What a fun week we had! This week emphasized global warming and ways we can protect our environment, engaging in and understanding Indigenous perspectives and knowledge systems, and behavioural adaptations of animals. Continue reading to learn more.

Unit of Inquiry:

We started the week off making polar bear salt dough! This art activity was part one as we used the polar bear models for the second part, in a science experiment. This art activity was centered upon the concept of global warming. While demonstrating how to make salt dough, I had the students brainstorm and share, through Think/Pair/Share and as a whole class, what global warming is. We discussed how global warming is when the Earth’s temperature rises at a faster rate than if it were to naturally. Then I asked, “What causes global warming?” Students were accurate in that various human activities increases global warming such as driving, using electricity, and cutting down trees (deforestation). Students made a connection that trees release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide, a toxic gas that isn’t good for our environment, which helps to protect our environment. Trying to make a connection to our unit of inquiry, living things, I asked, “How are polar bears affected by global warming?” Students shared how global warming causes the ice in the Arctic to melt. We discussed how global warming not only affects polar bears but also the wildlife in that environment. Because global warming causes sea ice to melt at a faster rate, this affects the seals as well as crustaceans. Polar bears depend heavily on seals as one of their main food source. Seals depend heavily on small fish, crustaceans, and krill that are near the edge of sea ice. As sea ice is melting due to global warming, this results in less food source for seals and polar bears. 

As part of our science experiment, we placed a polar bear salt dough model on ice (sea ice) in a plastic container and made observations throughout the day on what happened. Since this experiment occurred on a very warm day, the (sea) ice started melting five minutes after taking it out of the freezer! Students made connections to our science experiment and what is happening around the world. We wrapped up our two-part lesson on how we, as individuals, can help protect our environment, such as by walking more and not driving.

Weaving in Indigenous perspectives and knowledge system is crucial for me, as a beginning teacher, to incorporate into any of my lessons. This week, students learned about animals symbolic to Indigenous peoples. As an introduction to this lesson, I showed students a website, https://native-land.ca, that helps identify territories, languages, and treaties native to the land we are guests on. We searched up the school we are at and it informed us that we are on 5 different nations: Coast Salish, səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsleil-Waututh), Skwxwú7mesh-ulh Temíx̱w (Squamish), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm. Then, I read them a story called Sharing Our World: Animals of the Native Northwest Coast. Information provided in this book has been provided by Nuxalk, Namgis, Caost Salish, Kwakwaka’wakw, Haisla, Heiltsuk, Haida, Bella Bella, Tsimshian, Kwa Na Ki Nulth and Nuchatlaht Nations. https://www.strongnations.com/store/item_display.php?i=1957

Students were provided a worksheet with 12 boxes describing the meaning of different animals symbolic to Indigenous peoples. We worked together as a class to cut and glue the correct Indigenous animal to its symbolic description. 

As a follow up activity, I introduced the six basic Haida shapes as students were instructed to choose one Indigenous animal they resonated most with and try their best to draw it. It’s important that I introduce some simple Indigenous drawing shapes so students can identify them in any Indigenous art work. 

I encouraged the students to include at least one of the basic Haida shapes in their Indigenous animal drawing. Students took two days to outline the animal’s body with pencil and then marker, and add design on the animal. Below are some finished results.

We also learned about the life cycle and journey of salmon. Students were provided a mini booklet and they drew each stage of a salmon on the appropriate pages: egg, alevin, fry, smolt, adult salmon, and spawning salmon. In this lesson, students learned the importance of:

• the yolk sac that an alevin carries during the first 6 weeks after hatching
• how salmon fry imprint to remember the scent of their home stream
• how smolts change their physical appearance by having Parr marks to camouflage in shadows and help them survive better in their environment
• smolts swimming downstream to an estuary, where the river meets the ocean, as it contains rich source of nutrients and minerals to help salmon grow
• the change of smolts’ physical appearance to an adult salmon by becoming a light silvery colour to help them better adapt to ocean life
• the change of adult salmon’s physical appearance to a spawning salmon by turning bright red to attract a mate
• the challenges of adult salmon swimming upstream to get to their home stream

Students learned the importance of hibernation, migration, and adaptation. As a warm up activity, I drew three boxes on the white board of each concept and asked the students to draw an animal they think would go under each category.

We then gathered at the floor as a class to discuss what each concept meant and examples of animals that do it. We discussed how many cold-blooded animals hibernate because their body temperature is dependent upon the temperature outside. So, when the temperature is colder in the winter, cold-blooded animals bodies are colder, they move slower, and are more vulnerable to predators. That is why they hibernate. We also know that some bears hibernate because during the winter, they lack availability of food like berries and fish. We learned a couple weeks ago that berries and leaves fall down on Deciduous trees during the winter. We also learned from our salmon lesson that they migrate. So, bears don’t have as many food sources as they do during the summer so they hibernate to save energy and help them survive the winter. We also discussed how some animals adapt in the winter so they don’t need to hibernate or migrate. Students made a connection that we, humans, adapt as well as foxes and rabbits. Making a connection to the type of animal coverings mammals have, fur or hair, helps those animals keep warm in the winter so they can adapt and hunt for prey. After our discussion at the floor, the students were instructed to complete a worksheet that entailed cutting and gluing animals into the correct boxes.

Our pumpkin sprouts have turned into plants! They were outgrowing our small pots in our classroom so we asked students who had a garden at home and enough room to plant one or two pumpkins to take them home. They were happy to take a pumpkin plant home and continue observing the stages of its growth.

Earth Day Art Workshop:

My School Advisor (SA) was able to organize a Zoom art workshop with artist Fei Guan to host a lantern workshop. Fei explained how she is an environmental artist who uses recycled plastic to create works of art. Students were asked weeks prior to bring in a clean 4L plastic milk jug. This was a whole day art activity and the students loved every minute of it! 

Materials needed:

• 4L clean plastic milk jug
• Black marker
• Exacto knife
• LED light from dollar store
• acrylic paint
• twig/bamboo stick and yarn
• hot glue gun

Each student got to choose what animal they wanted to create. Some even made aquariums! Take a look at the awesome creations.

Other:

During Centres, two Grade One students were working together to create a pattern out of blocks. They weren’t done when we had to clean up but they wanted to show me their progress thus far. It looked amazing and I had to snap a picture! 

I hope you enjoyed reading about my fourth week of long practicum. I’ll be starting to teach 100% (full-time) this upcoming week and am looking forward to it (although there is much lesson planning to be done!)

Thank you for reading!

-Ms. Mah