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June 1st marked the beginning of Indigenous Peoples Month and Indigenous Peoples Day will be observed and celebrated on June 21st.  Listen and/or read along to this selection of stories and books to learn about Indigenous traditions, culture, and history.

The Words Writing Project in our school district is a yearly event that invites students around Burnaby to write and submit an original story or poem for a chance to have their work featured in an anthology, a collection of writing.

This year a Stoney Creek student has her poem featured in the Words writing collection!  Click on the image below to read a variety of stories and poems from students around the Burnaby School District, and please enjoy the beautiful imagery in this poem by Breana in Division 3.

 

Right now there are millions of people and their supporters using their voices to tell the world how much they matter.  They are using their voices for change and to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and equally.

Here is a story by author and illustrator, Christian Robinson, who reads his book, You Matter, in the video.  Listen carefully at the beginning of the video as he talks about why he wrote this book.

Christian Robinson has a series called “Making Space”.  In these videos he works in his making space to lead viewers in art projects and to talk about books.  This next video is about friendship.  Have fun and be creative!

 

Today marks the beginning of Pride Month and it is a time to celebrate love, acceptance, diversity, all types of families, and including others.  Pop over to my Read Aloud page to listen to me read the story, Mary Wears What She Wants.  This is the story of a young Mary Edwards Walker who lived in the 1800s.  She just wanted to wear what made her comfortable, but it was a difficult journey to be able to do so.  How would you feel if you were told you could only wear certain clothing and not allowed to wear others?  You can learn more about Mary and her efforts to wear what she wanted in this video.

I have created a choice board to listen to stories that celebrate people being able to be who they are, to wear what they choose, and to love who they love.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAD92eFdUS8/view

 

Sometimes when we think about making art, we think of using materials like paper, paints, felts, and crayons.  But what about using materials found in nature?  Let’s on an outdoor art adventure in this week’s read aloud, Anywhere Artist.  After listening to me read the book, head outside and see what you can create using your imagination and the materials you find.

To help inspire you, here are some examples of the mandala art created by artist, James Brunt.  He uses materials such as rocks, leaves, and sticks to create circular works of art.

Lately he has been using materials he finds around his house to create art when he has to stay at home, like us.  He used his mom’s button collection for this work of art!

 

 

 

 

And here he used screws.

 

 

When Fall comes, how about some leaf animal art?

What is The Ickabog, you say?  Well, it is a new book by J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter!  While we are spending much of our time around home, she decided to dust off a fairytale that she had written specially for her own children.  On her website, she says that she went up to her attic to find the story, which she had placed up there several years earlier.  She spoke with her children about the parts they enjoyed the most and other ideas that they thought should be put back in.  J.K. Rowling is regularly posting chapters of The Ickabog on her website and will continue to do so until the book ends.  There are currently five chapters available.  This is an exciting way to experience her writing from home.  Click on the image to begin reading!

 

“A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P…”

This is a song nearly all of us know very well and some authors use the alphabet as a way to create non-fiction books about a topic or subject.  Today we are going on a journey in the book, Alis the Aviator, written by Canadian author, Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail, to learn about many different types of planes.  The main character, Alis, is named after Dr. Alis Kennedy, one of the first Indigenous female pilots in Canada.  Not only is there much to learn about the history of flight, you can also learn about the art of cut paper with the book’s illustrator, Kalpna Patel.

As I learned about this book, I began to think about the alphabet photography art that I have in my home and have seen in different places.  The idea of this found art is to find items that look like letters of the alphabet.  I was inspired to try this by taking pictures of items around my home, in my backyard, and around my neighbourhood.  Here are some of the letters I discovered.  Which letters can you see?  Try exploring around your home and outside to see which letter shapes you can find, and take photographs of them.  Now we know our ABCs in a whole new way!

I’m always hoping to find something for everyone when it comes to reading.  If you are in Grades 4 to 7, then this virtual library display is for you!  There are new books which include novels and graphic novels available in ebook or audiobook options.  There’s even a video from Epic Squad author, Ted Staunton.  His book, Bounced, is a mystery novel and he has tips on how you can write mysteries too.  You may remember Mr. Staunton from his visit to our school last October, along with his co-authors, Kevin Sylvester and Richard Scrimger. Two of the books are creepy and perhaps scary, so please don’t let younger brothers and sisters listen to or read them. They can visit the virtual library with picture books on display.

So come on in, pick a book, relax, and enjoy!

 

Our fourth read aloud is to honour Asian Heritage month which takes place in May.  Hop on over to my Read Aloud page to watch and listen to me read Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang and illustrated by Canadian artist, Charlene Chua.

In this story, a young girl named Amy is determined to make the perfect bao just like her family members.  A story of family traditions and trying hard to reach a goal, you’ll be sure to find a connection in this book.  Can you think of a time where you had to try hard to achieve something?  Or a time when you didn’t give up on a task even though it was frustrating?  And finally, do you have a family recipe or cooking tradition that you enjoy?

Learn how to make the perfect bao just like Amy by watching a cooking video here.

Watch and listen to the book’s author, Kat Zhang, read her book here.

Happy Reading and Happy Cooking!