Good morning Division 7,

I can’t believe I am typing “Week 8” for the post title — two months already! Time is a strange thing these days…

The photo this week is from Colony Farms Regional Park. The park used to be a farm but has been reclaimed by natural species. It is very biodiverse — a lot of different types of plants, animals and habitats. Habitats include open fields, hedgerows and wetlands providing habitat for many animals and over 200 bird species. The Coquitlam River runs through the park.

Two things to discuss:

1. Weekly Schedule
2. Documents for the Week
3. Class Meeting
4. Learning Opportunities

1. Weekly Schedule

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Video Calls	11 am – Video Conference		11 am – Office Hours (video – optional)		11 am – Sharing Circle
Literacy	Explore & Research	Research	Plan/Write	Publish	Share
Makers	Plan	Create	Test & Improve	Reflect	Share
Project	Continue Genius Hour – this is ongoing. Build on last week or start a new project.
Daily routine	Math Program, Reading, Body Break, Social Break, Service

2. Documents for the Week:

b.) Literacy:

Weird Animals Research Page 

Villain Character Planning Sheet

optional: comic template sheet

d.) Makers:

Habitats

3. Class Meeting

Please meet me on Teams at 11 am this morning for our weekly class meeting. We will be reviewing the work for this week and answering any questions.

4. Learning Opportunities

To-do:
* : hand-in
(extension): optional

Priorities:
a.) Morning Journal*
b.) Literacy *
c.) Math

Extensions:
d.) Makers – habitat (optional)
e.) Genius Hour (optional)

Priorities

a.) Morning Journal *

How was your weekend? Focus on feelings, experiences, and observations (the “inside story”).

b.) Literacy*

This week, we will be focusing on intertwining non-fiction research facts with fictional stories. We will be practicing with creating a “villain” character.

What is a villain? The “evil” character in a story that causes the main problems in a plot.

We will be researching “weird” animals — animals that are unique and interesting. I have been learning about some very unique animals in some of your Genius Hour projects — very cool to explore.

Please refer to the following task list:

1. Explore and choose a “weird” animal to focus your assignment on.

Refer to the following links:

Travel Channel 

National Geographic (kids)

Check out the following books on Epic!:

Ugly Animals – Laura Marsh	Odd Animals– Rose Davidson	The Ugly Animals – We Can’t All Be Pandas – Simon Watt

2. Research

Research on your animal. You may either come up with your own questions or follow the research planning sheet I am providing. Don’t forget to write down where you collect your information (sources)!

Weird Animals Research Page 

3. Planning/Write

Refer to this document: Villain Character Planning Sheet

To create the perfect villain, the following components should be met:

1. Give a backstory for the villain.

   What event or events in their past turned them evil?  This doesn’t have to be pages and pages of backstory. Often a short paragraph or even a sentence or two does the trick.

   eg. The Grinch is the grouchy way he is because he was treated very poorly and was rejected in elementary school. His classmates made fun of him for a gift he created for his friend for Christmas so from then on, he hated Christmas.

2. Give the villain a good point or two.
   Rarely is a character pure evil (except in monster stories). Villains who are pure evil become boring and can bring a story down. Think about giving the situation from the villain’s point of view. This helps the reader understand the villain better. For example, the villain loves his cat. After all, no one is a villain in their own eyes. Villains see themselves as justified.eg. The Grinch, had some nice points. When he was younger he was quite sweet and likeable. He also started showing his soft side here and there. The Grinch is a rare case in which he is no longer a villain by the end of the story.
3. Use vivid description when writing about the villain.
   We are good at this! How do they walk? Do they have any odd small habits?  How do they smell? What does their hair look like? Are there any unusual marks on their face? Are they deceitful, jealous, vengeful, proud?

 

eg. The Grinch has a very specific look…

4. Publish

You may publish your story in the way that you wish. This may be in the form of a journal entry, a skit, or a comic book.

Comic books frequently have popular villains. Here are some comic template sheet you can use.

c.) Math

Please continue your math program.
Khan Academy, IXL, worksheets, etc.

If you would like support/guidance on a math program, please contact me

Extensions (optional)

d.) Makers

Planning sheet: Habitats

While researching and exploring your “weird” animal, consider it’s habitat. Please recreate your animal’s habitat. This may be done on paper or in a real-life structure form.

Consider the 3 essential components of a habitat:

1. Food
2. Water
3. Shelter

How does the animal’s habitat provide these 3 components? Please describe and represent this (either in a drawing or structure form). You may also display this on a PowerPoint (or any other way you wish to explore).

e.) Genius Hour (optional)

Continue your Genius Hour project. You may want to focus on your “weird animal” this week.  This is an ongoing project. If you have completed it or are just starting, here is the planning sheet to start a new inquiry: Genius Hour Planning Sheet

Follow these steps:
Brainstorm – what topics interest you? Write down topics that interest you (e.g. birds, palm trees, global warming, Jupiter, etc…). Select one to focus on this week.

Question – What deep questions do you wish to explore on your topic? (e.g. how do birds fly?)

Research – How are you going to find answers to your questions? With limited variety of resources, it will likely be online or an interview with an “expert” on the topic (perhaps family/friends).

Present – How are you going to share your knowledge? Please come up with a a way to briefly present your project. This may be through a speech, slideshow, poster, poem, comic, video, song, etc.

Share – Practice your presentation and share — either to me, family/friends, to the class during Sharing Circle.

Please follow the following planning sheet to guide you through your planning and  research.

See you at 11 am,

Ms. Daneshwand