In Science this term we learned about Ravens. The Big Idea we were exploring was: Living things have features and behaviours that help them survive in their environment. We started out by exploring some non-fiction books and then we made a list of things we wonder about Ravens. One of the first "wonders" was: how can you tell the difference between a crow and a raven? The answer has to do with the curve of a Raven's beak, the shape of the tail and the general size of the bird. Each day I read a few pages from a non-fiction book and the kids shared with me what they thought was "super-cool" about what I had read. As each new fact was discovered we added it to our thinking web (above). To understand the structural features of beaks in general and to discover the way beaks are adapted to suit the type of food the bird eats, the kids attempted to pick up a variety of foods with different utensils (that represented beak shapes). We also explored pictures of various birds in oder to compare beak shapes and made guesses about the food they might eat. Once the kids had a good understanding of Ravens, we shifted our focus from Science to Aboriginal storytelling and the prominence Ravens hold in local First Peoples teachings. I read the story 'Raven Brings the Light' and then we watched a short movie of the same story. The kids learned about the importance of oral traditions in the First Peoples culture and the value of careful listening. The kids drew pictures of specific parts of the story they connected with. Finally I introduced the Spirit of Alliances to the kids. This is a resource that comes from the
Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement and teaches us about the virtues of 4 animals (bear, salmon, raven and wolf) and how these virtues support learning. For our purposes at this time, we focused on the Raven! We learned that the Raven’s gift is cleverness and imagination. We discussed how these virtues can enhance our own learning experiences. The kids reflected on these gifts and considered how they themselves demonstrate these virtues. The kids then wrote about the gifts they share with the Raven and displayed the work in the hall. The wet weather didn't stop us from having a great time digging in the dirt and planting our bulbs! Despite the wet earth it was pretty tough to dig our holes but the kids were up to the challenge. Once each student dug his or her hole they planted their bull and covered it up again. We were pretty distracted by all the interesting creatures we found in the dirt - there were plenty of opportunities to say "ooh, how interesting". I suspect the best part will come next Spring when we see the bulbs flower! The students of Division 19 have been working hard these last few weeks building friendships, learning new routines and getting used to the demands of grade 1. It has been a hectic month for us all but things are starting to settle down and we are all ready to get on with the business of learning! Many of you have already logged into your child's FreshGrade account and have been following along with our progress that way. If you have any trouble with your account please let me know and I will try my best to help. As I stated in the introduction letter, I have used FreshGrade before but this is my first time delving this deep into it and I hope you will be patient with me (and forgive typos...) One of the skills we have been focusing on in the classroom is cooperating with classmates and working with partners to practice new skills. We will be doing lots of partner work this year so it is imperative that the kids are flexible, communicate and respect their partners. So far most of our partner work has involved playing new Math games. Check out the pictures below to see everyone in action! |
Ms. Shawna WoodPassionate about teaching, learning, inclusion and kindness. Archives
August 2019
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