For the next couple of months in Social Studies our class will be focusing on the country of Ukraine! So far the students have noticed that Ukraine has some features in common with Canada, but also some interesting differences. Ukrainian sports, industries, and communities have been interesting so far, and we'll also get to learn lots about Ukrainian culture. ми не можемо чекати (we can't wait)!
A big highlight this month at school has been the students' presentations all about Peru! They've taught each other all about the animals, land, cuisine, holidays, and important cultural features of this fascinating country. You can see one of the games they learned and the recipe for a delicious Peruvian treat below!
We were lucky to pilot a Telus World of Science Edmonton program this week where we learned about viewing computational thinking through an Indigenous worldview. Computational thinking is an important piece of our new science curriculum this year, and it was really special to learn about this way of thinking from Natasha who is a Métis sky scientist from TWOSE. Natasha talked about how she's learned from elders and knowledge keepers, and also scientists and scholars. She taught us about two-row wampum belts and how they were used in the first treaty between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people on Turtle Island, representing the two cultures with the blue river of life beads and white beads representing peace, love, friendship. Natasha encouraged students to tell a story with their beading, and also in our coding in class. We also talked about perfection, and how when we make things as people we want to focus on expressing ourselves rather than being perfect. This tied in nicely with the Métis tradition of including a spirit bead in your beading, which is a bead that is misplaced or miscoloured to remember that no one can achieve perfection all the time. During our beading time, Natasha also taught us a lot about coding such as binary code on computers, algorithms, and loops. The students worked hard on their beadwork, and their designs and beading turned out beautifully. It was a meaningful and enlightening project for all of us! We were so lucky to have Kookum Violet (Elder Violet Poitras from Paul First Nation) and our wonderful Indigenous Education Facilitator Ms. Leanne spend time with our class on Thursday! We read a special story together about a First Nations family, the often sacred significance of braids and hair in Indigenous culture, and the importance of kindness in Indigenous worldviews. Kookum Violet shared with us about the value of appreciating our loved ones and telling them we love them, how we need to take care of Mother Earth, about her childhood growing up in a First Nations family, and the challenges of going to school without her family when she was eight-years-old. We learned some important words in Cree and Stoney which the class really enjoyed. The students were absolutely thrilled to spend time with Kookum Violet, and found it very meaningful to learn from her perspective and wisdom. It was such a special visit!
This month in Social Studies we're starting to learn about the country of Peru! Peru is the third largest country in South America, and the class will get to learn about the Amazon rain forest, Machu Picchu, llamas, the Inca, and lots more about the culture and land in Peru. 3B is gradually becoming a class of full-fledged global citizens. We had a great time learning about Lunar New Year today! We learned from books and some online research about this special holiday, and the students were especially interested to learn about their Chinese Zodiac sign and learn how to do some Chinese calligraphy. Our class learned about the history of the Lunar New Year celebrations, and we got to partake in the celebrations with our own Hongbao (red envelopes) and special New Year candy. Happy Year of the Dragon! 新年快乐 (xīnnián kuàilè)!
This past week we were lucky to have some Inuit artifacts from the Royal Alberta Museum in our classroom. We learned about many interesting aspects of Inuit culture, and were able to use a variety of items including an ulu (multipurpose knife), traditional pulling game, kimiik, art, and a soapstone carving. This kit tied in well with our new Matter unit in science as we learn about natural materials, processed materials, and how Indigenous communities use a variety of materials so conscientiously. As the weather is starting to turn colder, it was exciting to learn about how Inuit people adapt so well to the cold climate! You can watch the video below to hear Inuit throat singing.
Because of the timing of Fall Break this year, we are celebrating Métis Week this week in our school division. Métis Week celebrates the heritage, history and contributions of Métis people to Alberta and Canada with events held across the province. Our class learned about Métis culture, heard from some Métis elders, and read some stories about Métis communities. We're lucky to have some students with Métis connections in our class as well, so it was an extra meaningful topic!
This week our class, and many other classes at Millgrove, wrote postcards to members of the Canadian Armed Forces to express our gratitude for their important work. The students had many thoughtful and reflective messages to share, and it was meaningful to think of the many ways our armed forces help our citizens and other places around the world. Especially these days, we're grateful for the women and men in those roles who help keep our country, and others, safe.
Our class had a wonderful first field trip of the year yesterday at the Royal Alberta Museum! We learned lots about glaciers, geology, Indigenous peoples, Alberta's history, Albertan animals, and all sorts bugs. A big thanks goes out to our wonderful volunteers who led groups, and the students did a great job trekking around the large building. Our very expert educator Kevin had a wealth of knowledge, and created some rich learning experiences for the class. When we chatted as a class after the trip, it was neat to see all the different things that stuck out to them during our time at RAM.
Today was Millgrove’s infamous Tacky Tourist Day for grade three classes, and the students did not disappoint! To celebrate the year ahead of learning about countries around the world, students dressed up in their cheesiest traveling gear. We also read the book This is How We Do It to reflect on how families around the world are diverse but also share a lot in common. Our year of global learning is off to a great (and hilarious) start! Today the grade three classes celebrated our learning about Tunisia, Ukraine, India, and Peru with a big cultural celebration! Each classroom was transformed into one of the four countries, complete with activities, decorations, and (most importantly) tasty food! The students flew around to each destination, and it was a great way to cap off all our learning about these global communities. They are officially expert global citizens
We had a meaningful, learning-filled, and fun time celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day today as we participated in some special activities and games. Students learned about six important symbols or items for many First Nations, Métis, or Inuit people, and we got to make art and challenge ourselves in a scavenger hunt around the school. We also went on a walk to the Participark to spend some time in nature and check on the tree seeds that we planted on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We were so lucky to learn about and celebrate Indigenous culture today!
We've been paying close attention to the provincial election this month, and have used resources from Student Vote to inform ourselves about different parties and candidates in Spruce Grove. The students each voted today, and they found it very exciting to tabulate our anonymous votes. It's clear there are some engaged citizens (and voters) of the future in 3B! The big highlight four our class this week was getting to visit the Royal Alberta Museum! We learned lots about Indigenous peoples, Alberta's history, Albertan animals, rocks & minerals, fossils, vehicles, and bugs. A big thanks goes out to our wonderful volunteers who led groups, and the students did a great job trekking around the large building. We wrote journals this afternoon summarizing what we'd learned, and it was neat to see all the different things that stuck out to them during our trip.
As a special treat this afternoon, we got to watch a performance by the Parkland Ukrainian Dancers! They showcased some amazing dance moves, and even taught us a few dances that we could try out too. It was a great connection to our Social Studies learning about Ukraine, and the students found it extremely entertaining. The dancers were truly impressive. This group is from our community, and there were some familiar faces in this troupe! We were so lucky today to have a performance by Kung Jaadee! Kung Jade is an indigenous professional author, storyteller, singer, teacher and drummer. She told us some very special stories, taught us about Indigenous culture, and played some beautiful music for us. It was a special afternoon for the students! With our learning about Peru recently, we’ve been talking a lot about the importance of llamas to the culture and economy. This week we made art based on the bright contrasting colours of Peruvian textiles and the llamas that live in the Peruvian mountains. We learned about shepherds and Inca traditions with llamas, and the students did lovely job depicting the llamas and textiles! |
Mrs. BarkerMrs. Barker is a grade three teacher at Millgrove School. She loves science and reading, and lives in a little brick house with Mr. Barker and her kids Jack and Ellie. Archive
April 2024
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