Dear Parents,
Some service announcements:
1. I've sent home checklists based on Environmental and Animal Rights activism, which are two areas students indicated they were interested in following up on. Some of the items are probably controversial, but they're based on my conversations with activists in those arenas and our class discussions. Your checkmarks and conversation will facilitate ours, so please do return for Thursday, if at all possible.
2. We are really excited about the upcoming book fair, hosted by Another Story bookstore. I personally love this bookstore because they have high quality books and look for a range of perspectives and voices. This will run on Monday from 2:30 - 6:00 pm and Tuesday from 2:30-6:00 pm and after the Grade 2-6 concert from 7:00 to 8:00 pm.
3. Another issue students cared deeply about was Poverty and Homelessness. Coincidentally, we are asking the community to help us decorate a Giving Tree, with socks, mittens and/or gloves for those less fortunate.
4. The deadline for school letters to Santa is ...tomorrow, so I fear that this will not be happening as a school based activity. However, if you're interested, Santa takes letters from individual families up until December 14th. All the information you need to get started is right here.
On an academic note, I reconnected with one of my favourite teacher resources today (Project Wild is a great conservation focused education program if you're a teacher looking for ideas). We had a nice think/pair/share discussion of several dilemmas. Sample topics today: How to approach a family who litters in the picnic area, What to do with a baby deer you find stranded in the woods, and What to do about the bald eagle next where you want to build a house. It's great to see the little minds solving problems and beginning to think more deeply about their relationship with nature. I'm leading them towards a more complicated role-playing scenario in the next few weeks.
I also sent home a graph based on November's weather. Most students said they wanted to see more snow this month. I'm not sure I agree. I also scaled back on how much framing I did: some students did well, but others had difficulty using the scale or titles effectively. It's a work in progress.
Sincerely,
Ms. Goegan
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Monday, November 28, 2016
Supporting Youth Activism
Dear Parents,
Today we watched part of Hannah's Story, a short documentary about a girl from Winnipeg, who was passionate about helping homeless people. As we finish up our unit on Roles and Responsibilities, I'm doing my best to encourage students to do a little inquiry about what they can do to create positive change in their communities.
You can stream Hannah's Story online (along with a whole host of other films by NFB--this is an amazing resource!). Here's the link: Hannah's Story
What you can do to help is help your child wrap their heads around a social issue in our community. Perhaps one that your family is already passionate about, so we can begin to brainstorm as a class about our next steps.
Sincerely,
Ms. Goegan
Today we watched part of Hannah's Story, a short documentary about a girl from Winnipeg, who was passionate about helping homeless people. As we finish up our unit on Roles and Responsibilities, I'm doing my best to encourage students to do a little inquiry about what they can do to create positive change in their communities.
You can stream Hannah's Story online (along with a whole host of other films by NFB--this is an amazing resource!). Here's the link: Hannah's Story
What you can do to help is help your child wrap their heads around a social issue in our community. Perhaps one that your family is already passionate about, so we can begin to brainstorm as a class about our next steps.
Sincerely,
Ms. Goegan
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Friday performance note
Dear Parents ,
We are baking banana bread in honor of our measurement unit and Mr. Eloi's last day tomorrow. I'm sending home the recipe in lieu of a student letter.
We are also performing in tomorrow's assembly after afternoon recess. Sorry for the late notice , but we'll be doing much the same stuff in our upcoming December concert.
(Apologies in advance for any typographical errors as this is being written on my phone.)
Sincerely ,
Ms. Goegan
We are baking banana bread in honor of our measurement unit and Mr. Eloi's last day tomorrow. I'm sending home the recipe in lieu of a student letter.
We are also performing in tomorrow's assembly after afternoon recess. Sorry for the late notice , but we'll be doing much the same stuff in our upcoming December concert.
(Apologies in advance for any typographical errors as this is being written on my phone.)
Sincerely ,
Ms. Goegan
Monday, November 21, 2016
Bracelet Patterns
Dear Parents,
Tomorrow is our field trip. Mr. Eloi is my +1, but I look forward to doing more trips this year and hope that we'll be able to use your support then. The students were really excited today about the trip and I hope they enjoy the show tomorrow. We should be back by lunchtime, so lunch will follow as normal and students will also have library tomorrow afternoon. Return those books if you can find them!
Last week was short but full. I've managed to see all but a few of the parents in the classroom to touch base about student progress.
