Year: 2020

The Intrigue of Salish Weave

Post author By Miranda.Chitze
Post date 8 June 2020

Gifted to NLPS, Salish Weave is a collection of contemporary Coast Salish art that weaves together distinct art form, design, and style. The 27 Coast Salish original art prints impart an abundance of teachings for all K-7 cross curricular content areas.

Artist techniques include traditional and contemporary design, use of crescents, trigons, ovoids, and split U, visual punning, colour symbolism, and much more. Some themes include, stories and legends, language, spirit, relationships, place names, respect for Mother Nature and all species, importance of salmon, cultural appropriation, and colonial practices. And images evoke political, environmental, social, cultural conversations, as well as conversations on traditional and non-traditional values.

How engaging is Salish Weave in the classroom? Check out lessLie’s Cultural CununDRUM. This piece portrays a Starbucks image robed in traditional symbols. The mermaid is immersed in earth symbols, where the hair can be interpreted as water, mermaid tails are salmon, and the crown is a salmon crown. Starbucks began on Coast Salish Territory which begins a conversation about land. The crown on the mermaid is symbolic of government. Starbucks coffee house is a gathering place, as was the traditional land and sacred places for Coast Salish people. The Starbucks image was originally painted on a drum to change Starbucks music to traditional drumming. The entire image then becomes a parody of culture.

The Salish Weave collection celebrates eight emerging Coast Salish artists:
Luke Marston, John Marston, Andy Everson, Susan A. Point, Dylan Thomas, Maynard Johnny Jr., lessLie, Chris Paul

All artists masterfully present distinctions between Coast Salish art and Northwest Coast art. They merge traditional and contemporary stories, images, and techniques. The artists are committed to ongoing cultural revival, celebrations, and preservation of Coast Salish art and traditions. The artists’ work has been exhibited at the University of Victoria, UBC, Vancouver International Airport, Museum of Anthropology, National Gallery of Canada, and in galleries worldwide.

You can access artist biographies, artist statements, teaching resources, and K-12 lessons on our Salish Weave page. The collection will be circulated throughout the district and available in our Aboriginal Resource Centre in the Fall 2020.

Tags Indigenous

Sit, Watch, Listen

Post author By Marilyn.Maychak
Post date 5 June 2020

A Tale Gathered In the Field

Bayview Elementary – Indigenous Education

“The relationship to land and place is deeply rooted in First Peoples’ cultural perspectives; living and learning is inextricably tied to sense of place, and connection to the land itself. Traditionally, in addition to the learner’s family and community, the place in which they live, and the land that supports that life, provide the context and source for teaching and learning. The community and natural environment are regarded as the “classroom”.

~ First Peoples Principles of Learning website

I’ve been thinking about this quote quite a bit during this time of being at home. What does learning about Indigenous ways of knowing and being look like and extend into home and community?

We have been given this opportunity to slow down, quiet our minds, and connect/reconnect with ourselves, each other, and the world around us. Being at home with my toddler has reminded me about the natural curiosity and wonder of life and the world (plant, animal, insect, marine, etc.).

Looking at the world through another person’s eyes (toddler, child, teen, adult, elder) reminds us of the diverse perspectives and ways we understand and interact with the world. Each perspective and experience helps us to come to know who we are (individually and collectively) in relation to each other and the natural world. To me, being curious, vulnerable, humble and open to what we have to learn from others (humans, plants and animals) is the heart of Indigenous ways of knowing and being. What are we learning about ourselves? Each other? Students? Families? Communities?

During this time of learning from home, Jaime Stephens (Gitxsan, Indigenous Education Support Teacher – Bayview Elementary) has been engaging teachers, students and families in land education and pedagogy of place.

One of Jaime’s learning assignments encourages students to create a sound map – a visual representation of what they hear. This idea came from her experience in her teaching program’s outdoor education class. Jaime wanted to build upon the idea of sound maps and weave in Indigenous connections. She wanted to take the idea beyond connecting it to science and adapt it to fit within and infuse Indigenous ways of knowing, learning and values.

Jaime shares that creating a visual representation of what you hear “connects to the concept of Sit, Watch, Listen (SWL) in Indigenous Education…SWL encourages us to be present without distractions and listen to the world around us.” Jaime encourages students to do the sound map activity with a partner so that they could compare their representations afterwards. “It is important for kids to understand that we have different experiences and these experiences impact how we are going to interact with those around us.”

