Ancient Civilization Tube People are in full force!
The class is really enjoying the process of "Making". It is important that we understand that this is a process and it is not all about the end product. The students are using the language of the 4Cs (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity). A project like this is a great way to demonstrate all the 4C skills. The students are working within groups based on interest. They are creating their own "tube people", but they are also using each other to communicate thoughts and ideas and to collaborate together to choose features and accessories that make sense. Critical thinking is a skill that helps students make their work even better. Something didn't work...why?...what can you change to make it work this time?...something didn't look right...what else could you try? Then of course there is creativity. Just take one look at our projects and you will see the creativity flowing!
We started with making a 'blueprint' based on the pictures we chose and the previous sketches we had made. What do you want your person to look like and what materials do you think you'll need. We painted the tubes where we wanted there to be skin colour. The rest will be covered in materials for clothing, etc. Now it was time to add features for the face.
We got a lot of faces finished. Many people now have hair and other accessories that are adding a lot of creativity and character to our projects.
Next Steps:
We will continue to work on our tube people today and continue to use the 4Cs during our design process. We will ask each other questions and for opinions and make adjustments as we need to. We will look at each other's work and get inspired from that too. I can't wait to continue this learning journey and see what these kids will come up with next!!
You can look forward to more pictures later on today!!!
Danielle
We are Makers! Here is a sneak peek of one of the exciting things we are making as part of our Ancient Civilization Inquiry!
To some it may look like a large toilet paper tube...BUT not to us! We see people from Ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt. We see mythical creatures and animals that existed long ago. Stay tuned for our next steps!
Shadows Galore! On Friday we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and radiant sunlight and went hunting for shadows!
Check out some of these awesome shadows that we captured! We used a canvas that has been stretched onto a frame and set out to find some shadows around the schoolyard. Cathy helped us by getting the frames and reminded us to use the order: sun, object, canvas when taking our pictures. We had 6 groups, each group had a camera and in 20 minutes we got some really great shots. We will use the pictures as part of an upcoming project!
Triath-a-Thon Assembly! Thank you for all your support for this year's Triath-a-Thon fundraiser. Our class got third place for our fundraising efforts and have earned some prizes!
We are already thinking about using both of these on the same day...but at the same time hoping the snow can wait for a bit before it graces us with its presence!
Cheers to another busy week of school filled with lots of thinking and learning! (We also joined Room 125 for a dance class, but were too busy dancing to take pictures...next time!)
Reminders:
-We are painting this week (Monday and Tuesday). We are using acrylic paint, so please wear clothing it is okay to paint in
-Home Reading folders (with the completed Ask Me...) question needs to be handed in Monday (every Monday)
-Book orders are due on Wednesday
-Remembrance Day Assembly is on Thursday and there is no school on Friday
It's finally here...Hallowe'en that is! AND on a Monday this year! I'm sure with the all the excitement it will feel like a looooong week!
We started off our day by doing some shadow exploration with Cathy. The class had a blast using "old school" projectors and objects from around the room to cast shadows on the walls, the ceiling, the SmartBoard and white canvas screens.
Then it was time to have some more fun this afternoon!
On a virtual roller coaster ride!
Samers!
Meet our Jack-o-Lantern!
Choice Time!
Thank you so much to everyone who brought in food, supplies and volunteered for our celebration. It is greatly appreciated.
Today we participated in our own version of Global Maker Day. We didn't formally register for the event, but were inspired by the idea of 'making'!
What is /making'? Well...it is the act of making things! Seems simple, and it is! Many schools are creating Maker Spaces in libraries and in classrooms. This is a space where kids can make! Making is a fun, interactive, hands on approach to learning. It can also be linked to curricular outcomes very easily (ELA, Math, Social Studies, Science, Art...it's all there!). When kids are Making they are using what we call the Design Process. Making can be different from Choice Time in the sense that some direction will be given, there needs to be a plan (including supplies that are needed), there is a process (what do you need to do, do you need to make changes, did something not work, would another material work better, etc.) and there is reflection.
Watch the video on The 4 Cs...(Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking and Creativity). It is a cute video based on the book Going Places by Peter & Paul Reynolds. We watched it today and the class totally understood its message!
