Black Excellence Day: Innovators in Focus

Hello, Grade 7s!

This week, we started learning about Black Excellence Day, which will be observed next week (January 15th). This day is one opportunity to learn about, acknowledge, and amplify the stories of innovators from Black communities in Canada and globally!

One of the first changemakers we learned about was Stevie Wonder. His music career has spanned decades, and his messages of hope, equality, and love have been heard around the world! Stevie Wonder is also an inspiring person to learn about not only because of his talents in singing, piano-playing, and songwriting, but because he learned all these skills as a blind person. Stevie Wonder has even collaborated with contemporary artists like Ariana Grande.

Please feel free to watch the videos below… you will likely recognize the songs!

Some possible discussion questions:

-Have you ever heard of Stevie Wonder before? Do you recognize his music?

-Why do you think his career has lasted so long? Why does his music still appeal to modern audiences?

-Who are some other notable musicians from Black communities? Who else might we learn about?

Out of My Mind: A Film Adaptation

We have officially finished our first read-aloud, Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper! This is ideal timing, since there is a film adaptation being released this month!

The film version of the story stars Phoebe-Rae Taylor, an actress who also has cerebral palsy (just like Melody does in the novel). Melody’s internal voice is played by Jennifer Aniston. Take a look at the trailer, below, and see what parts of the novel seem to have made it into the film (and what, perhaps, has been changed!):

Remembrance Day: Exploring Canada’s ‘Hidden’ Heroes

As we prepare for our Remembrance Day assembly on Friday, our class has been exploring the ‘hidden heroes’ of Canada’s military in World Ward II. Have you ever heard of the Cree Code Talkers? These were members of the Indigenous community who translated messages from English into Cree as a way to protected confidential information. This way, if anyone else was listening in, they couldn’t crack the code! The Code Talkers were only one example of the thousands of Indigenous people who served in Canada’s military during both World Wars. Yet, once they returned from battle, Indigenous veterans faced racism and prejudiced laws that did not afford them the same supports and rights as other veterans. Even today, we discussed how often these heroes are often still left out of history textbooks, movies, books, and media. As part of our effort to learn more, our class is presenting some information about Indigenous military members on Indigenous Veterans Day (November 8th).

Feel free to watch the video(s) below to learn more about the Code Talkers, and Indigenous military members (both past and present):

Over the Garden Wall: Summarizing and Analyzing

As we prepare for Halloween and the ‘spooky season’, our class is exploring the mini-series “Over the Garden Wall”! We have been working to develop our skills in creating detailed summaries (including setting, plot events, characters, etc.) and beginning to craft our abilities in analyzing (noticing symbolism, creating theories, deep-diving into characters). This show is also loaded full of interesting imagery, spooky lore, and nods to fairy tales.

Over the Garden Wall (TV Mini Series 2014) - IMDb

We are currently exploring episodes 3 and episode 4, and watching Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice make their way through The Unknown.

Stay tuned for more information and extra content!

-Ms. Ward

Lifespans and Lifetimes:

What do you think are the longest living species on Earth? You might be surprised to learn that humans have much shorter lifespans than many other animals! We began discussing the shortest, and longest, average lifespans for different organisms. We also brainstormed what factors, such as access to food and a safe environment, could influence or change the lifespan of people and animals.

Feel free to click the link below to learn about some of the longest living creatures (that we know about):

Lifespans and Lifetimes

We looked at a local example of long-living species… the white sturgeon! These massive fish often swim the Fraser River, and can live to be over 100 years old! However, their species has often been threatened by humans (environmental, overfishing, etc.). Now, many people are working together to try and protect these sturgeon, so that they might live into the next century and beyond!

TALE OF A GREAT WHITE FISH |Maggie de Vries

Our First Novel Study: Out of My Mind

We have officially begun our first novel study… Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper! This realistic-fiction book follows Melody, a child with cerebral palsy who is non-verbal. Despite her many interests, talents, and skills, Melody is unable to communicate her thoughts and feelings to those around her due to a lack of assistive technology.

