MS. DETERRA'S MAKER STUDIO

Hello Everyone,

To save paper, please do your reflection on your Machines PowerPoint presentation on your e-portfolio. When you are done, I will post your mark and any feedback. Thank you!

Title:  Machines PowerPoint Reflection

Questions:

Please post a picture of the machine/innovation/technology you discussed.

What do you think you did well on the PowerPoint creation? What would you do for next time?

What do you think you did well on in terms of research? What would you do for next time?

How do you think you did on public speaking? What do you still want to work on?

I hope you enjoyed our trip to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary! If you were there, please do an e-port on our visit.

Title:  Reifel Bird Sanctuary Visit

Questions:

Please post a picture of your favourite bird from the visit. You can find pictures online. Perhaps use the Cornell Bird Website I suggested in another post, if you need it!

Please name as many birds as you can remember from the trip.

What was your favourite part of the trip and why?

What is taxonomy? The biologist Dani explained this in the museum. You can look it up if you need to.

What are zygodactyl feet (hint, from an owl)?

Which kind of owl did we see while we were there? Why are they hard to find?

What are coots like? What makes them unique?

What is a secondary cavity nester (hint:woodpecker and chickadee, and Dani showed us in the museum)?

Tell me three other things you learned while you were at the Sanctuary about birds and their habitat.

Hello Everyone,

We have had great discussions to answer a big question: How did we all get here?

We looked at our own personal histories, to see how our families came to be in Canada. Then, we focused on the larger human migration story and how all humans traveled the Earth to settle in different areas over time. We also looked closely at the First Peoples of Canada, who have been here and continue to be here, since thousands of years before other immigrants arrived from around the world.

We discussed how there are three main groups of Indigenous Peoples of Canada, the Inuit, First Nations, and Metis. Then, we looked at the broader tapestry of groups throughout Canada. Each student helped with our understanding by reading about two First Nations groups and looking carefully at what they call themselves, how to pronounce it, what language they speak, and what they believe.

Before we move forward looking at the rest of our history, from European contact and beyond, let’s take a moment to honour, to acknowledge, and to learn about the First Nations groups of the Coast Salish Peoples who live and who have a long history on their unceded territories, in the land we know as Burnaby.

Each student will work in a small group to find out information on one of the four First Nations groups in Burnaby — the Musqueam, the Squamish, the Tsleil-Waututh, and the Kwikwetlem. Click on the links for each name to learn more.

They will find out:

1.  How do we pronounce the group’s name and language? Teach us.
2.  Where does this group live now, and where did they spend time in the past in relation to Burnaby?
3.  What is the history of this group?
4.  What is unique about this group that could be shared with everyone?

Then this is what we will do:

The sharing will be done in class. Each person in the collaborative team can help with a different part of the project.

Write the facts you would like to share on an index card. Then, practice with your group sharing these facts aloud.

After all the sharing is done, Ms. D will ask everyone in the class some questions based on the presentations in an e-port. So, it is important all students take notes will the sharing is going on, so they can answer the questions.

Through this, we will support our goals around reconciliation, learning more about the Indigenous history of our area, and making connection with the rich history that has existed on these territories for thousands of years.

I look forward to hearing your presentations! More on this in class, so everyone understands what they need to do. 🙂

Due Date for Presentations:  February 27th

Hello Everyone,

In class, we created a timeline on the board of many events that brought people to Canada, going back to 14,000 – 75,000 years ago when First Peoples first came into Canada and going through history until now.

We asked the big question, “How did we get here?” To answer that, we discussed the many reasons people were drawn to Canada, such as searching for passage to other lands, seeking new resources and land, the fur trade, escaping war, creating the railway, the gold rush, and seeking new opportunities.

It is a complicated history! Even though Canada is a young country, we have a longer history of how we came to be here that ties in with our unit discussions about people’s need to explore. It also tells us a lot about the Canadian identity, as we have many groups of people who have come to Canada and contribute their cultures to the country we live in.

First, here are some more videos to explore if you want, some of which we have already watched in class:

YouTube TedEd What Does It Mean to be a Refugee?

YouTube Cool Map of Early Human Migration

2022 UN World Migration Report

YouTube 2016 Census History of Immigration Facts

YouTube Great Review of Push Pull Factors for Immigration

YouTube PowToon Review of Types of Immigration

YouTube Curriculum Canada Fur Trade in Canada

Next, let’s each take on one character from Canada’s story, do more research, and then present a monologue to the class as that character!

1.  Pick an individual from Canadian history that we have discussed and get it approved by Ms. D. We each want to do someone different. You don’t have to have a famous person, you could create a person from a specific time period — a Chinese immigrant who is working on the railway in Canada, a person who came over for the fur trade, a farmer coming for new lands, etc.
2.  Do research on that individual, so you know what their story would be. What is the time period you live in? Who are you and where did you come from? What was the journey to Canada like? What were the challenges on the journey? What were the challenges when you arrived? What happened when you got here? Tell us some details that give us information about the push and pull factors of why the person is in Canada.
3.  Write a short script of one minute. Write the script in the first person as if you are the person yourself. Give yourself a specific name, even if you make it up. Use I statements! Pretend you are in that time period, not telling us a speech about a historical figure. Tell us a story of how you came to Canada. Put the script on cue cards, practice it a lot, almost memorize the script so you can do more acting than reading. You will be presenting it as if you were that character! We will do this as a museum of characters, and only present to our classmates, so it is less nerve wracking!  🙂
4.  Create a costume and props to help tell the story! You will need something to wear and some props to represent the story you are telling!
5.  Ms. D Help: There are books in the classroom to help with research, and as I know which characters we are interested in, I will post links on this blog entry to help if we need them. Please ask after you have taken time to find some info of your own.

