Grabbing Data -- Math & Social Studies in one!

Regarding TIME:

Bringing Social Studies to Life...

A message in a bottle!

We read this article:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/04/17/i-hope-we-can-keep-in-correspondence-nova-scotians-letter-in-a-bottle-washes-up-in-croatia-28-years-later/

and looked at Google maps to see the distance:


View Larger Map

What kind of a journey would that be?
We tried to speculate / simulate what the journey might be:
(not even sure if this will work!)




View Larger Map





What would you send as a message in a bottle?

David Kawapit's Journey of Nishiyuu

I (Dawn, the teacher) was at an in-service in Halifax when I saw the news clip speaking of David Kawapit and his journey from Northern Quebec to Ottawa. I was moved to tears as this quiet, shy, big-smiling Cree boy reminded me so much of a student in our class. I immediately knew that his story would resonate with my students.

We had talked about Idle No More before in class; it was a very abstract concept for many. David's journey seemed like a more tangible connection to the message of Idle No More. So, I had them look through newspaper articles covering David's journey. The questioned how fair his treatment was as he reached the Peace Tower in Ottawa. They spoke of his commitment, how he is an inspiration. They looked at his route on Google Earth and Google maps, marveling at the distance. Then they dug deeper into his story; each group being responsible for an aspect of the "underlying" story.

Here are their snippets of the background story.
Here is the work they are so proud of!

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Please share David's story through our eyes.
Please be inspired.
And if you can make this post reach David Kawapit, please share it with him.

-- Grade 5/6 class

Black History Month in Gr. 5/6

We've started reading through stories as part of Black history month.
Here's today's response about our book:
Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged
(Listen here for an audio clip about her  experience & words from her sister, Wanda Robson.)

Created with Padlet

Social Studies :: Country Report

Hi, stormy-stayed folks!
Hope everyone is enjoying and making the most of their storm days!

Your social studies projects were supposed to be due this Friday, February 15th. (Drake's birthday, remember?) 

Although we've been working in class on this since the beginning of January, I am going to give you until Monday, February 18th to have it done, since we've had these two storm days and you all may not have taken your materials home to work on them.

I'm also going to post the pdf as an example of the final poster. Please use this only as a guide if you're working from home, researching your country. I have all of the final copy posters printed at school on the large 11X17 paper.

Remember the research questions in the little booklet were to serve as a guide to:
a) help teach you proper researching skills
b) help you in practising reading for information
c) help you learn information about your country

So, the poster is posted below as a guideline.
The final / good draft of your poster is now due Monday, February 18. You must also submit your question booklet at this time, if not before.

Hope this helps.

Country Report Poster (*large copy to be given in school)

Culture in our Day

Following our analysis of our daily events, such as eating, getting dressed, our free time, etc. we completed an online form to pool our responses.

Our answers are summarized in the graphics below. They led to wonderful discussions about the cultures we see and how cultures have changed.

Great work, Grade 5 and 6!

Think through your day...

Now that you've done the  homework, use your sheet to fill in the following form we created in class:


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Track a day in your life to find:

• at least 5 things you do that are a result of YOUR personality
• at least 5 things you do that are influenced by culture

Tell whether your entries are a part of:

1. Youth Culture
2. School Culture
3. Popular Culture
4. Techno Culture
5. Ethnic Culture

Activity in Your Day	Unique to You?	Cultural Influence
Waking up to Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas	maybe	Popular culture influence. It’s a popular song. Techno cultural influence – the song is on my iPhone.
foods you eat  (breakfast, lunch, supper)
extra curricular activities
TV shows you've watched
How you spend your free time
What you wear