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. Comments are closed.
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Ms. Shawna WoodPassionate about teaching, learning, inclusion and kindness. Archives
August 2019
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