Addition, Yucky food, Seals, Choir and Masks

Notices:

Two notices for field trips went home today.  Please check your child's bag to ensure they are signed and returned.

Food for Fun this Friday

Movember has been a big hit in our class and was started off with a cookie of a cookie duster brought in by B for everyone in the class.  Always entertaining and tasty thanks B.

The school annual collection of Granola Bars has begun.  Our class is in charge of making the train in front of Mrs. Dagg's class.  It is fitting that the first person to put a box of granola bars in is the little brother of one of our students in Mrs. Dagg's class.  The second person was a person from our class that brought up her granola bar snack to give to the collection.  The caring, giving and thoughtfulness of many of the students in the class continues to humble and impress me.

The First donation to our School granola Drive

Painting the Third Granola Train Car

The secret identity of our mystery generous hero protected in case her mom did not want her giving away her snack.

In Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin is at the dinner table going through a host of sounds and faces and actions ending in a round of applause from his parents.  This lead into our ME write about what they do when they are given food they do not want to eat or do not like it.  I told of a few of my childhood tricks and how the dog used to give me away and how my wife used to hide peas under the lip of her plate. 

In math we worked on an advanced and a basic math addition along with a magic 3 by 3 square.   All the rows, columns and diagonals have to add up to 15.  A nice math quiz and a prep for learning cribbage another great math card game.

After Recess we began by reading then, for our Famous person study, we did the great plains Chief Poundmaker (Pitikwahanapiwiyin).  His great grandson is a friend and hero of mine, Jacob Bighorn.  The great Poundmaker, a Cree, was adopted by the famous Blackfoot Chief Crowfoot as a young man. It caused quite a stir as the Blackfoot and Cree Nations were traditional enemies. Clearly Poundmaker, who was in his twenties, was someone to be watched.  He grew to be one of the most influential leaders of the Northern Plains. He was a key figure in the 1876 negotiations for Treaty Six.

After Lunch those students not in choir listened to and did a report on Michael Mitchell an  award-winning singer, songwriter and storyteller who is on a never-ending mission to stir up some patriotic spirit in the hearts and minds of all Canadians through lively songs and humorous stories of our history, geography and some of the wacky quirks that identify us as Canadians.

A finished maskk

Finished painting

After Choir  we looked at how the seal provided everything to the Inuit of the Eastern and Central Arctic.  I told them anecdotes and stories from the 8 years I lived and worked in the Arctic.  We talked about all the uses of the seal and how the entire seal was used.   Seal meat was a staple winter food, providing nourishment for both the people and their dogs  Even the fat, blood and eyes were eaten. Seal skin was used to make, masks, drums, bags, blankets, clothing, boots, mittens, hats, boats, tents, harpoon lines and floats.  The fat was rendered into oil for light and heating and even the bones were boiled and scraped to make weapons, tools and utensils. These are a few of the basic uses of this amazing animal by these amazing people. (Friday test will ask the students to list as many things the seal provided the Inuit.)

Adding the Simulated wooden background

All day long we worked on our latest seal masks.  They are coming along great and are far easier to design and finish than our Exploration boats the Caravels.   Well done everyone see you tomorrow.