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.

Important Reminders:

Hello, Div. 2!

A few important reminders as we head into the weekend:

-please return your green hoodie order forms ASAP!

-no band tomorrow as we have an assembly in the morning (Friday)

-Orange Shirt Day will be observed tomorrow (Friday)

-Welcoming Conversation sign-up links were sent out this week

-no school Monday as we will be taking part in Truth & Reconciliation

Thanks everyone!

-Ms. Ward

Accessibility in Schools:

Our class has been discussing how schools have changed in the past 100 years, and how they might look 100 years in the future. We have been brainstorming how schools can increase and improve student engagement and success. One factor that we are examining is how accessible a school is. Accessibility means that all students and staff, regardless of their strengths or challenges, have equitable access to resources and equal chance at being successful. One key way to support everyone, especially those with diverse needs and disabilities, is to understand Assistive Technology (AT). AT can help folks with disabilities perform everyday tasks with increased independence, can help with social connections, and can support their success at work and at school.

Today, we explored how accessible our own school is for people who use mobility devices. This could be someone who uses assistive technology such as a wheelchair, someone using a walker, or someone using crutches. Feel free to click the link below for our PowerPoint of key terms:

Accessibility in Focus

We also listened to a TED talk by Jane Velkovski, a young activist who speaks up about the importance of AT. We learned that while 1 billion people need AT, over 90% of people do not have regular access to AT. You can watch this TED talk below:

Some questions to consider at home:

-what examples of Assistive Technology (AT) have you seen?

-what are some ways we can make schools more accessible to folks who use mobility devices?

-what can be done, on a local and global level, for the 9 out of ever 10 people who do not have regular access to AT?

School Lunch Programs: Pros and Cons

Have you ever attended a school with a Lunch program? In class today, we discussed the possible positive and negatives of school-wide Lunch programs. We learned about a young photojournalist named Martha, who began a blog called Never Seconds in 2009 to document what she (and her friends) were being served for lunch every day. You can access her the archive of her blog here: https://neverseconds.blogspot.com/

Never Seconds :: LocalFoody Blog

Image description: a slice of pizza, a muffin, a small amount of corn, and an unidentified fried item (fish stick?) are placed sloppily on a lunch tray.

We discussed how, for many people, a school Lunch or Breakfast program may be their only access to a consistent, nutritionally balanced meal for a variety of reasons (food insecurity, affordability, time constraints, etc.). Our concerns, however, were that many of the meals being served to Martha (and to many students across the world) were not nutritionally-balanced, were unappetizing, and were not a correct serving size.

What are your experiences with a school Lunch program? Do you think that all schools should have them?

Feel free to watch the video below, of how an amazing crew of “Lunch ladies” feed over 400 students a day at a middle school in New York City:

Welcome, Grade 7s!

Greetings to our Grade 7 class of 2024/2025!

It has already been a very busy first few days of school in our new classroom community. We have been hard at work getting to know each other, adapting to new routines, and considering the roles/responsibilities of Grade 7s.

I am excited to get to know everyone, as both individuals and as a class!

I am looking forward to introducing (or re-introducing) myself to the wonderful parents/guardians/families that are supporting our Grade 7 students during our Welcoming Conversations in October (more information to follow).

In the meantime, I have created a quick survey that I ask be filled in by the parents/guardians of our Grade 7s. This survey was also sent home on a pink form with our school supply list for the year. The survey can be found here: Grade 7 parent guardian survey

Please check out our class blog frequently for reminders, upcoming due dates, and videos/resources we learned about in class!

Best wishes,

Ms. Ward

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?

Marketable Skills: Baking Fruit Crisps

The Easiest Fruit Crisp

Our class took on our most complicated recipe yet… a fruit crisp! We learned that fruit crisps can be made with a variety of types of fillings, including: strawberries, apples, peaches, mangos, cherries, and more! They are also a very economical and delicious way to use up extra fruit, or even frozen fruit!

The topping of our crisps used rolled oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon along with melted butter. We measured our ingredients carefully and worked collaboratively to make individual sized desserts.

Most of us were very excited with how our fruit crisps turned out. Please feel free to click the recipe above to try making it at home.

Clay Skulls: Our Socials and ADST Project

Our Grade 7s have been hard at work learning about early humans with Ms. Ramen in Socials class! We invited a artist in residence to come in and teach us how to sculpt a human skull out of clay. After sculpting, they were fired in the kiln. Then, we glazed the skulls and they will be fired a final time. We can’t wait to see the final product soon!

Some questions we suggest parents/guardians can discuss at home:

What features did you include in your skull model? What species of hominin did you choose to create?
How does your model skull look similar or different from our own (real) skulls?
How old do you imagine your skull is? What conditions was it in (ex: desert, water)?