Posts

How We Express Ourselves

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In our year long unit   ( How We Express Ourselves )   Grade 3 and 4 are exploring the Central Idea that  we use dramatic tools to deliver aesthetic performances . Having successfully produced the Lion King last year, there were BIG plans at DSKI to stage a performance of Aladdin this year. We were in the midst of early stage rehearsals when our learning environment was dramatically changed (pun intended).  We shifted to virtual learning and we had no idea when we would be able to collaborate together again in person. There are meany reasons to be proud of all Grade 3 learners and the way they responded to the changes in learning. One is this rendition of A Whole New World . While dealing with the loss of the originally planned stage show, the uncertainties of life during a pandemic and the many new technologies of the virtual classroom these learners are a testament to resilience. They elected to work as a group, planned their own practice schedule and managed their own practic
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LIVE! Storytelling event

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For our final Visual Arts and Language Arts units of the year, Grade 3 have been exploring how personal/family histories, traditions and values are shared through stories. We explored narrative art like cave paintings, relief carving and pictographs. Learners also began preparing for a live storytelling event under the title "An event or moment where you learned something important about yourself". All stories are true (as remembered and confirmed by the storyteller), prepared in advance and told live in front of a small audience without notes: From Brandon: My First day learning to ski. From Aruto: Running towards you. From Aira: The Philippines. From Hiro: Mother's Day.
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Location, Location, TREASURE! (Maps post #2)

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Our third unit for this year is on  Where We are in Place and Time . Grade 3 and 4 are exploring the Central Idea that  maps enable us to orientate ourselves locally and globally . Grade 3 has continued their inquiry into  Interpreting maps .  We used Scot Ritchie's popular introductory text  Follow That Map!  as we inquired into the  form  and  function  of maps. To develop our research  skills, we took notes on map terminology. - from Aira We were also inspired by Captain Firebeard's School for Pirates (which we read as a class read-aloud). So... to show and apply our developing understanding of maps and how they are interpreted, learners created TREASURE MAPS! - from Miller And... we invited artist and educator Lubin Nepomuceno to share his papier mache` expertise with us. Combined groups of Gr.3s & 4s applied these skills to creating topographical landscape maps. Next, learners formed groups to researc
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EXTRA! EXTRA! Hear all about it...

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Our third unit for this year is on Where We Are In Place and Time . Our Approach to Learning this unit is through Research. Grade 3 learners have been exploring news sources  and learning about what goes into creating a great news report. We discussed a few ideas for stories we wanted to report on and then teams of reporters set to work conducting research. Learners wrote scripts for their reports and we put together this episode of DSKI News!
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Art with lines and geometric shapes

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To develop our understanding of shapes (as well as the tools we use to create them) - Grade 3 is exploring some artists who create with shapes and lines: Frank Stella Piet Mondrian Jim Lambie Inspired by Jim Lambie's instillation works (showcased in the Tate Modern for example) some Gr.3 learners developed their own instillation piece! Their completed piece is call F A N C Y T A B L E and it is on show in the DSKI entrance way now.
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Location, Location, Location!

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Our third unit for this year is on  Where We are in Place and Time . Grade 3 and 4 are exploring the Central Idea that  maps enable us to orientate ourselves locally and globally . Our first line of inquiry with this Transdisciplinary Theme is into Interpreting maps . For this LoI we are concerned with the concepts of Form and Function . For this unit we are going to be cartographers . We begun by 'thinking about what we already know about maps'. We had a class discussion sharing what we already know, what we think we know and some of our initial questions... In order to become cartographers , we need to understand what a cartographer does. We did a quick study and here are some ideas the learner pairs came up with: "A cartographers explores different places/countries and collects information" - Miller & Aira "A cartographer uses satellite images to create maps of the Earth" - Brandon & Hirohito &quo
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Goods and Service (Marketplaces post #2)

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Our second unit for this year is on  How We Organize Ourselves . Grade 3 and 4 are exploring the Central Idea that  p eople share their responsibilities in communities through offering goods and services in marketplaces . Our second and third lines of inquiry with this Transdisciplinary Theme are into how goods are produced and how goods and services are exchanged . We begun by asking the question "Where do our goods come from?" Grade 3 watched a Farm to Table video where we were introduced to Olivia - a shopkeeper with an empty store! As Olivia journeyed to the sources of her fruits, vegetables, milk products and meats we tried to solve the mystery of why the farmers had not delivered their products to Olivia and we learned about farm goods. After this we began to look at goods not sourced locally. Grade 3 learners brought in products from home and used a barcode tracking website to figure out where they were produced. This led to a discussion on imports and expo
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