Remembrance Day - Building Our Prior Knowledge

Today we will be doing a listening and viewing activity to help us prepare for our upcoming mini unit on Remembrance Day. We will spend some time this week and next writing poems to honour the people and places affected by war. Let's start by watching a video to get us thinking.


1. Who is giving the speech?
2. Where does the speech take place?
3. Approximately how many Canadians fought in WWII?
4. How many Canadians were killed in action?
5. How many soldiers were wounded?
6. What does the General get the audience to repeat?

Why do you think it is important that young people pay tribute and remember those who gave their lives for the freedom of others? Clearly explain your thinking (minimum 3-5 sentences).

Remembrance Day Poetry - I am Poems

In ELA, our next topic is focusing on elements of poetry.  We will be using Remembrance Day and it's significance for our inspiration. Remembrance Day takes place in Canada every year on November 11th. By writing poems from the perspective of soldiers, children, parents, poppies, crosses and other symbols of Remembrance Day, we will make connections to our country and the world around us.  Personification, similes and metaphors will also used in our poems to create a deeper connection for the audience.  Here is a quick definition of those terms . . . 

Personification: 

per·son·i·fi·ca·tion

pərˌsänəfəˈkāSH(ə)n/

noun

1. the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

Example:

sim·i·le

ˈsiməlē/

noun

1. a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ).

Example:

met·a·phor

ˈmedəˌfôr,ˈmedəˌfər/

noun

1. a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
2. 
   

Example:

Here is the template we will use for our poems.  You will be following the same format to write your own, but first we will write one together. 

Our Physical World - What does it look like?

Our Physical World - What does it look like?

What does our world really look like? How do we describe how vast and different planet Earth can be? Take a look at the PowerPoint presentation below and fill in the missing information on your corresponding handout. Once finished, we will discuss a bit more about the different types of climate, vegetation and landforms there are in the world and where you might best like to live or at least visit.

Geocaching Puzzles

Today we will be doing some puzzles to find the coordinates for our geocaching adventure! 4 of the puzzles will involve paper/pencil, but one will involve the computer.  Click on the link below to open up puzzle 5.  Be sure to record the coordinates!

Puzzle 5

Taking a Closer Look at Homeless

Today we watched a few videos in class that are part of the Siloam Film Festival happening this weekend.  Ten students from our class are attending the film festival and other students will be watching the videos here at school.

Homelessness is an issue that affects people of all ages and all walks of life.  If you are interested to learn more, take a look at these documentaries and read up on an article about homeless youth here in Winnipeg.  There is also a video about Siloam Mission and the work they do to help others.

Soup

Rooming House to Room House

Winnipeg Free Press Article

Walk With Us

What can we do to help the homeless? Is giving socks to the less fortunate enough?

Never trust a map??

Now that we have taken some time to learn about maps, let's see it visually.

 

 Next, we will see it first hand why maps are never completely accurate by using an orange. Yes, an orange. Enjoy some extra vitamin C.

#Socktober

Socktober October 5th - 31st 

Have you heard of Socktober? It’s a fantastic annual initiative during the month of October with the goal of helping less fortunate people.  You can participate here by donating a brand new pair of socks so everyone can be sure to keep their toes warm through the cold winter months. Once collected, we will be donating the socks to our local homeless shelter.  The leadership students and the students of 7DEF will be helping us out as well. Students will come by your homeroom daily to pick up any donations and will then place pairs in the big "Socktober” box in the office.  Please help us help others from October 5^th to October 31^st . Let’s work to reach our goal of 500 donated pairs!   

P.S.There’s also House Points up for grabs! 

Here's another great video to inspire us even more!!! You remember Grover - don't you!





Let's take a look of some people who have used Siloam Mission in the past. Their stories may surprise you.

Des questions en français

Tips for Leaving a Good Comment

If you'd like to leave a comment on our blog, please check out some of the tips my students and I learned about last year regarding helpful and useful comments.  Thank you to Mrs. Yollis' Class (all the way from California!) who made an amazing video with her students to explain just how to do so.  Here it is summarized.

1) Start by complementing the writer

• mention something that you like about what the writer talks about or how they wrote it

2) Add new information

• make sure it is related to the topic
• if you know a new fact, respond with the new information

3) Ask a question

• make sure it is related to the comment above and/or the original comment
• make sure it isn't a repeat of previous comments, but rather be sure it adds new information

4) Proofread your comment!

• if you like, copy and paste it into Word just to be sure
• make sure you read it over carefully - sometimes you might spell all of your words correctly, but they may be mixed up or used incorrectly

Can we think of any other things necessary to make a good comment? Let me know! Happy commenting!

What is Geocaching?

What is Geocaching? It's a great way to get active in your community and beyond! AS they say, "there is an adventure happening all the time, all around you!" and you wouldn't even necessarily know it's right before your very eyes! Let's take a closer look in anticipation for when we do some geocaching activities later this month. Have you ever geocached? What was your best find? Are you looking forward to trying it out? Let everyone know by leaving a thoughtful comment below.