Category: Cross-Curricular (Page 4 of 7)

The Best Caterpillar in the World?

November 23, 2022 / Ms.C / 0 Comments

Division 3 has been learning about how living things adapt and evolve to be successful in specific environments–meaning they can meet their survival needs. Living things need food, water, air, space, strategies for successful reproduction, and a way to stay safe from predators in order to continue thriving in an ecosystem.

Mimicry is one way that some animals protect themselves from predators. Yesterday we watched a video about the amazing Hawks Moth Caterpillar. Watch how this prey animal turns into (what looks like) a predatory one to scare away its own predator!

Division 3 has had the opportunity to work with the Inquiry Beaty Box, borrowed from the Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC. We have been carefully observing and making sketches of the specimens, and then analyzing and hypothesizing about how some of the various structures or characteristics of the organism benefit its survival in relation to where it lives.

Douglas fir bark and cones, and Eastern grey squirrel skeleton

Nature is truly amazing!

Division 3 — what was a structure or a characteristic of your specimen that contributed to its survival success in its particular ecosystem? Can you think of another example from outside of the Beaty Box?

Stack Up!

November 15, 2022 / Ms.C / 1 Comment

Between November 15-17, speed stackers from around the world participate in the Stack Up event. Each class participating is registered as part of the official worldwide count–the record for the most people stacking was 638,503 in 2019! I wonder if we will beat it this year?

For our stacking day, we did a few different activities including making a horizontal snake, setting some new cycle stacking records, and a competition for working together as a team to make big triangle stacks (I am amazed they didn’t come tumbling down while they were being built!)

We have mini stacks to challenge your dexterity, and heavy metal cups to build strength and precision.

Practicing with the mini metal cups, and the agony of defeat (background) with the large metal cups.

Almost there! Be careful not to knock it down!

1of15

Here’s a time lapse of one group downstacking their whole stack! They came up with an efficient system where they grabbed a cup, circled around, stacked their cups, and came around again. Great team work!

How many cups do you think were in their stack?

In Flanders Fields – Remembrance Day Assembly

November 14, 2022 / Ms.C / 0 Comments

As mentioned in the previous post, Division 3 arranged and recited the poem “In Flanders Fields” during UHE’s Remembrance Day assembly. They performed in front of the whole school, and should be commended for their effort and focus during this assembly. As some of the eldest students in our school community, they led by example and helped set the appropriate tone for our gathering.

Chorale Reading

November 9, 2022 / Ms.C / 0 Comments

In preparation for the Remembrance Day assembly, Division 3 has been working on a dramatic chorale reading of John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Fields.

Chorale reading requires all performers to develop a “stage voice” where they must speak clearly and audibly. This process also provides an opportunity for some creativity with how we share the words. We discussed how to vary volume, pitch, tone, and speed, and how we could emphasize certain parts of the poem by having everyone, a small group, or just one performer speaking at a time.

Performer and director notes can be messy! Taking notes while reviewing and practicing a script helps us understand our cues and reminds us where we need to emphasize or pause. When we rehearse in an intentional way, we can run on auto-pilot for the performance!

To start off, we worked in three groups: each group examining one verse, and deciding on how it could be read for maximum effect using some various chorale reading strategies. Each small group shared their “rough” cut, and the rest of the students discussed what was most effective.

Then, as a whole group, we took ideas from each small working group and started developing our whole-class performance. After many rehearsals and feedback, we are ready to perform! Practice makes progress, and while we may not be “perfect,” Division 3 should be very proud of the work they’ve put in to perform this powerful piece.

Have a Safe & Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2022 / Ms.C / 0 Comments

If you’re going out tonight: be sure to make safe and respectful choices, and have fun! See you tomorrow! 🎃🦇👻

Success Isn’t Linear

October 27, 2022 / Ms.C / 4 Comments

Today we watched a video of Yoann Bourgeois, a French aerobatic dancer, performing his piece entitled Success Isn’t Linear. As he ascends the staircase, he repeatedly falls off, bouncing off a trampoline, and alighting again on the staircase. We can see him reaching as he climbs, and despite multiple falls, he continues working his way to the top. In addition to the carefully choreographed movements, how does the music add to the overall feeling of the piece?

In what ways does this concept of Success Isn’t Linear relate to the First Peoples’ Learning Principle that “learning takes patience and time?”

Rose Hip Tea

October 26, 2022 / Ms.C / 0 Comments

Yesterday Division 3 had our first Roots2Grow session of the year. We helped prune back plants and bushes, picked oregano, harvested corn, and planted garlic. We also got to take home some dried oregano and lavender from our school garden.

While we were harvesting, we noticed that the rose hips were out and ready to be picked and so we harvested some. Indigenous communities have long used rose hips to stay healthy through the winter months. Rose hips are packed with vitamin C (good for your immune system), vitamin A (for cardiovascular health), and zinc (also for immunity). They are also a source of calcium, magnesium, and iron which benefit our cardiovascular and bone health.

