Learning adventures in a Grade 2 French Immersion classroom
Students are learning to identify parts of flowers. We’ve been searching for spring flowers that grow in our local environment. We’ve been learning new words and how to draw ‘like a scientist’.
Knowing the parts of a flower helped us draw abstract flowers in art recently. Enjoy the beautiful blooms!
Kwakwaka’wakw artist Simon James returned to École Westridge this month to touch up his tableau at our front entrance. Students learned about the carving’s history and significance.
They learned that it was carved from ancient cedar over 1000 years old! They also learned of the 10 animals on artwork and what they each represent. Each animal represents a school value.
Mr. James also spoke of the importance of knowing one’s culture and celebrating it. Students were encouraged to think of their own culture(s). Where do their elders come from?
As a thank you gesture, Division 10 students drew pictures of an animal or plant discussed during his artist talk. One student drew a detail shared about Mr. James education as a carver in his Indigenous community. Finally, when expressing gratitude, could they say ‘thank you’ in their elders’ language(s)?
We recognized that we all share English and French culture via the languages we’re learning every day. However, our classroom is wonderfully diverse with roots spanning not only across the country, but the world.
Students were asked to create a forest ‘perfume’. We discovered that le cèdre was the most fragrant. Other plants were used, such as clover, lichen, or fir needles. Some even threw in pinecones and dead leaves for an especially earthy smell!
As always, we only collected plants from the forest floor. We’re aiming to not harm living plants. We’re also aiming to not disturb our local ecosystem.
Sometimes, we get inspired by nature to make art. In this math activity, students were asked to create 2D picture art with sticks. They were asked to only use 12 sticks and for them to be as straight as possible. Then, they were asked to identify shapes within their art.
We counted sides and noted the number of vertices. We practiced using words like un triangle, un carré, un rectangle…We started identifying special polygon shapes too, like un hexagone.
We ran out of time, but it would have been interesting to extend this activity by only using ‘small’ sticks. How would their picture art change? What if a range of stick lengths were used instead? Would that change the picture again?
This activity was taken from the fantastic book, Messy Maths, by Juliet Robertson.
We continue to explore Dr. Gillian Judson’s walking curriculum. On this nature outing, students were asked to look for ‘beautiful’ and ‘not beautiful’ elements around our school.
Rocks, lichen, and flowers were beautiful to most students; litter wasn’t beautiful. Mushrooms, specifically decaying mushrooms, drew a mixed reaction. Est-ce que c’est beau ou pas beau?
What about invasive species? Can they be beautiful? One student pointed out an invasive ivy plant. He considered it ‘pas beau’ for its damaging effect on our local ecosystem.
We next want to examine our findings and question how all things spotted on our walk may help our environment. Of course, it’s possible that not all of them can!
Ce qui est beau:
Ce qui n’est pas beau:
Math routines are an important part of our math program. One such routine is called “Which One Doesn’t Belong?” or WODB in English. In class, we’ve translated it to Quel est l’intrus?
Students must identify and explain which image doesn’t belong. There may be a few possible answers. Rather than it be about finding the ‘right’ answer, the focus is on explaining why their answer makes sense to them.
In math, we’re learning that we need to be precise and logical with our ideas. Students practice a few core competencies in this activity – communication, critical thinking, and creative thinking.
Recently, on a hike, I spotted four different mushrooms. Together, we discussed which one didn’t belong.
One student reasoned that Mushroom #1 didn’t belong because it was more narrow than the others. Another said that Mushroom #4 didn’t belong because it was the only one growing on the ground rather than on trees. Someone else added that Mushroom #4 was the only one that grew alone rather than in clusters.
This math routine had us talk about form, size, colour, quantity, and orientation. Not only were we thinking like mathematicians but also like scientists!
We were curious to identify these local fungi. With the help of books and the Internet, we think:
Finally, we talked safety. We understood to never touch or eat wild mushrooms. There are too many lookalike mushrooms, and it’s often tricky to tell apart poisonous ones from non-poisonous ones.
Students understood that it’s always best to simply observe a mushroom. In doing so, we respect their place in our local ecosystems and leave them be.
Division 10 students have been practicing their reading stamina since our first full week together. We decided what three rules were most important when we read to ourselves.
Overall, students have been increasing their endurance. We debrief every day’s session and self-assess how we did. Did we stay in one spot? Were we calm and focused? Did we read?
We refer to the chart to analyze data and see if we can notice trends. A bit of math gets thrown into our literacy routine! Below, you can see our first completed chart as well as our three golden rules.
At the end of our first full week together, we ventured out into a rain storm for our first sortie nature. What a way to start our place-based education program with a bang – or, rather, splash! We’re building our stamina. On this very wet and blustery day, we understood that rain gear will be essential to exploring the outdoors comfortably this fall and winter.
On this first outing, we discussed some basic rules: stay close to the group, stay focused on any tasks for the day, and do no harm to nature! Division 10 students had fun running in and out of the forest. They even found a ‘living’ tunnel shaped from brush and low-lying branches. We ended this first exploration by connecting to one of our 5 senses. We practiced listening attentively to rainfall on leaves overhead.
Bonjour et bienvenue à notre blogue de classe! Welcome to our class blog! Here’s where we’ll share some of our learning moments.
Spending time outside connects us to place. On this late summer day, students were encouraged to pay attention to what’s outside. We focused our attention on living things.
Flowers, leaves, and trees caught our attention the most. Their shapes and colours inspired us.
