Month: January 2021

Changing the World / Problem Solving PowerPoint Project

Hello Everyone,

After you have chosen a person who has done something to change the world and solve problems, you will make a PowerPoint presentation about them, and about how you are inspired to make change or solve problems of your own because of what you learned!

Here are the steps for the project:

  • Choose a person using the previous blog post of articles, or the books posted in EPIC to help you decide.
  • Do research on the person, recording your notes in your journal.
  • Experiment with PowerPoint (we did this in class) to make sure you know how to open a new presentation, create new slides, select a theme, insert text boxes, and insert pictures.
  • Create the slideshow per the instructions below, then present it to the class.
  • You may want to make index card notes for your presentation, because you can’t read off of the slides.

Here are the slideshow requirements:

  • Slide One:  Title of your presentation, your name, the date, a picture of the person.
  • Slide Two-Three:  Introduction to your person. Where were they born, their education, their interests, job, birthdate, etc.
  • Slide Four:  What problem they solved and why?
  • Slide Five:  What did they do to solve it?
  • Slide Six:  How you feel about what they did and what problem are you inspired to solve.
  • Slide Seven:  What is your plan to solve this problem? (Your action plan)
  • Limit text on each slide and try to use pictures to illustrate your point. You will be talking to present it, so you do not need too much text.
  • Please do not use fonts that are smaller than size 12 font, and avoid scripty, cursive, capital letters (which indicate shouting), and microscopic, hard-to-read fonts.
  • Use one of the themes on PowerPoint for colours of backgrounds and format, rather than creating your own. You want to avoid using colours that make it hard to read what you have on the screen (such as white on black, yellow on red, etc.)
  • If you use a picture, do not put text directly on top of it, because it is hard to read. You can make a coloured box on top of a picture, such as a white, rectangle box, and then put text on top of that, if you want to create captions for your pictures.

This project will be due February 5th, and then we will do presentations February 8th and 9th, Monday/Tuesday.

Some Things to Do for French!

Hello Everyone,

I would like to post a series of learning videos and lessons about basic French on this blog entry for both grade 4 and 5. It will be updated as needed as we continue with our French learning.

As I explained to the class, the Core French curriculum provides basic exposure for grades 5-7 to French. Because we are a grade 4/5 class, everyone in grade 4 will also participate. The focus for us will be learning basic words, phrases, and interactions in French, as well as some French culture, such as where French is spoken in the world.

Ms. D will also go over the connections between French learning and other languages. For example, we have talked about cognates, idioms, colloquial phrases, and dialects, as well as the linguistics behind how humans make different sounds around the world. We will compare French with our own first languages as we go, because this makes us more globally aware of how language works and is attained. I enjoy our deeper conversations about language!

We have some students who were in French Immersion. While MACC does not have French Immersion support, the students who have past French experience will be asked to do alternative assignments. For example, they may be asked to read French newspapers and comment in French on current events, or they might read the French magazines I have in class and comment on articles. The purpose of any work done at the French Immersion level would be to maintain previously-learned French. It is a good idea to find a friend or family member to have daily discussions in French to maintain any fluency.

If you want to do independent learning of French, there are so many ways online. You could do Duolingo or use the website French-Games.net which has quizzes, vocab lists, and games for practice. You could also try to find a friend who studies French Immersion and get them to have basic conversations with you. Finally, you could try to find items that have writing in both French and English, such as the sides of cereal boxes, instructions for a toy, and brochures, and do comparisons between the two explanations and languages.

Any exposure you can get at this age is helpful for later, and it is not necessary to try and gain fluency now. You will be taking French in Grade 8, and you can continue with those studies in high school. Many students who start French in high school and continue in university also gain fluency and can use it for work or travel in the future. Plus there are other languages out there, such as Chinese, Spanish, Russian, or Japanese. So many options to increase your ability to communicate with others!

Okay, so here are some ways to get started. Please practice videos and lists we go over in class, and we will have Kahoot quizzes and in-class interaction to practice and to test our knowledge.

