Our First Week

September 21st - 24th 

Geography:

    This past week, we have had fun exploring Canada's geography, and finding the relationships between where we are and other areas within Canada. We have completed some technical drawings to help us learn about elements needed in a map (compass rose, legend, parallel labels and the importance of colour), as well as reflecting upon what we could remember and adding upon our knowledge of Canada's geography. Here are a couple of examples to show our learning. The first two images are from memory, and the last two images are using reference materials.

 

          

  

 

    Within our class discussions, we are also beginning to talk about current events and connections to the political events taking place within Canada and other political tensions around the world. This is helping us to begin our learning about democracy and help us delve deeper into the reasons for different levels of public governance. This coming week, we will begin to examine the Rights of a Child to help us make better connects with Orange Shirt Day and our Canadian Chart of Rights and Responsibilities.

Science:

    This last week we began our investigation into Trees and Forests. Every student is to be asking their Learning Coach to help them go out into the community to find three different trees, to begin learning about the lifecycles of trees. We talked about Terry Fox and how he inspired research into help find a cure for cancer. In our discussion we also talked about how science and technology have also come together to help make prosthetics more dynamic and seamless for fluid body movements. 

Literacy:

    Students completed their first writing sample for me this week. Using a creative and inventive picture prompt, students were being asked to plan a story and then to spend an hour writing out their story. We began writing our own personal versions of What Does Peace Feel Like? We are taking this process slowly as we introduce the writing/author's cycle to help deepen our creating, editing, and publishing processes. Students are engaging in reflective writing pieces as well, to help them begin to explore and examine how we use writing in multiple ways to express ourselves.

Mathematics:

    We spent some time playing with our understanding of math to describe ourselves in different ways. We created some math riddles and art work to demonstrate who we are numerically. Here are a few examples: 

  

             

 

                       

   

 

    We are beginning to look into the differences between charts, tables and graphs. The students were challenged to solve word problems using information about Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope. While some of the questions were multi-step and complex, the goal was to demonstrate how we would go about solving the problem, even if we were not able to complete the problem. This information will help me understand how to help students within their mathematical thinking.

Conferences:

    Catherine Nichols Gunn School will be having parent-teacher conferences on Thursday, October 8th from 4:00 - 8:00 pm, and on Friday, October 9th from 8:30 am - 12:00 noon. We will be using Microsoft Teams for our conference meetings. This next week a letter will be sent home inviting you to select which day and hour you would like to meet with me. I will then confirm your booking with a follow-up email sharing with you the time of our conference and a link to access our online meeting. Thank you for you patience as this process has unfolded. Please know that you can contact me at any point and time via email (dleaston@cbe.ab.ca).

Weekly Agenda and Schedule:

    Each Sunday morning the schedule for the next week is being posted in Google Classroom, please let me know if you need it before its release on Sunday morning for your family planning. The schedule is an outline of the activities students will be asked to engage in for the week. 

    Specific details of each assignment are outlined for students in each assignment. In our Google Class Meetings, I also go over the assignments. The Google Meet Drop-In's have been working fabulously. Many students have dropped in, asked their specific questions and returned to their work. Please encourage your child to utilize the Drop-In's when they need help. I have also been hard at work each day responding to emails and comments students place in our Google Classroom Stream, and in stream for each assignment. In fact, it has been wonderful to see students supporting each other within these Streaming areas throughout the day. Students are helping each other problem solve, trouble-shoot technology, and clarify assignment details. We truly are developing a safe and caring learning environment online. Thank you for your support and efforts in this endeavour as well!

    As Learning Coaches, could you please follow-up with your child as to what they have accomplished each day, and help them plan out how they will get each assignment completed? Our goal is to have students complete assignments within a day of their posting, but have given them a week as some assignments challenge students to think differently, which may require some extra time. The assignments assigned last week are all due on Monday, September 28th. All of the assignments for this next week are due on Monday, October 5th. I fear that it could become overwhelming for students if they should fall behind in their work. If you notice that your child is finding the workload challenging, please let me know and I can help modify and clarify, to keep the pace and work at the right level. 

    Some students may still be shy and uncomfortable letting me know that they need help or are struggling with an assignment. With my daily check-ins, I am trying to reassure and help students feel comfortable with their own pace and learning. If you notice that your child is not advocating for themselves, please let me know via email and I can help with a different approach. Thank you for your support and willingness to build your child's learning confidence with me.