We were also lucky enough last week to be able to see some Native North American Powwow dancing. The Men's fancy style was students' hands-down favourite, but they also appreciated the Jingle Dancing.
And we finished our math unit on Patterning. In case you wondered why your child came home with a new bracelet over the weekend, this was why. Each bracelet has a core of 5, which repeats in a circle. It's nice to consolidate learning in fun ways when we can.
Tomorrow is our field trip. Mr. Eloi is my +1, but I look forward to doing more trips this year and hope that we'll be able to use your support then. The students were really excited today about the trip and I hope they enjoy the show tomorrow. We should be back by lunchtime, so lunch will follow as normal and students will also have library tomorrow afternoon. Return those books if you can find them!
Last week was short but full. I've managed to see all but a few of the parents in the classroom to touch base about student progress.
We were also lucky enough last week to be able to see some Native North American Powwow dancing. The Men's fancy style was students' hands-down favourite, but they also appreciated the Jingle Dancing.
 |
| Men's Fancy Style |
And we finished our math unit on Patterning. In case you wondered why your child came home with a new bracelet over the weekend, this was why. Each bracelet has a core of 5, which repeats in a circle. It's nice to consolidate learning in fun ways when we can.
Friday is Mr. Eloi's last day with us. It's also Pizza Day, so I suspect I may have some volunteers in the afternoon and we hope to make a mini-learning celebration out of it.
Sincerely,
Ms. Goegan
Friday, November 18, 2016
First Nations Picture Books
Dear Parents,
I spent my Friday afternoon at the Spadina branch of the Toronto Public Library. They've got a really great collection of Aboriginal resources that I was happy to be able to pick through and bring back to the classroom for Monday. In looking at books, I'm trying to access resources that represent different Native groups from across Canada, so that students understand that Native culture isn't monolithic--Native peoples from different regions have cultures and traditions that may look quite different.
Here are some authors of picture books I personally like and the communities they talk about. (As teachers, sometimes these resources are tricky to come by, so it's nice to have a list) It's by no means exhaustive and not all of these authors are themselves from the communities whose stories they are telling, but they are all beautifully written and illustrated:
Paul Goble (connected to the Yakima and Oglala Sioux)
Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd (connected to various Northwest Coast Native communities, like Haida, Tsimshian, and Heiltsuk peoples in British Columbia)
Paul Owen Lewis (connected to Northwest Coast First Nations)
Chad Solomon (connected to the Henvey Inlet Ojibwe First Nation in Ontario)
Tomson Highway (connected to Cree First Nations from the Prairies)
Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley (connected to Inuit peoples)
Jose Angutinngirniq (connected to Inuit peoples in Nunavut)
Qaunaq Mikkigak and Joanne Schwartz (connected to Inuit peoples in Nunavut)
I'm also really cautious about giving an exclusively historical look at Native cultures, so I was lucky enough to find several books talking about the way life looks on different modern reserves in the Northern Territories by Fifth House Publishers: Come and Learn with Me.
As we continue to explore Roles and Responsibilities and move into our next science unit on Living Things, we'll also continue to talk about some of the challenges facing Native peoples, especially looking at how many Native peoples have taken on a role in championing land and water rights. For good reason, too, I mean, we hear about the pipeline blockade at Standing Rock and the issues with pipelines in British Columbia in recent news stories, but the ongoing issues of safe water fly under the radar. For example, this is a map I hope to share with my students showing that over three quarter (84%) of Native reservations in Ontario have drinkable water issues:
Ontario Water System Risk map from National Assessment of First Nations Water and Wastewater Systems (2011)
Forgive me if this particular post seems a little more academic, but I promise pictures of smiling children in my next post, demonstrating our recent math adventures. Enjoy your weekend.
Sincerely,
Lisa Goegan
I spent my Friday afternoon at the Spadina branch of the Toronto Public Library. They've got a really great collection of Aboriginal resources that I was happy to be able to pick through and bring back to the classroom for Monday. In looking at books, I'm trying to access resources that represent different Native groups from across Canada, so that students understand that Native culture isn't monolithic--Native peoples from different regions have cultures and traditions that may look quite different.