I encourage you to check out Jaime’s Sound Map lesson here. Find another person to do this with. Compare your visual representations. When you slow down and just listen, what do you learn about yourself? What do you notice? What do you learn about another person and how they experience the world?

Tags Indigenous Understandings, Learning Activity, Indigenous, Instruction

June is Pride month

Post author By Marilyn.Maychak
Post date 4 June 2020

We acknowledge that Pride has become synonymous with diversity, rainbows, and love. Pride is a powerful celebration and acknowledgement of LGBTQ2S+ communities and their freedom to be who they are. The intersection of the LGBTQ2S+ community and people that are minoritized continue to face ongoing, systemic oppression, discrimination and prejudice.

Pride did not start as a celebration. Pride started as an uprising against police violence and injustice in June 1969 in New York City. Black and Brown trans women stood up to police violence to fight for the rights of the LGBTQ2S+ community. These acts of resistance, now known as the Stonewall uprising, led to the birth of Pride, Pride marches and the LGBTQ2S+ rights movement.

Pride marks a time for the LGBTQ2S+ community to create space to express and celebrate who they are. Pride events remind us that we still have work to do to recognize the rights of all LGBTQ2S+ people in our quest to achieve equity, equality, and inclusion. We will not stop until we live in a world without oppression and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

In Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools, we continue to work towards goal #2: Safe, caring and healthy learning and working environment that is inclusive of the diversity of our entire learning community. All schools must be inclusive places where all students and staff feel safe, accepted, respected, welcome and proud of who they are.

While COVID-19 has presented many challenges and hardships, there have also been many opportunities for learning and growth. The opportunity we have been given to work virtually with colleagues has created these spaces. For the past few weeks, we have had the privilege of working with sponsor teachers from school GSA’s and Social Justice clubs to find a way to move Pride celebrations to an online opportunity where all people can access at home and in-school. Special thanks to the sponsor teachers from École Quarterway, École North Oyster, Chase River Elementary, and Ladysmith Secondary for putting these learning activities together.

The elementary learning menu can be found here.

The secondary learning module can be found here.

Tags Inclusion

Indigenous Storytelling

Post author By Miranda.Chitze
Post date 1 June 2020

While intriguing and entertaining, Indigenous storytelling and oral history can be highly complex topics of discussion and learning. Stories are centuries old, they encompass historical, political, environmental, and sacred subject matter, and they are specific to diverse Indigenous Nations. Dr. Ellen Rice White remarkably captures the enormity of these undertakings in her Legends of Xeel’s, The Creator.

Dr. Ellen Rice White was a highly respected Elder from the Snumeymuxw First Nation. Her Indigenous name was Kwulasulwut which translates Many Stars. She was an educator, author, storyteller, and traditional knowledge keeper who believed education was the key to social change and community building. Her Grandmother and Great Uncle taught her traditional teachings and traditional stories.

Indigenous Approaches to Learning:

All elements (inanimate/animate have energy
All elements communicate and interact with this energy
Purpose: to listen and find person meaning
The person telling the story does not tell people what to think
There is no right or wrong answer
Learning comes from listeners’ personal understanding

Legends and Teachings of Xeel’s, The Creator addresses matters of the body, mind, heart, and spirit that arise at different stages of the characters’ lives. The solutions include opening your body, mind, heart, and spirit to the healing energies of nature (land, water, air, species, environment) and from learning to respect yourself, family, community, and cultural practices. The characters’ challenges are as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago. To support educators, after each story, there is a Discussion Section. Written in narrative form, it includes story summaries, explanations of cultural understandings, and connections between characters’ problems then and now.

If you never fully understood the First Peoples Principles of Learning, the legends beautifully model all the principles. Kwulasulwut wants readers to know that the stories were handed down to her from her grandparents and their ancestors of the Coast Salish people. She expresses that the stories belong to Xeel’s, so she wants to share the stories, as they teach lessons on the importance of family and community values and how to get along.

While this resource is important for all educators to learn about traditional storytelling and Indigenous worldviews, the content is appropriate for youth and adults (see children’s books below). This is a cross curricular resource.

