Connecting Canada and Kenya

Hey everyone, it's Mrs. Braybrook!  I got to spend the first two weeks of July in Kenya travelling with the organization A Better World Canada as part of the "Two Countries/One Voice" teaching tour.  During my time there, I was able to visit different schools, work with the teachers and teach the students.  I wanted to connect my students in Canada with the kids in Kenya so we worked on a few projects in June to do just that.

For the first project, our class made a book to teach the Kenyan students about some of the important things about Canada.  We started by reading "The Important Book" by Margaret Wise Brown and then brainstormed important things about Canada that we wanted to tell the Kenyan kids about.  Each one of our students then picked one of the topics and did some research on it to find out more information.  From there, each student used the same organization as "The Important Book" to write a paragraph on their topic.  Each student also drew and colored a picture to illustrate their topic.  Every student used the computer to type a short paragraph about themselves that was also included as part of their entry.  I then put all of the pages together and bound them into a book, complete with cover that included a class picture taken on our playground.

Before I presented the finished book to the Kenyan kids, I read them "The Important Book".  It was such a lovely afternoon, so I read it to them outside, under a tree.

 

Then it was time to share our "All About Canada" book--they loved it!  They couldn't wait for me to turn the page to find out what they were going to learn about next and who wrote it.

 



The other project involved having all of the students make bookmarks for the Kenyan kids.  I knew I would be spending a few days at Segera and that they had about 200 kids.  My goal was to have a bookmark to give every student at this Kindergarten to grade 4 school.  Our class made 2 different kinds of bookmarks and there were a number of other classes from our school that made bookmarks as well.  In this picture, you can see me handing out the bookmarks to each student.  They also received a pencil, toothbrush and other goodies from our team.

 

I had the chance to spend a lot of time in Susan's grade three classroom.  I did a lesson on "Wangari's Trees of Peace" by Jeanette Winter with the grade three students.  (I have also done the same activities with my grade three students in Canada for the last couple of years.)  This is a true story about a Kenyan woman who started planting trees and created the Green Belt Movement.  After reading the book, they had to work with a partner (which was pretty new for them) to put the story in order.

 

Then I did an art project with them.  (It's also one I do with my Canadian students.)  First, they had to draw shapes in different spaces on their paper with wax crayon.

Then, they had to paint each space with watercolor paints. 

When I do this with my Canadian students, we talk about the dove being a symbol of peace and so we place a dove on the page.  In Africa, the tree is a symbol of peace, so each student then drew a tree to finish off their masterpiece.

They were so pleased to see their completed art work up on the wall of their classroom!

A friend of mine from Music Together in Edmonton donated some instruments for me to give the students.  Although the Kenyan people are very musical, these students had not seen or tried many of these instruments before but loved experimenting with them.  They sang a couple of songs while trying them out.  (In the picture below, you can see their teacher, Susan, putting out the instruments.)

 

My time at Segera was incredible.  The kids were fantastic--I had so much fun with them and the teachers were so eager to learn about other ways to teach.  I've left a part of my heart with the people of Segera as it was truly an unforgettable experience.

Experiencing Life in a Refugee Camp

On Thursday, June 20th, we were excited to go on a field trip to Red Deer to experience what life in a refugee camp is like.  The Central Alberta Refugee Effort (C.A.R.E.) hosted this event in conjunction with World Refugee Day.  Throughout the year we have learned about the rights of people, why people sometimes leave their countries and organizations that help.  To experience life in a refugee camp was definitely something new to us.  To help prepare us for this trip, our teacher read us the book "Brothers in Hope".
 

After arriving at the camp, we started at the registration booth.  We were told that often, the line ups were very long to register and that you wouldn't want to leave your spot in line.  Everyone was given a registration card, along with food and water ration cards.  We were told to never lose these cards because then we wouldn't be able to stay in the camp.  We had to be able to show our registration card whenever we were asked.  The registration card told us who we were, our age, where we lived and why we were leaving our country.  For the rest of the experience, we pretended to be that person.

