Category: Uncategorized (Page 9 of 11)
We combined art and science to create these wonderful life cycles. Students used a variety of techniques to approximate the size, scale and appearance of salmon through their different life stages and then placed them in their redd (salmon nest).
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Our salmon eggs have hatched. We now have alevin (or alevin vésiculé in French). We participated in a zoom presentation today put on by the Lynn Valley Ecology Centre about salmon in BC. Unfortunately it was quite boring and not as visual as I had hoped. We then watched a few videos that detailed how import salmon were to other animals and to their environment here in BC. We wish the students could invite you in to have a look. We will be caring for our Salmon until they are ready to be released (April/May) and we will also be dissecting an adult salmon and learning about the various organs and body parts.
Today our class got to enjoy a presentation over Zoom by the Urban Safari Rescue Society . We got to meet and learn about many different animals including a stick bug, hissing cockroach (ask your child what happens if their head gets eaten), taratula, two different turtles, a leopard gecko (ask your child what happens when their tail gets bitten off), 2 snakes, a skinny pig, a chinchilla and a sugar glider. The children were very engaged in the presentation and had many questions. If this is something that you would like to pursue further with your child, click on the image below to visit their website:
This week, we are beginning our French speaking incentive program. This is how it works:
Each student receives 2 popsicle sticks with their names written on them. If the teacher hears a student speaking primarily in English, the student will lose a stick. Students have the opportunity to win back a lost stick by making a concerted effort to speak in French throughout the rest of the day. Only teachers can take a stick away. If a student has been able to keep their 2 sticks until the end of the day, we will add a check mark next to their name. Once they have 5 check marks, they will receive a small candy (individually wrapped and nut-free) as their reward.
In the past, we have tried all kinds of different incentives such as extra centre time, extra outdoor play, bookmarks, pencils, erasers, etc.-those incentives yielded mediocre results. One year, we decided to try using a small candy as a reward. The results were better than anything we could have expected!
The students are excited and nervous about speaking French in class. We understand that we have a class of students at very different stages of their French speaking journey. We take that into account when we ask a student to give us one of their sticks. We have explained to the students that we don’t expect them to know every word in French. What we expect is that they make an effort to use as many French words as they know in their daily conversations with their teachers and classmates. As their vocabulary grows, speaking French in class will become easier. If they lose a stick one day, it’s okay! They get to start again the next day with 2 popsicle sticks.
Just to get the students prepared, we had a practice day on Monday so that everyone could get a feel for what it’s going to be like.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Our school has bought a subscription to the Je lis website (many of you may be familiar with it from last year). Your child will bring home a little card in their agenda today with the website and their login information. This website should be used in conjunction with the home reading books that your child brings home (aim for one book every night). Not all levels will be available to your child. After reading with your child, we have chosen the levels that are at your child’s level. We suggest they start at the lowest level, reading at home is meant to be at their independent level (not too difficult-we can provide a challenge in class). This website is great because students can listen to the story as well as read it themselves. We suggest that your child both read the story and listen to it. There are not infinite stories at each level, so if your child reads them all in a few days, there will not be new ones (unlike the classroom books that they can exchange every day) so spread them out and of course they can reread the stories. Happy reading.