Here are some authors of picture books I personally like and the communities they talk about. (As teachers, sometimes these resources are tricky to come by, so it's nice to have a list) It's by no means exhaustive and not all of these authors are themselves from the communities whose stories they are telling, but they are all beautifully written and illustrated:
Paul Goble (connected to the Yakima and Oglala Sioux)
Roy Henry Vickers and Robert Budd (connected to various Northwest Coast Native communities, like Haida, Tsimshian, and Heiltsuk peoples in British Columbia)
Paul Owen Lewis (connected to Northwest Coast First Nations)
Chad Solomon (connected to the Henvey Inlet Ojibwe First Nation in Ontario)
Tomson Highway (connected to Cree First Nations from the Prairies)
Jose Angutinngirniq (connected to Inuit peoples in Nunavut)
Qaunaq Mikkigak and Joanne Schwartz (connected to Inuit peoples in Nunavut)
I'm also really cautious about giving an exclusively historical look at Native cultures, so I was lucky enough to find several books talking about the way life looks on different modern reserves in the Northern Territories by Fifth House Publishers: Come and Learn with Me.
As we continue to explore Roles and Responsibilities and move into our next science unit on Living Things, we'll also continue to talk about some of the challenges facing Native peoples, especially looking at how many Native peoples have taken on a role in championing land and water rights. For good reason, too, I mean, we hear about the pipeline blockade at Standing Rock and the issues with pipelines in British Columbia in recent news stories, but the ongoing issues of safe water fly under the radar. For example, this is a map I hope to share with my students showing that over three quarter (84%) of Native reservations in Ontario have drinkable water issues:
Ontario Water System Risk map from National Assessment of First Nations Water and Wastewater Systems (2011)
Forgive me if this particular post seems a little more academic, but I promise pictures of smiling children in my next post, demonstrating our recent math adventures. Enjoy your weekend.
Sincerely,
Lisa Goegan
Monday, November 14, 2016
News 105.1
Dear Parents,
1. Reports went home today and with them interview confirmations. I added a couple of interviews for parents new to me, but mostly used the forms you sent back to help schedule things as best I could. If there's a problem with your scheduled time, please let me know as soon as possible. (I'm hoping to get an online form together for next term, but in the meantime it's a bit of a juggling act to shift things about.)
For me, the most important part of the report card is the learning skills. York Region has a handy little brochure for parents about reading learning skills: Learning Skills and Work Habits. These are the first areas to address when looking to improve overall student performance.
You should also know that teachers use modifiers to explain what students are doing in the classroom in reference to curriculum expectations. A student may be reading clearly and confidently (Level 4), just "beginning to" access skills (Level 1) or be somewhere in between. If you find the language confusing, or just want more information about your child's progress, I am available to meet on Thursday night and Friday morning this week.
2. Library books are not being returned on a weekly basis by many students. As of next week, library will be on Tuesdays (Day 3 shifts around, but it's always Day 3 in our cycle). If you are not getting a library book in the Mr. Zippy on library day, the system believes you have books that are outstanding. Get in touch with me or Ms. Greenwood to resolve this if you believe there's been a mistake or if you want to pay for a lost book.
3. There was a patterning math sheet that went home tonight. Students got time in class to work on it, but it was to be sent home as homework by the supply teacher. If you can help your child finish it tonight, that would be ideal. If not, send it back via Mr. Zippy anyways so I know it's not been lost. Checked homework is returned to you with a sticker to keep at home.
Sincerely,
Ms. Goegan
1. Reports went home today and with them interview confirmations. I added a couple of interviews for parents new to me, but mostly used the forms you sent back to help schedule things as best I could. If there's a problem with your scheduled time, please let me know as soon as possible. (I'm hoping to get an online form together for next term, but in the meantime it's a bit of a juggling act to shift things about.)
For me, the most important part of the report card is the learning skills. York Region has a handy little brochure for parents about reading learning skills: Learning Skills and Work Habits. These are the first areas to address when looking to improve overall student performance.
You should also know that teachers use modifiers to explain what students are doing in the classroom in reference to curriculum expectations. A student may be reading clearly and confidently (Level 4), just "beginning to" access skills (Level 1) or be somewhere in between. If you find the language confusing, or just want more information about your child's progress, I am available to meet on Thursday night and Friday morning this week.
2. Library books are not being returned on a weekly basis by many students. As of next week, library will be on Tuesdays (Day 3 shifts around, but it's always Day 3 in our cycle). If you are not getting a library book in the Mr. Zippy on library day, the system believes you have books that are outstanding. Get in touch with me or Ms. Greenwood to resolve this if you believe there's been a mistake or if you want to pay for a lost book.