The Numbers 1-10 – Write and Practice

The Numbers 11-20 – Write and Practice

French Alphabet – Write and Practice

Song About the Months – Write and Practice

Days of the Week with Alexa – Write and Practice

Practice Greetings and How to Say Your Name – Write and Practice

How to Introduce Yourself in French – Practice Aloud

French Greetings with Alexa – Practice Aloud

Feelings in French – Write and Practice

Weather in French – Write and Practice

French Weather and Seasons – Listen and Practice

Why French in Canada – Name Explain, Listen and Take Notes

 

Young People Making a Difference – Problem Solving in Your World!

Hello Everyone,

As we come to the end of our unit on problem solving, we are looking at two things. Number one, we are going to explore the Global Goals of the United Nations that were made to help solve some big world problems by the year 2030. Number two, we are going to talk about what YOU, as young people, can do to help with these goals!

To help us with this, we will watch the first two links in class and discuss. Then, you will take some time to read over some stories of how young people chose to make a difference, when they encountered a problem in the world.

You will be choosing one person to research further and to create a PowerPoint presentation about them and how they inspire you to make a change in your world, too. More details to come in my next post. Here are some websites to look over to get you started. Please choose someone by end of day Wednesday, January 27th. There are also some books on EPIC that you can access in class and at home.

UN Malala Introducing the World’s Largest Lesson and Global Goals 2016

UN World’s Largest Lesson Changing the World 2016

Ten Young People Who Changed the World

UN Young People Making a Difference

Six Young Activists Changing the World

40 Incredible Kids Who Changed the World

Merit Leighton and Marlowe Peyton, Plastic Patrol

Genesis Palacio  Vegetarianism

Mia Hansen Jamba Juice Petition

Katy Butler Bullying Film Petition

Jonas Corona Love in the Mirror Helping Kids Who Are Homeless

Miguel Billings Homes for People in Haiti After Hurricane

Mikaila Ulmer Me & the Bees Nutrition and Pesticide Concerns

Alex Myteberi Helping a Syrian Boy During Syrian Civil War

Zianna Oliphant Speaking Up Against Violence Against Black People

Tokata Iron Eyes Indigenous Voices About Climate Change

Robby Novak  YouTube Star Kid President Inspires Positivity

Lalita Prasida Sripada Srisai  Invention to Clean Water

Ann Makosinski Hand-Powered Flashlight

Leah Nelson Becuz I Care Campaign for Kindness

Marley Dias  Activist to Author 

Levi Draheim Fight Against Global Warming

Ruby Bridges Civil Rights Trailblazer

Yash Gupta Helping Others See

Anne Frank  Power of Her Diary

Stevie Wonder Blind Musician Makes a Difference

Aisholpan Nurgaiv  Eagle Huntress

Louis Braille  Inventor

Sacagawea Explorer

Dylan Mahalingam  Philanthropist in the Digital Age

Wolfgang Mozart  A Musician at a Young Age

Helen Keller  Biography

Ryan Hreljac  Philanthropist Ryan’s Well

Adele Ann Taylor Advocate for Literacy

Akrit Jaswal  Young Surgeon

Thandiwe Chama Children’s Rights Activist

Margaret Knight Inventor

Jack Andraka Scientist, Pancreatic Cancer

Katie Stagliano Philanthropist, Katie’s Krops

Malala Yousafzai Activist for Girls’ Rights

Greta Thunberg Swedish Environmental Activist

Sylvia Mendez Activist for Racial Equality

Rene Silva Journalist to Change Lives

Nicholas Lowinger Philanthropist, Gotta Have Sole

Samantha Smith  US Ambassador

Nkosi Johnson Activist for Kids with HIV/AIDS

Praveen Kumar Gorakavi  Engineer Helping Others

Emma Watson  Actor and Activist

Cassandra Lin  Environmental Activist

Om Prakash Gurjar Children’s Rights Activist

Clara Schumann Musician

Easton Lachappelle Robotics Engineer

Claudette Colvin Advocate for Equality

Muzoon Almellehan  Activist for Girls’ Rights and Education

 

Museum of Vancouver Virtual Field Trip Resources

Hello Everyone:

Please use the following resources for our activities related to the Museum of Vancouver Virtual Field Trip on January 25th, Monday.

