Sharing Shine

Our class once again rose to the occasion with a shining group performance at the sharing this past Friday afternoon. We decided to share some of the interesting Canadian stories we have learned about during our focus on Black History Month in February. In just a day the students divided themselves into three acting groups, and a narrating group, wrote lines, created and performed skits that highlighted three important stories from Canadian history. We received numerous compliments from students and staff following the performance. Based on the style of the Canada Post 'Heritage Moments' that we had looked at, we created our own 'Heritage Moments' that focused on Canadian black history events.
We acted out scenes from the lives of Mathiew Da Costa (the black interpreter who travelled with Champlain in 1605), William Hall (the Nova Scotian sailor who was the first member of the Canadian navy, and the first black sailor to win the Victoria Cross for his services in the Indian uprising in the mid 1800s), and Viola Desmond (the black woman who went to jail in 1946, years before Rosa Parks, for refusing to move from the whites only section of a movie theater in Nova Scotia).
It was a testament to their cohesiveness as a group that they were able to pull it off so effectively. Every one of them had either a role in a skit, or a narrating role.
Wednesday we had the second Statistics Canada workshop. The students created several graphs of the data the class created in the survey, using a spreadsheet program. We then worked with the data in a program called tinkerplots, which allowed them to compare a number of characteristics, and do some in depth analysis of the data. They made some great observations.
This week Andrea will be in, so everyone is reminded to have their recorders at school.
We outlined our ideas for the Global Letter Project expository writing assignment on Friday. The goal was for the students to complete their research and write their first draft of their expository over the weekend. We will be editing and re-writing these this week in class.
I understand that there was some confusion with a newsletter sent home, but we did not skate last Friday. We go this week. Volunteers will be needed.
Our class frogs will be looking for a home over the March break. If anyone is willing or able to provide them with a place to spend the winter break please let me know.
Lots will be happening in the two weeks leading up to March break, so if any students will be missing school please let me know.
Regards, Ray