Next, we moved onto the water station.  Between 5 and 7 litres of water was given to each person, per day and that is all they had to drink, wash and cook with for the whole day.  Your card would be marked that you had received your water for the day and you couldn't go back for more.  We were told that refugees could go gather their own water from the river outside of the camp, but that it was very dangerous to leave the camp and the water might not be good to drink and make us sick.  In refugee camps, it is usually the women and children that are responsible for getting water.

 After that, we learned about health care in the camp.  If you weren't feeling well, you could go to the nurses and they might be able to help you.  We learned about the importance of washing your hands and using a mosquito net when you sleep.  Mosquitos can make you sick and give you a disease called malaria.  At this station, they had a pretend person who was sick from malaria, wrapped in a thermal blanket, inside a tent (see the picture below).

Our next station was finding out more about the Red Cross.  We had learned about this organization in class and so it was great to hear from people who actually work for them.  In a refugee camp, the Red Cross helps people to find their family members.  On our registration cards, it told us who our other family members were.  They often put up a message board where you can post messages to your family to let them know you are at the camp.  We got to look for messages from our family and many of us found messages from our family!



 Next, we moved onto the education station.  Here we learned that kids (but usually just the boys) were invited to start going to school.  There weren't usually any desks, paper or pencils and only a few books.  The students would do any writing in the dirt using sticks.  They would also use small rocks to help them with math.  At the school, students would also learn about landmines and how it was very important to stay away from them and tell someone if you found one.  To keep the kids active, soccer was often played--but with a ball made from whatever they could find.  The ball we played with was made out of plastic bags.

 We learned that the adults could try to find work in the camp and be paid a little bit of money.  If an adult had a skill, like sewing or building, it was easier for them to get work.

At a refugee camp, people are given materials to make their own shelter.  They would be given whatever was available.  In our case, we saw a shelter built out of big branches, tarps and blankets.  Each family was also given a small bundle of firewood and one pot for cooking.  We were surprised at how small the shelters were and many people had to live together in one.  We were also told that you had to protect your belongings because people would steal from each other.

 

Then we got to hear from William.  He was from South Sudan and fled to a refugee camp in Kenya.  He lived there for a couple of years before getting the opportunity to come to Canada on a scholarship.  He told us that the shelter he built here (in the picture above) was much nicer and bigger than the one he had to live in during his time at the refugee camp in Kenya.  It was so interesting to hear his story.

Our last stop was the food station.  Here we learned that the refugees could only get their food ration once every two weeks and the line ups were very long on those days.  People would stand in line for hours just to get the small amount they were allowed to have.  Of course, you had to show your food ration card and you couldn't go back for more.  We were amazed at the tiny amount of food they received--a little bit of flour, sugar, salt and beans.  In fact, most of us had bigger lunches than what they showed us the refugees received for a whole day!

 



We ended at the resettlement station.  It was here that each of us learned our fate.  Most of our group remained in the refugee camp for years.  A few of us returned to our homes after spending some time in the camp.  A couple of us died.  Only one person was lucky enough to move to Canada.

We were wondering...

What do you know about refugees and refugee camps?
Have you ever heard a refugee's story?

Fun with Fractions

We spent a bunch of time learning about fractions.  Fractions are when you take something whole and cut it into equal pieces.  There were lots of new words to learn, like "denominator" and "numerator".  We did lots of activities with fractions.  One of our favorites was playing a matching and memory game.

In this picture you can see two students playing the matching game.  We had to match the word form, the number form AND the picture.  It was much easier to do when we were looking at all of the cards!  When we turned the cards over and played it as a memory game, it was a lot harder.

We were wondering...

What are some of your favorite activities to practice fractions?

Spencer West Visits Our School

We were so excited to have Spencer West visit our school last week.  Spencer doesn't have any legs because when he was born, they didn't work properly.  So the doctors amputated them when he was five.  Spencer grew up like any other kid...he skateboarded and hung out with his friends.  When he was in high school, he was even on the cheerleading team.  He showed us a short video of his cheerleading routine...it was awesome! 