3. There was a patterning math sheet that went home tonight. Students got time in class to work on it, but it was to be sent home as homework by the supply teacher. If you can help your child finish it tonight, that would be ideal. If not, send it back via Mr. Zippy anyways so I know it's not been lost. Checked homework is returned to you with a sticker to keep at home.
Sincerely,
Ms. Goegan
Monday, November 7, 2016
Art, Science, Social Studies: A Post in Pictures
Dear Parents,
The Getting to Know You Self Portraits are down and went home today in Zippies. The Picasso-Frankenstein self portraits are up. Students layered profiles on top of face outlines and added details like eyes, hair, ears, mouths, and teeth to create these. I love how individual they are.
I have been impressed by the students interest and engagement in science. About half of the energy presentations got to go today. Here are some of the toys that use energy that students made with their parents:
 |
| Airplane |
 |
| Guitar |
 |
| Drums |
 |
| Wind turbine car |
 |
| Bongos |
 |
| Wind up elastic car |
 |
| A butterfly |
 |
| A kite |
 |
| A windmill |
 |
| A guitar |
 |
| A cork boat |
 |
| The Good Ship Yebin |
Finally, I posted on Friday about some of the books we've been reading in class. This one asks children to imagine a world where anything is possible. We're using it as inspiration to make our Canadian flags for Remembrance Day.
Ella-Jane's dad touched base with me today regarding books on the residential school experience --I think this is the list he was talking about: 10-books-about-residential-schools-to-read-with-your-kids.
There's some really great middle grades books on there that I've used in Grade 5 and 6 to really get into these issues with students, but Grade 1 is a whole new world for me. Do you know of a great resource dealing with the viewpoints of Aboriginal peoples? Please do let me know.
We've been talking about Native experiences and perspectives in particular as part of our Social Studies unit on Roles and Responsibilities. It's so important to give students a sense not only of the history (the treaties are mentioned every day on announcements) but also of the contemporary issues and perspectives that different groups deal with in an ongoing basis.
Sincerely,
Lisa Goegan
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Reminders, etc.
Dear Parents,
Here's a reminder post! Next Monday, we look forward to seeing students' presentations on their energy devices. (It's also Library Day--many students have library books outstanding).
Unfortunately, I was away today and I'll be away tomorrow afternoon as well. Please feel free to touch base tomorrow morning or to ping me with any questions you may have about the science project at my tdsb account (lisa.goegan at tdsb.on.ca).
In class, students have been working on a lot of visuals this week: a poster for energy conservation, a flag for Remembrance day, and a Picasso self portrait. This last one started out being somewhat Halloween themed, but changed with experimentation, much like Frankenstein himself. I'll have pictures of these for you soon.
Mr. Eloi is beginning our social studies unit about Roles and Responsibilities. We're encouraging students to think about their role in making positive changes in the world through energy conservation. In particular, we'll be looking at Native peoples' perspectives on this, perhaps highlighting recent struggles over water and gas pipelines.
We'll also be comparing our experiences to those of children who went to residential schools, or who live on reservations and might have less access to basic needs. I think that students in our classroom already have a pretty good sense of respect for nature and what fairness looks like, so it's up to us to help them frame those understandings in larger contexts. I'm excited about bringing some of these big ideas into the classroom.
Sincerely,
Lisa Goegan
Here's a reminder post! Next Monday, we look forward to seeing students' presentations on their energy devices. (It's also Library Day--many students have library books outstanding).
Unfortunately, I was away today and I'll be away tomorrow afternoon as well. Please feel free to touch base tomorrow morning or to ping me with any questions you may have about the science project at my tdsb account (lisa.goegan at tdsb.on.ca).
In class, students have been working on a lot of visuals this week: a poster for energy conservation, a flag for Remembrance day, and a Picasso self portrait. This last one started out being somewhat Halloween themed, but changed with experimentation, much like Frankenstein himself. I'll have pictures of these for you soon.
Mr. Eloi is beginning our social studies unit about Roles and Responsibilities. We're encouraging students to think about their role in making positive changes in the world through energy conservation. In particular, we'll be looking at Native peoples' perspectives on this, perhaps highlighting recent struggles over water and gas pipelines.
We'll also be comparing our experiences to those of children who went to residential schools, or who live on reservations and might have less access to basic needs. I think that students in our classroom already have a pretty good sense of respect for nature and what fairness looks like, so it's up to us to help them frame those understandings in larger contexts. I'm excited about bringing some of these big ideas into the classroom.
Sincerely,
Lisa Goegan
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