Today, we started our new read-aloud, Stand Up, Yumi Chung!  by Jessica Kim. Here is a short summary of the novel:

“One lie snowballs into a full-blown double life in this irresistible story about an aspiring stand-up comedian.

On the outside, Yumi Chung suffers from #shygirlproblems, a perm-gone-wrong, and kids calling her “Yu-MEAT” because she smells like her family’s Korean barbecue restaurant. On the inside, Yumi is ready for her Netflix stand-up special. Her notebook is filled with mortifying memories that she’s reworked into comedy gold. All she needs is a stage and courage.

Instead of spending the summer studying her favorite YouTube comedians, Yumi is enrolled in test-prep tutoring to qualify for a private school scholarship, which will help in a time of hardship at the restaurant. One day after class, Yumi stumbles on an opportunity that will change her life: a comedy camp for kids taught by one of her favorite YouTube stars. The only problem is that the instructor and all the students think she’s a girl named Kay Nakamura–and Yumi doesn’t correct them.

As this case of mistaken identity unravels, Yumi must decide to stand up and reveal the truth or risk losing her dreams and disappointing everyone she cares about.” 

Stay tuned for more information about this new novel!

Today, we read Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years and discussed human impact on our planet. We watched a short video from our Grade 6/7s about the impact of the single-use plastic on our oceans. Then, we brainstormed some ways that we as individuals can reduce the amount of garbage and pollution in our aquatic environments.

Feel free to watch the video below for some information about the importance of recycling.

Today, we finished our novel Out of My Mind. We discussed how we can make our world more inclusive, accepting, and kind for people with disabilities and diverse needs. We discussed why it is important to honour and celebrate the different ways we communicate, whether we use assistive technology like Melody, or speak a different language, or use ASL (American Sign Language).

Please feel free to check out this amazing performance of Queen’s song “Bohemian Rhapsody” using Sign Language. Here are some possible topics to discuss:

-Have you ever seen anyone using Sign Language? Do you know any Sign Language?

-Do you think students should have the option to take a Sign Language class in school (similar to how we can take French, Spanish, or Mandarin)?

-What do you notice about the performance? Can you understand what the performers are communicating?

-What is your favourite way to communicate? (ex: through Writing, through Art, talking to a friend)

Division 5 has been very engaged in our novel study, Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper! The story follows 11 year old Melody, an extremely intelligent girl who loves music, her family, and learning about the world around her. Melody has a severe form of cerebral palsy, which impacts her ability to move and speak. Because Melody is non-verbal, and because of her physical appearance and her wheelchair, most people assume that she “doesn’t have any thoughts”. But with the support of her family, and with an assistive device called a ‘Medi-Talker’, Melody is able to begin sharing her thoughts with the world.

While Melody is not a real person, the technology that she uses in the novel is based on the machine used by Stephen Hawking. Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, which caused him to  become paralyzed. Hawking was able to use assistive technology to share his intelligence and ideas with the world, just like Melody. Click on the video below to see the Science and Technology!

Discussion questions for at home:

-What are some other tools or technology that people with diverse needs/disabilities can use?

-Have you ever felt like someone assumed something about you/judged you based on your appearance?

-Why is important that we read books with characters like Melody? What can we learn from seeing the world through her eyes?

-How accessible/easy is our school, neighborhood, & world for people in wheelchairs? What could we do to improve this?

As a bonus Science activity, feel free to check out the music video above. You’ll notice that the video has a very complex Rube Goldberg machine, and lots of examples of simple machines!

Today, we looked at an inventor Matt Benedetto who has created over 200 “unnecessary” inventions! Here is an example of one of his wacky, weird, and sometimes useless inventions:

As part of our Creative Thinking & STEM exploration, we will be creating our own unnecessary invention and will try to ‘sell’ this creation using persuasive writing techniques. Our job this weekend is to brainstorm a possible invention we might want to create. Here are some tips for brainstorming:

-think of a challenge or pet peeve you might have (ex: stubbing your toe, melting ice cream). What are some funny ways you could fix or solve this problem?

-what is an invention that already exists that could be ‘improved’ on in a fun, creative way?

-what is something that you wish existed? Try making it yourself!

 

Over the next few weeks, we will be examining mechanics, machines, inventions, and some physics! One of my favourite examples of these Scientific ideas in action is the Rube Goldberg machine… a machine that uses a series of complex reactions to do something simple! Check out this video above of a professional ‘useless’ machine builder!

Stay tuned for more information on our Scientific discoveries!

Math 

Today, your task is to not only be a mathematician but to also put on the hat of an interior designer!

An interior designer is a person who plans how furniture will be placed inside buildings. They also plan the colours, curtains, lighting, pictures, etc. 

Today, your task is to redesign your bedroom! Stand in the door way of your room. Think about the most important pieces of furniture that you need to incorporate.

Ex. Bed, dresser, closet, night stand, etc.

Next, think about what other additions you might like to add to your room.

Ex. a chair swing, a cozy corner, etc.

Please create a draft of your room on a blank piece of paper. You will need this for our in person class tomorrow. Here are some pictures below to help inspire you. Happy designing!

The Coolest Dinosaur Discoveries in 2020

Hi, Scientists! Click the link above to see an article on some of the most interesting dinosaur discoveries that happened in 2020!

After reading the article, write some notes/ideas on the following questions:

1. Why do you think it can be so difficult to learn about dinosaurs? What challenges do paleontologists have to face?
2. Have you ever watched a movie/T.V. show with dinosaurs in it? Do you think it was accurate? Why or why not?
3. Which of these discoveries do you think is the most interesting or important? Why?
4. Is it possible for paleontologists, or scientists in general, to make mistakes? Give an example.

Feel free to write down these ideas or e-mail them to Ms. Ward. Check out the video below for some more information on the mystery of what dinosaurs actually looked like!

Math

Today, we will continue with our investigation into the world of measurement! Your task is to draw a self portrait or an animal of your choice on the grid paper provided. You should colour your work. When drawing, you will need to use the whole square or half of the square as this will make it easier to calculate. Your picture will look like a character from Minecraft. Please see the example posted below. If you are unable to print the graph paper, you can always create your drawing on a blank piece of paper.

Once you have made your drawing, you will need to count the number of squares that make up each and every side of your drawing. Please see the example. The side of each square on the graph paper is 1 cm. Understanding this will allow us to calculate the perimeter of your drawing.

Perimeter means the distance around an object.

Look back at your drawing and count up all the sides around your person or animal. In the example, you can see that after the number of edges are added up, the perimeter was 72 cm.

***Please ignore the section to calculate the area. We will come back to this later.

PerimeterPerson Graph Paper