While he was in college, Spencer took a trip to Kenya with an organization called Free the Children.  He got to build a school, carry water from the river and hang out with the Kenyan people.  That trip changed his outlook on life.  He discovered that having "stuff" (like a pool and nice car) weren't what made him happy.  He wanted to help others and so he got a job with Free the Children speaking to people all over the world and encouraging them to change their thinking and how they live from "ME" to "WE". 

Last June, Spencer and two of his buddies climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro (the largest mountain in Africa) to raise awareness and money to help the people there, get safe drinking water.  Spencer did some of the climb on his hands and some of it in his wheelchair.  He has now started walking from Edmonton to Calgary (300 km) to try to get more people good drinking water.  We are following his blog and you can too at: http://www.freethechildren.com/get-involved/campaigns/we-walk-4water/   When we were talking about his speech today, we decided to make a donation to his "We Walk 4 Water" project using the money we have collected by recycling our juice boxes and pop cans.

Our school decided to help by participating in Free the Children's project called "We Create Change".  We brought in all the pennies we could.  At the beginning of Spencer's speech, we found out that our school had filled 53 penny bags!  That means that 53 people will be able to get safe drinking water for the rest of their life.  The bags were lined up along the front of the stage and you can see some of them in these pictures.  You can also see Spencer applauding us for all of our hard work!

Some of the students in our class go to a club called "Me to We".  During the club's meetings, we learn more about how we can be good global citizens and make a difference in our school, community and the world.  The Me to We Club members got to meet with Spencer before he spoke to the whole school and had their picture taken with him.

From Spencer's speech, we learned...
-one little thing can make a difference
-it's OK to need a little help
-everybody can make a difference

We also wanted to say a huge thank you to Mr. Kap for taking the pictures you see here!

We were wondering...
-Have you heard of Spencer West?
-How do you show you are a good global citizen?
-Will you get involved with Spencer's "We Walk 4 Water" campaign?

The Important Book--Writing Following a Pattern

Our teacher read us "The Important Book" by Margaret Wise Brown.  In this book, the author takes ordinary things and uses specific details to explain why they are important. 

We talked about the pattern the author used and how this makes for a good paragraph.  (A paragraph is a group of sentences about 1 idea.)  A good paragraph starts with an opening sentence, is followed by supporting detail sentences and then finishes with a closing sentence. 

We then used this pattern to write our own paragraph on the topic of:

The important thing about grade 3...

The important thing about grade 3 is gym.  Gym helps you be active.  It help you keep moving.  Gym is important because it takes some of your energy away so you can work.  But the important thing about grade 3 is gym.

-by Averill

The important thing about grade 3 is math.  Math is important because it helps you count by nines.  It helps you teach your kids math.  Math helps you count your money.  But the important thing about grade 3 is math.

-by Anthony

The important thing about grade 3 is reader's workshop.  It builds your stamina and is fun.  It is very good for you.  I like read to self because I can pick the books that I get to read.  But the important thing about grade 3 is reader's workshop.

-by Raegan

The important thing about grade 3 is gym.  You get to learn new sports.  Also, you get to play tag.  Sometimes we get to play tennis.  But the important things about grade 3 is gym.

-by Logan

The important thing about grade 3 is gym.  We played badminton and jump rope.  Also, we play speed stacking.  It's good for your body.  But the important thing about grade 3 is gym.

-by Brady

The important thing about grade 3 is math in the morning.  We do the straws.  Then we do the calendar.  Another thing is then we do the tally chart.  But the important thing about grade 3 is math in the morning.

-by Angus

The important thing about grade 3 is you learn handwriting.  You learn handwriting by practicing.  Handwriting is fancy.  Handwriting is quick.  But the important thing about grade 3 is handwriting.

-by Hunter

The important thing about grade 3 is gym.  Gym is fun.  Gym gets our sillies out.  You can run in gym.  But the important thing about grade 3 is gym.

-by Cooper

The important thing about grade 3 is skip counting by threes.  Because it helps you count money.  It helps you count.  It helps you to add.  But the important thing about grade 3 is skip counting.