   Thank you, once again for all that you do! Please let me know how I can support you and your child in this learning journey.

    Sincerely,

    Dianna

Welcome!

     It was simply wonderful to meet students on Thursday. Your children are amazing! Thank you for sharing them with me, and engaging in a Learning Coach relationship with me to help your children find, explore and enjoy learning success. Thank you!

A Philosophical Insight to Mrs. Easton 

    I am a firm believer, "...that intelligence can be developed throughout life" (How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, by M. J. Gelb, 1998, p. 4), and that making mistakes is a pathway into learning. Mistakes, help, "...sharpen your senses, probe the depths of experience, and awakens ... powers of questioning" (Gelb, 1998, p. 9), which leads to a sense/state of confusion. This sense of confusion is where the profound dynamics of learning occurs. Please be patient with yourselves and your child as they are learning. It is totally expected and okay for students to get frustrated and need to walk away from their work to let their minds process, in the background (also known as a incubation period), as they do something else. The trick is to have students return to their work, so that they can address their confusion and problem-solve. Help each other find ways to complete assignments without forcing the work. Discipline is needed and accountability exists, without a doubt. Please let me know what you may need support in and ways in which I can support you. I cannot thank you enough for all that you do!

Google Classroom, Schedules and Agendas

    Each week within our Google Classroom, at the very top, you will find our weekly agenda and a schedule. This is an outline of the assignments that will occur throughout the week. Within each assignment there are instructions and pathways that are chunked for students to work through. Students are not required to complete everything in one sitting. Each assignment is due the following week.

    There are two class times set up each day, one at 8:30 am and one at 2:00 pm. While it is not mandatory that both classes be attended, information will be shared about each assignment, and teaching will occur to help students with their assignments, and build understanding of key concepts and ideas needed to be successful. There will also be two drop-in Google Meets, where anyone can attend and ask further questions about assignments and student understanding. These two drop-in meetings will occur at 10:00-10:30 am and then from 3:00 - 3:30 pm. Attendance will be taken daily through a self-check in our Google Classroom, and by the teacher in both daily classes at 8:30 am and 2:00 pm.

    Please note that the daily class times and drop-in sessions are from Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, students will be working independently with access to me via email and streaming within Google Classroom (as they can on any day). The reason for the Friday class difference is due to PD Days, conference dates, and other holidays, but also to honour the half day Friday's schools have.

Communication Preferences

    Please feel free to contact me throughout the day via email. I will try really hard to be timely during the day. However, in the evenings after 5:00 pm, I cannot guarantee I will be able to respond before the next morning. Please know that I value your time, efforts and communication. The reason for the email preference is that I am also working from home. I am open to conversing with you if a phone call is your preference, please just let me know in an email, and I will make every effort to accommodate your request in a timely manner.

    I will also have this weekly Blog to help communicate with you about upcoming events, how things are going in the our classroom, and to share information with you. As information is shared with me regarding conference protocols, IPP meetings, and other key concerns, I will share that information here, in our community blog.

Learning Activities

    Thank you for your patience as I translate my thinking and ideas into online learning opportunities and assignments. I am a very cross-curricular thinker, and truly believe in students finding meaning within their work. Some of the activities students are being asked to do, are building blocks for a bigger picture summative activity. For example, this coming week, students are being asked to find three trees within their communities that they find interesting. As we dig deeper into our science unit, Trees and Forests, students will be referring back to these trees. We will also be building other connections to Indigenous Ways of Knowing, real world math applications, and how democracy is involves complex issues: hence, the theme of being weavers of knowledge and understanding.

    I would also like to invite you to consider what expertise you have, that you would be willing to share with our class to help aid in our learning. There are a number of ways that we can include your expertise, skills and talents in an online forum. Please consider what you would be willing share. For example, I cannot pretend to be a skilled music teacher, but I can increase student awareness and appreciation for music. I will use many outside sources to augment student learning in this area. If you have music skills, is there a way that we could benefit from your knowledge and wisdom? Please keep in mind, that I am not asking you to 'teach', but rather to share with us your gifts and abilities.

    I am also teaming with Mrs. Matikainen from Capitan Nichola Goddard School. Between the two classes, we will have opportunities to meet and work with other students throughout the year. While our Google Classrooms are separate, there will be Google Meetings where all students are invited to participate in larger group events. 

    Thank you for your time and efforts! I sincerely appreciate all that you do!

                                                                                                        Earnestly,

                                                                                                         Dianna