The Learners of Division 16

Ms K Shellard and Ms A Clouston - Grade 1/2 Class

Category: Indigenous Education

Water, Water Everywhere – Literally!

April 26, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Yesterday was our field trip to Lynn Canyon Park and Ecology Centre, where we were learning about water everywhere. We discovered so many things about water, trees, insects, forests, habitats and the environment around us. We visited the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre museum and saw some amazing exhibits and 3D maps. We took a walk over the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge and into the forest. Ask your child to tell you about the Douglas Fir tree bark and cones. Our leader then took us along the Baden Powell Trail into the forest. This is where we turned over rocks and logs to find a variety of creatures and forest floor debris. We then went to Lynn Creek to find water insects. Ask your child to tell you about the Mayfly and the Caddisfly. We were taken back to the Ecology Centre to look under a microscope at all of the creatures we had found. The park is 15 minutes from Gilmore. Your children have learned so much about the forest and its creatures. Take a trip there soon, or over the summer and they can be your leaders. Don’t forget to take a yoghurt container with you, so that they can show you how to find the water insects. Even in the rain, this field trip was such an amazing learning experience. We hope you will go discover it with your family soon! Thank you to all the parents who drove and volunteered; we couldn’t have done it without you!

Big Ideas:

  • Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment
  • Water is essential to all living things and it cycles through the environment

First Peoples Principles of Learning:

  • Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits and the ancestors
  • Learning involves recognizing the consequences of one’s actions
  • Learning recognizes the roles of Indigenous knowledge

Content:

  • Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world
  • Observe objects and events in familiar contexts
  • Experience and interpret the local environment
  • Compare observations with predictions through discussion
  • Consider some environmental consequences of their actions
  • Compare observations with those of others

Core Competencies:

  • I am kind to others and our environment
  • I get ideas when I play and explore
  • I get ideas when I use my senses to explore
  • I can share my ideas and questions

Pink Shirt Day (and Week!)

March 1, 2024 / / 1 Comment

This week we have been learning about Pink Shirt Day including this year’s theme: “All Kinds of Kindness”. Here we our in our sea of pink! For the past two weeks we have been reading books that focus on the concepts of love and kindness. Some of the titles we have shared are: Love, by Matt de la Peña, Big Wolf and Little Wolf, by Nadine Brun-Cosme and Olivier Tallec (my favourite book), In My Heart: A Book of Feelings, by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey, The Stray Dog by Marc Simont and A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker.

On Tuesday, Ms Papapanagiotou read us a book that was perfect for Pink Shirt Day called They’re So Flamboyant, by Michael Genhart and Tony Neal. I am attaching the link so that you can read and discuss it with your child. After we read the book, we designed our own personal flamingos and how we would want to look if we were a flamboyant flamingo. We then worked on writing about whether the students have ever had someone make a judgement about them or someone they know, or whether they have stood up for someone instead. This activity allowed us to reflect on the concept of kindness and what it means to be an inclusive and responsible member in our school community. We were able to connect with one another by sharing our own experiences and discussing what it looks like to stand up for others. I have attached a picture of Div. 16’s flamboyant flamingos on our bulletin board.

On Wednesday, we had a zoom meeting with the author Monique Gray Smith, a Cree writer who lives in Victoria and has written many children’s books. She shared two of her stories for Pink Shirt Day. The first was called, You Hold Me Up and the second was called, When We Are Kind. She talked about the importance of showing others kindness every day of the year. She taught us a word in Cree: tawaw, which means: welcome, there is room for you here! Words to live by! I am attaching a copy of her book You Hold Me Up to share at home.

On Thursday, we heard the true story about how Pink Shirt Day started in Nova Scotia. We then read the story called Pink Is For Boys, by Robb Pearlman and Eda Kaban. Below is the link for this story as well. Please share it at home as a family, to increase understanding of what we have been learning here at school. 

I’m also attaching a picture of us watching the zoom author visit.

  

 

Big Ideas:

  • Creative expression develops our unique identity and voice (Art).
  • Healthy communities recognize and respect the diversity of individuals (Social Studies).

