Hello Everyone!
Just a quick update to keep everyone on track, as we have had some absences and we have lots going on!
Understanding Immigration!
So far, we have discussed the push and pull factors for why people emigrate and immigrate, and we also learned about some of the larger migration paths taken by people in the world.
How do we determine who gets to immigrate into Canada? Students were asked to read profiles of potential immigrants to Canada, to determine which five out of a group of twelve would be allowed into the country, and then to discuss the selection criteria we would use to make decisions about who comes in or not. We all agreed making decisions about immigration is hard! Tomorrow, we will evaluate the applicants we thought should come into Canada by using the real Canadian Immigration point system that helps determine who receives entry.
How did we get here?
Each student has selected a character to tell the story of how we all came to be in Canada. This includes First Nations, explorers, fur traders, wartime immigrants, and refugees. Everyone will research their characters using the websites provided on the blog or books found in the classroom, then answer questions about their character found here. Once the research is completed, students will write a short speech telling their character’s story in the first person, as they pretend to BE the character! Everyone will make costume and prop pieces to help represent their character’s story, challenges, and time period. Then, we will present our characters! This will be done over the next two weeks.
Our characters so far include:
- Someone on George Vancouver’s ship
- Immigrants working on the CPR
- Syrian, Columbian, and Russian refugees from different time periods
- A First Nations person crossing Beringia
- A Viking explorer
- Alexander Mackenzie
- A European immigrant to the Prairies
- Fur Traders and HBC representatives
- James Cook
- Henry Hudson
- John Cabot
- Samuel Champlain
- French settler in Montreal
- Chinese immigrant during the time of the Chinese Head Tax
- Jacques Cartier
Migration of Animals and Biomes!
So far, we watched Planet Earth: Pole to Pole to learn more about the biomes of the world and how animals migrate between them. Students have researched the biomes, found different characteristics of each one, and created a map to show biome locations in the world. This map is due tomorrow, Thursday, February 1.
Our next step is to talk tomorrow about bird migration, as we will be visiting the Reifel Bird Sanctuary on Friday. You may want to visit the Sanctuary’s website to see where we are going, to find out what kinds of birds are there, and to learn about its history. Please dress for the weather, as it will likely be cold and wet. Thank you in advance to our parent drivers who will help us get there on Friday!
Quilt of Belonging for ART!
Today, I introduced the Quilt of Belonging book, which explains how a huge quilt was created with almost 300 squares representing the many, many cultures in Canada. You can find out more about the quilt, which toured here in Vancouver during the Winter Olympics, on the Quilt of Belong Website. As we look closer at the core competency for personal and cultural identity, students will think about what their own culture is. They will then create an artistic square, using paper and other art supplies, to represent their culture and to add to our class Quilt of Belonging. I look forward to seeing all of our cultures put together into a vibrant quilt presentation!
What is culture? Today we defined it as the way we do things. Here are some things that may shape your culture. Think about these, think about how you might represent those things on the quilt with a symbol, picture, or colour, and begin to sketch designs for your square in the quilt. Think about how your square will have a border of some type and symmetrical designs in each of the four corners. We will be working on the squares Monday afternoon. You may want to have a discussion with Mom and Dad to help!
- When looking at your family background, what country or countries did your family come from? Which country plays a role in your identity or they way you do things at home?
- What symbols, family artifacts, artwork, or other object represents you and your family? What kinds of things do you like to put up in the house as decor?
- Do you celebrate a religion? Does the religion play a role in how you do things at home? Do you have any specific beliefs?
- Are there specific celebrations, festivals, traditions, and holidays your family thinks are important?
- What foods are important to your family?
- What clothes are worn in your family? Any traditional outfits that represent your culture?
- What colours does your family identify with? What kinds of colours do you see around the house?
- What animals, natural places, or weather best represents you and your family?
Math — Measurement, Multiplication, Area:
Our Math Quiz has been postponed so we can finish presentations of the machines PowerPoints and slideshows tomorrow. Since we are having the field trip on Friday, we will do the quiz on Monday, February 5th. If you are absent, just do the quiz when you return.
If you are away, please do pick up the math game and You Do the Math handouts that may have been distributed. Right now, page one of the You Do the Math Skyscrapers should be done as well as the Metric Conversion practice so you are prepared for Monday’s quiz.
Some students also needed to re-work challenge problems from the Wonders of the World Pyramids and Terracota Warriors math, which involved multiplication and surface area. These are challenging problems, but keep at them! You have the answers now, so please do re-work them to see how you can improve your computations. If you need help, we can talk in class.
Language Arts:
Most everyone has finished their debate paragraph and we are ready to start debating! We will start tomorrow by practicing improvised speechmaking for rebuttals. I look forward to hearing everyone’s arguments!
Other:
Upcoming field trip heads up — February 23rd we will be going to Britannia Mines as part of our next unit. Please mark your calendars.
Have a great night!
Ms. D
