Hi there-
Here is our first contribution from Blair Elementary in Richmond, BC near the Vancouver International Airport and walking distance from the Olympic Oval. It is cherry blossom season here and we have been enjoying going outside and observing all the changes that spring brings. Today as we were making observations of "our tree" some spring sounds caught our attention.
From the Kindergarten students in divisions 10 and 11
c/o Janice Novakowski
Wow! Today was such a beautiful day we had to spend more time outdoors. The kiddos were very excited to take pictures for our next "we can see" movie. At our Focussed Learning time, they all seem to understand that the snow has melted and it is now spring - but to see their renewed excitement at really observing their surroundings was priceless.
The kiddos bounded outside and used their eyes to really look for changes from our last "we can see" Winter movie.
Please take a look and see if you have some of the same things around your school. We would love to hear your comments!
This project as exploded as spring has arrived. I'm delighted to announce that Miss Dunsiger's grade six class has completed their We Can See Videos. In their class they are learning about different points of view. Watch their videos and see if you can figure out which point of view each book/movie is written in.
We are so excited to be a part of this great "learning about my community" project. We have created our own We Can See Project and would love to hear your comments and/or questions.
Today created an update version of our We Can See Project that we created in the fall. We reviewed our first book and picked out then things we thought would change the most between the fall and the spring. Since we are learning about living and non living things we knew our playground equipment wouldn't change over the seasons. With cameras in hand we headed back outside to replicate some of our pictures from the fall. Here is what we created. What differences do you notice?
Our kindergarten class went for a walk this week and we searched for changes in items such as the milkweeds, our pond, the soccer field, our trees and the ground. We looked at the pictures of these items in winter searched out similar items during our walk. Spring is slowly coming to Ontario. Today we had a bad weather day and our buses were cancelled. It's been a long winter, we are awaiting spring. Here are some signs of spring.
What does spring look like in your town?
Mrs. Harrison and Mrs. Coombes' K class
This post is by Connie Lowe, a teacher in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
We Can See: Winter Edition
Even though it is officially spring, here in Winnipeg, it still looks
and feels a lot like winter. Last week when we were busy saying goodbye
to winter we realized that we had never written an official We Can See book for winter.
We decided to use the photos that we took in the winter and write the
words using interactive writing. That means that the students got to
take turns printing the letters and words on the Smart Board. Then we
recorded our voices reading the pages.
It is with great joy that I share tonight's post with all of you!
One of our students M.Y. and her family just recently were involved in a front yard makeover project by SNAP: Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan.
M.Y. so proudly shared the project with our class today, and we eagerly watched the YouTube clip (see below) that her mom emailed us. M.Y. asked if I could post it onto the blog for everyone to see. After having approval from her family, I also learned that they created an entire powerpoint (M.Y. and her mom) that they wanted to share. It's absolutely beautiful and documents the experience so elegantly. When reading through it, I found myself tearing up...
M.Y.'s mom did a wonderful job capturing her voice and honouring the photographs that M.Y. took as an equal participant in the project. What a powerful message that sends to M.Y., that her ideas, images, and contributions really matter. I hope that this blog post also further commends M.Y. for the important role that she played during this wonderful makeover...
We hope that you enjoy the powerpoint made by M.Y. and her family and consider leaving them a response:
(If you click on the photos below you can see them in a slightly larger format)
"The following YouTube video showcases two Front Yard Makeovers that were demonstration projects for the Lake Wilcox SNAP. It tells the stories of the Makeover homeowners and the transformation of their lawns into beautiful, colourful gardens designed for families and busy professionals. These made over gardens need less water, fertilizer and time to maintain, and will help to keep Lake Wilcox healthy" (Taken from the "About" description from YouTube, published on December 19th, 2012).
M.Y.'s family also shared the following link from their experience with SNAP:
As I responded to M.Y.'s mom, I thought that their family did a wonderful job speaking in front of the camera. The girls already looked like they were having fun, and I'm sure are anticipating Spring's return for more outdoor exploration. We hope that they continue to make exciting discoveries in their new eco-friendly yard, and that M.Y. shares with us "what she see's" during our class meetings!
Thank you to M.Y. and her family for sharing this wonderful project with us, and giving us the opportunity to write about it for an even greater audience! What a dream yard!