First Peoples Principles of Learning: Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors

Curricular Competencies: Explore personal experience, community, and culture through arts activities

Content:

  • Elements of design – line, shape, texture, colour
  • Personal and collective responsibility associated with creating, experiencing, or sharing in a safe learning environment

Core Competency: Social Awareness and Responsibility

  • I can build relationships and be a thoughtful and supportive friend. I can identify ways my actions and the actions of others affect my community.

Ginalina Author Visit

February 24, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Two weeks ago, three classes had a zoom author visit with Ginalina.  She is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has written 3 books. She read her latest book to us called “Blooming Mountain” and sang us a song. She also shared her new music video which was inspired by the book. The read aloud of the book is not yet available, however there is a link to her music video attached below. Ask your child what they liked about the story and how many animals we counted on one page!

 

Nature Walk

October 14, 2023 / / 0 Comments

On Wednesday, we took our learning outside for a nature walk with Ms Ballarin’s class. We look forward to many opportunities this year to provide students with outside learning lessons. We asked your child to discuss with you what they discovered on our walk down to the park and to share why they picked their three different items. The students in their groups were encouraged to guess which area of the park or walk that their items came from. Stay tuned for more outdoor learning and for more information about our upcoming tree study.

Big Ideas:

  • Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment
  • Objects and shapes have attributes that can be described, measured, and compared
  • Effective collaboration relies on clear, respectful communication
  • Designs grow out of natural curiosity

Curricular Competencies:

  • Explain how participation in outdoor activities supports connections with the community and environment
  • Use Social Studies inquiry processes and skills to ask questions; gather, interpret and analyze ideas; and communicate findings and decisions
  • Engage in problem-solving experiences that are connected to place, story, cultural practices, and perspectives relevant to local First Peoples communities, the local community, and other cultures
  • Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world
  • Experience and interpret the local environment
  • Compare observations with those of others
  • Generate and introduce new or refined ideas when problem solving

Learning Involved:

  • Experience and interpret the local environment
  • Exchange ideas and perspectives to build shared understanding
  • Develop and use multiple strategies to engage in problem solving
  • Recognize the relationships between people and the environment in different communities
  • Compare observations with predictions through discussion

First Peoples Principles of Learning:

Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors

  • Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational

Core Competencies:

Critical Thinking

  • I can ask questions and consider options. I can use my observations, experience, and imagination to draw conclusions and make judgments

Creative Thinking

  • I get new ideas when I play and explore

Communication

  • I can share my ideas and questions
  • I can listen to others

Social Responsibility

  • I am kind to others and our environment

Orange Shirt Day – Day of Truth and Reconciliation

October 4, 2023 / / 1 Comment

Dear Families,

This is Division 16 in our sea of orange to recognize Orange Shirt Day. I’m also including some pictures of our bulletin board that show some of the work we have done on Truth and Reconciliation this week. We have read books about Orange Shirt Day and stories that focus on Indigenous teachings. I have attached videos of When We Were Alone by David  Robertson (whom we met on a Zoom presentation), and Phyllis’s Orange Shirt by Phyllis Webstad that you can read and discuss with your child at home.  I’ve also included a link to look up Phyllis’s new book called Every Child Matters. We had some very thoughtful and engaging discussions about these stories in: the Library, with Ms Papapanagiotou, Ms Ballarin’s Div. 15’s class and in our own classroom. We drew and wrote about what we learned and what we were wondering about. Please speak to your child about their thinking. We hope that you found some time on Saturday to reflect and remember that every child matters in our country.

Curricular Competencies:

Social Studies:

  • Use Social Studies inquiry processes and skills to ask questions; gather, interpret and analyze ideas; and communicate findings and decisions
  • Recognize the causes and consequences of events, decisions, or developments
  • Make value judgments about events, decisions, or actions and suggest lessons that can be learned

Language Arts:

  • Exchange ideas and perspectives to build shared understanding
  • Plan and create a variety of communication forms for different purposes and audiences

First Peoples Principles of Learning:

Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors

  • Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational

When We Were Alone Read aloud:

Phyllis’s Orange Shirt Read Aloud:

 

Information about Phyllis Webstad’s new book: Every Child Matters

https://www.cbc.ca/books/new-picture-book-by-orange-shirt-day-creator-phyllis-webstad-to-explore-meaning-of-every-child-matters-1.6882158

 

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