The Crayon Box That Talked

I wanted to help the students better understand why they should celebrate differences, especially since it is Black History month. Inspired by The Crayon Box That Talked, I used a drawing exercise to help students discover the value of diversity. 

I provided each student with two sheets of drawing paper, then allowed each student to pick out one crayon from a box. Students were then asked to draw a picture with only the single crayon. Later I asked students to draw another picture on the second sheet of paper; they could use as many different colours as they wished. When they finished, I asked the following questions:

Which picture do you like best? Why? Which picture would you like to display in your classroom, the hallway, at home?

Invariably, all of the students preferred the pictures drawn with the whole box of crayons. They were asked to make inferences by putting "themselves in the shoes of the crayons". They declared that it would be a boring world if we were all alike- like the picture drawn with one crayon. The diversity in the world makes it like a wonderful box of crayons with endless colours. 

Each crayon had something special to offer to the picture- green for the grass, blue for the sky, yellow for the sun. The students agreed, and I asked them to brainstorm all of the unique and special things we have to offer to our groups or the class as a whole. 

"We could learn a lot from crayons ... (They) all are different colours, but they all exist very nicely in the same box."

Quand on dit l'Afrique, à quoi penses-tu ?

Upon the completion of an Art project involving 53 African flags, the students and I reflected on what we know, would like to know, and what we have learned about flag symbols, colours, and design. The students were so eager to complete the project in order to help identify the daily African country/flag description riddle.

La dictée – le 27 février

New Year's you say?

As my class and I sat together in a community circle to take part in our calendar/weather routine, a student asked the following question: "Why is the calendar in our class different from the one on my fridge?". This was an excellent question, which quickly sparked a discussion about different New Year's in various cultures/traditions.

 

The student inquiring about the class calendar is celebrating the Chinese New Year tomorrow. The students and I acknowledge that New Year is the time at which a new calendar begins. The calendar we have in class (used in most parts of the world) is called the Gregorian calendar, which falls on the 1st of January.

 

We discussed that it is important to note that not all cultures follow the Gregorian calendar in observing New Year celebrations. For example the New Year in the Hindu, Chinese, Coptic, Jewish, Islamic calendars differ to that of the Gregorian calendar.

 

Happy Chinese New Year! Bonne annee chinoise! Gong Hay Fat Choy!

 

 



Reminders



Dear parents/guardians,
Please make note of the following :
1. The dictation will take place on Friday, February 20th. Students have a copy of the words in their agenda.

1.   la météo

2.   le vélo

3.   le mot

4.   la porte

5.   le bol

2. Reading packages are due tomorrow. Please return the Alpha Jeune book so that I may assess your child through "Mon partage de livre" presentations.

3. Ripley's Aquarium trip form and money are due tomorrow (Feb. 18th) at the latest.

4. Pizza lunch orders are due Friday, February 20th.

Merci!

Winter Carnival was a hit!

The students enjoyed decorating chocolate covered apples for the Winter Carnival. It was a nice way to end the week and have a delicious treat for the weekend. I want to give a shout out to two amazing parent volunteers, Mrs. Bo and Mrs. Paglingayen. Many thanks for all of your help! I wish everyone a lovely long weekend!



A few students, especially in Ms. Callahan's class inquired about the website we played math games on. As promised, here it is: www.arcademicskillbuilders.com. Enjoy!



A mardi!

Fun Filled February!

Dear parents/guardians,
Due to a P.A. day on Friday, the dictation will be postponed until next week. Please make sure to return the homework package and book by Monday, February 9th , as we have Reading Buddies. The following are reminders about events taking place in February and March:

1. Term 1 Report Cards - Report cards will be going home on Tuesday, February 10th.

2. Winter Carnival- The primary students (Grades 1 -3) will take part in an exciting day filled with crafts, interactive games, dancing, singing, and much more on Thursday, February 12th.

3. Ripley's Aquarium Trip Form- Your child will take part in an intriguing workshop at Ripley's Aquarium on Friday, March 6th. Since we have a Betta fish in our classroom, this is the perfect opportunity for students to learn about other types of fish and tank care. Please return the signed form and money by the end of this week. Volunteers for the trip will be chosen on a first come first serve basis.



4. Sick Kids Fundraiser- Two lovely recess helpers of mine have informed me that they are raising money for the Sick Kids Foundation along with Ms. Purvis' class. They will be selling cookies at recess for $1.00 each. The students who purchase them will place orders like they did for candy grams. The cookies will be delivered to the students on Tuesday, February 10th.  What a great way to share the love; after all it is almost Valentine's Day!

5. L'histoire du people noir - We are celebrating Black History month by reading books about inclusion and discussing geography and interesting facts about African countries. We read the book titled "Comme toi" by Genevieve Cote. This simple and charming story showed us that we are all unique and that it is important to accept differences which make our world all the more colourful!

We learned about the names, symbols, colours, design, and history of some of the 53 flags and countries of Africa.

 







6. P.A. Day on Friday, February 13th & Family Day on Monday, February 16th. Hence, there will be no school and a wonderful long weekend for you to enjoy.

Phew... I think that was it!

La dictée – le 6 février

La dictée – le 6 février

1. un chat

2. un bras

3. un arbre

4. une classe

5. une page

Bonne continuation!

Stay safe and enjoy the heaps of snow today!