We started our day with a book called ”Shin- chi’s Canoe.”  It was about some First Nations children who had to go to a residential school. It was very sad because their experience at school sounded terrible, nothing like school today. In the book, Shin-chi and his older sister Shi Shi Etko must go to residential school again. Chin-chi has never been to residential school before. Before the children leave, they ask their father for a dug out canoe. He also gives Shi Shi Etko a small canoe as a little keepsake.Before they get to the school, Shi Shi Etko gives Chin-chi the canoe. At school Chin-chi cannot talk to his sister. He makes a new friend, and together they steal food because they are so hungry. Chin-chi often visits the river because he knows that when the Sock eye salmon return, it is time to go home. One day he floats the canoe down the river because he knows that it will get home. My class was very confused by this because that canoe was very special to him. Maybe he thought that the canoe would remind his family of him. Finally, the Sock-eye salmon returned and it was time for him to go home. He was greeted by lots of hugs, and their dad was in the workshop finishing off their very own dug-out canoe! Some observations my class made were ”Maybe the canoe was a symbol of the culture she needed to keep hidden” which is a big thought because I think that was a key point in the story.   by Isobel

We also had a guest with us today, Val from the YAP (Young Actors Project).  She taught us some drama skills. Ask your child what they got to act out and what they learned!

Reminder we are going to Wildplay in Maple Ridge next Wednesday .

Some of you still need to complete the online waiver and return your permission slips.

Remember, Monday is a pro-D day for the teachers. Have a great long weekend!

Hi folks,                    

Just a reminder that you have Young People’s Concert first thing tomorrow morning.  Make sure you are at school at 8:55.  We will do attendance and then get on the bus.  You will be seeing a show by an amazing “Hoop Dancer”.

We will have a few guest bloggers tomorrow to tell us about the show.

We will also be having a guest in our classroom tomorrow. She will be coming to lead our learning about reconciliation and Aboriginal culture. Make sure you bring your questions and thinking caps!

Don’t forget to talk to your families about the writing topic you heard about today.  “Which season (summer, fall, winter, spring), is the best and why.”  I’m looking forward to reading about what you think.

Finally looking ahead to Thursday morning, please gather your recycled supplies for building your “car”.  I saw most of your plans today and they look great. I know parents are enthusiastic to build too, but this is your project.  Tell them they can build one with you too, but you will still need to do your own (or with your partner) at school. Make sure you look at the criteria sheet we made together.   Its all about learning, problem solving, being creativity and using your imagination.  I’m hoping the next phase will be to add a power source and computer to it…we will see!

Our class has been reading some books about children’s experiences at residential schools.  Please post your pictures, comments and thoughts here.

Did you wonder what teachers do? With the help of Elaine Jaltema I led a session where teachers got to learn about smarter science, and hands on exploration for students. One group used our supplies to create what the called the psychedelic tornado.

In the afternoon I was able to hear more first hand stories of residential school experiences. These people demonstrate such sincere strength of their spirits. Very moving. This helped me to better understand how important my job is to build awareness of our shared histories.

One thing I learned was how to share thoughts, ideas, and pictures on twitter, and in the process I found lots of wonderful interesting information. Social media can be a powerful tool for learning.