Criteria:

• Your presentation is one minute long and is written in the first person.
• Your presentation contains solid evidence of having researched the time period or individual you are representing. We learn some facts about when this person was alive, what their challenges were, and how push/pull factors were involved in their immigration story.
• You made an effort to memorize your script and have it written on cue cards to help you.
• You have a costume and at least one prop to help tell your story.
• You are able to use volume, enunciation, pace, and expression so your audience is interested in your story and can understand you clearly.

Due Date:  Presentations will be made March 7th.

Hello! New e-port to check in!

Title:  Migration Check In

Questions:

What is quality of life (think about the map we looked at and refer to your journal!)?

What is the gene called that makes people want to explore?

What are push and pull factors? Name five of each.

What does it mean to be a citizen of a country?

What is a refugee?

What does the word nomadic mean? Are we still nomadic? Why not?

What is the Quilt of Belonging and what does it represent about Canada?

What are the three main groups of Indigenous Peoples of Canada?

Why do we do a land acknowledgement?

Name two groups of First Nations you learned about in class.

What are the different types of animal migration?

How do animals know it is time to migrate?

What questions do you have about migration, now that we have been talking about this topic for two weeks?

In class we are reading the book We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey. This book has some great connections with our unit on exploration/migration.

If you were absent, please make sure to catch up reading during our Silent Reading time in class, as the District books we are borrowing can’t go home.

Please answer the following questions in an e-port:

Title:  Reading Comprehension We’re Not From Here

Questions:

What were the three places the human population went after they left from the Mars Station?

Describe what you know about the Zhuri so far?

What was the problem with the immigration of humans to planet Choom? What happened?

What happened to Lan’s family when they arrived on Choom for the first time?

What do you think happened to the Nug on planet Choom? Why don’t the Zhuri want to talk about it?

Why do you think the housing for the Ororo, that Lan’s family is now staying in, is empty?

Describe Planet Choom, or at least what you know so far.

Think of a time you arrived at a new place or began something new. How do you think your feelings would be like Lan’s as his family came to Choom?

Hello Everyone!

During term two and three, we will be working concurrently and slowly on an Independent Project while we are also doing unit work.

We have already begun talking about this in class, For example, we have discussed what makes a great topic, why we do an independent project, and how to ask great questions using the Jar of Inquiry concept model on our wonderings board in class.

Why do we do an Independent Project?

Doing an Independent Project allows us an opportunity to pursue a topic of passion. It also addresses many of the curricular and core competencies across subject areas, developing research, critical-thinking, observation, communication, documentation, project-management, and personal awareness skills.

What are the steps we will take?

We put these in our planner, so students are aware of the dates. We will continue to revisit the planner as a tool for managing the project throughout term two and three.

FEBRUARY Step One:  Discussion of how to choose a research topic. Begin brainstorming questions around topics you like. Choose a topic by FEBRUARY 12th, MONDAY, end of day.

FEBRUARY Step Two:  We will begin to Brainstorm search terms and synonyms around the topic to help with research. We will discuss how to ask questions and form a set of Jar of Inquiry questions about the topic, so we ask deeper questions! Ms. D will ask students to do these things in their journals and check in with the check plus system as we go, to make sure everyone is on track.

FEBRUARY/MARCH Step Three:  Begin to look for secondary resources, such as books in the school library and Burnaby Public Libraries. Please visit the public library! We will discuss techniques for using reputable sources online as we do web research. Give topics to Ms. Ho, who will help us request books from other libraries in the District if possible. Begin to take notes in our journal and in an online document, whichever works best, using the T Chart model discussed in class, using questions to drive the research, and recording resources. Research in February/March. Final research notes will be due June 1.

APRIL Step Four:  After Spring Break, we will have a discussion in class about primary research, which is required and can include an interview, experiment, visit to a location, or making of something. Primary research ideas need to be approved/discussed with Ms. D by first week of April. Spend April working on this.

MAY Step Five:  We will discuss making a formal bibliography, and students can begin to create this beginning May 1st. We will also discuss potential presentation ideas — there are many different options! May will be spent getting final notes together, finishing the bibliography, and beginning our presentation pieces.

JUNE Step Six:  We will finalize our presentation items. All notes, bibliography, and primary research are due to Ms. D on May 31st. All presentation items are due June 7th. We will present to the public in June, tentatively set for June 10th.

JUNE Step Seven:  After presenting, each student will do a reflection on the whole process and fill out a rubric about how they did. The reflection is the most important part of the entire process and is due June 11th. It lets Ms. D know what you learned, what you are proud of, and how you want to improve in the future. It shows your personal awareness and willingness to engage in your own growth and goals.

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