Remembrance Day: Exploring Canada’s ‘Hidden’ Heroes

As we prepare for our Remembrance Day assembly on Friday, our class has been exploring the ‘hidden heroes’ of Canada’s military in World Ward II. Have you ever heard of the Cree Code Talkers? These were members of the Indigenous community who translated messages from English into Cree as a way to protected confidential information. This way, if anyone else was listening in, they couldn’t crack the code! The Code Talkers were only one example of the thousands of Indigenous people who served in Canada’s military during both World Wars. Yet, once they returned from battle, Indigenous veterans faced racism and prejudiced laws that did not afford them the same supports and rights as other veterans. Even today, we discussed how often these heroes are often still left out of history textbooks, movies, books, and media. As part of our effort to learn more, our class is presenting some information about Indigenous military members on Indigenous Veterans Day (November 8th).

Feel free to watch the video(s) below to learn more about the Code Talkers, and Indigenous military members (both past and present):

Reminders for this week:

Hello, Grade 7s!

A few important reminders for this week:

-please make sure to return your signed Math check-in to Ms. Ramen ASAP

-your Math review is due on Thursday

–Math projects (comic) are due on Monday next week

-we will be testing our catapults (“pumpkin chunkin”) in the last week of October

-please turn in your reading and science duotangs to Ms. Ward if you have not already

-continue working on your digital portfolios & write-ups

-there is no school on Friday (Pro-D Day)

Behind the Scenes: Animating Over the Garden Wall

Have you ever wondered how animations are made? In Over the Garden Wall, they used many different techniques to create their animation. One scene in particular required many tests and tweaks… the Highwayman’s song! Feel free to check out the video below to watch the process of creating this scene:

Over the Garden Wall: Summarizing and Analyzing

As we prepare for Halloween and the ‘spooky season’, our class is exploring the mini-series “Over the Garden Wall”! We have been working to develop our skills in creating detailed summaries (including setting, plot events, characters, etc.) and beginning to craft our abilities in analyzing (noticing symbolism, creating theories, deep-diving into characters).  This show is also loaded full of interesting imagery, spooky lore, and nods to fairy tales.

Over the Garden Wall (TV Mini Series 2014) - IMDb

We are currently exploring episodes 3 and episode 4, and watching Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice make their way through The Unknown.

Stay tuned for more information and extra content!

-Ms. Ward

Weekly Reminders:

Hey, Grade 7s!

Please do not forget:

-I will be checking your Science duotangs this Friday. Make sure you’ve filled in all of your reflections!

-Your 3 summary/analogy sheets for Over the Garden Wall (orange papers) are due by Friday. If you were away for an episode, we will have a ‘re-watch’ at Recess Thursday/Friday!

-Your digital portfolio due date is coming up soon! Make sure you are working on finishing your artistic design, your write-up, and you have uploaded it to our Teams.

Your name art, core boards, and Math stock projects are now VERY overdue! I will be reaching out to parents/guardians this week if I am missing these assignments from you.

See you tomorrow!

-Ms. Ward

October 6th is World Cerebral Palsy Day

As part of our novel study, we have been learning about cerebral palsy. The protagonist in the book Out of my Mind, Melody Brooks, is a young girl with cerebral palsy. For some people, having cerebral palsy can impact their mobility, muscular function, and speech.

On October 6th, many people observed World Cerebral Palsy Day which aims to raise awareness around this condition. Did you know that it is estimated that over 760,000 people globally have cerebral palsy?

Check out the video below to watch a video where children interview Carolyn, an authour and activist with cerebral palsy:

Please note: while the children in the video have been given permission to ask questions about Carolyn’s medical history, we should always be mindful to not ask people with disabilities about their diagnoses. While some people may feel comfortable sharing, many may not, so we want to be respectful!

Weekly Reminders:

Hey, Grade 7s! A few reminders as we begin our new week together:

-Your Math Stocks project is now OVERDUE! Please hand it in to Ms. Ramen by Tuesday (tomorrow)

-Your Name Art is due at the end of the week (Friday) to Ms. Ward

-We are hard at work on our catapults! We will be testing them in the last week of October.

-Your Digital Portfolio, including the write-up, is due on Teams by the end of October

-Core boards/communication boards must be finished and ready to use by Friday this week

-Band continues Weds/Fri

Please make sure to thank your parent/guardian for making the time to meet with me during our Welcoming Conversations last week! It was great to brainstorm with them how we can help you be successful (and brag about all of the amazing things you have done so far).

-Ms. Ward

Lifespans and Lifetimes:

What do you think are the longest living species on Earth? You might be surprised to learn that humans have much shorter lifespans than many other animals! We began discussing the shortest, and longest, average lifespans for different organisms. We also brainstormed what factors, such as access to food and a safe environment, could influence or change the lifespan of people and animals.

Feel free to click the link below to learn about some of the longest living creatures (that we know about):

Lifespans and Lifetimes

We looked at a local example of long-living species… the white sturgeon! These massive fish often swim the Fraser River, and can live to be over 100 years old! However, their species has often been threatened by humans (environmental, overfishing, etc.). Now, many people are working together to try and protect these sturgeon, so that they might live into the next century and beyond!

TALE OF A GREAT WHITE FISH |Maggie de Vries