On Monday, January 15 we acknowledged Black Excellence Day. We focused on Alma Woodsey Thomas and read 2 stories about her and created art inspired by her!

Here are the 2 stories:

Here is our art work outside on the bulletin board:

We read a story called “My Hockey Sweater”

After we were finished, we retold the story as a whole class. Once that was done, students worked in pairs to create a page from the book and we put all the pages together to retell the story on a story map. Here is what it looks like:

Big Idea: 

• Inquiry through the arts creates opportunities
• Through listening and speaking, we connect with others and share our world.
• Language and story can be a source of creativity and joy.

First Peoples Principles of Learning:

• Learning takes patience and time

Curricular Competencies:

• Explore elements, processes, materials, technologies, tools, and techniques of the arts
• Develop processes and technical skills in a variety of art forms to refine artistic abilities

Content:

• elements of design: line, shape, texture, colour, form
• principles of design: pattern, repetition, rhythm, contrast
• exchange ideas and perspectives to build shared understanding
• through listening and speaking, we connect with others and share our world
• elements of a story; character, plot, setting, structure (beginning, middle, end), and dialogue

Core Competency: Creative Thinking

• Creative growth requires patience, readiness to take risks, and willingness to try new approaches

Learning involved:

• Students learned the significance of following step-by-step instructions
• Students demonstrated increasingly sophisticated application and/or engagement of curricular content
• Students demonstrated an understanding of story elements

Yesterday, we worked with our big buddy class to create center pieces. I hope you enjoy them! Please remember to add water to them 🙂

Here are some pictures from the activity:

Big Idea: 

• Designs grow out of natural curiosity.
• Skills can be developed through play

First Peoples Principles of Learning:

• Learning takes patience and time

Curricular Competencies:

• Make a product using known procedures or through modelling of others
• Use trial and error to make changes, solve problems, or incorporate new ideas from self or others
• Decide on how and with whom to share their product
• Demonstrate their product, tell the story of designing and making their product, and explain how their product contributes to the individual, family, community, and/or environment
• Develop their skills and add new ones through play and collaborative work

Core Competency: Creative Thinking

• Creative growth requires patience, readiness to take risks, and willingness to try new approaches

Last week, we did a creative writing activity on how to catch Santa. The writing was inspired by a book we read.

Here is the link to the book:

Here is a picture of our Santas! Ask your child how they would catch Santa?

Big Ideas: Creative expression develops our unique identity and voice.

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

Content: Elements of design – line, shape, texture, colour

Here is art work recently completed inspired by this book:

And here is the art work we completed:

This past week we began coding with Bee-Bot.

Here is the link we used and students can use this at home as well.  Bee-Bot 

Here are some pictures of students working together to work through figuring out the code to get the Bot to move!

Big ideas: 

• Designs grow out of natural curiosity.
• Skills can be developed through play

Curricular Competency 

• Reflect on their ability to work effectively both as individuals and collaboratively in a group
• Use trial and error to make changes, solve problems, or incorporate new ideas from self or others
• Identify needs and opportunities for designing, through exploration 

First Peoples Principles of Learning: 

• Learning takes patience and time 

Core Competency: Creative Thinking 

• Creative growth requires patience, readiness to take risks, and willingness to try new approaches 
• I can gather and combine new evidence with what I already know to develop reasoned conclusions, judgments, or plans.