Today we used the rose hips to make a tea with freshly gathered mint, and honey. Have a look in the forest around you–you can make your own tea at home, too! Some people add lemon juice or ginger to their rose hip tea as well. Our rose hip tea was quite weak as we were trying to make a big batch with a limited supply of rose hips.

Bright red rose hips and refreshing mint leaves will be our tea ingredients.

Heating up! The rose hips are a beautiful bright red.

Picking mint leaves off the stem while we wait for the tea to simmer.

As the rose hips simmer, their colour changes. Why do you think that might happen?

We decided that the rose hips needed some mushing to release some more juices.

After simmering the rose hips for about 15 minutes, we added mint leaves for about 5 minutes.

Cheers to trying new things and getting our vitamins!

1of8

Division 3–what did you think of your first experience with rose hip tea? Will you try making it again? What will you add to your version?

Zones of Regulation

October 11, 2022 / Ms.C / 0 Comments

This school year, every class at University Highlands will be participating in the Zones of Regulation curriculum (or just “Zones” for short). Students will be engaging in a variety of activities that are aimed at helping them gain skills in the area of self-regulation.

Self-regulation can go by many names, such as self-control, self-management, and impulse control. It is defined as the best state of alertness of both the body and emotions for the specific situation. For example, when a students plays on the playground or in a competitive game, it is beneficial to have a higher state of alertness. However, that same state could be a challenge in the library. The lessons and learning activities are designed to help students recognize when they are in the different Zones as well as learn how to use different strategies to change or stay in the Zone they are in. The four Zones are categorized by colour, and arranged from a state or lower alertness to highest alertness:

Blue, Green, Yellow, Red.

In addition to addressing self-regulation, students will gain an increased vocabulary of emotional terms, skills in reading other peoples’ expressions, perspective about how others see and react to their behaviour, insight into events that trigger their behaviour, calming and alerting strategies, and problem-solving skills.

A critical aspect of this curriculum is that all team members know and understand the Zones language. This creates a comfortable and supportive environment for the student to practice their self-regulation skills. It also helps the student learn the skills more quickly and be more likely to apply them in many situations. You can support during this learning process by:

Using the language and talking about the concepts of Zones as they apply to you in a variety of environments–make comments aloud so the student understands it is natural that we all experience the different Zones and use strategies to regulate ourselves.
- For example, “This is really frustrating me and I feel like I’m going into the Yellow Zone. I need to use a tool to calm down. I will take some deep breaths.”
Helping the student gain awareness of their Zones and feelings by pointing out your observations.
Validating what Zone your student is in and helping them brainstorm expected ways to self-regulate so their behaviour is expected for the context.
Sharing with the student how their behaviour is affecting the Zone you are in and how you feel.
Helping the student become comfortable using the language to communicate their feelings and needs by encouraging them to share their Zone.
Asking the student to frequently share their Zones learning–ask the student what their triggers and tools are, and ask them if they would like reminders to use the tools.
Positively recognizing students for identifying their Zone and managing their behaviours while in it (instead of only pointing out when students are demonstrating unexpected behaviours whie in a Zone.)

It is important to note that everyone experiences all of the Zones–the Red and Yellow Zones are not the “bad” or “naughty” Zones. All of the Zones are expected at one time or another. The Zones of Regulation is intended to be neutral and not communicate judgement.

Secret Path – Truth & Reconciliation

September 28, 2022 / Ms.C / 0 Comments

Text and image from downiewenjack.ca

Over the next couple of weeks, students in Division 3 will be exploring the story of Chanie Wenjack through music and art.

Chanie Wenjack was an Anishinaabe boy born in Ogoki Post on the Marten Falls Reserve on January 19th, 1954. Chanie’s story, tragically, is like so many stories of Indigenous children in this country; he fell victim to Canada’s colonization of Indigenous Peoples.

In 1963, at the age of nine, Chanie was sent to the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential school in Kenora, Ontario. In 1966, at 12-years old, Chanie ran away from Cecilia Jeffrey, attempting to reunite with his family 600 kilometers away in Ogoki Post. Nine others ran away that same day, all but Chanie were caught within 24 hours.

Sadly, Chanie eventually succumbed to starvation and exposure. In his pocket was nothing but a little glass jar with seven wooden matches.

Secret Path Week Canada - The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

Gord Downie performing Secret Path in 2017

The late musician, Gord Downie, worked with the Wenjack family and artist Jeff Lemire to tell Chanie’s story. Gord Downie calls on each Canadian to “do something” to take on some form of reconciliACTION to help heal the wrongs of Canada’s past. ReconciliACTION is a meaningful action that moves reconciliation forward–it can raise further awareness, improve the lives of Indigenous people, or improve the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, said, “Education got us into this mess, and education will get us out of it.” Part of our truth and reconciliation work in Division 3 is to learn Chanie’s story. Some other ideas of possible steps toward reconciliation can be found at the Downie and Wenjack Foundation.