Virtual Vancouver History Gallery (to use before program)

Virtual Cesna?em Gallery (to use during program)

These websites are for the POST FIELD TRIP ACTIVITY on Reconciliation

Case Study #1

Prehistoric Sculpture Returned to Sechelt Band

Stone Statue Return Stirs Sechelt Hearts

Museum of Vancouver Sechelt Repatriation News Release

Case Study #2

Haida to Bring Home Ancestors Bones

Haida Repatriation Committee Official Website

Relationship Between Museums and Aboriginal Peoples

Case Study #3

UBC Indigenous Foundations Totem Poles

Museum of Anthropology UBC Conservation of Totem Poles

Changing Approaches to the Preservation of Totem Poles (academic article)

Case Study #4

Anger over Sculpture Resembling Burial Scaffolds

First Nation Wants Controversial Sculpture by New York Artist Taken Down

Perspectives of Artist Del Geist

 

Learning and Practicing Dialogue in Stories

Hello Everyone!

Here are some websites you can use to practice dialogue! Today as I circulated during our mystery-writing time, I noted we need some more practice with the use of commas and quotation marks in dialogue. So, here you go:

Adding Dialogue to Your Writing Vimeo Video

How to Write Dialogue  YouTube Video

Dialogue Punctuation Quiz Online

Grammar for Kids Punctuating for Dialogue

Rags to Riches Game Quotation Marks

I will add more as I find them!

Ms. D

Mystery Stories

Hello Everyone!

As part of our unit on problem solving, and in connection with language arts curriculum, we have been looking closely at mystery stories!

We went over together the elements of a mystery story, including characters, setting, clues, red herrings and distractions, and the conclusion.

We also reviewed together how to write dialogue between characters, working on examples of how to use quotation marks and commas correctly. We went over in class how to use the tag line (or who says the quote) at the beginning, end, or in the middle of a sentence, and how the punctuation changes when we do this. Ms. D also encouraged everyone to use other synonyms for “said” to  make our stories more interesting, and there is a handout in the binder on interesting words that everyone can use to help with this!

We watched Scooby Doo Aloha and then broke down the elements of a good mystery afterwards. We read a variety of mystery stories, some from Chris Grabenstein’s book Super Puzzletastic Mysteries, which is a collection of short story mysteries by a variety of popular authors at this grade level. All of this was to help us see how mystery stories are structured, so that we could write our own!

Now, we are writing mystery stories of our own, mainly during class time. Here are some guidelines, which we already went over earlier last week:

  • Minimum 4 pages long, maximum 6 pages.
  • Typed on the computer. Use size 12 font, and one of two styles: Arial or Comic Sans.
  • Make sure your story has a title and author at the top of the first page.
  • Double Space your story using 1.0 or 1.5 spacing. If you need help with this, let Ms. D know.
  • Use your planning handout in your binder to structure your mystery AND to make sure your mystery has all of the elements we have talked about. Use the handout as a checklist!
  • Your story needs to include dialogue between characters so I can see that you know how to use quotation marks and commas correctly. Make sure you start a new paragraph for each new speaker.
  • Use descriptive language so we can really imagine the characters and setting.
  • Use transition words and conjunctions to make your sentences more complex, just like we did during term one.
  • Do not indent the first paragraph of a chapter or of your story, but every other paragraph needs to be indented using the tab button on your computer.
  • If you find your story is too short, you likely need more description and not just plot! Tell me more about the characters and location. Add dialogue so I can hear the characters talking.
  • Edit your story carefully using the editing handout in your binder. You will also need one peer to read over the story carefully and also do a peer editing handout for you, so you know what to improve.

I look forward to reading your mysteries! Due Date: January 30th.

Additional Resources for Discrimination in Canada

Hello Everyone,

We began watching In the Shadow of Gold Mountain in class, which is about the Chinese Head Tax. You can watch the rest of the video at the National Film Board site, here.

We also watched this video about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, narrated by Chief Robert Joseph and sharing his own experiences with Residential Schools.

Here are some of the ways you can help with Reconciliation, with this list from CBC, posted as part of National Indigenous History Month last June 2020. There are many examples of personal acts you can take to help, such as educating oneself about Indigenous issues through books and videos.

Here is the Government of Canada website on What is Reconciliation?

