A collection of moments from Division 3's learning community
We are continuing to ‘travel the world’ via our picture books! We learned about the invention of instant ramen, created by chef Momofuku Ando. He was inspired by the many people in Japan who experienced famine after World War II. Ando wanted to create a easy, inexpensive, and filling food that many people would enjoy:
Check out the video below about the history of this amazing invention!
Have you ever been to a parade? Today, we read the story of Tony Sarg the puppeteer. He was one of the first people to design and create the floating balloon ‘puppets’ commonly used in the Macy’s parade in New York City! This parade has been going on since 1924 (almost 100 years). Below is a photo of one of the first balloon puppets designed by Tony:
Some questions to consider:
-How has the design of the balloons changed over the years? Why do you think they have made these changes?
-Why do the designers use helium instead of another gas (like oxygen)?
-If you were going to design a balloon float, what character/creature would you design?
As part of our investigation of pizzas around the world, we learned about the “most expensive pizza on Earth”! Check out these 2 examples below.
If you ever find yourself in Richmond and have an extra $450 in your pocket, perhaps you might want to try this luxury pizza! The C6 features lobster thermidor, black Alaskan cod, prawns, smoked salmon and Russian Osetra caviar – one of he world’s most expensive caviars. Would you ever try this pizza?
The most expensive pizza in the world serves 2 people… so in a way this only $6,000 apiece. The dough is made from organic flour, is dusted with Murray River pink salt and takes 72-hours to prepare, which allows it time to rest before being cooked.
The toppings are as excessive as you’d expect with three rare types of caviar, Norwegian lobster, and 7 types of cheese.
Have you ever tried caviar? What would you put on your ‘luxury’ pizza?
This week, we began our novel study/read aloud for Alan Gratz’s Ban This Book. The novel follows a student named Amy Anne, who must find her voice in order to speak up against censorship. When Amy Anne’s favourite book is taken off her school library’s shelves, she takes matters into her own hands by creating a secret banned book library.
As we read this novel, we will discuss censorship and representation in children’s literature. Did you know that the Captain Underpants series is one of the most banned books across North America?
If you want to learn more about the importance of reading, you can watch this persuasive Ted-Talk speech from a 9-year-old student. Do you agree or disagree with their ideas?
Hello writers!
We’ve been working on our ‘odes to an everyday object’ in class. Please see the criteria sheet, instructions, and examples attached below. By Friday this week, every student should have 2-3 odes. Please feel free to continue working on these at home this week if needed!
Hello, writers! If you want to practice your writing at home, please feel free to watch this video and then set your timer for 10 minutes.
Hi, writers! Today, your Extreme Writing task is to watch the video above, set your timer for 10 minutes, and write as much as you can about the topic(s) below. Good luck!
This week, we began our discussion about water scarcity both in Canada and around the world. We learned that a very small percentage of the water on Earth is fresh, clean, and drinkable. Many people across the world do not have access to clean water, which effects their lives in many ways.
In The Water Princess, Gie Gie tells the story of her daily routine with her mother. They wake up before the sun rises, walk many miles to a water source, wait in line, gather the water, make the trek home, and then boil the water to try to remove some of the impurities as microorganisms. The cycle repeats the next day, and the day after.
We will continue to discuss water preservation, scarcity, and purification over the next few weeks.
Today, we watched the short film (and read the book upon which it was based) The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. The story is about the importance of books, the cycle of life, and how important it is that everyone has a chance to tell their story. If you have 15 minutes to spare, check out the Academy Award Winning short film, linked above!
Today, we learned about the inventor of Crayola crayons. Edwin Binney was a fantastic, successful innovator because he worked hard, listened to others, and always wanted to solve problems. He heard many children complain that the old style of crayons weren’t bright enough, were too bulky, and too expensive. So, with his team, Edwin created a new kind of crayon… the Crayola crayon!
Over the next few weeks, we will be learning about innovators and inventors like Edwin Binney, Leonardo Da Vinci, and many more!
Check out the video below to see how Crayola crayons are made today!