-by Koby

The important thing about grade 3 is skip counting by 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, 10's, 25's and 100's.  My favourite numbers are 25's, 5's and 100's.  Skip counting is fun.  But the important thing about grade three is skip counting by 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's, 10's, 25's and 100's.

-by Trystan

The important thing about grade 3 is gym.  Because there are fun games, warm ups and at the end we get to high five Miss Siddle.  But the important thing about grade 3 is gym.

-by Kira

The important thing about grade 3 is I learned more about dinosaurs.  You also learn other things.  You study some things.  You get special days.  But the important thing about grade 3 is I learned more about dinosaurs.
-by Scott

The important thing about grade 3 is gym.  The gym helps us to have physical activity every day.  It makes us to think better.  That helps us to get our energy out.  But the important thing about grade 3 is gym.
-by Summer

The important thing about grade 3 is skip counting.  Then you can count money, months and numbers.  You can use a ruler to skip count.  Our class can count by three's with an action.  But the important thing about grade 3 is skip counting.
-by Quintin

The important thing about grade 3 is that you learn math.  When you're an adult, you need to count money.  If you're a teacher, you need to count students.  With math, you can tell time.  But the important thing about grade 3 is that you learn math.
-by Ava

The important thing about grade 3 is library.  You get to get into a book and enjoy it.  You can get a good book for the weekend.  There are lots of books to choose from at the library, instead of just one.  But the important thing about grade 3 is library.
-by Zoe

The important thing about grade 3 is gym.  In gym, we learn lots of games to play.  We learned tennis.  We learned freeze tag.  But the important thing about grade 3 is gym.
-by Colten

The important thing about grade 3 is to learn new things.  We have learned to be bucket fillers, not bucket dippers.  A bucket filler does good things like pick up garbage, be kind to each other, help each other and stand up for each other.  Our class learned about geometry.  But the important thing about grade 3 is to learn new things.
-by Orion

The important thing about grade 3 is math.  Math is in everything.  There are many things like add, divide and take away.  I like to learn math by playing games.  Math is fun to learn.  But the important thing about grade 3 is math.
-by Kevin

The important thing about grade 3 is gym.  They have hula hoops, dodge balls and tennis.  The gym teacher is Miss Siddle.  I like to play tag in gym.  But the important thing about grade 3 is gym.
-by Brooke

The important thing about grade 3 is gym.  It's healthy because it's exercise.  You run and skip.  My favourite thing in gym is playing tag.  But the important thing about grade 3 is gym.
-by Dominik

The important thing about grade 3 is that I learn math.  Before, I did not know ho to add 1000's to random numbers, now I can.  Also, I could not take away random numbers from 1000, now I can.  Now I can do division.  But the important thing about grade 3 is that I learn math.
-by Ethan

The important thing about grade 3 is that you get to learn.  You get to learn capitals for handwriting and lowercase letters too.  You get to be a better reader when you keep on practicing.  When you do social studies, you get to learn about new places.  But the important thin about grade 3 is that you get to learn.
-by Jordin

 

We were wondering...

Have you read "The Important Book" before?

Have you used it's pattern to do some writing?

What do you think is important about grade 3?

Sharing Our Learning Using Topographical Maps

Our class finished learning about the geography of Peru, Tunisia, Ukraine and India.  As a final project, we worked with a parter to create a topographical map (using clay) of one of the countries, research information on a geographic feature from that country and then write a paragraph about it.  To research, we used the encyclopedias in the library and the internet.  Was it ever hard to find information in an encyclopedia! 

Here are our completed projects:

 The Thar Desert is in northern India . A small amount of people live there. People raise sheep where there is enough water. The Thar desert can be called the Great Indian Desert. You should visit this place.

 The steppe region is found Ukraine .Steppes are found in dry areas. Covered in short grasses. Climates are humid. Summers are 4 to 6 months. July temperatures = to (21 to23 degrees Celsius.)

 The Amazon Rainforest is found in Peru.

There are 2 and a half million different insects.