As part of Black Shirt Day, which is on Friday, January 15th, we are wearing black shirts in support of peoples of colour and civil rights, acknowledging the systemic racism that happens in our communities and taking steps to educate ourselves about it. It is especially important this week as Martin Luther King Day is also this week, which is an acknowledgement of all the work Martin Luther King Jr. did to advance civil rights. Here is a video we watched in class to learn more.

I will continue to add to this post as I find more resources.

 

Independent Projects – Brainstorming Topics, Due Jan. 25th

Hello Everyone!

In term three, one of the major things we focus on is an independent research project. We end the year by doing a formal presentation of our findings.

But right now, we are in term two. While I will provide more specific information on the entire project later, right now we just need to decide on our topics!

So, by January 25th, I would like to know your topic.

How do you choose a topic for IP or Independent Project?

  1. Make sure the topic is something you are really passionate about. Do not choose a topic just because an adult suggested it, and do not choose a topic because you are trying to do something similar to your friends. It has to be something you want to know about! (Otherwise, this process is not fun at all.)
  2. Topics need to be something you are not already an expert on. Or, if it is something you have studied before, you need to come up with new questions about the topic.
  3. Topics need to be deep and take time to explore, but they also need to be specific so you have some direction. For example, I am not going to study “how do lights work” as that will not take very long to do, and I can probably use one resource to answer that question. But, I am also not going to study “plants” – this is too big of a topic and could be about anything! A good example would be “how electricity use affects the environment” or “what we can learn from indigenous knowledge about plants”
  4. Brainstorm several options before settling on one. Discuss with Ms. D. Let’s talk together about your topic. Have more than one option just in case.
  5. Can you answer this topic using only one resource, or will you need to use more than one? A measure of a good topic is that you will need to use more than just GOOGLE to figure it out. You will need to look at book resources, maybe do some interviews of experts, or perhaps do an experiment and document it.
  6. Make sure the topic is at your level. Some topics are far too complex, and we won’t be able to find resources that will help you (at least not at your reading level, and not within the Burnaby Libraries.) So, please listen to Ms. D’s guidance when I say, let’s find a way to make it age appropriate for you.
  7. Do not do a topic you have done as a previous Genius Hour or Independent Project topic.  If you want to continue research from a previous project, then let’s talk about how this project will be different and answer NEW questions you have about that topic of interest. Maybe try to be open minded to doing something new so you expand your knowledge!
  8. You can choose to expand on something we have talked about in class. If you want to do genetics, for example, even though we have been talking about it in class, then that is great! This is a good opportunity to expand on unit topics.

Okay, that is all for now. In class we will talk about this some more. Time to start brainstorming!

Ms. D

Discrimination in Canada Project, Part 2

Hello Everyone!

So, now that we have our research notes, having used book and internet resources to gather information, we can work on our presentation!

You will work with the other students who chose your discrimination topic to create an oral presentation for the class, so we can learn from your research.

You will be evaluated on:

  • Making sure everyone in your group has an opportunity to practice public speaking.
  • Public-speaking skills including volume, enunciation, pace, and body language, which we will review in class.
  • Including information that answers all of the questions from the research, that Ms. D gave you before.
  • Providing information in a clear way so the class can take notes on what you found out!

Steps for creating this presentation:

  1. Meet with your group and brainstorm ideas.
  2. You will need to create a skit that is serious in tone, where each person in the group plays a part to help tell the story of the discrimination issue.
  3. For example, you might have one narrator, someone representing those who were discriminated against, someone representing the group doing the discriminating, and someone representing the people who did something to make the situation right (the person who made the apology or wrote a letter apologizing.)
  4. Write a script. You may want to divide the issue into two parts – one group doing the event, and another group doing the reconciliation or apology.
  5. Practice the script as a group.
  6. Make props if they are needed to help tell the story.
  7. Find costumes if you would like, but they are not required.
  8. Present your skit in front of the class.

Again, each person needs a speaking role. Use your research and make sure you answer all of the questions through your presentation.

Presentations will be due January 21st, Thursday, and we will present that Thursday and Friday. If we need to make adjustments for absences, we will do that.

Ms. D will be giving you class time for all of the steps for this project, but you can also do some practicing of your part at home or make props at home. You can also bring in items from home to serve as props, rather than making them.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Have fun with this, as it was meant to be a fun way to make sure we understand these four, significant events in our history, and how these major problems were made right or not by Canadians.