Inspired by the book I Am a Story by Dan Yaccarino, Division 7 made a timeline showing how stories have been shared throughout history. I gave the class a big challenge of using a website called Sutori to create this digital timeline. This was a brand new tool for all of us and we really had to use our critical thinking and collaboration skills to figure it out! I was very impressed with their efforts and am proud that they could work together to create the end product.

Click here to check out our digital timeline!

We are continuing to practice using the scientific method to answer questions about the world around us. Today we found ourselves investigating the mystery of dancing raisins.

We learned that fizzy drinks have bubbles because of the carbon dioxide gas that is in them. When you put raisins into a cup of fizzy liquid, bubbles will attach themselves to the surface of the raisins and act like a flotation device, causing them to rise up to the surface! When they reach the surface, the bubbles escape and the raisin sinks back down again. We experimented with three different liquids – club soda, Sprite, and club soda mixed with baking soda and vinegar.

Which liquid do you think made the raisins dance the most? What does this mean about the carbon dioxide in that liquid? Ask your scientist what they discovered!

When we do experiment write-ups in our science notebooks we follow the following criteria:

• title and date at the top of a new page
• include all the following sections with titles: question, hypothesis, materials, procedure, results, conclusion
• writing is neat and legible
• data tables are drawn with a ruler and have headings

It is important to follow all instructions and criteria neatly and carefully… in the name of science!

This week, Division 7 is exploring how stories have been told since the beginning of time, all around the world.

Today we read the book I Am a Story by Dan Yaccarino. It shows the history of stories from oral storytelling and cave paintings to libraries and e-books. We will be spending some time this week researching the different ways stories have been told throughout history and making our own timeline of story.

On Friday, we will be starting an art project connected to a very important point on the timeline of story: Egyptian hieroglyphs. These picture symbols were one of the earliest forms of writing. We will be learning how to write our names in hieroglyphs and making our very own papyrus (paper used in ancient times). Originally, papyrus was made from the pith of the papyrus plant but we will be making ours from paper bags and paste. I am asking for donations of brown paper bags that we can use for our art project. The bags can be used, but should be clean. Any size of paper bag will work, as we will be cutting them into strips. It is fine if the bags have writing on the outside. If you are anything like me, you may have some Starbucks take-away bags laying around…

Thank you for supporting Division 7’s foray into ancient Egyptian paper-making! If you would like to learn how to write your own name in hieroglyphs, click here!

Today we read the picture book Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester. It connects to our theme about sharing our story. Our race is part of our story. It is part of our identity. It is something that we should be proud to share with others.

Unfortunately, many stories are told about race that are simply not true. The book gives examples of some of the ways race is used to tell untrue stories.

I encourage you to talk to your child about race and racism. It is something they are already hearing about from the world around them and they may have questions. Click here to listen to the book we read in class today. If you have any questions for me or would like help talking to your child about this topic, please reach out at any time.

Wednesday, November 11th is Remembrance Day, a day where we take time to remember the sacrifices that have been made for us to live in peace. Last week, Division 7 spent some time thinking about what it means to contribute to a peaceful world.

We read the book Peace by Wendy Anderson Halperin. It is a beautiful book with a simple message: peace starts with you. Every page is filled with quotes about peace. We used the following quote found in the book for our quote response this week:

Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and it’s something you give away.”

• “I feel like I can change a lot of the world if someone comes up with a brilliant idea…”
• “I feel inspired to give away peace by helping people in need…”
• “It’s kind of like trust because you can’t just wish for it, you have to work hard for it…”
• “Peace is everywhere, we have to make peace…”

After getting inspired to make peace, we read the book When I Grow Up, I Will Win the Nobel Peace Prize by Isabel Pin. It is a book about a boy who has ideas about what he can do to spread peace – some big and some small.

We brainstormed our own ideas in order to create our display, Peace Is In Our Hands. Click the picture below to watch a short video presentation on the display that will be featured in our virtual Remembrance Day assembly on Tuesday, November 10th.

Students will be given a poppy to wear on Tuesday. Please consider sending a donation to the Poppy Trust Fund which supports veterans and their families.

A reminder that there is no school on Wednesday, November 11th.

That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Please enjoy the stories that Division 7 wrote about their names along with their symmetrical name art:

Can you see the names hidden in the art? See below for a closer look:

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On Friday, October 30th, our class will be celebrating Halloween with a day of fun activities. All students are encouraged to dress up in costume.

The Halloween Parade, which normally takes place in the school hallways on Halloween afternoon, will take place outside this year. Classes will walk along the north side of Fir St. and Pine St. between Smith Ave. and Carleton Ave. Families are welcome to watch our parade from the south side of these streets with physical distancing in mind. We ask that spectators find a spot for just their family at least 2 meters apart from the families near them. Please feel free to dress up too.

If students would like to bring a treat to share with their classmates, we ask that it be a peanut free, pre-packaged candy or other item. For safety, all treats need to be brought to the school by Tuesday, October 27th. If your child is bringing treats, they must bring enough to share with everyone. Please note that I have added a class list tab at the top of the page to help them know how much to bring.

We have been learning about the scientific method and today we got to see it in action! The scientific method is the set of steps scientists use to learn about and study the world around them. The six steps of the scientific method are:

1. Make an observation about the world around you.
2. Identify a question that arises from your observation.
3. Form a hypothesis to predict the answer to your question.
4. Design an experiment to test your hypothesis.
5. Analyze your data collected in your experiment.
6. Form a conclusion based on your data.

Today we borrowed an observation and question from a famous scientist, Galileo Galilei. He wondered whether or not a heavier object would fall faster than a lighter object. Using a collection of balls of different weights and sizes, we put it to the test:

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To our surprise, we found that the size and weight of the ball did not affect how fast it fell! Both balls hit the ground at the same time. As good scientists do, we repeated the experiment more than once to check our findings.

Stay tuned for more scientific discoveries…

In Division 7, we celebrate diversity. Last week we made our clothespin doll classroom inspired by the novel Molly’s Pilgrim. We made our dolls to look like us to show that our strength as a class lies in our differences. I was so impressed by the creativity that the students showed in making their dolls! See below for a closer look:

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In class, we have started exploring the big question “What is your story? How does it shape your identity?” We have talked a lot about how sharing our stories builds community and understanding.

This week, we are looking at the part of our story that is most often the first thing we share about ourselves… our names! Today we read The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi. It is the story of a little girl who is moving to America from Korea. When she arrives, she realizes that her Korean name is strange to her new friends. She carefully considers whether or not she should choose a new name to use in her new home. If you would like to find out what happens, you can listen to the story here.

I have asked the students to find out about the story of their names. They may have a few questions to ask you! They have a worksheet to fill out to help guide them. If you have any information to share with them that is not included on the sheet, please have them write it on the back. I am asking the class to bring back everything they find out on Thursday, October 15th. Thank you for assisting your child with this activity!