Primary eNews – Dec 17th, 2021
Looking for Holiday GIFT ideas?
Holiday Advertisements from Grade 4
Grade 5 Refugees
Primary Assembly
Looking for Holiday GIFT ideas?
I know, I know this doesn’t sound very educational, but it is! The holiday break is here and with it comes a valuable opportunity for your child to get messy, to play games together as a family, and to read and write a bit too. So if you’re looking for Christmas (or other holiday) gift ideas, here are a few good ones…
The gift of messy outdoor fun! Water, sand, mud, shaving cream, slime, finger painting, playdough, papier mache…. activities with materials like these are great for supporting your child’s development while allowing them to experience, explore, use their imagination and interpret different sensorial textures. Messy play can indirectly help picky eaters become more tolerant and flexible with a variety of textures by breaking down the sensitivity. Messy play can reduce tactile defensiveness towards clothing, walking barefoot, putting on sunscreen etc. Different children need different amounts of sensory input in their day, but these sensory experiences can help a child to be more settled and calm as well as improve focus.
The gift of quality family time! More than ever, our children need to get off their devices and screens and engage in meaningful interactions with friends and family. What better way to do this than with books and board games! I have gushed in a previous article about the benefits of reading with your child, so absolutely give your child (ren) books, books, books- and the promise of reading them together! Board games are another great way to have fun, interact, connect and build learning skills at the same time. Instead of another TV show or Ipad video, pull out a new board game, or old favourite. Board games build important life skills like problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, communication. They involve developing a strategy, being patient and following through. They require creativity, reading and maths skills. Best of all, because we play board games in groups or teams, we have the opportunity to connect with each other in multi-age groups and talk! Ready to laugh and have fun this holiday? Check out these NY times board game recommendations!
The gift of a diary or journal! There are some beautiful ones out there that will motivate your child to reflect, create stories, set goals. Just writing about their day will strengthen their memory and encourage them to be mindful of the big and little things they do each day. Writing about their emotions and how they feel about things can help to reduce anxiety and stress and be a cathartic way to think through a problem. For those who don’t love writing, journaling can be a more interesting way for young writers to express themselves and tell stories- especially when they can add doodles, drawings, stickers, pictures and color! A beautiful journal is a great gift for the holidays, particularly when it’s paired with some fun pens and stickers and allowed to be private and personalized. Maybe you’d like to get yourself one too?
Have a FUN, HAPPY and SAFE holiday! I look forward to seeing you all again in the New Year!
Jackie Wyncoll – Learning Support/EAL
Holiday Advertisements from Grade 4
Grade 4 completed the semester inquiring into the central idea, people can create or manipulate messages to target specific audiences. They have analyzed different media, used surveys to gather data on color and emotions, identified features common to advertisements, and debated the messages of a range of printed and interactive advertisements.
They have applied their understanding to design holiday posters for our community. Click on the links to check out their cool messages:
They consolidated their understanding in Bahasa Indonesia. Here are some examples:
In the new semester, Grade 4 will use their knowledge of targeting messages at specific audiences to advertise their Grade 4 Market.
Watch this space and happy holidays!
Grade 5 Refugees
Under the transdisciplinary theme of Where we are in Place and Time, Grade 5 has been inquiring into migration and how it affects people and places. To tune in to this unit, students completed an interview with a family member that had migrated, This allowed them to access and analyze a primary source of information.
Grade 5 were able to make connections to their families, which would allow them to go from a local to a more global perspective under the concept of migration.
Students read articles to identify the reason why people migrated, including lists of push and pull factors. They also created a list of the different reasons why people migrated, which led us to find out more about refugees. To help students understand the many challenges faced by refugees now and historically, students worked in book clubs and read historical narratives based on real events including the war in Afghanistan and the World Wars. This allowed students to build empathy and deepen their understanding of the challenges faced. Finally, a simulation was created so that students could experience having to move suddenly. Grade 5 students returned from snack to find Mr. Wyncoll and their classroom covered in yellow tape!
Students faced many challenges, including having to read maps, work around language barriers, were given menial jobs, and had a variety of welcomes. They discovered that the citizens in a country make a huge difference in how refugees are treated. When students were asked what they would pack in their suitcases if they suddenly had to migrate, they shared some pretty creative lists.
To build their understanding further, Grade 5 completed a virtual tour of Ellis Island, which was one of the busiest immigration ports in the world. They listened to audio and viewed original photos to develop their understanding using primary sources. They used this understanding to write their own historical narratives focusing on organizing their ideas, building their word choice, and building on their use of punctuation.
Primary Assembly, Dec 17th 2021
Thank you to all who attended our primary assembly today. It was a total joy to be able to celebrate our students and join together as a community again. Looking forward to more celebrations and gatherings next semester. Here are a few pictures sharing our talented musicians, athletes and presenters.
