Learning adventures in a Grade 2 French Immersion classroom
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.
We’re learning that cedar was and continues to be an important tree for local Indigenous peoples.
We noticed there are many cedar trees near our school. On this nature walk, we focused on the branches, noting its flat needles and drooping shape.
When students rubbed its needles, they noted how good cedar smelled!
Some students found a branch from a neighbouring evergreen tree. We observed that the needles were different. They seemed sharper and bushier but were also flat. Its colour was a lighter green.
Voici quelques champignons observés derrière notre école. Here are some mushrooms observed behind our school.
As always, we practiced our personal and social responsibility by not touching wild mushrooms, especially toxic ones like the red-capped Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria).
We’re learning more about fungi and their role in our local ecosystem. To help us, we’re reading Elise Gravel’s Le fan club des champignons.
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.
Inspired by SFU professor and outdoor educator Gillian Judson’s Walking Curriculum, we set out for a nature walk. We decided to focus on locating animal neighbours. Students looked for traces of animal presence, like webs or nests. We were able to find four insects and arachnids just outside our classroom.
We found une coccinelle (ladybug), une abeille (a bee), and three types of araignée (spider). In a surprise twist, we witnessed an epic battle waged between two of the spiders!
Of the three spider species, we identified a Zebra Jumping Spider and an Orb Weaver. The third type was unidentified and trapped by the Orb Weaver. A few days later, students noticed that the Orb Weaver had trapped a wasp!
Every child matters.
Chaque enfant compte.
Division 10 participated in a school-wide reconciliation activity this week. Called the “Reconciliation Rock Project”, students first listened to older peers read Trudy’s Rock Story by Gitxsan author Trudy Spiller.
Then, students searched for their own special rock on a nature walk.
Once found, they added words and/or drawings to their rocks that show solidarity with and care for Indigenous peoples of Canada.
Their next step is to explain their rock’s significance to loved ones and return it to the environment. Hopefully, members of the local community will notice and appreciate them.
(In keeping with our belief to do no harm to nature, we used Crayola washable markers. Hopefully, these messages will be seen before the next rainfall!)
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.