The Amazon rainforest is the largest rain forest in the world.

20% of the world’s oxygen is made in this area.

2 700 million acres of rainforest are burned each year.

By the year 2012 would destroy around 75% of the amazon.

It would be the best place to visit.

 The  Thar Desert is in the north west part of India.

The Thar Desert is also calld the indian desert.

They get 500 mm of rain.

The Thar Desert is the 18^th largest desert in the world.

Fun fact the Thar Desert covers 74 000 square miles of india.

The Thar Desert would be a great place to viset.

The  Himalayan Mountains are  found  in Northern India.

 The Mountains  stretch across India  1,500  miles long.Also  the    Himalayan  Mountains are 50 million years old. Some  think thgod’s thrones rest on top. We  think  you should   visit them.

 The Sahara Desert is in the north part of Tunisia.

They are 9 million square kilometers.

An oasis village of the Sahara lies at foot of a huge sand dune.

Mountains   of  Sahara is the rocky plains and  high flatlands.

North Africa are Sahara Desert.

Its 9 mills long.

 The Carpathian Mountains are found in Ukraine.
The Carpathian Mountains are forming an arc roughly 1,500 km long. Running across central and Eastern Europe. Making it the second-longest mountain ranges in Europe.They provide the habitat for bears,wolves,chamois and lynxes.The Carpathian mountains would be a great place to go.

 The  Thar Desert  is found  in Indan  it  is also  called the  Inaian Desert. It covers 74,000  square miles.It is 4000 to  10,000 years old. The tempter is 24 degrees celsius to 26 degrees Celsius. There is about 23 species of  lizards and and 25 species of snakes.

  The  Steppe Regions  are  found  in  southern  Ukraine.

The  steppes  are  found  on the Carpathian  mountains  where  it  is  very  hot  and  dry.

Tempters are  in  Ukraine  are  from  20c  in the  north,  20c  in  the  south.

Most  steppes  re  trace  an  average  of  rain  a  year   of   ten  or  twenty Inches.

The  Heat  resources   in  Ukraine  are  20c It  would  be  great  to  go  to  the  steppe   region. 

 The Sahara Desert is in Tunisia. It is the biggest desert in the world.  It covers 3 and a half square miles.  Sahara Desert is the greatest desert.
It is by the Atlantic Ocean.  It has been there since the last ice age.  It covers 3,500,000 square miles.  It is the hottest desert in the world.  It has some of the tallest sand dunes.  It would be a cool place to visit.

The Sahara Desert Is the largest desert in the world. The desert is in Tunisia.

It is 3 million square miles long.

It’s also the first hottest desert in the world. 2 million people live there. I wish that I can go there.

PICTURE COMING SOON!

The Atlas Mountains is a mountain range found in Tunisia.

Atlas Mountains run across northern Africa.

The Atlas Mountains is mild and rainy and is covered with forests.

Any thoughts you'd like to share with us?

Celebrating Our Learning!

It was great to see so many families come out for our Open House tonight.  As the teacher, I love the opportunity to sit back and watch the students take the lead and share what they do in the classroom and what they have learned.  The students did a fantastic job of following their "lesson plan" and they should be proud for a job well done.

The pictures that follow show some of the activities and learning that was shared tonight...

 

One of the activities had the students sharing their reading goal and strategies using our CAFE menu.

To share their geometry learning, the students talked about the 3D skeleton they created today.

Estimating the number of candies using a referent was another activity the students completed with their parents.  There were 25 candies in the cup and the task was to estimate the number of candies in the jar with the red lid.  How many candies do YOU think there are?  We will find out in the morning and will post the answer in the comments section.

Watching the students ask their parents questions from our morning math routine is always entertaining!





The students enjoyed sharing their portfolio binder with their parents.  It's amazing to see how much they've grown as learners since the beginning of the year!
 

There was some great conversations between parents and their child as they reflected on "3 Stars" and then set a couple of goals to work towards during this last term.

We were wondering...

If you attended tonight's Open House, what was your favourite activity?

If you didn't attend tonight's Open House, how do you share your learning?