Some of the thoughts of the class after watching Above and Beyond:
-You need to think outside the box
-Sometimes you need to persevere when things get hard
-Now everyone will want to change their ideas to make their car (from the story) more interesting
-It's okay to be different and think differently from others
-We need to have a growth mindset (over a fixed mindset)
Our Process Today:
-I went shopping at Dollarama, found stuff around the room and had donations from Murray spread out into the middle of the carpet as the kids came in
I'll admit...it was scary to start the day with a mess! However, the kids did a fantastic job cleaning up. We are starting to organize our supplies so they are easy to access next time we need them!
-The class was surprised and ecstatic to see the pile of 'treasures' and started looking through the pile to see what was there
-We talked about the ideas we had yesterday (on Monday we had a quick brainstorm of what each student wanted to make and we made a shopping list so I would know what to buy). Some ideas changed after they saw what supplies they had to work with
-We each took 3 pieces (from the supply pile) and in our Learning Logs we drew a picture of what we were going to make
-Next we did a gallery walk so we could see what everyone else was going to make
-Based on what we saw we formed groups because we wanted today's Maker time to be a collaborative piece
-After that...we got Making!
These are works in progress!
What I Heard Throughout the Day:
-What a great idea!
-I should try that too!
-Wow, that's cool!
-What if we...?
-Maybe we could...?
-Can you help me?
-I really like...!
-Do you need...?
-How did you make that?
-Can I help you?
-What should we do next?
-That reminds me of...!
The list goes on and on!
Here are some pictures of what we made!
Pretty cool stuff!!
We had lots of people interested in a Hallowe'en theme, a group of modelling clay dragons, others were interested in making people, houses and even a curling rock!
I'm really pleased with how the day went. The class had fun. They worked on Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity as well as the Design Process. AND I wasn't left with a huge mess! Everyone was engaged. What more can a teacher ask for?!
Next Steps:
-Continue creating a Maker Space in the room (we are working on moving things around to utilize the cupboard with some labeled bins so we can be organized)
-Reflecting on what we've made, created, built (did it change from the original plan, what did you do when you came across something that wasn't working, were you able to communicate with your group, what do you notice/wonder about other projects in the room, what might you do differently next time or what really worked well and you would do again or suggest for others to try)
Some of the class may think we got to 'play' all day long...that is true, but I promise there was also a whole lot of learning going on too!
*If you have anything you'd like to donate to our Maker Space let us know! We will see if we can find a use for it!
This post is dedicated to serve as reminders for families!
I totally forgot to remind the class that tomorrow is library day. Please return library books tomorrow if you need to choose new ones! Library is on Day 2. I had a request from a parent to have a timetable for home. I made some copies, so if anyone would like to have a timetable for home just ask your child to bring one for you. That way you will know when we have phys. ed, music, French, etc. Also-we are going to be doing outdoor education (cooperative learning games and activities) during our gym time on Day 6 with Cathy, so please have your child dress for the weather on those days :) As you know, we are currently working a lot with Murray doing an inquiry project on ancient civilizations. We will be working with Murray each day (except Day 4 because it is Yoga day), so our timetable may have some slight changes to it. We are fortunate to have integrated inquiry until Murray until the Winter break! Soon we will have finalized plans for a Halloween celebration. We will share those plans with you ASAP.
What's Coming?
-No School on Friday
-Fun Lunch is October 28
-School photo proofs have been sent home. If you plan on ordering please send in your order (or as I hear you can also order online)
-Information on this year's school fundraiser will be coming soon!
Other:
Home Reading Folder:
-Please remember to check or help your child with his or her home reading. At the end of the week the sheet should be filled out (including all questions). This will make it easier for your child total the amount of minutes they read each month. At the end of the month if you want to help do the monthly totals that would be great! Try to have your child figure it out since it's a great opportunity for problem solving. Don't forget to only do the days for the given month! You may need to add/subtract minutes from a different week!
-Students should be bringing their home reading everyday. We need them at school for different purposes (Ask Me questions on Fridays, I look at them on Mondays/Tuesdays, first of the month we graph our monthly reading minutes, Day 1 word sort words go home). One of the first things the students do is hand in the reading folder each morning. They pick them up in their mailboxes at the end of the day.
-Ask Me questions are written on Friday and are 'homework' for the weekend. Parents ask their child the question and the child answers by talking about the question, then writing down an answer that I read at school. The Ask Me question is a question that refers to something we have learned at school that week. It is meant as a conversation starter. It is my hope that doing this activity gets children talking to their parents about their learning.