Lochdale’s speech-language therapist, Ms. Filippelli, came in to our class to teach us about different forms of communication. We began to learn about how assistive technology, such as communication or “core” boards, can create a ‘voice’ for those who are non-speaking. We discussed why some people may not use verbal communication, or may be more comfortable with communicating in other ways.

Feel free to watch the video below for an interview with Ben, who is a non-speaking person who uses assistive technology. In the video, he explains how using an iPad or ‘core board’ helps him to feel less ‘trapped’ inside his head.

Please note: the video contains a brief mention of people protesting against gun violence.

Formal Writing: Email Etiquette

Our Grade 7s have been discussing how being able to send a formal, professional email will benefit us in the future. We learned that whether we are connecting with a teacher, asking our professor a question, contacting a future employer, demanding action from politicians, or sending an invoice to a customer, using a formal tone in an email is helpful.

Students have been tasked with sending Ms. Ward a formal style email. Please see the PowerPoint (attached) for further information.

Formal Writing_ E-mails and Cover Letters

Muhammad Ali: Setting Goals + Achieving Greatness

Muhammad Ali: A Champion Is Born | Cavalier House Books

Image description: a hand holding a copy of the picture book Muhammad Ali: A Champion is Born by Gene Barretta

This week, we discussed the importance of considering what goals we might want to achieve in our lives. We read about how Muhammad Ali was inspired to begin his boxing career from an experience he had as a 12 year old child. Despite the mockery, prejudice, and injustice that he faced, Muhammad Ali trained and persevered and achieved so much in his lifetime! He was crowned the heavyweight champion of the world an astonishing 3 times, medaled in the Olympics, and, perhaps most importantly, was known as the “People’s Champion” because of his commitment to speaking out against injustice.

Take a look at the short memorial video, below, commemorating Muhammad Ali’s lifetime:

History Mystery: Death in the Ice… Exploring the Franklin Expedition

Have you ever heard of the mysterious disappearance of the Franklin Expedition? This History Mystery involves two ships, sailing from Britain to the Artic of Canada on a search for the Northwest Passage. Despite being well-equipped with food, water, and technology, the ships (and crew) disappeared, and even over 150 years later people still cannot agree on what happened to them!

Check out the trailer, above, for an introduction to this History Mystery, and click the link below for our evidence (so far):

Death in the Ice_ History Mystery Pt. 1

Representation in Media: Books as Windows, Books as Mirrors

Have you ever read a book and felt like a character was SO similar to you, it was like looking in a mirror? Have you ever felt like a book provided you with a window into someone else’s life and experiences? These are both examples of how representation in media (especially books) is important!

We have been exploring how books can be mirrors and windows, and examining what books in our class library are examples of one or the other (or even both)!

Teaching Students How Books Are Mirrors, Windows, and Doors : vr2ltch

We learned that many people may not see themselves in books and movies. There may not be many characters that share aspects of their identities, such as: culture, ethnicity, life experiences, religion, background, family dynamic, etc. We surveyed our class library to look for ‘gaps’ in our books. We talked about how reading books about people who are different from us can build understanding and empathy.

Today, we read The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad:

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family: Muhammad, Ibtihaj, Aly, Hatem, Ali, S. K.: 9780316519007: Books - Amazon.ca

In the story, a younger sister tells us all about her older sister’s first day wearing hijab. We talked about how many people from different cultures and religions may wear clothing, regalia, jewelry, or other items as testaments to their beliefs and backgrounds. To learn more about Ibtihaj Muhammad’s life, including her time as an Olympic-medalist in fencing, check out the video below:

Some questions to discuss at home:

Have you ever seen a character that is similar to you (culture, race, religion, personality, background, etc.) in a book, movie, or TV show?
What are some characters you feel connected to? Who are your favourite characters, and why do you like them?
Do you have any clothing, regalia, jewelry, that you wear that represents your culture/faith/identity? Are there certain items that you wear on special days?