Tags Indigenous

Indigenous Language & Culture

Post author By Miranda.Chitze
Post date 25 May 2020

My first exposure to Indigenous language learning was at the University of Alberta. I was humbled by how descriptive and poetic the language presented. In this session, I learned that in English, one might say, “There is a woman sitting over there.” In an Indigenous language, one would say, “Our grandmother is sitting by the river which is the color of blood running through our veins.” Indigenous languages are holistically connected to family, land, and all species. They are rich in metaphor and imagery. Interactions communicate deep respect, and they invite you to slow down and learn about communication on a deeper level. It is a rarity and privilege to have the opportunity to learn an Indigenous language, particularly in the Indigenous territory which you reside.

There are approximately 2,500 Indigenous students in NLPS. For many Indigenous students, learning the language builds cultural identity, a sense of pride, and a sense of belonging at school. Access to cultural programming increases attendance. There are post-secondary Indigenous language programs that lead to great careers.

NLPS hul’qumi’num language Team, Elder Many Jones, Elder Jerry Brown, Colleen Manson, Gena Seward-Wilson, Adam Manson, and Cameron Park work with K-12 students to pass down traditional knowledge through hul’qumi’num language instruction. This small team of dedicated teachers are having an extraordinary ripple effect across the district. Non-Indigenous students love the language program. Indigenous and non-Indigenous students have performed traditional stories, songs, and skits in the hul’qumi’num language. One non-Indigenous student had expressed a desire to become an Indigenous language teacher. Do you think her dream can become a reality? NLPS has just hired Mr. Cameron Park, our First non-Indigenous language teacher.

Stay tuned for the hul’qumi’num language team’s Continuity of Learning Session, on May 28, 2020.

Tags Indigenous, language

Jacquie Helped me Make it Visual!

Post author By Loa Richardson
Post date 22 May 2020

A Tale Gathered In the Field

Visuals have amazing powers. They are HANDS DOWN the best scaffold we can give our students to improve their ability to comprehend. In fact, Shelley Moore has been devoting a good portion of her 5 Moore Minutes Special Edition: Home Learning on the topic of visuals and their importance. Adding visuals to online learning is a way to motivate and engage ALL learners.

On Twitter I began to see examples of “Virtual Classrooms” pop up everywhere! Twitter friends in my ELL Professional Learning Network were sharing interactive, highly visual virtual classrooms by using Google Slides featuring personalized Bitmojis!

I am not the most tech savvy individual, but when something looks so cool and inviting, I have to try to figure it out. Thankfully, the amazing Jacquie Davidson presented a session on using Google Slides to build interactive weekly activities! She shared some of the work she and her colleagues at Forest Park have been creating. With a little help from her tutorial and some trial and error, I created my first attempt!

The books on the shelf connect to YouTube read alouds. The coffee cup is the latest podcast I listened to. The fruit bowl connects you to a Google Form for a 3-2-1 Strategy exit slip! If you click on my Bitmoji you will get my latest ELL memo. There are endless possibilities to suit your learner’s needs! Check out Jacquie’s COL session, and her Google Slides.

Thank you for all you are doing to help NLPS Jacquie!!

Tags EdTech, TGIF, Google, Instruction, Visual, Inclusion

Strength and Resilience of COVID Graduate

Post author By Kim Darbyshire
Post date 21 May 2020

Graduation, commencement, walk-up; it doesn’t matter what you call it, it has special meaning in the lives of teens and their families. I have been the parent of a grad once already. It was stressful, exhilarating, emotional and overwhelming. All of those things were made more special by the celebrations that came one after another: family events, prom, dry grad, convocation. I have video of the hats being thrown and my oldest son in big groups of people with whom he had spent the last 5 years. It lasted a few months of his life, and this family will never forget those celebrations.

This year is a little different. My youngest son does not have all those events to look forward to. Day by day, we have been notified of events being cancelled. Grandparents will not travel to attend his ceremony, and we will not sit in an audience in a theatre. He will not have Instagram-worthy photos to post of his friends, classmates and teachers as they stand arm in arm, caps and gowns on, celebrating the end of a hard fought journey towards adulthood.

