We Day is a movement that has inspired youth from across North America to join together and celebrate the positive actions they are taking to make a difference in their communities and around the world. We Day is based on the belief that young people can create change. You can visit www.weday.com to learn more about the movement and what youth are doing to make a difference. Today our class watched the first part of the We Day live feed fromthe MTS centre to learn about this important movement. We learned how Craig Kielburger began Free the Children when he was only 12 years old. Free the Children is an international charity and youth movement focused on helping children around the world. We also heard about the work being done by Mia Farrow in East Africa and the RBC Blue Water project. The We Day celebrations will be on CTV this Saturday at 7:00 pm. It was inspiring to hear how the students in our class have given donations to local charities, collected money on their birthday to donate rather than receive gifts, refrain from eating chocolate that is not Free Trade and participated in runs that raise money for various causes. We Day is about doing something, no matter how small, to change the world. Way to go class! As part of our school commitment to learn about social justice, our class will be adopting a family this Christmas and making a hamper with food and gifts for the children. A letter will go home at the beginning of December.
This blog entry was written by the students of our class. Students worked with a partner to share a little about our week at school.In Sciences Naturelles we did a little presentation. There were six people in the group. Each person read a part. It was called "Links in a Food Chain". One person would read a part and then the next person would join in.For grade 2 partners we are with Mme Vanderwey's class. We read a new book in English and French. We practiced French words with our partners.In music, we learned a Scottish song called "The Old House". We played it again and again and it was very hard. We played it on the drums and recorder. We played all the notes in the song but it was fun!In English we were learning about bugs. Bugs are little microphones used by detectives that you can hide anywhere to listen to people talk when you are not there. We chose a mystery book to read for a book study. Also in English we read about Secret Stan's tracking log. We did an activity with the log.This week in art, we did an art project with our name and we coloured it. We made them in tiny squares on paper and we wrote the letters in bubble letters. We had fun!In Hygiène, we studied about the following food groups: fruits & vegetables, meat & substitutes, milk products, and breads & cereals. We also read a book called "William Won't You Wash Your Hands." It was about a little boy who would not wash his hands. We learned about how to avoid germs and microbes.This week in "Demandons aux spécialistes", Ryan did a presentation about the piano. His presentation had a video with him playing the piano. He said that the piano is over 400 years old and is a stringed instrument. Ryan also said that Bartoloméo Cristofori invented the piano.
This week, both handball teams played a game. In gym, we played jump rope, rock climbing and a small game of handball.In Français, we read about the queen bee and Mme put small groups of people together to act out the story. The story was about a queen bee who left the hive and one baby bee took over the hive. We also learned about feminine and masculine adjectives. We had a presentation by French for Life.
In Manitoba 102,000 people speak French. 200,000,000 in over 50 countries over the world speak French. 9,000,000 people in Canada speak French. Please visit frenchforlife.ca for more information about the program.In math, we did big numbers in ascending and descending numbers. We are learning strategies for 2 and 3 digit addition. We are also practicing using larger numbers in all our work.
Remembrance Day is a day dedicated to the memory of the members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty since World War I. Remembrance Day is observed on 11th of November to recall the official end of World War I in 1918. This week our class watched a video about the significance of Remembrance Day. We also discussed peace and how it is important in the world.
École Assiniboine's Remembrance Day service will take place on November 10th at 10:15 am. The choir, Orff and recorder clubs will all perform as part of the celebration. The focus of our service this year is peace. All parents are welcome to attend.
During the Battle of Ypres in 1915, Canadian Lt.-Col. John McCrae was inspired to write the poem "In Flanders Fields" on sighting the poppies growing beside a grave of a close friend who had died in battle. Don't forget to wear a poppy!
Over the past few days we have been talking about friendship and how to be a good friend. We read a poem entitled "Friendship Poem" and presented it in small groups in front of the class. We spent some time discussing what we look for in a friend and here are some of the ideas the students came up with.A Good Friend...- is nice and kind
- shares the same interests
- is caring and helpful
- is honest and trustworthy
- is open to ideas
- will stand up for you
- is a good listener
Finally, we listened to music and learned about high, low, wide and small movements. Some of the music was fast and some was slow. This enabled the students to listen to the music and interpret their feelings of friendship. The students were then placed in small groups and created interpretive dances to a piece of music. It was wonderful to see that each group created movements that were unique and beautiful.
On Thursday, we enjoyed a presentation by the Bleu M’ajjjiiik Theatre Company. The play, which focused on intimidation and tolerance, is the story of a young boy who undergoes verbal and physical attacks from his classmates. The play offered solutions to dealing with bullies and strategies for conflict resolution. Kudos to Gwynn who went on stage and participated in the play. Her performance was so good, many in the audience thought she had rehearsed her part! After the presentation, students discussed ways to deal with problems on the playground. Students are encouraged to use "I messages" when dealing with a conflict - "I don't like it when... because...." Students will use these skills during their work as Conflict Managers.
Booshoo Annin - A long time ago, medicine wheels were constructed by laying stones in a pattern on the ground. Aboriginal artist and teacher, Cheryl Alexander, is sharing her expertise with our class during three sessions. On the first session, we learned about Miss Alexander's culture through a variety of items: moccasins, fur, dream catchers, beadwork vamps and mukluks. On our second session, we learned the story of the medicine wheel and its meaning. Ask your child to tell you about the medicine wheel - directions (east, west, north and south), stages in life (child, youth, adult & elder), aspects (physical, emotional, mental & spiritual) and colours (yellow, black, red & white). On our third session, each student will make a medicine wheel using deer skin leather, beads, feathers and a metal hoop. Meegwetch Miss Alexander for sharing your culture with us!
Autumn marks the transition from summer to winter. It is a time of year where the leaves change colour and the air becomes crisp. I decided to use a variety forms of art to explore the splendour of this wonderful season. As a class, we discussed why leaves fall from the trees, how leaves move as well as the texture of leaves. We began by observing leaves and their texture and then participating in an art project that involved sketching, rubbing, stamping and engraving the shape and texture of leaves on a variety of materials. We then discussed how leaves move in the wind and how and why they fall in autumn. The students were given the opportunity to move creatively to music using scarves. This project enabled the students to explore the topic of autumn through dance and visual art.
