Sustainability

Understanding that our choices have an affect on the sustainability of the earth's resources is not necessarily an easy concept for students to understand in grade 3.  While students easily understand concepts like waste and pollution, making connections of waste and pollution to world problems such as global warming and climate change are more challenging.   I give credit to your children however.  Their hard work has led to deeper understandings and new knowledge this week.   I know that many have been having discussions at home, and the hope is that they can take further action, to affect change, long after this unit of inquiry finishes.  

Let's Talk About Green!
The final major research project for the school year will culminate on June 12th, the same day as our grade level year-end party.  From 1:00 until 2:00, parents will be able to wander through the grade three classrooms and listen and learn about the students research.  While most are still in the process of identifying their research topics, they are to zero in on them by Monday.  Maybe a final discussion or two at home will help them decide.  

There are 7 broad areas which connect to sustainability, from which they will choose:

1) Food Waste                      2) How We Move People and Goods 
3) Our homes and Cities      4) How We Use Our Land 
5) Electricity                        6) Materials and Waste Management 
7) Empowering Women

From there, the students will "zoom in" on a specific challenge.  For example, they could choose as "recycling plastics and glass" as a zoomed in topic within #6, Materials and Waste Management.

I am very pleased with their thinking and ideas so far.  They have been writing in their journals.  Beginning Monday, they will research their topics in detail from a variety of primary and secondary information sources.  I look forward to having their best work of the year on display on June 12th!

There is a great deal of literacy, writing and research going on for their Unit of Inquiry into Sustainability.  This week students have been putting their final touches on their fairly tale stories, as well as their historical fiction stories.  We are going to print with the historical fiction stories next week.  We  continued our routine math work this past week with work on a multiplication challenge, as well as arithmetic word problems.   

I have been asked to insert two messages this week from our art and drama teachers:


1) Mr. Durin (Drama):

The students have been working on design and playwriting in drama, and have musical pieces as well. Mr Fowler (Music) and I  are going to combine classes on June 3rd (period 4 and 5) so that the classes can perform their work for each other.  Parents are welcome to join if they like.


2) Ms. Lind (Art):

As part of the Sustainability unit in Grade 3, The library and the arts are looking into how we can reuse textile. 

If you have any old t-shirts, shirts, and/or sheets, please consider donating them to us. We will find new uses for them.

Pattern or solid colors doesn't matter. We ask that the donated objects are clean. (stains are OK)

You can send it in with your child during this week and next.

Kind regards and Thank you

Åsa Lind and Sayyora Tairova

Have a great week ahead. 

There will be new pictures uploaded over the weekend, so check back!

Mr Shawn and Ms. Olga