Mindful Monday - From Metis to Snow Shoes to Polar Bear Paws
Welcome to our new student in Room 123, his name is Toluwani and we are very happy to have him join our community.
If we attached an EEG (stands for Electroencephalography and measures the activity of neurons in the brain) to your brains in Room 123 today your firing neurons would light up the community of Evanston. You were on fire with the thinking today! Global Mind in action.
As per usual, we went on a learning journey beginning with the Metis people, identity through meeting (via video) David Bouchard.
He is an amazing inspirational Metis author who happens to have written more than 50 books in English and French. Many of these books combine poetry and visuals to explore topics like the environment, history and traditions and cultures of Canada's Aboriginal communities.
Here is are some video links for you to meet him too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20tEPCJWj20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdPtMZbgEBY
We learned that the infinity symbol represents the Metis Culture
If you recall these instruments were inspired by our reading of the picture book called Ada's Violin and the recycled orchestra of Paraguay. Today we tested out our prototypes in our own Room 123 orchestra. As it turns out we had a percussion section (drums), a string section (voilins and box guitars), and flute/whistle section. We had to work collaboratively to create a song. All the instruments had to make a sounds with different frequencies. Here is a link to our recording of a simple rhythm. Listen and decide which section you feel is the most successful.
https://d2l.cbe.ab.ca/d2l/home/421850
Then we moved onto the latest challenge I've placed in D2L about Design Thinking and Animal Adaptations. Adaptations are: the physical and behavioural features that animals and plants have that allow them to fit into and survive in a particular environment (habitat). This led us to refresh our memories about the polar bears body adaptations. For example his black skin to keep him warm, and the hollow hairs that suck up the light and get absorbed by the black skin. Also, his tiny ears that allow him to swim in a streamlined way and stay warm in the cold winds in the Arctic. We then began talking about a male polar bears gigantic paws. Did you know they measure 30 cm in diameter. We asked, why so large? We inferred that the paws are like snowshoes and we came back full circle to First Nations people and one more amazing invention that we borrowed from them. My question is: where do you think the First Nations people got the idea for snowshoes? I'm thinking biomimicry --- hmmm.
Here are some amazing photos of the polar bears paw. I'd say this amazing apex predator is very well adapted to the Arctic environment.
Don't forget this week:
Learning Commons on Thursday morning - bring library books.
and
Spelling Test for Lessons 36-40 on Friday.
If we attached an EEG (stands for Electroencephalography and measures the activity of neurons in the brain) to your brains in Room 123 today your firing neurons would light up the community of Evanston. You were on fire with the thinking today! Global Mind in action.
As per usual, we went on a learning journey beginning with the Metis people, identity through meeting (via video) David Bouchard.
Here is are some video links for you to meet him too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20tEPCJWj20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdPtMZbgEBY
We learned that the infinity symbol represents the Metis Culture
Next, we returned to the instruments we made during our design challenge.
If you recall these instruments were inspired by our reading of the picture book called Ada's Violin and the recycled orchestra of Paraguay. Today we tested out our prototypes in our own Room 123 orchestra. As it turns out we had a percussion section (drums), a string section (voilins and box guitars), and flute/whistle section. We had to work collaboratively to create a song. All the instruments had to make a sounds with different frequencies. Here is a link to our recording of a simple rhythm. Listen and decide which section you feel is the most successful.
https://d2l.cbe.ab.ca/d2l/home/421850
Then we moved onto the latest challenge I've placed in D2L about Design Thinking and Animal Adaptations. Adaptations are: the physical and behavioural features that animals and plants have that allow them to fit into and survive in a particular environment (habitat). This led us to refresh our memories about the polar bears body adaptations. For example his black skin to keep him warm, and the hollow hairs that suck up the light and get absorbed by the black skin. Also, his tiny ears that allow him to swim in a streamlined way and stay warm in the cold winds in the Arctic. We then began talking about a male polar bears gigantic paws. Did you know they measure 30 cm in diameter. We asked, why so large? We inferred that the paws are like snowshoes and we came back full circle to First Nations people and one more amazing invention that we borrowed from them. My question is: where do you think the First Nations people got the idea for snowshoes? I'm thinking biomimicry --- hmmm.
Here are some amazing photos of the polar bears paw. I'd say this amazing apex predator is very well adapted to the Arctic environment.
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| First snowshoes created by First Nations |
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| Polar bear paw -- amazing! |
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| Look how big it is compared to this man's chest. |
Learning Commons on Thursday morning - bring library books.
and
Spelling Test for Lessons 36-40 on Friday.
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