Hello again!

G5 has been incredibly busy progressing through their very first unit. At first, we decided to explore our own culture in Japan. We brainstormed what are some important aspects that make a culture and the students said “food, clothing, celebrations!” We talked about what are some staple foods in Japan, from sushi, rice, udon to ramen. Afterwards, during the parent observation day and Spring Festival, we shared a nice “show and tell” museum, where the parents were invited to participate in it as well. The students shared an important item from their own home that was related to their own identity. One student touched on their swedish culture.

The second line of inquiry was achieved when the students were asked to make a presentation on their school’s six common language:

• Walking Feet
• Inside Voice
• Positive Language
• Speaking English
• Smart Moves
• Kind Hands

By reminding themselves about the school’s six common languages, we were able to remind ourselves of the importance of being a grade 5 student: We are role models. There are younger students who now pay attention to how we behave and we need to remind ourselves that our actions have consequences. Our voice is important and how we say things is also important.

Now we are diving into our third line of inquiry. We started small, we focused on ourselves, then we focused on our identity in the school and now we’re exploring a much bigger step: international identity. Because a few of the students have a connection to Canada in some way, from growing up in Canada, to living in Canada for a few years to visiting Canada during a family trip, it is important to explore other aspect of cultural identities. This will allow us to recognize ourselves in the bigger picture, how we are international learners. Also, this is the perfect opportunity for us to explore our “open-mindedness” as learners by understanding that other cultures are different from us but we are willing to learn and understand it.

Once we are done exploring Canadian culture, we will begin looking into how the environment shapes how we live! For example, the people living along the coast of Japan will likely have an abundance of seafood, fish and seaweed that contributes to their diet. While those living in a more mountainous terrain have the perfect landscape for rice paddies.

Speaking of rice paddies. Next week, G5 will have the opportunity to participate in some rice paddy planting. I am very excited for them to explore the importance of rice in Japanese culture further by doing some hands-on learning.

This time, I was able to snap a few more photos so please enjoy.

Until next time 🙂