September 23-26

Dear Parents,

This past week, we focused some of our learning on building our understanding of residential schools, the importance of Orange Shirt Day and recognizing the importance of Truth and Reconciliation.  We had the opportunity to participate virtually in an author's reading by Courtney Defriend of “If Instead of a Person”.  The book focuses on if you were a tree instead of a person, how would you live differently?  The book makes the connection to how the land is important and Courtney further explained in her talk how the land is considered to be of great importance to Indigenous cultures.  She explained how the roots of a tree are like our roots that connect us to our families and stories and how when children were taken away to residential schools, their roots and connections to their families were taken from them as well.  She also explained further how trees only take what they need, like water, and that we need to practice this in our daily lives too. She left us with the message that we are people and not trees and that we are the ones to create change.   We then made a response to the story and drew a picture of what we would look like if we were a tree.  We thought about what size we would be, colour and made connections to what we would try to be like or do if we were a tree.  Throughout the week we read other books, watched short videos, and discussed Phylis Websted and the Orange Shirt movement, students built their understanding further of the importance of Orange Shirt Day, how children should feel when they come to school, and that every child matters.  

Learning Outcomes:

I can contribute to discussions as a listener and speaker 

I can listen to and respond to a variety of texts that are read aloud 

I can connect to a story

September 16-20

 Dear Parents

Thank you to all the parents that made time to come out to Meet the Teacher on Thursday. It was great to see students engaging with their parents and sharing their learning spaces with each of you.  

Science

In our classroom this week we looked closer at our first unit in science called Earth Systems, understanding the changes of the living world. This week we were treated to a full moon.  September 22 also marks the first day of fall.   Early in the week, students ventured out into the learning grounds to observe changes of the season and take part in a sit spot, and we chose our “Class Pet”, a leafy tree in the learning grounds, which we will observe throughout the year. During our sit spot, students sat quietly and used their senses to gather information about the land at this time.  Our week concluded with students gathering to watch a video about seasonal changes, discussing changes we see in the land, plants, and animals at this time.  Students began to create a journal page with a representation of their understanding of the changes in our environment that we have witnessed during this month. We would encourage you to get outside, choose a favorite spot, and visit it throughout the year to observe the changes..  

Learning Intentions:

• Investigate cycles found in nature that inform First Nations practices.

• Observe seasonal changes in local environments over time.

• Discuss how changes in the appearance of environments, plants, and animals are related to the seasons. 

• Document signs of seasonal change over time.

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September 9-13

 September 9-13

This week was an exciting 5 days for us in Grade 1, as we began to settle into our routines.  I look forward to the week ahead and being able to connect with parents during Meet the Teacher, and have your child share their classroom space with you and some of the things we have already started this year.

Wellness - Magical Yet 

Learning Intentions:

I can recognize how individuals are unique and valued 

I can describe personal learning strengths and abilities 

I can practise listening and speaking skills through sharing and listening 

I can identify the moral or lesson of a story

I can share personal connections to ideas in texts 

This week, we shared our school-wide anchor text - The Magical Yet.  We had great discussion about the message of the story and shared experiences of times when we were not able to do something just yet and then we keep working on it, and now we can do it.  We used this as an idea for our writing and recorded our ideas.  We also worked with a partner in the Loose Parts Lab, and represented something that we can do, and something that we can’t do yet.  Later in the week, we read, Be You! and discussed different ways that we are unique and different from one another.  We finished the week by reading We All Make Mistakes by Todd Parr.  We meet together as one big Grade one group, and shared times when we have all made mistakes.  We then started our cartoon portraits inspired by Todd Parr.  We look forward to continuing these next week and sharing them with you at Meet the Teacher.  

September 3-6

 

Dear Parents,

Welcome to our first week of grade 1!  We have been very busy learning daily routines and expectations of our classroom.  Throughout the year we will be creating a community with the underlying theme of kindness and taking care of ourselves, each other, and our place.  

Please remember that being with other children all day, interacting, playing, and learning all day every day is exhausting.  Your child may be more hungry or tired than usual at the end of the day.  Please remember to pack a sizable snack for our morning snack time and lunch as well.  All this learning makes us hungry!

I look forward to getting to know your child, working with them, and watching them grow!  Grade one is an exciting year!

Found Art Museum

This week, we took our learning outside and enjoyed some treed spaces surrounding our school playground.  After viewing a few short videos about the artist Andy Goldworthy, students set out to find, gather, and create with natural materials.  Many creations contained patterns using sticks, leaves, and pinecones, while other creations illustrated images.  Students viewed each other's creations and shared their own creations.  

Learning Intentions

• Share experiences, ideas, and information

• Contribute to discussions as a listener and speaker

• Art takes different forms depending on the materials

• Make two- and three-dimensional assemblages from found materials

Guiding Inquiry

This year our grade classes have the opportunity to attend City Hall School for a week-long immersive experience in downtown Calgary in May.  More information about this experience will follow soon.  This week we began our year-long inquiry by looking at the question, “How do the stories of the Blackfoot People influence our community identity?”  Students viewed and participated in a land acknowledgment thanking the original caregivers of the land in and around Calgary.  Students had the opportunity to express their understanding through discussion and create an illustrated reflection of where they feel connected to the land or what gifts they appreciate the most that the land gives us.  

Learning Intention

• Respond orally to questions during discussions.

• Contribute to discussions as a listener and speaker.

• Listen to and follow two-step instructions.

• What connections do we have to the Aboriginal, cultures found in our communities?