As a teacher, I ask: What are the lessons in this? What can be learned? Will the grads of 2020 be remembered with pity as the poor kids who missed out? Or is it possible that their loss is gaining them a resiliency and strength that will be their legacy? Although this is especially difficult for the class of 2020, we have all discovered new strengths, skill sets and problem-solving abilities. Faced with these overwhelming changes, we have all had to adapt and embrace innumerable challenges that we could never have predicted. As adults, we are mourning the loss of many things, we are missing our routine and we are exhausted by the challenges of technology.

As I navigate the muddy waters on which COVID has sent us afloat, I consider the resilience of the grads of 2020. I consider what they have lost that they will not get back, that which they have looked forward to for 13 long years of schooling. I consider my youngest son with simultaneous sadness for him, but also pride in his ability to accept, to embrace and to adapt. For that I thank you, teachers of NLPS. For giving him that skill as you have focused your efforts on the life skills that are really important for each of them uniquely. The grads of 2020 will persevere, because their teachers have taught them to do that.

Also, I hope he gets a cool cap and gown to keep.

Tags Secondary, Graduation, Celebration

News

Syeyutsus Policy Framework

Post author By Miranda.Chitze
Post date 19 May 2020

Syeyutsus is a hul’q’umi’num expression for “walking together,” living and honoring the teachings of the land and First Peoples, while navigating the complexities of today’s changing world. To honor the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, the Board of Education created the Syeyutsus Policy Framework. This policy framework ensures that NLPS work with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, while moving forward with reconciliation initiatives. The committee refers to themselves as the Syeyutsus Committee. This committee has representation from Mid-Island Metis Nation, Tillicum Lelum Friendship Centre, Snuneymuxw First Nation, Stz’uminus First Nation, Snaw-Naw-As First Nation, NLPS Trustees, Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, NDTA President & Executives, CUPE Executive, DPAC Executive, Director of Indigenous Education, and Syeyutsus Saays’um (one that does the work to support walking together).

Syeyutsus Policy Framework was regularly introduced and celebrated throughout the district. Staff had the opportunity to learn traditional Indigenous values, as well as teachings that recognize the respectful relationships between the land, species, language, and culture. One of the biggest Syeyutsus events occurred at a Meet & Eat session in January. As per Indigenous protocol, the event began with a greeting and gratitude opening, a drum song, and introduction to the Syeyutsus Committee. The evening included storytelling, a feast, and breakout sessions. All participants were gifted a traditional story to share with their students.

Syeyutsus committee members traveled to various schools to invite students and staff to listen to Elders share stories, learn to drum and sing, and to share a feast. They called these gatherings Singing With Syeyutsus. When social/physical isolation and learning from home occurred, Syeyutsus committee shared their Covid-19 Continuity of Learning resource to support student, staff, and families’ health and wellness. They continued their Singing with Syeyutsus on ZOOM. Despite all changes and challenges, the Syeyutsus Framework Policy continues to support NLPS.

Below are links to support student and staff learning during Covid-19.

Tags Indigenous

Keeping Pedagogy & Play as Priorities for Learning at Home

Post author By Amanda Kiatipis
Post date 15 May 2020

A Tale Gathered In the Field

Cedar Elementary

Prior to Spring Break, when you walked into a Kindergarten classroom at Cedar Elementary, you would see natural materials, defined spaces, and provocations. You would also see students using play to learn by spending time outdoors, and exploring areas of personal interest. Kindergarten at Cedar Elementary is play-based, inquiry-based and inspired by the Early Learning Framework. When in-class learning was suspended, the Kindergarten team at Cedar knew they had to think creatively about how they could bridge the pedagogy of the classroom to the students’ home learning experiences.

The Kindergarten teachers wondered:

What DOES/CAN play and learning from everyday experiences look like at home?
How can we support families when their view of learning may differ from ours?
What should we focus on so that learning is accessible for everyone?

After reflecting on their beliefs and values, the Kindergarten team created a document to communicate their priorities for learning. By using a variety of methods of communication, teachers found accessible ways to share play and inquiry-based pedagogy with families.

One of the ways that Ms. Blow & Ms. Allair are supporting playful learning at home is by sharing one play idea a week using the Ministry of Education’s Let’s Play Activities for Families document, which is connected to the revised Early Learning Framework.

Ms. Blow noticed that many of her students started sharing more about the activities they are doing at home. Some common topics were gardening, baking, nature walks, trampoline play, fort building, taking care of animals (farm and pets), and heart art to say thanks to our frontline workers. She is planning to use these commonalities to connect families and keep the learning community together despite being physically distanced from one another. Using what she has heard from families, she has connected learning to the curriculum and made it accessible to the diverse needs of her families. Ms. Blow intends to capture and tell the memorable and beautiful ways families are spending time together, and tell these stories with pedagogical narration.

Ms. Allair builds on the daily activities families are already doing together while encouraging and sharing ideas connected to literacy, math, play & well-being. Looking for tadpoles in the ponds, baking pretzels together – these are all amazing ways parents are supporting learning AND support the Cedar Kindergarten Priorities (and curricular competencies), even if they aren’t exactly the suggested activities that have been sent home. By staying connected with families through email and FreshGrade, she values and validates the different ways families are supporting both learning and their children’s well-being. She uses her website to post optional learning opportunities for the whole family, arranged according to the priorities they established and the importance of going outside, such as “Backyard Walking Adventure” prompts inspired and adapted from Gillian Judson’s Walking Curriculum.

Thank you to Ms. Blow & Ms. Allair for their dedication to their pedagogy and their families, and for their flexible approach which has allowed more families to feel successful & connected.
Check out Ms. Blow’s website and M s. Allair’s website to get inspired!

Tags TGIF, Play, COL

NLPS Goal #4: Truth and Reconciliation

Post author By Miranda.Chitze
Post date 14 May 2020

I recently presented a First Peoples Principles of Learning (FPPL) Professional Development workshop. One educator inquired as to how and why all of this Indigenous conversation started in schools. I shared an overview of the role of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the 94 Calls to Action. Of course one cannot do justice in presenting a historical overview without digging deeper into the events that led to the social, political, economical, and cultural demises of Indigenous peoples in Canada and the current cultural revitalization.

Bob Joseph, in his 21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act, communicates, among others, the creation of the reserve system, residential schools, imposition of band councils, demise of women’s roles, and the lasting impacts. In a sensitive and concise style, Mr. Joseph teaches why learning about the Indian Act and its devastating legacy is vital to moving forward with reconciliation. He concisely addressed the above inquiry as to “why” the inclusion of Indigenous content in all curriculum areas. This pocket sized, invaluable resource imparts foundational Indigenous facts and knowledge that all educators need to know to begin to address NLPS’s Goal #4 Truth and Reconciliation.

21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act includes terminology, classroom activities, discussion guide, additional reading, residential school chronology, Formal Apology from Prime Minister Stephen Harper transcript, 94 Calls to Action, and 21 things you can do to help change the world.

Play Video

Stay tuned for the upcoming pop-up book club with hosts Stephanie Johnson and Ted Cadwallader, along with special guests.

Tags Indigenous

Caption This! An Engaging Activity for Google Slides

Post author By Jeff Mikulin
Post date 12 May 2020

Over the last month and a half, we have been forced to find new strategies to connect with each other and with our students. Adapting new technology is not always the easiest thing to do and it has been amazing to see how our community of teachers, parents and students have been able to work together to create a meaningful experience for our students. Google Classroom has been widely adopted by many teachers in our district and to help you out, there are many different ways that you could use Google Slides and Google Drawing in a meaningful and fun way to make student thinking visible!
‘Caption This’ is a strategy from the author of ‘Ditch That Textbook’, Matt Miller. This is a great way to get students to share their thinking about what is going on in the image and their understanding of the topic being covered. In this activity students are prompted with an image and are asked to fill in the thought bubble of what the person/object may be thinking.

Here is a link to a template that you could use. Check out Matt’s blog post for more examples of how to use this tool!

Tags Thinking, EdTech, Google, Instruction

Clarity of Assignments in Google Classroom

Post author By Loa Richardson
Post date 11 May 2020

Who hasn’t finished explaining what we want our students to do and end up with half a dozen hands up?
We wrote our instructions on the board. We provided a detailed handout. We discussed what needs to be done. Still there is confusion.

“What do I have to do?”

“I don’t get this?”

“Where do I find that?”

“I don’t remember doing that before?”

“I need a new handout.”

We circle around the room and check-in to help clarify our instructions so that students can get on with the task or activity. Sometimes we ask our ELL specialist to work with a few students. If we have an EA, they do the same.

Google Classroom does not have the same supports provided by direct instruction.We can’t physically circulate the room and provide clarification in the same way. If we are lucky, students (or parents) will pop us an email to ask for help. If we are unlucky, we get radio silence.

To avoid lots of clarification emails, or worse, no engagement, we need to think about making lessons, activities and tasks in Google Classroom REALLY easy to follow.

Recommendations:

Rewrite directions to make them direct, step-by-step, and brief.
Provide a clear model of how to complete each activity or problem.
Break up text and activities into small, manageable chunks.
Add a visual (image, graph, chart).
Reword or reduce the amount of text.
Keep videos short and add closed captions.
Provide graphic organizers, slideshow templates and framed paragraphs.

Tags EdTech, Google, Instruction, ELL

Continuity of Learning for my Kindergarten Daughter

Post author By Shelley Gvojich
Post date 8 May 2020

A Tale Gathered In the Field

There are many examples of amazing educators showing innovation, compassion, and courage during this time of remote COVID-19 learning. Genny Iaaschsen uses (thematic) learning menus to provide literacy, numeracy, arts and activity opportunities for students with her grade 2 class at Pleasant Valley. Learning menus outline a variety of options that target important learning goals. Students are empowered to participate in some, none, or all of the activities. Most activities have options to promote active exploring outside (with physical distancing of course), engaging with family members, and utilizing supplies found around the house. Genny also provides fun digital resources.

Genny also encourages students to get out in nature and participate in “Wild Wednesdays”. She made videos, scavenger hunts, and even a detailed map of Bowen Park (showing students where the class salmon were released). Most recently, Genny hand painted rocks with the name of each child in her class and hid them in the forest behind the school for students to find. My daughter was so excited to get outside and hunt for her special rock (and those of her classmates). She immediately came home to write about her experience in her class journal. It’s exciting to participate in my daughter’s learning this way.

I’m inspired by Genny’s willingness to try new things and find ways to engage students (and parents).

Tags TGIF

Happy Educator Appreciation Week

Post author By Amanda Kiatipis
Post date 6 May 2020

Now, more than ever, we can see the impact that educators have on the lives of their students and their families. This week we want to celebrate all of you!

We know that this job is challenging in the best of times, and these are definitely not the best of times. We want you to know we see you and all you are doing. We see you learning new technologies you never thought you would learn. We see you making phone calls, sending text messages, writing long detailed emails, creating websites, and generally responding to family needs at any hour of the day. We see you making school videos, acting silly to make your students smile and stepping outside your comfort zone. We see you asking for support and connecting more with one another. We see you worrying about your students that you have not heard from. We see you reaching out, but at the same time trying not to overwhelm your families. We see you checking in on your students’ mental well-being. We see you changing your plans to accommodate the ever-changing context. We see you creating new ways of presenting learning opportunities. We see you re-thinking “the way we have always done things”. For all this, and so much more, a big thank you to all NLPS Educators from the Learning Coordinators.

Tags Collaboration

Playful, Meaningful and No-Tech Reading Activities for K-2

Post author By Marcy Boudreau
Post date 4 May 2020

On March, Friday 13^th, we all left our schools anticipating a two-week spring break of rest and rejuvenation with the understanding we would return to the same school on March 30th.

Within a matter of days, all our spring breaks turned dramatically into a long game of hide with no seek. This new way of life has made me ask questions of myself.

Like…what do I really know? Well, I know that our students, families, and especially teachers are resilient.

What do I not know… yet? What this new version of school will actually look like, sound and feel like.

What I do know for sure, is that we cannot do it alone. If there was ever a time to embrace collaboration, it is now. You know what I am talking about: when you see someone doing something great, and you wish you thought of it, but instead you compliment them and plead for permission to use it yourself.

These ideas, previously shared by other educators, are playful, meaningful and no-tech ways to encourage reading skills at home. If you are interested in sharing your own ideas, please email me!

# 1 Inside - Letter Sound Recognition

Student creates individual letter cards or used letter tiles/magnets
Organizes letters in alphabetic order
Then finds an object for each initial letter sound and says it aloud
Could change the task and focus on final sound of each letter.

