Category: Term 1

Picturebooks Around the World: Nepal (and Mount Everest)

Have you ever thought about climbing Mount Everest? This perilous, treacherous climb draws many tourists every year. We learned that Mount Everest is located between Nepal and China. We learned that this mountain has cultural and religious significance to many people in Nepal.

We also learned that there are some possible environmental impacts caused by all of these people climbing the mountain. Many climbing expeditions leave behind lots of garbage, which is causing this pristine mountain to look more and more like a garbage dump.

Everest: Top Sherpas slam Nepal's plan to clean rubbish from mountain - BBC News

Above: many people hike along Mount Everest, accompanied by experienced guides (Sherpas).

Below: many people from both Nepal and China are working hard to try to clean up the garbage on Mount Everest.

Tidying up the top of the world

Some questions to consider:

-Why do you think it might be challenging to clean the garbage off Mount Everest?

-Would you ever climb Mount Everest?

-Why should we care about the garbage on Mount Everest? How might it impact the environment?

Exploring Asia Through Picturebooks: Food, Family, and Story

Watercress: Wang, Andrea, Chin, Jason: 9780823446247: Books - Amazon.ca

Recently, we visited China through Andrea Wang’s Watercress.  The children in the story learn to find a balance between their family’s traditions and the pressures of North American culture.  While on a road trip, her family stops to harvest watercress from the roadside.  She feels embarrassed as she wades through the ditch, collecting watercress with her parents and siblings.  At dinner that night, her mother shares stories from her own childhood, exposing her children to new aspects of their family’s story, their heritage, and their Chinese culture.

Many people find connection to their family and culture through the food that they eat.  Are there foods that you enjoy with your family?

Check out the video below to hear about Cecilia Chiang’s connection to family and food through story.

Exploring Asia through Picturebooks: Immigration, Family, and Taiwan

I Dream of Popo: Blackburne, Livia, Kuo, Julia: 9781250249319: Books - Amazon.ca

I Dream of Popo: Blackburne, Livia, Kuo, Julia: 9781250249319: Books - Amazon.ca

We are continuing to learn about different countries in Asia! We read a book called I Dream of Popo, a story about moving away from your family based on the authour’s childhood experience moving from Taiwan to America. The child in the story keeps in contact with their grandmother back in Taiwan, and their love prevails despite physical distance!

Taiwan Map and Satellite Image

Taiwan is a small country off the coast of China. It is a very culturally distinct country, with lots of unique culture!

To learn a little more about Taiwan, please watch the video below. You can compare and contrast these Taiwanese noodles with the Japanese noodles we learned about earlier!

Picturebooks Around the World: Exploring Japan

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:

Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando: Wang, Andrea, Urbanowicz, Kana: 9781499807035: Books - Amazon.ca

Check out the video below about the history of this amazing invention!

World’s Most Expensive Pizza: How Much Would You Spend?

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.

The C6 – Stevestson Pizza, Richmond, BC, Canada – $450

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?

Louis XIII – Salerno, Italy – $12,000

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?

Creating Hypotheses: Mentos and Soda Experiment

What makes for an accurate and informative Science experiment? Well, we need to make sure we have a strong hypothesis, a clear control, and a variety of variables. Today, we began our investigation into the question: how can we create the largest, most dramatic eruption when mixing Mentos and soda?

So far, we have tested 2 liter bottles of Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Zero, Pepsi, Orange Crush, generic brand cola, and soda water (our control). We noticed that the Diet sodas performed very well.

Now, as a Scientist you must decide… what variables should be manipulate to get different results? Should we test smaller bottles of pop? Different kinds of soda (ex: Sprite, Root Beer)? Should we use different amounts of Mentos? Would other candies have similar effects?

We will continue this investigation over the next week!

Body Percussion: Rhythm + Self-Regulation at Lochdale!

This week, we have been practicing our rhythm, beat, and timing with our percussion coach, Daniel! He is a musician who specializes in drum styles and rhymical beats from across the world. So far, we have learned about a rhythm called a “Hambone” (a song often drummed and sung by African Americans across the Southern USA). We also talked about how we can use stomping, clapping, and jumping to help regulate our emotions and reduce stress.

Below is a video of a drumming prodigy. A “prodigy” means that someone is very talented at something at a very young age. Have you ever played  the drums?

Segregated Schools: Separate is Never Equal

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation (Jane Addams Award Book (Awards)) eBook : Tonatiuh, Duncan: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store

As we learn about schools in the past and present, it is important to acknowledge the racist history of segregated schools. We learned about Sylvia Mendez and her family’s fight to integrate schools in Orange County (USA). Through their bravery and perseverance, the Mendez family were able to unite with other Mexican-American families to overturn the law that allowed students to be separated into schools based on their skin color and cultural heritage. Here is an interview with Sylvia Mendez about her experiences:

We also want to affirm that September 15th-October 15th is Latinx Heritage Month (though it is importance to celebrate influential Lantinx people throughout the past and present every month of the year)! Our class will continue exploring examples of Latinx artists, politicians, advocates, and authors.

 

-Ms. Ward

Our First Read Aloud Novel!

Ban This Book - Alan Gratz

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?

All Around the World: Exploring Global Perspectives with Picture Books!

Hello, travelers! Over the next few weeks, we will be learning about different countries, continents, and cultures from through picture books written by a diverse group of authours (#ownvoices).

Today, we learned about the importance of educating people of all genders when we read The Library Bus by Bahram Rahman.

The Library Bus: Rahman, Bahram, Grimard, Gabrielle: 9781772781014: Books - Amazon.ca

The authour grew up in Afghanistan, where the book is set, and was inspired by the resilience of teachers and students. He is using the story to raise awareness about girls education, and to celebrate the beauty and landscape of his home country.

As we learn more about the world around us, it is important for us to consider:

-What do we know about this country already? How do we know/what are our sources?

-Is it possible to learn everything there is to know about a country or culture in one day? What should we do if we want to learn more?

-Can we make any connections to the characters in the book? How are our lives similar?

Check out the song we will be using to learn more about the vast world around us below: