On most Wednesdays you’ll find our class outside connecting and extending our learning through exploration of our natural environment and other hands-on activities. Our first Math unit was on patterning, and here we were finding patterns in nature, and building patterns using found items.

Did you know that two thirds of B.C.’s population is located in the area of the Fraser River basin? Div. 5 is hard at work learning about this important local and natural resource. On this sunny Wednesday, we went out to visually show what we have been learning about rivers. In their groups, students added details such as estuaries, and Mount Robson (the headwaters of the Fraser River). They also showed their understanding of how we use rivers by putting in details such as boats and fishermen.

We have been hard at work, and wanted to share some of our learning experiences since September. We started off with a ‘getting to know each other’ activity in which we used modelling clay to express our likes and dislikes. The students followed up this activity with a written summary of their 3D visuals.

The students had a hands-on opportunity to weigh the baby pumpkins with the balance scale.

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• Movement skills and strategies help us learn how to participate in different types of physical activity (B.C. Curriculum).
• Daily participation in physical activity at moderate to vigorous intensity levels benefits all aspects of our well-being.

Circulation Volleyball (From Volleyball Canada Development Model; designed for ages 6-8).  We have been practising this adapted version of volleyball for a while without the nets, and today we were rewarded with the nets being up.  It was game on!  The students rotated with speed and accuracy, and showed off all the strategies they had learned such as placing the ball between two players, or trying to place the ball behind the opposing players.  They had a lot of fun!

Hula Hut (dodgeball)

In this game, the students build hula huts with hoops, and then try to knock down their opponents’ hula huts.  If all three are knocked down on one side, the game is over.  In this game, students strategize to have builders, defense, and offense.  At times, students have to leave their ‘jobs’ to do another because the Hula Huts need to be rebuilt over and over, so that they stay alive.  The students strategize to throw their ball around the defense, and to cooperate effectively to keep their huts up. 

The Blog is finally up and running for Div. 5 2017   

This year our school started out with a beach/ocean theme.  In our class, we have focussed in on Pirates and Oceans.  On a Friday afternoon, I was amazed to see the concentration that the students brought to the task of researching the five zones of the ocean.  Each student used an ipad (thank you PAC for all your fundraising!) to follow their natural curiosity and to try and answer questions that they had identified, such as:  what types of life are there in each zone? what do the fish look like/adaptations?  

This week, the students are working together with Div. 6 (grade 2/3) to build a mural of the ocean zones, and the life within them.  The mural will be in the upper building hallway, and should be up by the week of the 14th.  

Our May/June Writing Centres begin with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) challenge, and end with a written project.  The students are always eager to start, and remain engaged through the entire activity.  When their projects are done, we take a photo and clip it to their written project, so that they have a record of what they have built.

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