#2 Outside - Letter/Sight Word Recognition

Student creates letters with chalk or outside objects such as sticks and rocks
Organizes letters in alphabetic order, or make sight words with an object for each initial letter sound

#3 Reading & Moving

Student writes out sight words of the week (inside on stairs, outside with chalk)
Then put them places that encourage movement to read and or spell aloud

Tags Reading, Literacy, Primary

Can you Breakout?

Post author By Isabelle Lavoie
Post date 7 April 2020

Congratulation to Sophia (PV), Samantha (BV), the Bayview group, Stephanie (PA), Chelsey and Vanessa (BV) who were the first 5 individuals/teams to breakout! Thanks to the 130 teams that participated in the challenge.

We have prepared a special Breakout challenge to see who can navigate your new NLPSLearns efficiently. Partner up if you want, but let’s dig in! Who is up for the challenge?

And sorry for those who are peaking early on this, but the form will be accessible only at 9am on April 8.

Your new NLPSLearns!

Post author By Isabelle Lavoie
Post date 6 April 2020

Welcome to your new NLPSLearns website. We have worked hard at rebuilding this important hub to give you better access to resources and information within a new structure and with improved search capabilities.

Each section will offer you guidelines, highlight important information and tips, and share a selection of resource related to the topic. To search through all of our resources, visit the Resources page and use the filters to narrow down the list to find what you really need.

We have created a Continuity of Learning page that will grow as we move forward in this new and unsettling context. It should be your first stop to find curated resources and support tools to help you in your journey. Don’t forget to share with your colleagues. Together we will find ways. Together we will make it possible.

The Learning Coordinators

Tags portal

Taking Math Outside

Post author By Jeff Mikulin
Post date 3 April 2020

Planning for a rich educational experience for our students can be challenging while our students are learning at home. There are many tools that are available to create a meaningful learning experience and you may find yourself leaning towards online programs for your lesson delivery. While much of our students time may be spent inside, why not try and utilize place based learning and encourage our students to get outside. Not only will it be engaging, but will also improve our students mental health. Some of the ways that we could get our students outside may include:

Use sidewalk chalk – This could be for counting to calculus!
Count objects in your yard and then use natural objects to show their thinking (make numbers using sticks)
Create patterns using rocks or other objects. For higher grades, create t -table and graph the pattern.
Observe nature – It is a beautiful time of year to observe and measure changes in nature. Then report and graph the data.
Use nature to make fractional representations and create equations.
List Item

Get your students to take pictures of their outside learning adventures and add them to their portfolios! These are just a few examples of how we can get our students outside, be creative and have some fun! If you are looking for more ideas, don’t hesitate to contact me!

NLPS Learns

A Tale Gathered In the Field

Bayview Elementary – Indigenous Education

A Tale Gathered In the Field

Syeyutsus Framework for Wellness

Lawrence Mitchell Greeting & Gratitude Opening

Syeyutsus: Lawrence Mitchell Drum Song

A Tale Gathered In the Field

Cedar Elementary

A Tale Gathered In the Field

# 1 Inside - Letter Sound Recognition

#2 Outside - Letter/Sight Word Recognition

#3 Reading & Moving

Congratulation to Sophia (PV), Samantha (BV), the Bayview group, Stephanie (PA), Chelsey and Vanessa (BV) who were the first 5 individuals/teams to breakout! Thanks to the 130 teams that participated in the challenge.

Questions about teaching, learning, resources or technology?

Dufferin Learning Center

A Tale Gathered In the Field

Bayview Elementary – Indigenous Education

A Tale Gathered In the Field

A Tale Gathered In the Field

Cedar Elementary

A Tale Gathered In the Field

# 1 Inside - Letter Sound Recognition

#2 Outside - Letter/Sight Word Recognition

#3 Reading & Moving

Congratulation to Sophia (PV), Samantha (BV), the Bayview group, Stephanie (PA), Chelsey and Vanessa (BV) who were the first 5 individuals/teams to breakout! Thanks to the 130 teams that participated in the challenge.

Questions about teaching, learning, resources or technology?​

Dufferin Learning Center

Questions about teaching, learning, resources or technology?