Winter in Ontario

this year our winter weather has been very inconsistent. We have snow for a few days and then it melts. Here is a winter book we created that shows some deep snow. We wish the snow had stayed so we could have played in it longer, now we have a slushy yard. What has your winter been like this year? Can you share? We would love to have some comments about our book or hear about your winter 2016 experiences.

Thank you,
Mrs Harrison and Mrs. Poste's  Kindergarten class

Chapter Three We Can See Outdoor Spaces

Welcome to a new project! 

Chapter Three of "We Can See" has begun! 

The slant this year is to harness the outdoors and to take our learning beyond the four walls of our classrooms! We encourage classes to go outside and look closely at their natural environment and take photos of their outdoor areas since they too are a canvas for learning. 

Do you have an outdoor classroom? 

Is there a forest nearby? 

Do you walk to a local pond? 

Can you see a lake from your yard? What can you see?

We invite you to meet with your class and share the ways you use the outdoors as a learning space! The opportunities are truly endless. We have a Google Drive Folder available for sharing and we will post some of our new books on this blog.

Let's make it simple. Create a five page book to share. Google Slides is an easy way to create a book. Create five slide, share and export as a PDF. You might create your book using SMARTNotebook and export as a PDF. You might choose to use an app such as "Book Creator." There are many ways to create short books or pages to share with others.

We have two learning goals for this project:

One
Learning Goal: Create and share a book to show your outdoor space.
Success Criteria:   A short five page book
                            Use simple language for primary learners to read and read
                            Show different parts of your outdoor space
                            Ensure privacy of learners, no faces in photos
                            Use a format for all audiences to view (.PDFs or YouTube videos)

Two
Learning Goal: Share and connect with other classes
Success Criteria:   Read the blog regularly and make comments with your class
                            Connect on Twitter, Google Hangout, Skype or email
                            Ask questions and model how to interact as responsible digital citizens

Resources: PDFs can be imported into "Explain Everything" (app) then exported as a movie. Movies can be uploaded to YouTube and embedded in this blog. Or you can contact us and we can add you to the Google Drive Folder. If you wish to simply view other books, here is a direct link to the drive . 

If you need more information, post a comment and either of us will gladly get back to you as soon as we can. Be sure to also use and follow the hashtag #WCSOutdoors!

Let's get outdoors and connect our classes!

Thank you,


Angie Harrison   &   Jocelyn Schmidt
@Techieang             @MsSchmidt_YR
               #WCSOutdoors

Here are two books to get us started. 

Chapter two

Last year some classes joined together to participate in an extended What Can You See project. The slant was What Van You See? How Can You Help? The blog is posted at http://www.whatcanyouseehowcanyouhelp.blogspot.ca the connections grew and through Twitter and emails classes shared but not a lot was documented on the blog.

Some classes shared their schoolyard photos and talked about ways they helped in the community by doing food drives, participating in Kindness Elves projects and through helping in their own schools.