Dickens Annex Students Inspired to Help Victims of Typhoon Haiyan

In response to the tragedy of Typhoon Haiyan, the teachers at Dickens Annex collaborated to prepare a powerful language lesson using the wordless picture book The Flood written by Alvaro F. Villa.

Students used their critical thinking skills to ask questions, empathize with the characters in the book, and make connections to current events. 

The students made the connection to Typhoon Haiyan and deepened their understanding of the tragedy there by viewing and responding to photographs of typhoon victims. 

As a result of this powerful lesson, students chose to take action by earning a toonie by doing chores at home to donate to the Red Cross. Students earned $257.

Three brothers in our school were inspired to continue fundraising over the weekend by holding a hot chocolate sale in their neighbourhood. The boys were overwhelmed by the response, which included many neighbours with family in the Philippines stopping to thank them for their efforts. The boys raised over $400.

With the government doubling these donations, Dickens Annex students will have contributed over $1300 to the Red Cross.

The teachers at the Annex were so excited to see a critical literacy lesson inspire social action, and felt so proud of our students!

How Lucky I am!

This past Friday, my daughter arrived home with a tub full of what I can only call LOVE!

As I begin to look at the posters, cards, drawings, special notes and flowers, my heart feels so full.  When people ask me about my job, I tell them it's exhausting and I do it because I love it.  When a child runs out the door at the end of the day and says, "I love you, Jacquie!", nothing else tops it.

Many, many thanks for all the good wishes.  I am feeling pretty good, taking naps and working hard at doing nothing, which is NOT easy.

Here are some of the beautiful creations by Division 1.

 

 

 

 

 

Parent Information Night

I wanted to thank all of you who came to our first ever "Parent Information Night"  last night. 

We received a lot of positive feedback from parents who attended.  As a staff, we learned so much through the process of organizing for the night and then presenting our philosophy.  There were some great questions asked which I find provides the perfect platform for us as teachers to really think about our beliefs and share them aloud.  This is a big part of why I support student teachers and often have them in my class.  It forces me to look critically at what I do and why I do it.  I may not always have the perfect answer at the ready, but it sure makes me think.

Again, thanks so much for those who attended, and for those of you that couldn't make it, please feel free to ask any questions you have about the program. 

Jacquie

Mapping from "A Bird's Eye View"

As part of our unit on mapping, the children have been learning about a bird's eye view.  This afternoon, they mapped out their bedroom using classroom items.  They had a great time!!

 

 

 

 

Today we were inspired by Kate's map she made at home and shared with us.  We may just have to make some treasure maps following the steps she used!!

Sea Crow

In preparation for our field trip to the beach, Mrs. Cultum read, Sea Crow, by Vancouver writer Shannon Stewart.  It shows the unique way one girl confronts her fears by building a Sea Crow at the beach using driftwood and other treasures.  “If you tell her what frightens you,” says Jessica, “She’ll make you feel better.”   After hearing the story, children drew a picture of their sea crow and wrote down their worries.

On Friday at Spanish Banks, the children worked independently or in groups to create a sea crow and then whispered their worries away.  Here are some of their beautiful creations.

 

 

 

 

If the weather is nice, take a stroll to Spanish Banks West.  It's likely that the creations will be there for weeks to come. 

Graphing and Data Analysis

This week the students have been making real graphs using real items.  On Friday we made a shoe graph.  The children sat around the graphing mat with their shoes off and then graphed them according to types of fasteners.  They decided on three categories:  velcro, laces, and slip ons.  Based on the data, the children made several observations about the types of shoes we had in division 1. 

Next, the students drew their shoes. 

 

These pictures were then glued onto a massive sheet of paper to make a picture graph. You can see the graph hanging in the gym.  The final step will be to transfer that information onto a bar graph.   By doing this, they see that data can be displayed in many different ways.