Today, we read a biography about June Almeida. She was a Scientist interested in examining microbiology and viruses. She used microscopes to take photos of viruses and to learn about antibodies and the immune system. She took photos of the first known example of a human coronavirus, and her research was later used to help modern-day virologists learn about the COVID-19 coronavirus strain.

Here is a photo of June using an electron microscope.

Today, we went into our community garden to make some observations! We learned that the garden has some Morning Glory vines, which are considered an ‘invasive’ species. An invasive species is a plant, insect, animal, or fungus that can take over an environment. These species can overwhelm the Indigenous species (plants or animals that were there originally) and can be very dangerous for ecosystems.

While the Morning Glory has beautiful flowers, they can be harmful to other plants because they can climb them and kill them. We will be doing our part to remove these vines, which can ‘choke’ or harm other plants, to replace them with Indigenous species of flowers.

Feel free to watch this video about invasive species and what we can do to help:

Today, we started our new read-aloud, Stand Up, Yumi Chung!  by Jessica Kim. Here is a short summary of the novel:

“One lie snowballs into a full-blown double life in this irresistible story about an aspiring stand-up comedian.

On the outside, Yumi Chung suffers from #shygirlproblems, a perm-gone-wrong, and kids calling her “Yu-MEAT” because she smells like her family’s Korean barbecue restaurant. On the inside, Yumi is ready for her Netflix stand-up special. Her notebook is filled with mortifying memories that she’s reworked into comedy gold. All she needs is a stage and courage.

Instead of spending the summer studying her favorite YouTube comedians, Yumi is enrolled in test-prep tutoring to qualify for a private school scholarship, which will help in a time of hardship at the restaurant. One day after class, Yumi stumbles on an opportunity that will change her life: a comedy camp for kids taught by one of her favorite YouTube stars. The only problem is that the instructor and all the students think she’s a girl named Kay Nakamura–and Yumi doesn’t correct them.

As this case of mistaken identity unravels, Yumi must decide to stand up and reveal the truth or risk losing her dreams and disappointing everyone she cares about.” 

Stay tuned for more information about this new novel!

Today, we read Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years and discussed human impact on our planet. We watched a short video from our Grade 6/7s about the impact of the single-use plastic on our oceans. Then, we brainstormed some ways that we as individuals can reduce the amount of garbage and pollution in our aquatic environments.

Feel free to watch the video below for some information about the importance of recycling.

Today, we finished our novel Out of My Mind. We discussed how we can make our world more inclusive, accepting, and kind for people with disabilities and diverse needs. We discussed why it is important to honour and celebrate the different ways we communicate, whether we use assistive technology like Melody, or speak a different language, or use ASL (American Sign Language).

Please feel free to check out this amazing performance of Queen’s song “Bohemian Rhapsody” using Sign Language. Here are some possible topics to discuss:

-Have you ever seen anyone using Sign Language? Do you know any Sign Language?

-Do you think students should have the option to take a Sign Language class in school (similar to how we can take French, Spanish, or Mandarin)?

-What do you notice about the performance? Can you understand what the performers are communicating?

-What is your favourite way to communicate? (ex: through Writing, through Art, talking to a friend)

Division 5 has been very engaged in our novel study, Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper! The story follows 11 year old Melody, an extremely intelligent girl who loves music, her family, and learning about the world around her. Melody has a severe form of cerebral palsy, which impacts her ability to move and speak. Because Melody is non-verbal, and because of her physical appearance and her wheelchair, most people assume that she “doesn’t have any thoughts”. But with the support of her family, and with an assistive device called a ‘Medi-Talker’, Melody is able to begin sharing her thoughts with the world.

While Melody is not a real person, the technology that she uses in the novel is based on the machine used by Stephen Hawking. Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, which caused him to  become paralyzed. Hawking was able to use assistive technology to share his intelligence and ideas with the world, just like Melody. Click on the video below to see the Science and Technology!

Discussion questions for at home:

-What are some other tools or technology that people with diverse needs/disabilities can use?

-Have you ever felt like someone assumed something about you/judged you based on your appearance?

-Why is important that we read books with characters like Melody? What can we learn from seeing the world through her eyes?

-How accessible/easy is our school, neighborhood, & world for people in wheelchairs? What could we do to improve this?

As a bonus Science activity, feel free to check out the music video above. You’ll notice that the video has a very complex Rube Goldberg machine, and lots of examples of simple machines!