-Word sorts come home on Day 1. We do Words Their Way activities on Days 1,3,5. All the 3/4s are working together so kids can work with their peers on sorts that are 'just right' for them. We give new sorts on Day 3. Students sort the words and write the rule for sorting. On Day 5 and Day 1 they do alphabetical order, sentence writing and other activities (if they have time). We are sending the words home after we are done at school so you can continue to work on the sorts at home if needed. Please take the words out so we can put new words in the bag! There is a green sheet in the home reading folder with more information about word sorts!
I think that was everything I wanted to say for now.
Have a lovely evening (Go Jets Go!)
Until next time,
Danielle
We checked out some objects that range from music to number systems to photographs of teachers on vacation to myths and legends to sports to maps and architecture! Then we formed questions about what we are thinking, noticing and wondering. We are a curious bunch! I'm really proud and excited about all the great questions the class has thought of and how engaged they've been throughout the inquiry process!
WEDNESDAY!
These are our "Learning Logs"...well actually were aren't sure if we like the name and might change it!
We use these for documenting our inquiry process, as well as other ideas and work we want to easily go back and look at and reflect on. The students did a great job s with the Zentangles they had been working so hard on :)
Today we reflected on the questions we generated yesterday, did a knowledge circle and decided on things we were really, REALLY were curious about.
Sharing thoughts, ideas and questions with each other generated even more ideas!
Here is a list of things we are curious about (in relation to Ancient Civilizations) and in no particular order!
- Colosseum, Ancient Egypt, Pyramids, Knights, Ancient Greece, Sphinx, Easter Island, Myths, Ancient Rome, Gladiators, Castles, Samurai, Homes, War and Peace, Food (what they ate and where they got food from), Carvings, How people learned, How can statues still be standing after all that time, Language (spoken and written and how language has evolved), Mythical creatures, Warriors, Boats, Buildings/Architecture, Pompeii, Rulers, Evolution of sports, Life span (reasons for shorter lifespan...medicine, war, disease, etc.)
Then came more time to think and with that came even more ideas!
-Mail (how did they get mail), Volcanoes, Leisure (what did they do for fun, games, etc.), Were there animals that helped them hunt, Vikings, Formation of New World Countries (how and when did that happen), How did a city get planned out, Where did seeds come from (for planting), Tools and weapons from ancient societies, Books (where did information get written: were there scrolls and paper?), Cooking (how did they heat food and how was food like bread invented), Clothing and textiles, Celebrations/rituals/holidays/traditions, Seasons/climate, Animals (pets?), Burials, Were there different groups within the same culture, Colours (how did they get colour for paint, art, etc.), Names (significance, last names?, god/goddess meanings?), Eye glasses, Bones and fossils, Instruments (music and songs), Uses of animals (besides just for food), How did they remember things (draw, write things down?), Date/time/calendar, What kind of furniture was there, Plants (did they know they had to renew resources like replant?), Water (where did it come from, how did they filter it, etc.), How did they wash themselves, Where was the bathroom
WOW!! I hope you are impressed! I sure am. I can't wait for us to continue the process. Next steps are for us to sort through all these questions and wonderings and see where our curious minds take us!
I had a great Thanksgiving weekend with my family in Ontario! I have so much to be grateful for :)
I hope you all were able to take time and enjoy your friends and family on this beautiful weekend too!
On Saturday we drove past my old elementary school. I LOVED going to school here. Sturgeon Creek School is literally in the the middle of nowhere! I biked to school once. Yes-once...because it is 9 miles away from my house! Thankfully my mom picked me up and drove me home! I couldn't have asked for a better place to learn to love learning. I spent 9 years here and love going back to visit. One of my good friends teaches here now (she also went to school here from Kindergarten to Grade 8) so I've had the pleasure of checking things out while she sets her class up in the summer! I am very thankful for such great school memories! I wish similar happy school memories for every kid in the whole world!!!
The best part about my weekend at home was spending time with my niece and nephew. It was very important that we raked leaves and jumped in them...of course! I am very thankful to be able to spend time with my family, even though they live 4 hours away!
I can't forget Hudson...who also loves playing in the leaves! I am very thankful for my favourite puppy! She is the best company, she always listens and she makes sure I get my exercise everyday!
