Category: Inquiry

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Martin Luther King Day

On Monday, January 16th it was Martin Luther King Day.  Although this is celebrated in the US, it is also significant to Canadians and Canadian history.

Division 3 and 4 have been learning about the biography genre.  One of the biographies introduced last week was Martin Luther King Jr.  However, most students were unfamiliar with him and his accomplishments.

Today Division 3 heard Martin’s Big Words in the library.  It is a picture book biography that gives important background information to the civil rights movement and Dr. King. 

Click for more information on this title

We also looked at The King Center site and watched a clip of Dr. King’s famous “I have a dream” speech.  Click here to see the teachertube version.

Other great books related to this subject:

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Come and see Mrs. Araujo in the library if you would like to check out these books on Martin Luther King Jr. or any other biographies.

 

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Why do we remember?

Divisions 1 and 2 have created a wiki to help answer the question: Why do we remember?
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Students interviewed family members, friends and teachers to get their perspectives on war and remembrance. Classroom activities included watching films on war, reading fiction and non fiction texts, discussions, participation in the Remembrance Day assembly and more. After their interviews students were asked to respond using a method of their choice (eg. poetry, visual art, essay, movie, slide show, etc).

Click here to see the wiki and read some of the incredible stories the students uncovered.

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Helping the Homeless

Division 1 and 2 are researching how they can help the homeless.  They have chosen organizations to investigate and support. Stay tuned for more information on their project.

 

 

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The World’s Largest Animals

On Monday, October 17th Division 8 was introduced to a new non-fiction series about the world’s largest animals. 

We read a book about the Red Kangaroo and learned what a “marsupial” was.

Are you interested in the world’s biggest animals?  Come to library and check it these books and more!

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Searching the Web

Divisions 1 and 2 have been learning how to search for information online using a variety of sources.

We have looked at World Book Online.  A great reference that is available through our school district.  All students should have the password in their planners.  Please see Mrs. Araujo in the library if you need the password.

Webpath Express, available through Burnaby South’s library catalogue, is another way to search for sources of information.  It is available on the Library Home Page under Online Resources. Use Webpath Express in your research to find variety of sites that include site summaries and reading grade levels.

Need help finding what you’re looking for on the Internet?  Are you getting too many results?  Learn about Boolean searches using these sites:

Learn to Boolify

The Boolean Machine

How do you know whether a web site is reliable?  Use this checklist to help you:

Critical Evaluation of a Web site by Kathy Schrock

Any questions Division 1 and 2 students?  Please post them here or come and see me in the library.

 

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National Film Board of Canada

I am excited to announce we now have an online subscription to the

National Film Board of Canada.  Teachers will be able to show great films in their classrooms to enhance and support the curriculum.  Please go to the link on the Library Homepage under Online Resources or go directly to: http://www.nfb.ca/

I also encourage students and parents to visit the site at home.  Please come and see Mrs. Araujo in the library if you have any questions.

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Text Features with Divisions 8 and 9

On Friday the grade one and two students from divisions 8 and 9 learned about text features in the library.  We read some great books from the Blastoff! Reader series and found features like tables of contents, indexes, glossaries, bold words and more.  Come check out these great books and more at the library!

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Inquiry: What are we curious about at South Slope?

Division 3 and Division 4 are both doing inquiry units in their classrooms and the library.

Division 3 is learning about Canadian Government.  What are the levels are government?  Who are the important people and their titles?  What services does government provide?  They will be investigating these questions and more over the next couple of weeks.  Check out these sites on the library catalogue to learn more about government in Canada.

Division 4 is investigating Eurpean countries.  In groups they have chosen a country to learn about and created questions to guide their inquiry.  Today they began using some print and online resources to answer their questions. Check out these sites on the library catalogue to learn more about countries and cultures around the world.