Sharing the Planet and Our Museum of Ancient Civilization

 This week we put the finishing touches on our Museum of Ancient Civilizations and began our 5th unit of the year!

Museum Tours for Parents!

We are pleased to invite the families of Grades 3 and 4 to come in for a private viewing of the museum either at the start or end of the school day next week. Your child will gladly be your private tour guide! Please click on this link, or the one included in the email to reserve your tour time!

For those who can't make it in, I'm working hard at creating a Virtual Walk-Through that will hopefully be ready to share sometime next week (I'm still working our all of the technical bugs!)

We also had our first visitors this week!

Sharing the Planet

Our fifth unit of the year is about how Humanity's future is dependent on resources. To prove how dependent we are on resources, and to demonstrate how natural resources are not shared equally I began by dividing the class into two groups and gave each group the central idea but cut up the words into syllables for them to unscramble. I told them that it was a challenge for the groups to work together to unscramble the words and that only one team could win. What I didn't tell them was that one team was missing some of the resources (or syllables) to complete the words! In the end, one group was very angry with me, but they were able to understand how unfair it is that some countries start out with access to more resources than others!

Next, the students researched the meaning of the word resources and then worked in groups to brainstorm all of the different types of resources that they could think of. After watching a short video explaining the 3 main types of resources (human, capital and natural) the students worked with the members of their group to sort their suggestions into different categories, and then followed that up with individual work on Seesaw.

Book and Culture Week

Next week, we will have 3 special dress-up days as part of our Book and Culture Week celebration. 

Monday - National Dress Day - come in clothes to represent your home country or culture, bring a favourite book from there as well.

Tuesday - Pajama Birthday Party - I get to relax in my PJs for my birthday this year! (Unfortunately, I still have to teach lessons!) Pyjamas and crazy hair required!

Wednesday - Book Character Day Dress up as your favourite Book Character! Bring the book as well!

It should be a fun-filled week before Spring Break! Let's see how much spirit we have in Grade 3!

To find out more about our 5th unit of the year, please keep reading.

Unit 5: Sharing the Planet

Central Idea: 

Humanity’s future is dependent on resources

Lines of Inquiry:

- Challenges due to limited natural resources 

- Adaptations to how we use resources 

Key Concepts:

Connection, Change

Approaches to Learning:

Research, Thinking

Learner Profile 

Thinkers, Risk-takers

Learning Goals / Success Criteria:

- Students will identify what the challenges are with finite resources

- Students will explain adaptations about how we use limited resources - Repair, refuse, and expanding on reduce, reuse, recycle

- Students will show that they understand and know about the new ideas and trends in daily life, eg paper straws, electric cars

Action:

Students will examine their own personal choices.

Students will write informative pieces on recent adaptations and trends in using less non-renewable resources and conservation efforts.

How to Support Your Child at Home:

Discuss different ways that you try to use less natural resources, or reasoning and choices that you make when purchasing certain products.